Esopus Strength & Fitness

You may have noticed that I haven't posted on this page for quite a while. That's because I have closed Esopus Strength & Fitness to devote more time to Horses for a Change, the not for profit that we have established. Horses for a Change is dedicated to making horseback riding accessible to all, regardless of age, ability, or financial status. Please "like" us at https://www.facebook.com/horsetherapyanddressage/. This photo is of two of our lovable therapy equids: Zeke the zonkey (zebra/donkey mix) and his BFF Strider the donkey.

Just what we say in Belly Fat Blast class - visceral (around the organs) fat is more easily lost with exercise than subcutaneous (under the skin) fat. And visceral fat is the more troublesome health-wise. Note that the recommendation is for moderate exercise, combining aerobic and weight training.

CORRECTION: On February 18th, I posted that the hormone irisin had been found to increase brown fat levels. Since that post, a new study from an international team of scientists has reported that the method used for measuring irisin levels in the blood was faulty, giving a more rosy view of the role of irisin in human metabolism than was warranted. So, we may be back to the drawing board on how to increase brown fat cells in humans. More will be revealed!

Esopus Strength & Fitness is one of the sponsors of the Family Fun Ride at the 2015 Woodstock Women's Cycling Grand Prix. Join us there and "like" the WWCGP on Facebook. Looking for other sponsors, too.

Will an ice bath - the latest "fat-burning" fad - help you lose weight? The theory behind this claim is that shivering stimulates the creation of brown fat. All adults have a small amount of brown fat, mostly in our necks. Unlike our white fat cells that store fat, brown fat cells are metabolically active, i.e., they generate heat, thus using energy. Scientists have identified a hormone called irisin that, upon muscle contraction, travels through the blood to white fat cells, where it actually transforms them into brown fat. While shivering in an ice bath may increase our store of brown fat, so can the muscle contraction of exercise. Why endure a painful ice bath, when a beneficial and fun bout of exercise could increase your store of brown fat?