I’m going to be honest – there’s a lot of hype in the exercise market today. It almost feels like whoever can do the most creative exercises wins some kind of award. But the truth is…that’s not a good use of your time because it’s not going to get you the results you probably desire – a lean, defined, healthy body that enables you to perform daily life functions and that will allow you to age gracefully.
Imagine you’re house hunting and at last you’ve found what might be the perfect home. Like all home buyers, you are eager to see the kitchen. Mostly, you’re looking for quality appliances. When you arrive, everything looks great, with one glaring exception. There’s no refrigerator. There’s a gaping hole where the refrigerator should be. And when you ask the realtor, you’re astounded to hear him say, “Hmmm. You want a what?”
“A refrigerator,” you reply.
“What’s that?” he asks. You laugh nervously, because his question sounded sincere, and then you explain what a refrigerator is. “
Yeah, no,” he replies, “You don’t want one of those. They’re dangerous.”
“How are refrigerators dangerous?” you ask.
The realtor pauses for a few seconds, then replies, “They… um… they explode!”
This is what happens when a well-informed patient asks their doctor about DHEA. More than 2 million people have read one of Stephen Cherniske’s books and articles that describe why DHEA is an essential part of any healthcare plan. Millions more have seen him interviewed on national TV, or read about him in Time, Newsweek and Oprah. They understood Cherniske’s simple graphic showing that health is a see-saw of damage and repair, and how DHEA is the most important factor driving repair in every tissue of the human body. They were impressed with the author’s scientific credentials and the mountain of evidence published in biomedical journals.
But when they ask their doctor about this critically important factor that literally determines how fast they age, they are shocked to hear that many physicians have no real understanding of the hormone. Even worse, many doctors disregard the question, essentially saying “Yeah, no. You don’t want one of those. They’re dangerous.” And when asked exactly why DHEA is dangerous, they reply with something they heard 25 years ago that has been soundly debunked.
Join Stephen Cherniske for his upcoming webinar, The Case for DHEA, to learn more about this topic. He’ll review the metabolic model of aging and show how DHEA plays a key role in tissue repair, neuroprotection, metabolism, cardiovascular health, mood and memory.
Stephen Cherniske, MSc is a biochemist with more than 50 years of academic, clinical and research experience. He taught university clinical nutrition, directed the nation’s first FDA-licensed clinical lab specializing in nutrition and immunology, and served on the faculty of the American College of Sports Medicine. His book “The DHEA Breakthrough” was an international best-seller that helped launch the anti-aging movement worldwide. Cherniske is considered to be the chief architect of the metabolic model of aging – now the predominant model used in research protocols throughout the world.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, taking steps to protect yourself from contracting the virus is essential. That means you need to prioritize boosting your immune system. Although a strong immune system always plays a crucial role in your health, right now, it’s particularly important.
Strengthening your immune response is also fairly easy. While you should remember that none of these tips are substitutes for seeking medical care if you believe you have COVID-19 or are in danger of contracting it, you should consider the following ways – from cooking healthy recipes to getting enough sleep – that you can keep your immune system strong during a pandemic.
The fresh, herbacious flavor of the original Green Goddess dressing inspired a Southwest version I used for my cafe menu. Today, it remains a client favorite. Perfect for a veggie platter and grilled seafood. The dressing is pictured here on a Southwest Caesar with grilled Mahi.
Summertime is the season for fresh herbs. If you don’t like cilantro, flat-leaf parsley works well.
Place all ingredients up to cilantro into a blender. Process until smooth. Add cilantro in thirds to keep the bright color. Over-processing heats the dressing and can cause the herbs to lose their vibrancy.
You may read negative commentary about Grapeseed oil. It is high in polyunsaturated fats making it susceptible to over oxidization. In other words: don’t deep fry with Grapeseed oil. However, cold-pressed GSO is beneficial due to a very little known polyunsaturated fact. When the PUFAs are ingested, our immune function goes to sleep for a short period (I know this sounds bad but…) this allows a very special heart mending action to take place. Once the “work” is done, our immune function wakes up and everything resumes. GSO also assists in the removal of plaque built up in the arteries. It’s higher in vitamin E, than Olive Oil, and binds the water we drink to our tissue keeping us thoroughly hydrated.
All veggie oils are processed and should be kept to a minimum. A little goes a long way!
The remainder of the ingredients are definitely Delicious Medicine, with Cilantro heading up the foods with phyte. Apigenin will someday be the cure for Ovarian Cancer, says Harvard School of Medicine. This phytonutrient is also a major player in the reduction of inflammation and anti-aging science.
Get more great recipes from Tina Martini — her book, Delicious Medicine: The Healing Power of Food is available to purchase on Amazon. More than a cookbook, combining 20+ years of experience, along with her love of coaching, cooking and teaching, Tina offers unexpected insights into the history and healing power of clean eating, along with recipes to help reduce your risk of disease and improve overall wellness so you can enjoy life!
Affectionately referred to as The Walking Encyclopedia of Human Wellness, Fitness Coach, Strength Competitor and Powerlifting pioneer, Tina “The Medicine Chef” Martini is an internationally recognized Naturopathic Chef and star of the cooking show, Tina’s Ageless Kitchen. Tina’s cooking and lifestyle show has reached millions of food and fitness lovers all over the globe. Over the last 30 years, Tina has assisted celebrities, gold-medal athletes and over-scheduled executives naturally achieve radiant health using The Pyramid of Power: balancing Healthy Nutrition and the healing power of food, with Active Fitness and Body Alignment techniques. Working with those who have late-stage cancer, advanced diabetes, cardiovascular and other illnesses, Tina’s clients are astounded at the ease and speed with which they are able to restore their radiant health. Tina believes that maintaining balance in our diet, physical activity, and in our work and spiritual life is the key to our good health, happiness and overall well being. Visit her website, themedicinechef.com
It is safe to assume that not everyone a yoga professional works with is injury or disease free. As a yoga professional, it is your responsibility to ensure that you provide your clientele with safe and effective programming. The question you have to ask yourself is: are you truly qualified and up to date on the latest information to work with your current (and future)? A second question to ask is are you marketing yourself to those who need you most in this healthcare crisis? If you’re honest, you should at least say that perhaps you are not.
Well, this is where the MedFit Network (MFN) can help! MedFit Network (MFN) is both a professional membership organization for yoga, fitness and allied healthcare professionals, and a free online resource directory for the community to locate professionals with a background in prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation in working with those with chronic disease or medical conditions. As a yoga professional, here are three reasons why you should join the MedFit Network
Although stay-at-home restrictions are loosening around the USA and summer is coming, you may still need to get some of your activities indoors at home for a variety of reasons. If you aren’t doing resistance workouts already, you should really consider adding some resistance exercises to your normal regimens.
In fact, if you do nothing else, doing these 5 key exercises is critical for people with diabetes who may have weak core muscles, altered gait and balance, and central and peripheral nerve damage. If you lose your core strength, it will affect your ability to do all activities of daily living, including walking and living independently.
Do at least one set of 8-15 reps of each one, but work up to doing 2-3 sets of each one per workout. For best results, do these exercises at least 2 or 3 nonconsecutive days per week — muscles need a day or two off to fully recover and get stronger — but just don’t do them right before you go do another physical activity (as a fatigued core increases your risk of injury).
These and many more exercises are available on Diabetes Motion Academy for free download.
Crunches:
Directions:
Waist worker:
Directions:
Chair sit-ups:
Directions:
OR
Low back strengthener (Superman exercise):
Directions:
Directions:
#4: Squats OR Suitcase Lifts
Squats:
Directions:
OR
Directions:
Directions:
From Diabetes Motion Academy Resources, “Basic Core Exercises,” Sheri R. Colberg © 2017.
Sheri R. Colberg, PhD, FACSM, is the author of The Athlete’s Guide to Diabetes: Expert Advice for 165 Sports and Activities (the newest edition of Diabetic Athlete’s Handbook), available through Human Kinetics, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and elsewhere. She is also the author of Diabetes & Keeping Fit for Dummies. A professor emerita of exercise science from Old Dominion University and an internationally recognized diabetes motion expert, she is the author of 12 books, 30 book chapters, and over 420 articles. She was honored with the 2016 American Diabetes Association Outstanding Educator in Diabetes Award. Contact her via her websites, SheriColberg.com and DiabetesMotion.com.
We all know Darwin’s theory of survival of the fittest. During these COVID times, fitness professionals desperately need to evolve – for our own fiscal survival, a great deal of population health depends on us.
A study released in June 2020 surveyed 10,824 people worldwide. Results showed 46.67% of gym members said they will not continue their gym membership after COVID. The number of people in the US not continuing membership is over 50%.
We can encourage people to Zumba on Zoom, online exercise… but let’s have a reality check on what is really going on.
Forbes: “Americans Are Excessively Eating, Drinking, Smoking Pot, Playing Video Games And Watching Porn While Quarantined”
Obesity is associated with a more violent reaction to coronavirus – which is no surprise as fat cells are like millions of little endocrine engines spewing inflammatory factors. Smokers and vapers are at higher risk of serious illness and complications if they get COVID-19.
Everyone knows smoking tobacco, pot-smoking, and vaping affects the lungs. The damage done by smoke makes it easier to get many lung illnesses. People who smoke and vape – even younger people – are at higher risk of more severe illness and complications from COVID-19.
Isn’t it amazing alcohol sales were deemed as an essential service? According to Nielsen, studies show that “alcohol sales were up 55% in the week ending March 21.” Nielsen also found that amount of spirits sold, such as tequila, gin and pre-mixed cocktails, skyrocketed 75% compared to March 2019. Wine sales rose 66%, beer sales popped 42% and online alcohol sales grew by an astounding 243% from last year at this time.
Their response to the findings:
“Get the recommended amount of sleep, do not snack after dinner, practice dietary restraint, alter stress coping mechanisms, and maintain an exercise regime.” People know this. They need help implementing these suggestions.
If you haven’t read it yet – please refer to my article here on MFN on exercise and chronic inflammation. Reducing chronic inflammation and balancing our immune response is key during this pandemic.
Reducing chronic inflammation and balancing our immune response is key during this pandemic.
In a number of studies, exercise has an important role in immune balance.
A large study showed that mild to moderate exercise, performed about three times a week, reduced the risk of dying during the Hong Kong flu outbreak in 1998. The Hong Kong study was performed on 24,656 Chinese adults who died during this outbreak. This study showed that people who did no exercise at all, or too much exercise — over five days of exercise per week — were at the greatest risk of dying compared with people who exercised moderately.
It is clear that both too much exercise, overexertion during exercise and exercising while sick increases the risk of medical complications and death. These cause excess production of inflammatory cytokines. In the COVID-19 pandemic, research is showing those who get very ill or succumb to the virus – a massive cytokine storm overwhelms the body.
Secretory immunoglobulin A, or “sIgA” is an antibody protein used by the immune system to neutralize pathogens, including viruses. sigA has proven to be vital in upper respiratory tract infections. Over-exercising without adequate recovery has been shown to lower sigA, increasing susceptibility to respiratory tract infections. These infections are often what cause severe illness in COVID cases.
Remember Physical Activity
Of course, physical activity is a necessity to keep all of us healthy. Even if it’s not an “exercise” day – we all must remind people to be vigilant about physical activity.
Unfortunately “stay at home” was interpreted as sit on the couch and watch TV, or more screen time.
According to the data from Comcast, the average household is watching TV at least 8 hours more per week. That’s a full workday more. The data shows a 40% increase in viewing during the late-night hours. Comcast says it has seen the largest increases happening between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m.
Netflix has added 16 million global customers since the pandemic started.
Physical activity and moderate exercise are vital to our mental health, physical health & immune function. The immune system has no pump of its own. It depends on our pumping muscles for flow.
There is no question this pandemic is increasing our stress levels. The psychological stress from feeling isolated, fear of catching the virus, the many unknowns, how long we will live like this, the hysteria.
It is our gift to be able to help people make better choices to deal with their stress levels.
The increased stress, screen time, changed schedules are all contributing to sleep issues. Sleep is vital to immune balance and the control of inflammatory responses.
We should encourage more passive exercise closer to bedtime, rather than trying to fall asleep to Netflix. Meditation, deep breathing, Tai Chi, yoga stretches, more passive exercise – incredible for stress reduction and muscle strength. Encourage some Pilates intermittently throughout the day for activity, calorie burn, muscle strength. And of course, walking. Remember there really isn’t a place now for the “no-time whine”.
With our guidance as fit pros, we truly can make a massive contribution to how we come out of this pandemic. There is a new normal. This COVID crisis could be here for a while. Let’s take this as an opportunity to offer newer more innovative services. And yes – always welcome to contact me to brainstorm. We need to expand our services as health consultants. You are a wealth of information and creativity, and we can help calm the calamities. And please… educate all on wearing a mask!
Shira Litwack has been in chronic care management and prevention for 30 years, specializing in lifestyle habits including holistic nutrition, medical fitness and oxidative stress reduction. She is frequently called upon by the media, has her own podcast bringing current research to the public. She has created and provided oxidative stress assessments, to help clients identify potential health risks. From these, she provides guidance to lower inflammation. Shira is now a product specialist with a major COVID-19 test kit supplier, working with epidemiologists educating people on COVID testing, and setting up and designing protocol for COVID testing clinics
A potential client nervously sits down before a very handsome LA plastic surgeon at the beginning of each episode of this extremely popular television show in the early 2000s. The surgeon asks the same question to each patient he meets.,“Tell me what you don’t like about yourself?” The potential client, slightly taken back by the magnitude and depth of this question, details what it is he or she wishes the doctor to change about them.
As a MedFit fitness professional and educator, this particular scenario really resonated with me. In fact, I have spent multiple decades trying to figure out the “WHY” behind the behaviors and mindsets adopted by my clients. What external or internal factors are positively or negatively affecting their ability to make healthy decisions, their ability to feel confident, or their ability to love themselves or others. This is exactly why we all must keep asking, why?
While designing fitness programs to support physical well-being is extremely important, are we providing enough positive reinforcement to encourage clients that “they are enough”? Are we building their confidence and self-worth? Are we empowering their mind and believing in them so hard until they start believing in themselves?
These are the questions we should be asking ourselves when we design fitness programs for the “whole person.”
Why do people feel the need to drastically change their appearance?
Where do these ideas come from and how will it have a positive effect on their future?
Why is outer appearance still considered more important than overall health when considering recent research to support longevity?
These are just a few questions to consider as a fitness or medical fitness professional as you begin to assess clients and “peel back the onion” to fully understand how you can best support their goals.
If your client suffers from what I refer to as “negative self-talk,” those incessant self-deprecating statements act as a personal bully and obstacle to achieve true happiness — ask them why they feel this way?
Then, continue those “Why” questions until you find out the answers. This may take one whole session, or it may take months of shorter conversations. However, a medical fitness professional has the power to change lives, not only through physical fitness, but mental fitness. Mindset matters!
1. Is this negative thinking a result of a negative experience or is it being projected on them by others?
2. Ask questions and listen. Only when the fitness professional has developed a trusting, supportive, comfortable, and communicative relationship with their client can the fitness professional begin to understand their “why.”
3. “The way you make your muscles grow is through resistance training, where you work them until your muscle fibers are fatigued and break apart. With proper rest, recovery, and nutrition, those same muscle fibers grow back stronger than they were before. And you grow. The mind and your mindset work the same way.” –Dr. Bryan Price
Christine M. Conti, M.Ed, BA is and international fitness educator and presenter. She currently sits on the MedFit Education Advisory Board and has been nominated to be the 2020 MedFit Network Professional of the Year. She is currently writing the MedFit Network Arthritis Fitness Specialist Course and is the CEO and founder of ContiFit.com and Let’s FACE It Together™ Facial Fitness & Rehabilitation. Christine is also the co-host of Two Fit Crazies & A Microphone Podcast and the co-owner of TFC Podcast Production Co.
While some athletes have cast iron stomachs and few concerns about what and when they eat before they exercise, others live in fear of pre-exercise fuel contributing to undesired pit stops during their workouts. Be it stomach rumbling, a need to urinate or defecate, reflux, nausea, heartburn, or side stitch, how to prevent intestinal distress is a topic of interest to athletes with finnicky guts. Here are tips to help you fuel well before/during exercise while reducing the risk of gastro-intestinal (GI) distress. For more in-depth information, you might want to read The Athlete’s Gut by Patrick Wilson or listen to this podcast.
Stay calm. Being anxious about intestinal issues can exacerbate the problem. Think positive. Trust that your gut is adaptable and trainable. Record what, when, and how much you eat, as well as the duration and intensity of your exercise. Use that data to help you figure out what foods and fluids settle best. Building body trust can reduce anxiety—and that can reduce GI issues. That said, precompetition nerves can affect any athlete, regardless of GI hardiness!Sports nutritionist Nancy Clark, MS, RD counsels both casual and competitive athletes in the Boston area (Newton; 617-795-1875). Her best-selling Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook (6th edition, 2019) can help you eat to win. For more information, visit NancyClarkRD.com.