Nassau County...Chubby Now, Lean & Mean by 2020

It's official...Long Islanders, long known for our over-exaggerated accents ('cause we live on Lawn-Guy-Lend) and our under-exaggerated traffic, are getting wider around the waist-line.

This news release explains that a recent study put out by the Department of Health determined that nearly 60% of our local population are overweight or obese (as determined by the Body Mass Index...not my favorite method, since it doesn't account for lean body tissue like muscle, but it's better than nothing.)

Nassau County, New York is home to over 1.3 million people, which means there are nearly 800,000 Long Islanders with an increased risk of hypertension (high blood pressure), osteoarthritis, type-2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, sleep apnea and respiratory problems, and some cancers.

County Executive Suozzi's eventual plan is "to make Nassau the healthiest county in the nation by 2020." That's amazingly admirable, and it's something I'm entirely on board with helping work towards. In the coming year, I'll be unveiling some of my own plans along these lines as well, and I'll give you one hint what I'm working on...

For the most long-lasting and dramatic improvements, it's not weight loss or even fat loss that should be the focus. Lean muscle is the bigger picture.

But enough of that for now. Take a quick read through the press release, and see how you stack up to some of the other statistics that were discovered:

* Only 45% of residents reported participating in recommended levels of physical activity.

* Only 25% of residents reported eating recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables.

* Approximately 14% of residents reported binge or heavy drinking within the past 30 days.

* Approximately 15% of residents identified themselves as current smokers.

Where do you fit into these numbers? Is that acceptable to you, or no?

Exercise Spotlight: Push Press

The How-To:

This is a great video put together by the folks at Crossfit. I suggest viewing it straight through once or twice. It's a textbook lesson on the push press.

The bar starts at collarbone level. Jump upwards as you press overhead. If the feet leave the ground, that's fine. Keep the knees soft as you lockout, but don't re-bend too much; it shouldn't be a quarter-squat, but a slight dip.

Lower the bar under control, not super-fast, and dip the knees to cushion the catch, returning the bar to collarbone level. Try keeping the elbows pointed forwards, rather than straight down, to reduce shoulder and arm fatigue.

Main Muscles Involved: Deltoids, triceps, abs, low back, a little bit of upper back, a bit of chest, some calves.

Common Variations: 2-dumbbell push press, 1-dumbbell push press, kettlebell push press, sandbag push press.

Best Suited For: Lower reps (1-5 per set) for strength/power. Moderate reps (6-12 per set) for hypertrophy. At much heavier weights and lower reps, especially in the 1-3 range, it's tempting to dip the knees a second time as the bar approaches lockout at the top, turning the exercise into a jerk instead of a straight press. Remember to only jump up/bend the legs once on the press and once on the catch.

Contraindications/Who Should NOT Perform This Exercise: Folks with pre-existing knee, low back, or shoulder injuries. People lacking the walking-chewing bubble gum coordination factor (there is some technique involved.)

Fun Fact: The flat bench press may get lots of glory, but for my money, the push press is a much more realistic and effective predictor of athletic success because you're standing without support and making sure a large iron object doesn't fall down onto your head, as opposed to lying "comfortably" on a perfectly balanced, padded bench with a perfectly balanced weight waiting for you to lift it. Wanna kick the other team's ass? Make sure you're push pressing.