As health and fitness professionals we like to think of ourselves invincible. After all, we help people feel better, and accordingly, we should never do anything to appear less than indomitable. We also all know this is simply not true.
A recent issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine tried to put a nail in the coffin of nutritional supplements. “Unregulated, not safe, harmful, and no benefits” shouted the authors of the Letter to the Editor of the journal. Yet another attempt by physicians and the pharmaceutical industry to put a damper on the use and sale of vitamins and minerals.
In Part 1, I reviewed the ACSM study goals, statistics and barriers to weightlifting unique to women
In this article, I’ll cover the three E’s for empowering women in the weight room, and translate these recommendations into strategies that non-professionals can implement for themselves.
Understanding how physical attributes of gyms perpetuate negative messaging regarding women’s bodies and harmful myths about women’s fitness.
Overcoming these barriers:
People will often gravitate toward their comfort zones and do exercise routines that are more familiar and that are easy to execute.
Overcoming these barriers:
Knowledge is power. Promoting an understanding of the principles of weightlifting and its benefits is key to debunking myths and misconceptions and building a healthy relationship with the barbell.
Common myths and misconceptions about weightlifting:
Overcoming these barriers:
This is the time of our lives when we need to kick the societal status quo to the curb and take our health and wellness into our own hands and away from destructive narratives. The world is our oyster. We have established our careers, raised our children, and had our share of triumphs and failures. With that comes the wisdom to pave our own way into this new prime of our lives.
So, whether it’s your first back squat with a PVC pipe or a deadlift PR (personal record), congratulations on forging a new frontier to being your fittest, strongest, most vital self!
Dr. Carla DiGirolamo is a double Board-Certified Obstetrician/Gynecologist and Reproductive Endocrinologist who specializes in the care of reproductive age and mid-life women. Carla completed her residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Brown University Medical School/Women and Infants’ Hospital and her Reproductive Endocrinology training at the Massachusetts General Hospital at Harvard Medical School. She is a North American Meno
Fit Pros: Offer menopausal and perimenopausal women an individualized approach to training, nutrition and wellness as a Menopause Health and Fitness Specialist.
References
The hormonal changes of mid-life bring our muscle and bone mass under assault. As circulating estrogen declines and estrogen receptors in skeletal muscle become scarcer, changes in bone density, muscle mass, and metabolism become apparent.
Shoulder to shoulder with the importance of cardiovascular health, optimizing our muscle and bone health helps stave off decline in bone density which can lead to fracture, and can help mitigate the increasing insulin resistance that wreaks havoc on our changing metabolism.
To coin a phrase from Dr. Stacy Sims, there is a great benefit to women in this stage of life (and all stages of life) who “Lift heavy sh*t”. Now, if you have never lifted weights, this can sound intimidating. But don’t worry. You are not alone.
Historically, there have been many barriers to women in the weight room. Training environments where achieving a certain body image is the focus rather than building strength, healthy movement patterns, and improving body composition can be unmotivating and intimidating. The stigma of weightlifting as “masculine” or that it “makes you bulky” and the misconceptions that weightlifting is not beneficial for women are also among the many obstacles that women of all ages face.
In the May/June issue of ACSM Health and Fitness Journal, Claire Ford et al. do an excellent job of defining the obstacles that women face in the weight room and have created a framework called “The 3 E’s” that outlines strategies to overcome these barriers. I’ll take the summary points from this article and translate them into practical solutions for women and fitness professionals to empower themselves in the world of weightlifting.
Ford, C, Kercher VM, Kercher KA; ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal 27(3):p 14-19, 5/6 2023.
Goal of the study
Use a socioecological model to provide insight into the nature of women’s unique experiences with weightlifting and describe a practical approach for empowering women in this environment.
Some statistics
Just 2 days per week of resistance training can reap physical, mental, and emotional health benefits.
Only 25% of the US population meets these recommendations.
17.5% of women engage in weightlifting on a regular basis
Benefits of Weightlifting
Barriers to weightlifting unique to women
The notion that women face unique barriers to weightlifting has been a subject of investigation. Harne and Bixby organized these barriers into the following 3 categories:
Time / effort
Physical Effect
Social
The 3 E’s: A framework through which we can understand and address women’s barriers to weightlifting
After identifying and categorizing these unique barriers to weightlifting that women face, the authors created a framework upon which to overcome these barriers. This framework is called “The 3 E’s”.
This ACSM article speaks to an audience of fitness professionals and how the fitness industry can work to overcome these barriers.
In Part 2 of this article, I take this a step further and translate these recommendations for fitness professionals into strategies that non-professionals can implement for themselves.
Fit Pros: Offer menopausal and perimenopausal women an individualized approach to training, nutrition and wellness as a Menopause Health and Fitness Specialist.
Dr. Carla DiGirolamo is a double Board-Certified Obstetrician/Gynecologist and Reproductive Endocrinologist who specializes in the care of reproductive age and mid-life women. Carla completed her residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Brown University Medical School/Women and Infants’ Hospital and her Reproductive Endocrinology training at the Massachusetts General Hospital at Harvard Medical School. She is a North American Menopause Society (NAMS) Certified Menopause Practitioner and has been featured in multiple podcasts and speakerships at various events discussing the physiology of the hormonal changes of menopause, hormone therapy and functional fitness training.
References
Like sleep, exercise is a free, relatively easy-to-access fountain of youth—especially for those of us who are more or less able-bodied. If you are one of between between 50 and 70 million American adults who chronically suffer from a sleep disorder, take heart. Among the many tricks that add up to a healthy sleep hygiene, you can harness the power of exercise and find that as a result you are getting more rest at night.
It is important, however, to realize that the relationship between exercise and sleep is not as simple as the formula that says more exercise always leads to more sleep. The effect of exercise on sleep can vary from person to person and depend on the time of day, length of time from workout to bedtime, intensity of exercise, the type of workout (cardio vs. strength-training vs. yoga), food and drink consumed, and fitness level. And sometimes we have to deal with other exercise-related complications: If you, say, have the misfortunate of incurring a back injury from exercise, factors like the kind of mattress you sleep on suddenly matter a great deal.
All these variables notwithstanding, it is generally true that a physically active life tends to lead to getting more and deeper sleep on a regular basis. A meta-study back in the 90s found that for the general population, exercise improves the metrics of sleep quality. The length of deep sleep, amount of REM sleep, and total sleep time all tend to increase with exercise. And, at the same time, sleep onset latency (how long it takes to fall asleep) and sleep fragmentation (middle-of-the night wake-ups) tend to decrease. A study published in the journal Sleep found that increasing physical and social activities among older adults resulted in more of the higher-quality slow-wave sleep and showed improvement in memory-oriented tasks.
But, according to a study of sleep habits of adults in their 60s published in The Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, effects of daily exercise on sleep habits might be more complicated than expected. Additionally, in the short run, sleep might have more influence on exercise than vice versa. One surprising thing that was clear is that if you sleep well tonight, you are more likely to get beneficial exercise tomorrow. The reverse causal relationship in the short run is not as clear. The study participants’ insomnia improved as a result of a moderate endurance exercise program that amounted to three or four 30-minute workouts a week—but only after four months. That’s when exercisers saw the benefit of sleeping more deeply and, on average, 45 minutes longer than before. One lesson, then, is that it’s worth it to keep at it with workouts for a few months in order to see a steady and lasting effect on sleep.
Too much exercise can, however, lead to sleep disturbances. Ultrarunners and triathletes can sometimes run into this problem. For one, running attracts the more active, type-A personalities who tend to get off on the runner’s high.
“I think with the general population, vigorous exercise leads to reports of better sleep quality,” says Amy Bender, a Calgary-based researcher at the Canadian Sleep Society who helps Team Canada Olympians fall asleep. But she notes that in case of elite athletes whose workout routines are extra intense, too much exercise leads to troubles sleeping. According to a study published by Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, insomnia is one of the symptoms of the overtraining syndrome. Most of Americans, though, are at risk for what might be called … the undertraining syndrome?
Another area of conflicting information when it comes to exercise and sleep is the timing of workouts. Some respected medical resources recommend keeping your workout away from bedtime. The National Institutes of Health, for example, recommends not exercising two or three hours prior to bedtime. The idea is that vigorous exercise, especially of the aerobic sort, can be too rousing and the resulting adrenaline spike does not promote sleep. Harvard University sleep experts, too, caution that “exercise stimulates the body to secrete the stress hormone cortisol, which helps activate the alerting mechanism in the brain.” As a result, they recommend planning to be done with workouts three hours prior to bedtime.
However, a poll conducted in 2013 by the National Sleep Foundation found that people who exercise in the few hours before bedtime report sleeping just as well as those exercising earlier in the day.
“The timing of exercise ought to be driven by when the pool’s lap lane is open or when your tennis partner is available or when you have time to get away from work, not by some statement that has never been validated,” says Barbara Phillips, a University of Kentucky sleep medicine specialist who was one of the researchers working on the poll.
Our solution? Since we each know our bodies best, we can pay attention to whether or not exercising late in the day has effect on our sleep. If need be, tweak the time of exercise. If you find that exercising too close to bedtime winds you up, try saving the more quieting yoga or the more drowsiness-inducing strength workouts for the evenings and do aerobic exercise farther away from bedtime.
So long as you keep these tips in mind, along with the basic sleep hygiene guidelines, you are well positioned to draw from the two fountains of youth.
Agnes Green is a researcher for the sleep research community Tuck Sleep. She holds two master’s degrees in the social sciences from the University of Chicago and Northwestern University. She sleeps most soundly after a kettlebell workout done three hours prior to bedtime, on a medium-firm mattress, to the sound of a drizzle wafting in through a cracked window in Portland, Oregon.
You’ve just spent the best part of an hour on an amazing presentation of your skills and services, you cracked a few jokes, you found some common ground, and you’re pretty certain you’re on your way to gaining a new happy client and they hit you with it: “Sounds good, I need to think about it.”
Every 6 minutes someone is diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease (PD). Most do not expect their physician to prescribe boxing along with dopamine replacement medication. Yet, every day movement disorder physicians, neurologists, and therapists (PT and OT) are doing just that with positive results, and quantifiable findings supported by years of in-depth research.
Before we answer the question, “why boxing?” Let’s review the epidemiology of Parkinson’s Disease. Parkinson’s Disease is a progressive neurological disease and primarily affects dopamine producing neurons in the substantia nigra. The substantia nigra is a structure located in the midbrain, and plays an important role in how the brain controls movement. Substantia nigra is latin for “black substance,” reflecting the fact that parts of the substantia nigra appear darker than neighboring areas due to higher levels of neuromelanin in dopaminergic neurons.
People living with Parkinson’s Disease experience motor and non-motor symptoms such as, loss of balance, poor gait, postural issues, visual tracking problems, rigidity, tremor, freezing, facial masking, inability to focus on a task or process information clearly, bradykinesia, hypophonia (volume of voice), depression, anxiety, apathy.
Now, consider the skills a boxer possesses. They train regularly to hone the following skills, skills that align with Parkinson’s symptoms.
Therefore, it makes sense to include boxing in the regular exercise regimen of folks living with Parkinson’s. Additionally, when you integrate boxing with essential strength exercises that aid in bone health, you build a powerful, comprehensive exercise program that results in physical and cognitive growth and HOPE!
Can anyone with Parkinson’s Disease box? It depends on the person and their physical and cognitive imitations, but for the most part, the answer is yes! I work with those recently diagnosed and those fighting PD for over 27 years, ranging in age from 27-94! Some Parkinson’s “fighters” only have a slight finger tremor, while some are wheelchair bound. However, the one thing they have in common – the spirit to fight!
Now, the cherry on top of boxing for those living with Parkinson’s is the research that supports what we see each week in the gym. Rock Steady Boxing, a nationally recognized Parkinson’s fitness program located in Indianapolis, has been the focus of many research projects over the last 10 years to provide concrete supporting data.
1. Exercise is medicine! – Research by Johansson, Hanna et al reports that exercise is shown on a functional MRI (displays which areas of the brain are most active) to improve signal transmission in the PD brain, effectively demonstrating neuroprotection and neuroplastic changes related to exercise.
2. Improved Balance and Decrease Falls – In a national study conducted by Moore et al, shows an 87% reduction in falls of people participating in a Rock Steady Boxing program.
3. Improved Non-Motor Symptoms
4. Decreased Risk Of Hospitalization – Kannarkat, T., et al report in their study “Effect of exercise and rehabilitation therapy on risk of hospitalization in Parkinson’s disease,” that participants in Rock Steady Boxing increase exercise duration and intensity which reduces the odds of a hospital visit in the PD population.
The above Information encourages many to join an independent Parkinson’s boxing program or a local Rock Steady Boxing.
It is important to note that while my program, Bridges for Parkinson’s, addresses the symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease with boxing, we also include Parkinson’s specific mobility, strength, fine motor, vocal, and cardio drills in each routine, along with love and support to keep “fighting back”. To quote a Rock Steady Boxing mantra,“ I promise you’ll feel better, but you’ll have to work for it and I’ll help you.”
Parkinson’s Disease is a journey and Bridges For Parkinson’s – Rock Steady Boxing Music City and Franklin want to support you and your Parkinson’s “fighters” on the journey. As a MedFit author and Parkinson’s Fitness Professional, I am here to help. You can contact me at info@bridgesforparkinsons.com for assistance!
Together, we fight back stronger!
Fit Pros: Learn The Skills You Need To Safely and Effectively Meet the Needs of the Clients With Parkinson’s Disease
Enroll in Colleen’s 12-hour online course, Parkinson’s Disease Fitness Specialist. The course brings the research, medical and fitness fields together so that fitness professionals gain a comprehensive understanding of Parkinson’s disease, and learn how to work with those who have it.
Colleen Bridges has worked for nearly 17 years as an NSCA Certified personal trainer, group exercise instructor and fitness consultant and as an independent contractor for Nashville’s first personal training center, STEPS Fitness. Her passion for understanding the body in sickness and in health, and how it moves, as fed her interest in and enhanced her talent for working with senior adults, especially those living with a neurological disorder such as Parkinson’s Disease.
It is no secret that we, as men, have failed miserably when it comes to our health. According to The Men’s Health Network (MHN), we die at higher rates than women from the following top 10 causes of death: heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, accidents, pneumonia and influenza, diabetes, suicide, kidney disease, and chronic liver disease and cirrhosis. If you examine the list above closely, you will notice that most of them are preventable
At the May 2023 American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting (ACSM; acsm.org), more than 3,000 sports medicine professionals and researchers from around the globe gathered to share knowledge. Several sports nutrition presentations offered updates that might be of interest you. Here are summaries from a few of those presentations.
• Historically, sports teams would routinely have their body fat measured, with the data posted for all to see. Many athletes experienced intense pressure both internally and externally to have a lean physique. Often, the measurements were not even used to assess for extreme leanness and under-nutrition.
• Today, we know that athletic performance is not dictated primarily by an athlete’s percent body fat but rather by volume of training, mental state, adequacy of sleep, and sufficient food intake—among other factors.
• Today’s recommendations state measurement of body fat should only be done if 1) the athlete consents, 2) the measurement is done in private by a trained measurer using the most reliable method for that particular athlete, 3) the information is discussed in confidence with the athlete and health care team, and 4) the mental and physical health of the athlete is top priority.
• Athletes, please understand you will perform better if you focus on getting stronger and gaining power, as opposed to restricting food. If the cost of losing body fat is having to train for long periods of time with poorly fueled muscles, your performance will suffer and your risk of injuries will increase.
• About 95% of athletes enjoy ultra-processed foods (UPFs) such as instant oatmeal, boxed mac ‘n cheese, chips, etc.. The average American consumes about 60% of total calories from UPFs; they are readily available, easy to prepare, have a long shelf-life, and can save time.
• What do athletes need to know about UPFs? First, let’s define what they are: UPFs contain substances that are rarely used in home cooking—emulsifiers, thickeners, protein isolates, etc. You’ll find those substances in breakfast cereals, energy bars, fruit yogurts, commercially baked breads, and many grab-and-go foods that busy athletes commonly consume.
• UPFs also include sport drinks and protein powders. They are not only convenient, but also digest easily. During extended exercise, when athletes need quick and easy carbs, a gel, chomp, or sports drink can easily do the job. Energy bars can effortlessly get tucked into pockets. While a swig of maple syrup or a banana can be equally energizing, UPFs are generally easier to deal with.
• In the general population, UPFs are linked with obesity. The more UPFs consumed, the greater the risk for weight gain. In a carefully controlled study with menus matched for carbs, protein, fat, fiber, and palatability, the UPF-menu led to weight gain. The UPF-eaters consumed about 500 additional calories a day when compared to when they ate from the whole foods menu—and they gained about two pounds in two weeks. Yikes! Why did that happen? Are UPFs easier to overeat because they require less chewing? Can be eaten quickly? Are super-tasty so you want to keep eating more of them?
The answer is yet to be determined. Until such time, your better bet is to consume homemade foods whenever possible. The less packaging in your grocery cart, the better for your waistline (most likely) and if not, the better for the environment (less trash in landfills).
That said, balance & moderation pave a prudent path. There’s a time and a place for UPFs. If you have a low protein intake, grabbing a protein bar on the run can help you hit your 20-to-30-gram protein target for the meal. If you consume little red meat, an iron-enriched breakfast cereal like GrapeNuts can fill that gap. For traveling athletes, carrying bars, gels, and carb-based recovery drinks are “safe” (uncontaminated). Safety matters!
• Muscle is constantly being broken down into amino acids and then rebuilt into new muscle tissue. Resistance exercise, such as weightlifting, stimulates the synthesis of new muscle during the 24-hours post-exercise. Including ~0.15 grams high-quality protein per pound of body weight (0.3 g/kg) per meal maximizes muscle protein synthesis. That comes to about 20 grams protein for a 120-lb (54.5 kg) athlete and ~30 grams for a 180-lb (82 kg) athlete. Athletes can easily consume that amount in (chocolate) milk, eggs, or tofu.
• Protein’s food matrix, with all the bioactive compounds that accompany the amino acids in natural foods, has a positive influence on the muscle-building effectiveness of the amino acids. For example, eating a whole egg, not just the egg white, more effectively builds muscle tissue. Hence, your best bet is to choose protein rich foods in their natural state, such as nuts, yogurt, tuna, beans & rice, etc. Whole foods are preferable to the protein isolates in powders and bars.
• Including protein at each meal and snack also offers benefits. Many athletes eat too little protein at breakfast and lunch, then devour 2 to 3 chicken breasts at dinner. They’d be better off enjoying eggs along with oatmeal at breakfast, lentil soup with the lunchtime salad, and peanut butter with the banana for afternoon snack.
• Vegan athletes can indeed consume adequate protein if they are responsible. A vegan meal with just pasta and greens doesn’t do the job. How much protein from plants is enough? The goal is ~1 gram plant-protein/lb (2.1 g/kg) body weight per day. For a 120-lb (54.5 kg) athlete this comes to about 30 grams per meal plus 10 to 15 grams in each of two snacks.
The information on food labels tells the grams protein/serving, as does a quick google-search (protein in a 1/2 cup of hummus). Don’t be among the many athletes who comment “most Americans consume way too much protein” and make little effort to replace chicken with enough beans. A big dollop (1/2 c) of hummus with 8 grams of protein does not equate to the 35 grams of protein in a small (4 oz) chicken breast. Vegans, educate yourself!
Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD counsels both fitness exercisers and competitive athletes in the Boston-area (Newton; 617-795-1875). Her best-selling Sports Nutrition Guidebook is a popular resource, as is her online workshop. Visit NancyClarkRD.com for more info.