Thursday, November 15, 2007

Jiggling or Shuckling

My good friend CR wanted to know if vigorous shuckling (*) counts as an exercise in regards to this news story:-

Exercise Advice Often Ignores Jiggle Factor

Exercise is all about moving your body. But some body parts move more than you want them to.

For many overweight exercisers, every step of a workout comes with an unintended cascade of motion — breasts bounce, belly fat shakes and thighs rub. The added jiggle and friction of moving body fat is more than just bothersome. It can alter people's gait and make them more prone to injuries and joint problems. The discomfort prevents many overweight people from exercising altogether.

"Almost all of my clients end up expressing this, how uncomfortable the bouncing around feels," said Kelly Bliss, a fitness instructor and author in Lansdowne, Pa., who works with overweight people. "They say, 'I turn right and part of me is still going left.'"

But the jiggle factor, familiar to the overweight and the large-breasted, has been largely ignored by exercise researchers and most sports-gear makers. Only a handful of studies have tried to document the challenges and strain endured by large bodies in motion.

"There's very little research on the biomechanics and locomotion of obesity," said Ray Browning, research instructor at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, who has conducted several exercise studies of the overweight and obese.

While brisk exercise clearly offers cardiovascular benefits, less is known about the risks and benefits of exercise to other parts of an overweight body. In his own research, Dr. Browning has found that when the foot of an overweight person strikes the ground, the knees and hips endure far greater forces than the joints of a slim person. Exercising at a faster pace increases joint loads even further, raising the risk for arthritis and injury among the overweight.

...while most breast research has focused on vertical movement during exercise, Dr. Scurr's study showed that breasts moved in three dimensions: up and down, side to side, and even in and out as breasts compressed against the chest and heaved outward during movement.

"It can hurt," Dr. Scurr said. "A lot of women experience both pain and embarrassment due to breast movement while walking or jogging. It can be a real barrier to people taking part in physical activity."

Although many women use compression bras, she continued, the better option is an encapsulation sports bra, which has two cups that control each breast separately.

...Another way to reduce bounce is to switch to water-based exercise or use recumbent equipment like step machines and bikes, which are operated in a reclining position.

Dr. Browning says he hopes more exercise researchers will begin to focus on the discomfort overweight people face when they work out. "I'm in awe of these individuals who have the courage to get out and exercise," he said. "It's not easy to do."


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(*)

Shuckle like in:-

Seliger is not like anyone else who’s been in the music industry for so long. An Orthodox Jew since birth, he dons a yarmulke and tzitzit in a business that mocks religion and its values, and is awfully sure that the next big thing will be a little-known phenomenon he calls “shuckle music.”

“You have grunge. You have punk rock. You have shuckle,” he said, using the Yiddish term for the swaying that frequently accompanies prayer in Orthodox circles. “You shuckle when you daven, and you shuckle when you listen to reggae… it’s shuckle music.”

See shuckling here.

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