July 22 recognizes World Brain Day. The research is conclusive. Combining physical activity and cognitive exercises helps to rewire your brain. Incorporating some new and different styles of exercise will improve brain health.
Roasting, boiling, baking. One might use these words if they are providing cooking instructions. For those who live in the Northern Hemisphere, these might also be some words you are using to describe your current relationship with the weather. Maybe even adjectives for your internal atmosphere.
For some, summer signifies increasing daylight. While others, summer indicates an excess of heat. Between last issue and now, perhaps you have been practicing how to maintain an awareness of and appreciation for the strengths gleaned in darkness, while simultaneously allowing the lengthening of days to unfold in a way that is calm, reflective and appreciative of what is present now. What did you learn in winter that can serve you now? Beauty in breath? Beauty in darkness? Beauty in coolness?
Between now and June 21, for those in the Northern Hemisphere, days will continue to lengthen. Heat will increase. The digestive fire will burn. And muscles will contract. Although we must not forget the importance of the cool, the rest, and the relaxation.
As I introduced in the previous article, the month of March can evoke bodily rhythmic awareness. For respiratory, digestive, muscular or cardiac system, or any other bodily function – you may be feeling the heat. A balance of the fire is necessary.
In what ways can you locate spaces, in June and among the continually unfolding hot Summer days, where the appreciation of coolness you cultivated in winter may gently breeze in? Neurologically, the exhale induces the brain to relax and feel calm.
I invite readers to consider finding spaces where you can allow your breath to exhale. How might you channel the winter of the breath to serve you in summer?
Let’s engage in a 1-minute practice of honoring the internal fire and welcome a cool breeze.
Where you are right in this moment is the perfect place to practice. You have everything you need.
1. Locate the breath: say, “Hello breath. Thank you for respirating today.”
2. Create a comfortable breeze: Tune into the coolness of the exhale.
3. Discover the coolness within: Focusing on the exhale creates a lowered body temperature.
4. Carry your awareness: Maintain an awareness of coolness.
Repeat steps one through four.
Dr. Adrienne Ione is a cognitive behavioral therapist and personal trainer who integrates these fields in support of people thriving across the lifespan. As a pro-aging advocate, she specializes in the self-compassion of dementia.
Website: yes2aging.com
Guided Meditations: insighttimer.com/adrienneIone
Facebook: silverliningsintegrativehealth
All the B vitamins are key for energy and metabolism, from B1 to B12, but certain B vitamins also have other super-powers, helping us to relax, sleep better, burn calories, and to absorb other crucial B vitamins.
Balance is the body’s ability to be pulled in the right direction at the right time. The central nervous system (CNS), composed of the brain and spinal cord, accomplishes this task for us. This system is in charge or activating and relaxing the needed muscles with precise timing. The CNS is overstimulated every second of our lives, but has the multitasking power to take in information, be able to process it, and then apply accordingly for the task at hand.
This information comes threefold from the eyes, ears, and sensors throughout the body. When it comes to balance, the eyes communicate what surface the CNS is working with. The vestibular apparatus, which is the inner ear, communicates where the head should be to the CNS. We also need our limbs, joints, and muscles for balance which our feet and skin take care of this communication to the CNS. All of this is signaled at once and has to be sorted and processed very quickly.
The efficiency of this central nervous system’s information processing is what dictates whether a person has good balance or not. If a person were standing up and started to lean over the right, the right foot would tell the CNS that pressure to the right foot is increasing while the pressure to the left foot is decreasing. This shift is then “seen” by the eyes and the ears would become aware that they are not level with one another. Now those sensors in the muscles are told it’s time to wake up and pull the body back towards the left side until balance is achieved.
We can be proactive and help keep our balance be kept in good condition. Exercise fanatics often focus on aerobic and resistance work, neglecting balancing activities. Many don’t worry about their balance until it is noticeably lacking. Balance is a “use it or lose it” operation, in which the machine becomes rusty if left alone for a long period of time. After about age 30, the very muscles we use just to stand become weaker. With age, we slow down, and midlife can bring the onset of instability. Falls can occur and this can lead to hip fractures or serious injuries.
Balance is about control. We try to balance our checkbook and time but we also should make keeping our body in line a priority. Think about a toddler learning to walk. Once they are able to balance in the standing position, they have gained the control for movement. This involves body awareness.
We can practice our balance to keep the system sharp. This can be done be making the surface we stand on smaller. Standing on one foot is the most basic form of balance practice. You can change the surface by adding a dyno disk. You can squat down (bend down) on one leg pretending to pick something up. Different tools stimulate proprioception.
The reaction time of the central nervous is critical for keeping the body in balance. From a professional athlete to the average person, we can all benefit from this control. Think of a goalie in soccer. The better they are able to react to a ball, jump to one side, or balance to stop the ball without falling in the process, the better their performance. Falls and injuries with age are damaging to the body and our sense of independence. Stand tall, don’t sway, and balance your life physically and mentally for your health.
Dr. Megan Johnson McCullough, owner of Every BODY’s Fit in Oceanside CA, is a NASM Master Trainer, AFAA group exercise instructor, and specializes in Fitness Nutrition, Weight Management, Senior Fitness, Corrective Exercise, and Drug and Alcohol Recovery. She’s also a Wellness Coach, holds an M.A. Physical Education & Health and a Ph.D in Health and Human Performance. She is a professional natural bodybuilder, fitness model, and published author.
References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK97342/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3885846/
https://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/falls/adultfalls.html
Recently the FDA announced plans to grant Leqembi, a new Alzheimer’s drug, full approval in July 2023.
With an annual cost of $26,500 USD, you would expect the drug’s effects to be dramatic. And researchers were thrilled to report that Leqembi… slowed cognitive decline by 27% over 18 months.
Finding time to relax is a struggle for many. We underestimate our need to unwind and decompress, and our busy lives sometimes make it impossible. But, 5-10 minutes a day can really go a long way toward forming new habits for healthier well-being.
We are all on the eternal hunt to looking good, moving well and feeling young – however as responsibilities (job, school, family, friends) increase the time allocated to health and fitness often decreases. Surprisingly we expect the same results with less time in the gym but is this really even possible?
Perhaps it is.
Enter…..biohacking!
Biohacking, as the name suggests, is “hacking” or finding a way to more efficiently manipulate human biology. This can include areas of sleep, nutrition, mental health, strength, recovery.
If you are new the concept of biohacking – please think of this as a positive thing! Don’t get wrapped up thinking it is a mad scientist in his garage implanting computer chips into his own body.
Think of biohacking as a empowering concept which allows one to enhance or improve the efficiency of different aspect of health. It means taking ownership of your body and the aging system.
Absolutely!
In the case of fitness some examples of biohacking include drinking caffeine to give you energy during a workout. Or taking branch chain amino acids after a workout to enhance muscle repair and hypertrophy. Or using kinesiology tape to enhance proprioceptive stimulation and muscle activation.
Seems less mad scientist-y doesn’t it?
One area of biohacking that I am particularly a fan of is the application of barefoot science to improve your workout. As I mentioned at the start of this blog the one thing we never have enough of is TIME.
By integrating barefoot training into your workout you will hack your way into a more efficient workout allowing you to achieve faster fitness goals. Below are my top 4 biohacks integrating barefoot science.
Next time you hit the gym start your workout start with just 5 minutes of trigger point footrelease the bottom of the foot. A 2015 study showed that 5 minutes of manual trigger point release was associated with an immediate improvement in single leg stability and postural control.
Since having someone do the trigger point release isn’t efficient we’ll instead use RAD Rounds by RAD Roller. These small rounds of different sizes can be used to apply pressure to different intrinsic muscles of the foot. I recommend 5 minutes in the morning, evening and before exercise.
View video below
In the world of proprioception whole body vibration is one of the most efficient ways to stimulate the nervous system. Since our foot is also the gateway to proprioceptive stimulation I recommend doing your WBV activation barefoot and using PowerPlate which is a multi-planar harmonic vibration platform.
A 2007 study by Lohman showed that just 3min of WBV at 30Hz enhanced skin, nerve and tendon micro-circulation resulting in enhanced tendon tensile strength and decreased arterial stiffness. All of which is a very powerful response before any workout.
Learn more about WBV and PowerPlate at powerplate.com
To learn more on this topic you can view the following webinar below:
The core. The center of stability and the center of power. When it comes to any dynamic movement or exercise – core strength and stability are critical to the way force is generated or transferred through the human body.
The foot. The base of stability and only contact point between the body and the ground. Studies have shown that it is more efficient to strengthen the core via the foot in what EBFA calls “foot to core sequencing”. The access into foot to core sequencing is via an exercise called short foot.
To learn more about short foot and how to integrate it with exercises please see below:
Postural control and dynamic stability require the integration of four input systems – visual, vestibular, joint proprioceptors and plantar foot skin. Of these four one of the most important but often overlooked systems is the skin on the bottom of the foot.
The skin on the bottom of the foot contains thousands of small nerve proprioceptors all of which are sensitive to different stimuli. One of the most important stimuli coming into the foot is vibration (see WBV above). We use vibration not only to know how hard our foot is striking the ground but also in the maintenance of dynamic balance.
As soon as we put on our shoes our nervous system inherently becomes slower. This delayed neuro stimulation of the foot is small or micro which means it is hard to detect by the average client or patient – however it is happening. Accumulatively this results in micro-trauma and micro-compensation.
To biohack your nervous system whenever you are barefoot training integrate small nerve plantar stimulation with Naboso Technology. Whenever performing barefoot exercises such as short foot or any foot to core sequencing this is the perfect opportunity to pull out your Naboso Barefoot Training Mat.
If you want to bring this stimulation to your shoes, Naboso Technology also makes small nerve proprioceptive insoles which have been shown to improve postural control and stability
Dr. Emily Splichal, Podiatrist and Human Movement Specialist, has dedicated her medical career towards studying postural alignment and human movement as it relates to foot function and barefoot training. She is the Founder of the Evidence Based Fitness Academy, offering continuing education with a focus on foot fitness and barefoot training. Courses included Barefoot Training Specialist®, Barefoot Rehab Specialist® and BARE® Workout Certifications for health and wellness professionals.
Originally printed on the Barefoot Strong Blog. Reprinted with permission from Dr. Splichal.
1. Drink sufficient amounts of water to stay not only hydrated, but flushed.
Suggested amount of water intake is… Take your body weight divide in half for normal daily consumption and add another half of that amount for medium to…
As he indulged in a jumbo sugar-covered fried pastry, the athlete unabashedly remarked, “I’m skinny; I can eat this.” Well, the truth is even skinny athletes die suddenly of heart attacks and strokes. Heart disease is the number-one killer, ahead of cancer, and accounts for one in four deaths. No one can out-exercise a bad diet.
While we’ve all heard let food be thy medicine, the latest dietary advice from the American Heart Association (AHA) focusses less on individual foods (such as eggs, meat) and nutrients (fat, sodium) and more on lifestyle and dietary patterns. Given cardiovascular disease (CVD) starts in the womb, adopting heart-healthy eating patterns early and maintaining them throughout one’s life is important. Thankfully, the same food plan that invests in heart health invests in sports performance—as well as reduced risk of type II diabetes, mental decline, and environmental issues.
Below are the 2021 AHA dietary guidelines. Because these guidelines are targeted to the “general public,” athletes can appropriately make a few tweaks to support optimal sports performance.
1. Adjust energy intake and expenditure to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight.
Most athletes do a good job with weight control. Just remember, large portions of even “heart healthy” foods can contribute to weight gain.
2. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables; choose a wide variety.
Fruits and veggies (F&V)—in particular, those with deep colors (such as peaches, berries, spinach, carrots)— offer natural vitamins as well as phytochemicals that improve heart-health. Many F&V are rich in potassium, which has been associated with lower blood pressure. Some F&V (such as arugula, Romaine lettuce, beets, rhubarb) are nitrate-rich and improve blood flow and aerobic performance.
If you have trouble including plenty of fresh F&V in your daily meals, make food prep easier by using frozen F&V. They offer more nutrients than the wilted produce that has been sitting in your refrigerator for several days. Frozen produce is ready to use, reduces food waste, and costs less than fresh. Stock up!
3. Choose foods made mostly with whole grains rather than refined grains.
The fiber in whole grains helps feed gut microbes that enhance the immune system and over-all health. While most of your breads, cereals, and pastas should be whole grain, eating refined grains at one meal a day will not undermine your health. That is, if you eat oatmeal for breakfast, whole wheat bread at lunch, and popcorn for a snack, eating white pasta for dinner fits within the guidelines that more than half your grains should be whole grains.
4. Choose healthy sources of protein: mostly protein from plants (legumes and nuts); fish and seafood; low-fat or fat-free dairy products instead of full-fat. If meat or poultry are desired, choose lean cuts, avoid processed forms
Plant protein is excellent for heart health: lentils, hummus, edamame, tofu, all beans and nuts. The more nuts and nut butters, the lower the risk of CVD and stroke!
The benefits of low-fat and fat-free vs full-fat dairy is controversial and continues to be debated. To date, the AHA reports full-fat yogurt and kefir are positive additions to your diet. Note: nut milk is actually nut juice—low in protein, lacking in nutrients. The better plant-based alternatives to dairy are soy milk or pea milk.
Processed meats (ham, hot dogs, bacon, sausage, pepperoni, salami) have a stronger link to CVD than lean red meats. The potential adverse effects of red meat on heart health have been attributed to a combination of factors, including saturated fat, heme iron, the gut microbiota, and metabolism of l-carnitine and phosphatidylcholine.
The AHA has historically limited eggs because of their high cholesterol content; currently there is no specific limit on dietary cholesterol. The question arises: Are eggs a contributor to CVD? Or is the bacon or sausage that accompanies the eggs the culprit? The intake of dietary cholesterol and saturated fat tend to increase in parallel (i.e., eating eggs with bacon and sausage). Dietary cholesterol itself is currently less of a nutrient of concern.
5. Use liquid plant oils rather than tropical oils (coconut, palm, and palm kernel), animal fats (butter and lard), and partially hydrogenated fats.
Replacing hard-at-room-temperature saturated fats (butter, coconut oil) with soft-or-liquid polyunsaturated fat (corn oil, walnuts) and monounsaturated fat (olive, canola oil, peanut butter) has robust scientific evidence of protecting against heart disease by lowering bad LDL cholesterol. This reduces the risk of developing heart disease. In comparison, coconut oil has a high saturated fat content; it raises LDL cholesterol, with little evidence of positive health benefits.
6. Choose minimally processed foods instead of ultra-processed foods.
Ultra-processed foods (ramen noodles, cheese curls, commercially baked cookies) are easy to over-consume! Choose more minimally processed, if not unprocessed foods, such as homemade granola bars and trail mix made with nuts & dried fruit.
7. Minimize intake of beverages and foods with added sugars.
Sugar comes in many forms: glucose, dextrose, sucrose, corn syrup, concentrated fruit juice, honey, and maple syrup. The same athletes who scrutinize food labels for added sugar often consume lots of sport drinks, gels, and chomps. Simple-to-digest sugar is actually what your body needs during extended exercise, when the theme is survival and not good nutrition. Sugar becomes a problem when athletes skip wholesome meals, get too hungry, start to crave sugary foods, and then eat the whole plate of cookies. Preventing hunger is the key to preventing cravings for sugary foods. Eating a hearty protein-rich breakfast can set the stage for reduced sugar cravings towards the end of the day.
8. Choose and prepare foods with little or no salt.
In general, reduced salt intake is linked with reduced blood pressure. That said, most athletes have low blood pressure. They also lose salt (more correctly, sodium) in sweat. Athletes who sweat heavily can appropriately replace sodium losses by eating salty foods. The leading sources of dietary sodium are processed, restaurant, and packaged foods. If your sports diet is mostly unprocessed foods, it can be low in sodium. If you find yourself craving salt, eat salt!
9. If you do not drink alcohol, do not start; if you choose to drink alcohol, limit intake.
The link between alcohol intake and heart disease is complex, depending on how and how much you drink. Athletes are known to drink more alcohol than non-athletes. Alcohol has negative effects not only on heart-health, but also athletic performance and is linked to injuries, violence, digestive diseases, poor pregnancy outcomes, and cancer.
10. Adhere to this guidance regardless of where food is prepared or consumed.
Because so many athletes buy takeout foods, healthy eating patterns need to apply to both meals prepared in and outside of home. Occasional treats are fine; just be sure they are not the norm.
By following the above guidelines, you will be taking steps towards a lifetime of better health, which means better quality of life and happiness. Be wise, choose your foods wisely, and enjoy your active lifestyle.
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.
Reference: Dietary guidance to improve cardiovascular health: a scientific statement from the American Heart Assoc. Circulation, 2021; 144