Tip of the Day: Home for the Holidays

As we enter into another holiday season, it is easy to slip out of the healthy habits that we have worked so hard to establish throughout the year. This can be a breakup of the normal workout routine, or even more common, a drastic change in the way we eat! But the thing that is important to remember is that while they may not be the best health practices, we can still have a little fun without giving up all that we have achieved. 

Often times, especially when we are still working on establishing a routine, a hiccup in the road can knock us off course and we feel that if we already messed up, then why even bother trying. The problem here, however, is not that we failed to maintain our routine, but that we look at the whole concept of health as a finite goal. We feel as if we need to lose 10 pounds, or build a little more strength in our leg or arm, and then everything will be better. When our goals are structured like this, we fail to realize that health and fitness are not an end in themselves, but rather a means to a long and enjoyable life. So what is the point of being fitness crazy if you cannot enjoy all that the holidays have to offer??

So, as we all recover from our Thanksgiving feasts, do not feel guilty or shameful if you overindulged a little. The best thing you can do is to enjoy the feasts, go back to your normal routine in between, and stay active as much as time allows. There is no reason that you cannot have some time to yourself to exercise during the week—it is healthy not only for your body, but also for you mind, especially during a time of year that many people find stressful. So good luck as we start off the holiday season, and remember, health is all about balance, and sometimes, the healthy thing to do is to have another slice of pumpkin pie!

In Related News: 11/17/09

Recently, a movie known as Food, Inc. came out on video and shed some much needed light on the food industry in this country. The health of the country is only getting worse, and while we think that the low fat/low carb/cabbage soup diet is the answer, we consume more and more processed, packaged, corn/soy based, corn fed, hormone filled, pesticide ridden foods. All of this "food" is very cheap, but as we spend less on what our body uses to operate, it is no wonder our health care cost are so high.

This movie covers a great breadth of information, all of which could be looked into more, but the message is sound: change is needed. Here is the trailer to give you a taste, but I highly recommend renting this movie and seeing how far we have strayed from eating real food.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eKYyD14d_0&feature=fvw

This movie deals with health, disease, ethical practices (toward the consumer, the workers and the animals), political corruption, and more. It's not all negatives, however, because as they explain, the best hope for change is with the consumer. So please check this out, I hope you like it, and let's work together to promote health for our bodies, our economy, our government, and our planet.

-Colin

In Related News: 11/9/09

I saw this article in the New York Times and wanted to share it with all of you! It talks about barefoot running and makes reference to the book Born to Run, which I recommend for anyone who enjoys running or would like to get into it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/27/health/27well.html?ref=nutrition

In my opinion, barefoot activity is the way to go. Running barefoot realigns your body and forces you into a self limiting exercise. This means that you will have a shorter, more efficient stride, while allowing you to only go as long as you feet will tolerate. If you start to feel pain, then it is time to stop. From my experience, however, once you get used to it, barefoot running will allow for long bouts of running without the all to common aches and pains that are associated with endurance running. By running barefoot, you are no longer restricted to move in the way the shoe was designed for (heal striking), but rather what the foot was designed to do (landing on the ball of the foot). This minimizes the impact force that reverberates up your body, helping to reduce pain and injury at the foot, ankle, knee, hips, and back.

If possible, I enjoy working out barefoot as well. There is no substitute in training or maintaining balance and stability than allowing your foot the sensation of having contact with the floor. Don't take my word for it; do some research, try it out, and see if you experience the balance, stability and strength that comes from kicking off the shoes.

As a side note, I do realize that there will be times that this is inappropriate or unsafe, so be sensible. If your running in unknown terrain, it can be best to have protection, but the thinner the sole the better. I hope you try it out, I have been exercising barefoot for a few months now and don't plan on going back. Have fun and let me know what you think!

-Colin

Exercise 101: The Cool-down

The final piece of the workout puzzle should be taken just as seriously as all the other parts. The cool-down allows your body to return to its resting state, slowing down the heart rate, cooling the body temperature, and returning the muscles to their proper length.

If you are finishing up with a cardio session, it will be important to give yourself time in the activity to slow down the pace and ease into your resting state. The more intense your exercises, the more important this becomes, and the more time you will need to recover. If you have been running for 45 minutes at an easy pace, then you may only need a few minutes of walking to allow for your heart rate to come back down, but if you are finishing up with mile intervals, you may want to slowly come out of the last one, going down to a light jog, then to a walk for 5 to 10 minutes. You will know you are recovered when your heart has slowed and your breathing has calmed. Once recovered, you will then move into the second component of the cool-down, stretching.

Stretching will be important after any type of exercise, so if you weight train, you do not have to do a cool-down with the weights, but you will definitely want to stretch. For more information on stretching, look back to Flexibility First and the follow-up, Flexibility Extras. For this blog, I will just make a few quick comments. I must reiterate the need to hold your stretches for 20-30 seconds, and in the case of muscles that are very tight, you may want to get back out your foam roller, work on them, and then stretch. Also, as many times the stretching is neglected, let me recommend some of the most important stretches. If you do nothing else, make sure you do a toe touch and a lunging stretch. This will help your hips to stay mobile, which is important for all major movement. Also, do some sort of rotational twist for your upper back, and for your arms, stretch them overhead. The more you can do, the better, but this is a good place to start.

This concludes the Exercises 101 series, I hope it was helpful and that it gives a better picture on how to organize and think about exercise. Please let me know if you have any questions, I am always open to discussing these topics more. Good luck and happy exercise!

-Colin

Tip of the Day

One of the most important things to remember when starting or changing an exercise routine is the need for progression. Too many people jump into exercise not having worked out in years, and think they can just pick up where they left off or just start where Men’s Health tells them is a good weight and rep range. The problem is that the body is designed to function based on its adaptations, and if your body has not been involved in exercises, or has never done an specific exercise before, you need to progress up to it. By starting light, but perhaps more importantly, starting with the right types of exercises, you set yourself up for success. This would include your static holds, slow reps, and adequate time spent on warming up and stretching. In doing this you will allow your body to go through the necessary adaptations to allow for safe, productive and worthwhile exercise. These changes will include: 1) Rewire your neuromuscular system, allowing the brain to effectively tell the muscle fibers that they need to contract. 2) Strengthen the tendons and ligaments, allowing them to hold strong as you perform weighted movements. 3) Wake up your stabilizing muscles, making sure that they fire, and fire at the right time. 4) Lengthen then muscles, allowing the joints to move freely in their full range of motion to perform exercises as they were intended to be performed. 5) Harden the core, giving you proper power transfer through the body, and protecting the lower back from excessive loading or movement.

Without the proper progressions, you leave your body and your hopes for fitness at risk. Think of the January 1^st syndrome; the first week everyone goes out and hits the ground running with a 5-mile run with no warm-up and no stretch after. The next week, all those people are cursing their sore muscles, tight hamstrings, and the pain in their Achilles. You cannot expect your body to perform at its highest level until you have given it time to build up and learn how to exercise. Treat it like a new skill to be learned: you have to start with baby steps, but after a while, you will look back and see just how far you’ve come. Good luck and happy training!

-Colin