Core Daily

The Performance Life

Mark Verstegen and a team of experts and writers provide useful strategies to perform great, while talking about their own goals and challenges as they practice the Core Performance tenets in their daily lives.

The Performance Life

New Book: The Brown Fat Revolution

James Lyons would seem like an unlikely person to write a book on nutrition and exercise. After all, as a plastic surgeon, he’s often approached by people looking for quick-fix solutions after neglecting both areas.

But after spending nearly three decades as a surgeon, Lyons has developed an interesting perspective on fat. When working on patients who have adhered to a healthy lifestyle, he notices their fat is leaner and browner in color. Those who have followed poor diets and failed to exercise have yellow, “greasy” fat.

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Comments (0) Tags: Women, Health, Weight Loss, Fat

The Performance Life

October's Top Stories

sth on flickr

With the days getting shorter and so much to watch on Hulu, we know how challenging it can be to keep up with your health and performance. So we've rounded up our most popular tips, recipes and workouts from the past month to help you stay current.

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The Performance Life

Fueling Herself for the Field

Vicky Arthur
Age: 18
Hometown: Kensington, Md.
Occupation: Student athlete, University of Connecticut

The Challenge

Vicky Arthur was a 13-year-old eighth grader when she received a copy of the original Core Performance book in 2004.

Back then, her sport of choice was rock climbing and she competed at a high level across the country. The Core Performance program helped her create the stability and mobility needed to excel in a demanding sport that requires both. As she advanced to high school, her focus turned to team sports and field hockey, where core conditioning was equally important.

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Comments (0) Tags: College, Pillar strength, Field Hockey, Women, Success Story

The Performance Life

Feel Like an Athlete Again

Kirsten Gross
Age: 31
Hometown: Santa Monica, Ca.
Occupation: Director of Corporate Compliance

The Challenge

Kirsten Gross always had been an elite-level tennis player, first as a competitive junior player and later at Yale. But after graduating in 2000, she became immersed in the corporate world, earning an MBA at Southern Cal in 2007. Working long hours, she soon found herself 20 pounds heavier and feeling anything but like an athlete.

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Comments (0) Tags: Energy, Health, Tennis, Weight Loss, Women, Success Story

The Performance Life

Time-Saving Training Plan

Fred Rzymek
Age: 56
Hometown: Safety Harbor, Florida
Occupation: Outside facilities technician, telecommunications industry

The Challenge:

Fred Rzymek is a busy guy. When he’s not installing and repairing phone, Internet, and television services for a major telecommunications company, he’s running a screen printing business and operating a race management company that puts on three triathlons and numerous running races in the Tampa Bay area. Other race directors hire him to assist with their events.

A triathlete himself since 1983, Rzymek (pronounced “RIZZ-mick”) finds time to compete in six to eight events a year, usually finishing among the top five in his age group. But with a grueling work schedule and a training regimen of running, swimming, cycling, and spin classes, his performance has suffered in recent years.

By mid-season, he experiences nagging back and hamstring injuries, and does not feel nearly as strong as he did years ago when strength training was a regular part of his program.

“You chase the performance side of triathlon and do the aerobic stuff and you forget the structural component,” Rzymek says. “You don’t do any of that and you think you’re in shape but you have no strength. Plus I could tell I was getting that hunched-over birdcage look.”

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Comments (0) Tags: Cycling, Running, Swimming, Race, Goals, Success Story, Triathlon

The Performance Life

Jen Freemas' Pregame Playlist

Meet Jen Freemas (that's her pictured above). Jen is a performance specialist for the Core Performance Center in Santa Monica, California and a former Track and Field athlete at the University of Massachusetts.

As you can imagine, juggling school, athletics and a social life got pretty hectic for Jen. “The music that I listened to helped to relax me and clear my mind," she says. "Track and Field is more mental than you might think."

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Comments (0) Tags: Motivation, College, Focus

The Performance Life

Getting Back to My “Drivers License Weight”

Warren Gorowitz 
Age:
38
Hometown: Los Angeles
Occupation: Vice President, Ewing Irrigation Products

The Challenge

Warren Gorowitz spends 80 percent of his time on the road overseeing a company with 195 stores in 22 states, along with educating the public and government officials on water conservation.

That makes him a very busy road warrior who sometimes struggles to eat right and fit in runs. He belongs to two national gym chains, but admits he’s often inclined to wing it when it comes to his distance running. He entered his first half marathon (13.1 miles) having never run more than a 10K (6.2 miles) and embarked upon his first marathon in January 2008 having never attempted a distance longer than the half marathon.

In both instances, he finished the race but wondered how he might do by following an integrated training program. He also would like to get back to his “drivers license weight” of 172, which he’s listed during renewals since college, even though his weight has increased to 189.

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Comments (0) Tags: Weight Loss, Goals, Success Story

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Blogs

One Small Change

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Follow along (or join with) as writer Joe Kita begins his newest health-boosting experiment: drinking less alcohol.

Live Better

Tylenol May Weaken Flu Shot

Read this before getting a flu shot for you or your child to get the full benefit.

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Training with Ronnie Brown

Check out this footage of Miami Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown working out at Athletes' Performance.

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New Book: The Brown Fat Revolution

An interesting perspective on dieting and fat from plastic surgeon James Lyons.

News

New Core Performance Book for Women Coming Soon!

Core Performance founder Mark Verstegen and noted author Pete Williams have written a new book specifically for women.

Secrets to Success

Tony Stewart on Taking Charge

NASCAR driver Tony Stewart shares his tips for making the jump from employee to owner.