This sentence jumped out at me.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest no longer regards ginkgo biloba as safe and is urging consumers to avoid it.
Which raises the question...
Is Ginko Biloba safe?
The study done on animals shows that it may not be wise to take high doses of this supplement.
The flip side of this article seems to point out that this popular herb may offer no real benefit.
So if offers no real benefit maybe you should avoid taking it until a stronger correlation of improved memory can be made with moderate dosing of Ginko.
And if you choose to continue supplementing it seems that 30-120 mg. is the recommended amount for daily intake.
RoyAlexanderFitness.com
See Link for more details...
http://nyti.ms/12dqdJw

There are two changes to the fitness camp schedule this week.  

1. This Thursday 5/2, camp will take place at the U.S.S Maine Monument at 6:00 PM.  
2. There will be no class for this Saturday 5/4.  

The remainder of the schedule remains the same.  
Monday, Wednesday, Friday 6:30 AM - 7:30 AM
Tuesday 6:45 PM - 7:45 PM
Sunday  11:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Lately, clients have been asking me about mud runs. How do I prepare for mud runs?  How safe are they? Should I participate in one?

Most mud runs have ominous names like ‘Spartan Race’, ‘Warrior Dash’, or some other take on a bad a** theme.

Those of you who’ve been with me for a while already know that I am a big fan of doing something active. Move for goodness sakes! Anything!  I am also a big fan of having fun. (Movement & Fun- both abundant in my boot camps! A little shameless plug goes a long way.)  Both of these, however, should always take a backseat to safety. Be smart and consider your safety first when participating in ‘Mud Runs’.

In recent news, a couple of people have died while participating in these ‘Mud Runs’. If you haven’t heard, here is one alarming article that covers the tragic incidents.  http://www.herald-mail.com/news/hm-maryland-mans-death-in-tough-mudder-one-of-several-linked-to-similar-events-20130423,0,6395571.story

So what can you do to avoid injury and other more disastrous consequences?

1. Be aware of your own abilities- what you can do and what you cannot do.  In the words of a popular movie tagline..."Danger is real. Fear is a choice." Assess what is potentially dangerous and not worth the risk to YOU.  For example, in my situation, I would avoid a long jump down from a relatively significant height. Why?  Even though my legs are strong enough, I assume the risk of possibly landing incorrectly and hurting my legs.  My profession demands that I be very mobile.  Leg injury would make it difficult to lead outdoor boot camps and travel to train my clients.  I bypass that activity because it is simply not worth it. If you have a desk job and awesome insurance, then you may view a high jump differently.
2. Get an assessment of your overall health. For example, you don't want to jump into ice cold water if you have heart related issues. 
3. Make peace with the idea that you may skip some obstacles beforehand. Otherwise, you may end up dwelling on the obstacles bypassed instead of enjoying the experience of finishing a challenging race. Skip the guilt trip. If you know in advance, you won't get caught up in the mob mentality of following the crowd.  Follow these three simple tips to help you avoid making a disastrous snap decision that can lead to serious consequences.
   

Hope this helps you stay smart and safe, and have fun!

Feel free to contact me with any questions.

RoyAlexanderFitness.com

You are if you follow cookie cutter workouts from that trendy fitness magazine 'to a tee'.  All workouts should be personalized to fit your goals, your fitness level, and your skills.  Even published exercise programs can do more detriment than good. My public service announcement for the day is "THINK BEFORE YOU LIFT, KIDS!" and at the next boot camp I will dress as the PSA mascot 'Lifty the Lemming' instead of Smokey the Bear. Just kidding.

Here's the quick and dirty if you're interested in what prompted this post.

During one of my workouts in the gym this week, my "Spidey sense" started to tingle.   I noticed three guys taking turns doing push-ups on the squat rack next to me. I glanced over a few times and saw that they were incorporating different push-up varieties but their forms were off doing the more esoteric push-ups.  The second thing I noticed was the use of a squat rack to do push-ups.  Just a little odd i thought. 

Over the next 45 minutes I saw this behavior repeated 7 more times by groups of two, three or four. Next to me and on another rack across the floor!
That's roughly 25 guys in the span of 45 minutes doing the exact same workout! I thought I was in the twilight zone! Finally, the curious George in my decided to ask the last group..."Is there a push-up competition coming up with prize money??"  Nope. I was informed that an article appeared somewhere promoting push-ups on this particular day to get you ready for Spring/Summer.

Upon further discussion I learned that they were supposed to do 125 push-ups overall.  I asked a few questions and found out that:

1. They had no idea why they were doing push-ups.  Nor-Why? ( a few guesses though.)
   
2. None had done any push-ups recently.
   
3. All of them were doing a variation or two that they had never done.
   

My professional observation is that they had poor form; all three variations stressed their shoulders in an improper way.

In a nutshell... 

1. Have a well defined goal (Like a helicopter mom, I will not stop saying 'HAVE A WELL-DEFINED GOAL").
2. If you see or hear of a workout, think about whether or not it helps you towards your goal.
   
3. If I'm training an engaged couple to prepare for their wedding pictures and warm weather honeymoon, their workout is completely different than someone who is a serious rock climber or Tough Mudder participant.
4. Ask why are you doing "prescribed workout". It protects you from overuse. 125 push ups?! Really?  Say hello to 'overuse' injuries!  
5. Have your form checked out. This allows you to make progress faster and keeps you injury free.
6. Use resources like me so you can carve your own path instead of following the heard off the deep end.
   

If you have any questions, contact me.

Chew on this for a prize!  We are all aware of the rapidly expanding presence of processed foods (and doing our best to avoid them, right?) but did you know that most processed foods are constructed from powders? 

Let me give you an example of one such common food.  See if you can guess which "fast food" venue serves up this delicious, uber processed sandwich?   Here are your hints.  The food, which can be found in almost any 4 block radius in NYC, is made up of... “55 are dry, dusty substances... [out] Of the 105 ingredients,” (according to a prominent news article).  The names of these "dry, dusty substances" sound familiar only to those who regularly read ingredient labels, names like disodium guanylate, calcium disodium EDTA, and other ingredients you probably don’t have lying around your kitchen.  Still sound yummy?!

Guess which "Fast Food" place offers this mouth-watering, savory food.  First person to submit a correct answer gets a free Roy Alexander Fitness Bootcamp session in Central Park!!!  Comment below or shoot me an email: royalexanderfit@gmail.com

Hello Boot Campers!  If you search 'Roy Alexander Fitness' on Yelp, you might be pleasantly surprised to see photos of yourselves ROCKING ROY'S boot camp!!  Truth be told, I have to stay on top of my game to keep the exercises challenging and fun.  One of the reasons why I LOVE what I do.

After you finish marveling at your toned physiques, I am going to make a little call for 'YELP!' To state it quite frankly, I suck at marketing and so does my underfed volunteer.  I truly believe that my fitness classes offer something above and beyond the rest.  I would love to add more classes to the mix but need people to spread the word.  My best advocates are actually... well, YOU!  If you enjoyed the class, I would love to hear about it.  Please yelp me?

ROY ALEXANDER FITNESS YELP PAGE