10 Tips for Sleep Health
Here are ten critical pieces of information every person should know about sleep and how to optimize and enhance sleep for healthy living.
Foam Rolling: The What, Why & How
We are not as active as we once were. Our lifestyles today do not require as much movement as it once did. A perfect example of this is Giant’s Peapod (need I say anymore). Not being active takes a toil on our bodies and sitting tends to take over our bodies main position in space. For those that are active, injuries may still occur. When a person is not active and does a lot of sitting (or sleeping in awkward positions) or when a person is active and gets injured, our bodies respond by putting our muscle tissues into overdrive. In other words, they end up working harder than they should which leads to adhesions or knots in the fascia (connective tissue found throughout our entire body). This is where foam rolling can be very helpful.
What is Foam Rolling?
Foam rolling is the concept of applying pressure to a sore or tender muscle that will send a signal to your brain to tell it to relax. If you are familiar with a massage, then, you can think of foam rolling as a self-massage.
Why Foam Rolling?
According to the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), foam rolling is beneficial to help alleviate and correct discomfort. For example, if a person does a lot of sitting, then most likely their hip muscles will be working overtime. Foam rolling will help the hip muscles to return to a normal state of work. Also, since overworking muscles cause your body to compensate and have poor posture, foam rolling can help to correct bad posture too.
How Do You Foam Roll?
In order to determine what muscles on your body are working overtime, you want to consult with a corrective exercise specialist. This could be a physical therapist, personal trainer or massage therapist (to name a few). They can watch your posture and how you move to determine which muscles need foam rolling. Typical muscles that need foam rolling include one’s: calves, hips, lateral to mid-back, thighs and chest. For example, if one determines their calf muscle is working overtime, the protocol would be to sit down on their butt with the foam roller placed directly underneath their calf muscles. The person would apply pressure by pushing their calf muscle only into the foam roller. If they feel any discomfort, they would hold that spot of discomfort for at least 30 seconds to allow the calf to relax. If a person does foam rolling on a regular basis (I recommend 3-5 times/week for four weeks), they could accomplish significant improvement to their posture, which means less discomfort to their body.
Conclusion
Foam rolling is a proven technique that allows overactive muscles throughout our bodies to return to a state of normalcy. If you have muscles on your body that do not feel normal, foam rolling may be the solution to your problem.
Maurice D. Williams is an Assistant Professor of Health & Human Performance at Freed-Hardeman University, an the owner of Move Well Fitness. With almost two decades in the industry, he’s worked with a wide range of clients, including those with health challenges like diabetes, osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis, hypertension, coronary artery disease, lower back pain, pulmonary issues, and pregnancy.
Fitness: Establishing Your Program – Setting Your Course
I think of training, not working out. Working out is simply doing something without any identifiable purpose in mind. I believe training must be accompanied by commitment and a deep desire to accomplish something specific that is meaningful to you and worthy of sacrifice. In establishing a fitness program that will work for you and ultimately be successful you need to carefully consider many variables and understand their importance to your eventual outcome. This article will highlight some of my thoughts on this process/subject and hopefully illuminate for you the path forward so that you might enjoy a long and happy – and fit life.
Setting your course – effective goal setting
Setting goals is probably the most important aspect of designing a program since it gives focus and direction to the reasons behind the activities that you ultimately select – and that will work for you. First remember a key idea: If what you choose to do is not fun you will not find your time well spent or get the results you desire. The way to think about setting proper goals is to not to think of “cosmetic fixes” but instead to try to imagine yourself doing the things in your life that would bring you joy, pleasure, a sense of accomplishment, and the happy memories that we carry into our future.
An example in my own life is the wonderful time I had in Japan on four different occasions visiting my daughter Lisa. I took many journeys while there and enjoyed all of them immensely because I was free to explore and spend time among the temples of Kyoto and other historic and wonderful places. I walked for hours without ever getting tired because I am so fit from years of running. Every trip while there was an incredible experience, filled with wonder and beauty. Going forward I hope to have many more adventures and create many wonderful memories I can share with my grandson and Lisa too.
Take your time when evaluating what it is you want to achieve and consider carefully what you want to do to accomplish your goals – and make them performance based. Losing weight is never a sustainable goal because there is no real payoff at the end and one never reaches a happy outcome simply from losing weight. I was taught a simple yet effective method for setting goals and it is called the RAMS method: Reasonable, achievable, measurable, and specific. My goal of running a 6 minute mile on my 80th birthday is already an accomplished fact since I can do it now. If I am alive and well on that birthday I plan on doing that mile!
Programming
Consider this a four step process:
- Evaluate and investigate your options
- Make your choices – cardio, resistance, stretching, nutrition etc.
- Implement your choices on a schedule
- Evaluate and measure your progress (record keeping)
Cardiovascular conditioning
Consider this your “core activity” since it is the one that will consume more of your time. Options include running (my love), walking (the most common option), cycling (indoors and outdoors), swimming, cross country skiing (high calories burning among the options – includes running), and many endurance activities tied to sports related training. There are many ways to train your heart but the most important fact is that to train it effectively you must do something to it over time, at higher intensities that allow your heart to work at higher levels than normal. Establishing those levels will take professional input so do ask for the proper assistance from a qualified professional.
There are target heart rates, stroke volumes, cardiac output, breathing, monitoring fatigue, getting proper rest and recovery and much more to consider. I will cover this and other subjects more directly in later articles. Suffice it to say that if you don’t enjoy your chosen activity you won’t keep doing it. Quitting is quite common in the world and I don’t believe quitting ever solved anything! The most common question fitness professionals get is: Which exercise is the best one? My answer is always the same: The one that you will do! Approximately two thirds of your time should be dedicated to training your heart – it is the organ that will ultimately carry you to your future!
Resistance Training
Resistance training builds lean muscle mass and creates a higher resting metabolic rate (the rate at which the body burns calories at rest). As we age we lose muscle mass at the rate of 2-5 pounds per decade after 20. If you want a body that works efficiently, feels strong, helps you accomplish the tasks of life, and supports your skeletal system and organs without getting injured or sick getting strong is a must. Lean muscle mass is directly tied to burning sugar and eliminating the threat posed by diabetes.
Resistance training strengthens the connective tissue (ligaments, tendons), protects the joints and creates symmetry between the inner and outer processes of the body. If you want to become lean – create a resistance training program (again professional help is recommended) that supports what you want to do in life. For me – weight training is primarily designed to keep me running for years to come. I focus all my energy twice a week building all my major muscle groups and monitor my results in writing (I do this for my running sessions as well). After the age of forty I recommend an increased volume of resistance training because loss of lean muscle mass accelerates as a result of the aging process.
Flexibility
Flexibility protects the joints from damage by balancing the loads place upon them and is a key to aging well. Older people tend to get stiff and bent as they age and weakness in the legs is a constant reminder that falling is a major cause of death among the elderly. Breaking a hip in a fall can be something the older individual does not recover from and could have been avoided with a proper stretching and balance program.
With my older clients I always dedicated at least 20-30 percent of their sessions to balance and flexibility work to insure that they were comfortable just moving. I monitored their gait, posture, balance and other variables for possible negative outcomes. Changing behaviors and attitudes as we age is challenging. I find this true in my own case as I face my own challenges going forward but as one of my favorite teachers said years ago: “Change is the only constant in the natural order” and its corollary: “The mind of man is unlimited in its potential and responds to the specific demands made upon it”. I try to remember that there is always a way to change – we just have to be flexible in our thinking and our behavior to make the necessary changes that could ultimately save our lives.
I always try to remember that the gift I have been given to train for all these decades can be taken away in an instant so I always approach my own training each day with an attitude of deep gratitude and never forget to say thank each day for these gifts. I am grateful every day and never try to forget that an open mind and open heart will get me through almost anything in life. Everything that happens to me is an opportunity for me to learn something new about myself. I will always be a student – I will never know everything and this thought frees me to explore my potential every time I set my sights on new goals and dreams – like this one writing for you.
The FITT Formula
Remember Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will your body. Changing variables one at a time will allow you the chance to see how your body – and mind – responds to the stimuli you are providing it by your training activities. The FITT formula is something to keep in mind. The letters stand for frequency – how often you do something, intensity – how hard you do something, time – the amount of time you schedule for training activity, and type – the mode or vehicle you select to train. I believe change comes most effectively in “baby steps”. Never ask your body to do more than it can for it will grow as fast as it can, plateau, and then grow some more.
Rest and recovery are crucial to this process – allow time for your body to heal and rest. Overtraining is just as bad – or worse – than undertraining. Go slowly toward goals as your patience will be rewarded with renewed energy, stamina, and happiness in the results you are seeing from your efforts. Reward yourself as you reach new levels and never forget to be grateful for everything and anything that you accomplish. This “consciousness” will serve you well over the years to come!
Nutrition and Weight Management
I won’t speak here on this subject in detail since it is way too complicated for our purposes at this time. Suffice it to say “you are what you eat, you are what you think, you are what you believe, you are what you do and you are your expectations.” What you think about, comes about (Walt Disney – one of my favorite creative geniuses), what you see is what you get and so much more. Eating well yields a truly flexible, strong and happy body. I will say this: Eat a salad, drink water and take a walk”. Eat more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds and beans and healthy protein – and drink lots of water. More on this later. Please remember that everything you eat creates – or destroys – your future health.
Conclusion and Tips
Be aware of your life as it is today. DO see your doctor for an evaluation for your readiness to train and engage in prolonged physical activity. Ask yourself the tough questions that only you can answer. Be considerate and forgiving of yourself so that you can move forward without guilt or recrimination. Become flexible in mind and body. Start now – don’t wait – because tomorrow is never guaranteed and life is very fragile. Take each step and listen attentively – both inside and outside – to those who want to assist you along the way. Take everything with a “grain of salt” because there are no absolutes when it comes to your own needs, wants, and dreams. Change is constantly influencing the events and circumstances of our lives so no one truly “knows” what is best for you – only you can determine this. Be smart and critical in your thinking and question what you don’t understand. I learn something new every day and I am certainly not ashamed to share with you that I consider myself a “student of running” even though I have been running for 52 years! Travel well!
Nicholas Prukop is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer & a Health Coach, a fitness professional with over 25 years of experience whose passion for health and fitness comes from his boyhood in Hawaii where he grew up a swimmer on Maui. He found his calling in writing his first book “Healthy Aging & You: Your Journey to Becoming Happy, Healthy & Fit” and since then he has dedicated himself to empowering, inspiring and enabling people of all ages to reach for the best that is within them and become who they are meant to be – happy, healthy and fit – and be a part of a world where each person can contribute their own unique gifts to life.
Green juice vs. green smoothie: What are the health benefits?
Whether you’re a fan of a crisp, refreshing green juice or a velvety vegetable smoothie, here’s what you need to know about these two delicious, health-supporting beverages.
Green juices and smoothies are an easy – and tasty – part of a Nutritarian diet. But while either will help you ramp up your intake of raw leafy greens and other veggies, there are a few things to remember: Don’t go overboard on the fruit. Do be aware of calorie density (more on this later). And don’t substitute them for your daily main dish salad.
Supporting satiety and healthy blood glucose levels
Whether you call it a blended salad or a green smoothie, this mix of leafy greens, fruit and nuts and/or seeds is an excellent, portable morning meal. It contains all the fiber from the greens and fruit, plus fat from the nuts or seeds to keep you full and limit the rise in blood glucose from the fruit.
On the other hand, a vegetable juice with a small amount of fruit, depending on size, may be as calorie-dense as the smoothie, but will not be a satisfying meal on its own. For this reason, if you have a substantial amount of weight to lose, I wouldn’t recommend juicing too often (in addition to your meals) because it will likely add too many extra calories without the feeling of satiety and compromise your weight loss efforts.
Whether you’re making a smoothie or a juice, remember to put the focus on the vegetables, not the fruit, to limit calorie density and glycemic effects.
Intermittent fasting
If you do have weight to lose, a green juice can be used in place of a meal as part of an intermittent fasting program that reduces calorie intake dramatically a few days per week. A juice provides a rich source of nutrients in place of lunch or dinner on low-calorie days, and a smoothie works as a satiating, greens- and berries-packed breakfast.
Even if you don’t have weight to lose, episodic restriction of calories to extend the overnight fasting period enhances the body’s ability to heal and repair. The body has natural detoxification and repair mechanisms that kick in when we are in the fasting state. Occasionally replacing dinner with a vegetable juice is a great way to achieve this.
Micronutrient content and availability
Blending and juicing both disrupt the mechanical structure of plant cells, which increases the accessibility of many micronutrients. Many beneficial micronutrients – carotenoids, polyphenols, and folate for example – are often bound to structural components or large molecules within the plant cell like fiber, proteins, and starches. Processing, heating, and chewing break down these cellular structures to increase the availability of the bound micronutrients; however, many may not be accessible for our absorption by chewing alone. Blending increases our likelihood of absorbing these nutrients. Some micronutrients – those that are bound to fiber within the plant cell – may be removed with the fiber by juicing, and therefore be more available via blending than juicing.1
With green smoothies, you are adding nuts or seeds as a healthful fat source. Although blending alone increases the accessibility of carotenoids, since the presence of fats is known to increase carotenoid absorption from leafy greens,1,2 it is likely that nuts and seeds in a smoothie could increase absorption further.
Green juices pack in extra nutrients using a quantity of vegetables that would be difficult to eat in one sitting, or even in a smoothie. You can get two pounds of vegetables into one glass of juice. This lets you quickly increase the level of phytochemicals in your tissues or simply increase your intake of carotenoids, isothiocyanates, and other beneficial phytochemicals.
For those who have nutrient absorption problems, gastrointestinal conditions, or other medical conditions, vegetable juices (especially cruciferous vegetables) are often useful as a supplement to a healthful diet, providing additional beneficial nutrients to promote healing. For people with gastrointestinal issues, juicing can be a good way to rest the digestive system while maintaining a high intake of these beneficial nutrients.
Guidelines for juicing and blending
- A green smoothie can be a meal substitute, while a vegetable juice is better viewed as a supplement to add extra leafy green-derived nutrients to a healthful diet.
- Limit smoothies and green juices to one per day
- It is important to chew some vegetables every day, so eat a raw salad daily.
- Juices should be made up of one-third green cruciferous vegetables (such as kale, collards, and/or bok choy), one-third non-cruciferous green vegetables (such as lettuce, cucumber, and/or celery), and one third high-antioxidant flavorful vegetables (carrots, beets).
- Having a green juice occasionally instead of dinner can help you practice episodic caloric restriction and increase the body’s time in heal and repair mode.
- Maximize the nutritional value and limit glycemic effects of both smoothies and juices, by using mostly leafy greens and other vegetables and adding only a small amount of fruit for flavor (such as half of a green apple or 1 cup of berries in a juice).
- Don’t juice spinach, parsley or Swiss chard because of their oxalic acid content (which limits calcium absorption).
Sources
1. Food microstructure affects the bioavailability of several nutrients
2. Carotenoid bioavailability is higher from salads ingested with full-fat than with fat-reduced salad dressings as measured with electrochemical detection
Originally printed on Dr. Fuhrman’s blog. Reprinted with permission from Joel Fuhrman, MD.
Get $10 off $150 or more on Dr. Fuhrman’s website. Use coupon LS10OFF150.
Joel Fuhrman, M.D. is a board-certified family physician, seven-time New York Times bestselling author and internationally recognized expert on nutrition and natural healing, who specializes in preventing and reversing disease through nutritional methods. Dr. Fuhrman coined the term “Nutritarian” to describe his longevity-promoting, nutrient dense, plant-rich eating style. For over 30 years, Dr. Fuhrman has shown that it is possible to achieve sustainable weight loss and reverse heart disease, diabetes and many other illnesses using smart nutrition. In his medical practice, and through his books and PBS television specials, he continues to bring this life-saving message to hundreds of thousands of people around the world.
Fitness New Year’s Resolution Tips
The holidays were here and there was plenty of running around and parties to attend. As we said goodbye to this year, we are ready to take on the new year. Many individuals have decided to make fitness a resolution and made the commitment with themselves to get into better shape.
Many individuals do not plan for this transition and end up stopping within three months. There are some things you can do to be successful if fitness is on your list of resolutions.
The first thing you want to do is to choose a fitness facility where you feel comfortable. By comfortable I mean, do you like the atmosphere? Is the gym to big or small for you? When you look into fitness facilities, make sure they’re not too far from your home. If the gym is too far, you’re less likely to go consistently. Try to plan for when the best time would be to go. Decide if morning, afternoon or evening works better for you and your schedule.
When you find your gym and figure out a time, make an appointment for an assessment and consultation. There are some people who decide to do this after a couple months of joining. Try to see a fitness professional within the first two weeks. We are able to help you figure out a plan for your workout and keep you on track. Some fitness centers call new members after the first week to see how everything is going.
It’s also important to not have an “all or nothing” mentality. If you decide to go to the gym three days a week, but sometimes fall short, it’s OK! Just get back to your schedule the following week. It will take about three months to adapt to your new transition.
Another tip is to have fun! Look at class schedules and try new classes. If you are new to classes, don’t worry about keeping up with everyone else. I always suggest that clients show up to class ten minutes early. This enables you to speak with the instructor about any injuries or concerns you may have. You can also leave class early if you need to. Some new students may only be able to do a warm up and have to leave. Remember that everyone in the class was in the same boat as you at some point.
It may seem tough to add fitness to your life at first, but it will get easier. You will start to feel better overall. Many people are able to sleep much better, bring down their blood pressure and cholesterol, reduce stress, and prevent osteoporosis. The benefits are really endless! The best thing is that you are setting the stage for a healthy lifestyle as you get older. You will be able to do more and live independently longer.
Good luck to everyone this year who has fitness as one of their resolutions. You will be able succeed if you keep positive and plan for success. Have a happy and healthy new year!
Robyn Kade is the Founder of The Stress Management Institute for Health and Fitness Professionals. She has 20 years of experience in medical-based fitness.
New Year’s Resolutions and Eating Disorders
The beginning of every new year is flooded with talk of resolutions. The clean slate associated with a brand new calendar often inspires us to make changes in our lifestyles. Typically, these resolutions are centered around health, and in many cases, the emphasis is on weight loss. For those who struggle with eating disorders, this time of year can be especially difficult.
Coach, Therapist… What do you need today?
As I’ve stated many times before, personal fitness trainers are multi-faceted in their jobs because let’s face it, we have to be. You can’t teach someone how to be a people person, either you have the gift of versatility when you speak to a client or you don’t. Sure, you can wiggle your way through it uncomfortably but some people are better than others when trying to carry on a conversation or to lend an opinion to a client’s problem they are having at the moment.
Personally, it’s always been relatively easy for me to be caring, compassionate and to respond appropriately to clients’ wishes, problems and questions but like anything else that a person excels at, it definitely takes practice and finesse. This raises a question, however, about figuring out your clients needs during every session. Do they want a trainer who’s going to kick their ass and make them sweat or do they need a caring person to lend an ear and give solid advice? Trainers wear many hats. Aside from our titled job, we also are bartenders, hairdressers, therapists and the caring friend that they may not have in their life to provide advice, comfort and direction.
During most sessions with clients, I let them take the wheel as to how the conversation and friendly banter goes. 85% of the time we end up talking shop about what happened that day, weekend plans or special occasions coming up for them or myself. The other 15% of the time is where I change roles, usually the alter-ego that I play mostly is therapist. Ask most other seasoned trainers and they’re likely to agree that we hear a lot of other people’s problems from day to day. Most of the time, the person isn’t looking for a fix to the issue or even advice but someone to listen and to validate that whatever it is that they’re experiencing is valid. That’s it.
In the broader scope within humanity, this is all everyone wants, from the very normal person to people with mental health concerns and beyond. If people would learn that talking about their problems creates connection, vents frustrations and sets anger free, we’d probably see less problems in the world than we have today. I like to term myself as the ‘feelings trainer’ because if something is bothering you, I’m pretty much going to talk you through an emotional cleanse if that’s what you want/need.
That’s the first part, like I said. Trying to establish boundaries and develop a client dialogue for the session if the client wishes it to be that way. So many trainers miss these subtle hints and clues that may be a huge part of why they’re not reaching their goals, why their training sessions have fallen into the negative, etc. This is why it’s so important to require trainers to participate in behavior modification workshops or training to help them to recognize when specific behaviors surface in their clients and how to help them overcome whatever it is they may be experiencing that is holding them back from reaching certain goals.
Being able to read people isn’t rocket science but there is an art to being able to practice empathy and awareness for your clients effectively. Numerous fitness organizations offer behavioral modification training for continuing education credits (CEUs) or even offer a specialization in becoming Behavior Modification Specialists (BMS) through your certifying organization. Regardless, being able to spot emotional breaks in your clients and helping them to rectify them will help to further achieve their fitness goals and gain clarity in their lives.
John J. Schessler is a Pittsburgh-based NASM certified Personal Fitness Trainer and ISSA certified Exercise Therapist with over 13 years’ experience in the health and fitness fields. He also holds certifications as a Sports Injury/Orthopedics Specialist working with individuals with physical and mental disabilities. He currently is employed by Planet Fitness LLC as a tenured Personal Trainer and works as a Men’s Life Coach, assisting men gain the skills necessary to help enhance their lives in all areas. John is constantly gratified by the endless pursuit people have to better themselves everyday in his profession.
Foot and Ankle Injuries Often Lead to Chronic Pain
It is a common injury, with 2 million acute ankle sprains happening each year in the US! In addition, it is the most common injury suffered by college athletes making up 15% of all injuries in this population.
11 Reasons You Seriously Should Be Drinking More Water
Yeah, yeah. You’ve been told many times that you should be drinking more water. Growing up, your mom would insist that you eat your vegetables and drink water. In school you learned about the food pyramid and how many glasses of water you should drink every day. Your doctor has instructed you to drink water on a regular basis.