Member Spotlight: Autoimmune Nutrition Coach, Alene Brennan
As a nutrition coach, yoga instructor and essential oil practitioner, I help individuals with autoimmune disease manage their health and symptoms through diet and lifestyle. . .
The Health Benefits of Better Sleep
The more that time goes on, the more evidence there is that sleep is our friend – possibly one of the best! Do you find that drifting off into sound slumber among today’s full-on society is something that is slightly out of reach for you in your life?
If you’re nodding your head as you read this, and you want to find out how sleep can have a positive impact on your life, then you’ve come to the right place.
Over the course of this article, we’re going to elaborate on the health benefits of sleep and how it can make a difference in your life!
Heart Health
Did you know that the chances of suffering a heart attack or stroke are higher in the early morning hours? [1] It’s thought that this is because of the way sleep interacts with our blood vessels.
If you are experiencing a lack of sleep, then you are considered among those who are more likely to be associated with issues surrounding blood pressure and cholesterol. These are defined as high-risk factors for both stroke and heart disease.
You’ll benefit from a healthier heart if sleep between seven and nine hours every evening, as recommended by health professionals.
Body Repairs
Sleep is your body’s time to be at its most relaxed. This is also the period in which the body busies itself repairing any damage developed from a range of factors, including stress.
When you’re asleep, notably deeper stages of sleep, [2] your body works to repair muscle, organs, and other cells. Chemicals that operate to strengthen your immune system begin to circulate in your blood.
Your body’s cells are able to produce more protein, and these protein molecules are at the root of the repairs your body needs to overcome daily stressors.
Less Stress
When you don’t receive adequate amounts of sleep, your body moves into a state of stress. This means that your body’s functions are put into ‘high alert mode’, with the effects of this ranging from high blood pressure to the increased production of stress-related hormones.
Avoiding high blood pressure is important, because high blood pressure can increase your heart attack and stroke risk. What’s more, when we factor in stress hormones and how they make it harder to fall asleep, it soon becomes clear that sleep is vital to stay for health.
More Energy
High-quality rest gives will make you feel energized and more alert the following day. You’ll be more active and use up the energy you’ve rewarded yourself with, which subsequently opens the door for a good night’s sleep that evening, too.
This knock-on effect creates a healthy cycle that is hard to not enjoy, especially when you are waking up feeling refreshed and ‘full of beans’ to accomplish whatever lies ahead each day.
Enhanced Memory
During sleep, as your body is resting and repairing itself, your brain is hard at work processing the things you have learned that day.
It’s like a filing process, whereby your brain is sorting all the things in their rightful place, creating connections between events, memories and feelings, for example.
The ability to move into a deep sleep is absolutely essential for your brain to form links and memories, and the better quality of sleep you experience, the better your memory will become.
Weight Loss
Some experts believe people who sleep under seven hours each evening, are more likely to be classified as overweight or obese. Researchers believe that this is due to the balance of bodily hormones that affect the appetite of sleep-deprived individuals. [3]
The body’s hormones leptin and ghrelin are both responsible for the regulation of your appetite, and when sleep isn’t at a suitable level, these hormones become disrupted.
The result of the disruption with these hormones is that you will eat more than necessary, and when you eat more than you need to, losing weight – and even maintaining it – becomes a difficult task.
Conclusion
As you may have realized throughout this article, sleep has the ability to have a bearing on many of the chemicals and processes that help your body to function. This is what makes sleep such an important function in all of our lives.
Sarah Cummings writes for The Sleep Advisor (sleepadvisor.org), a site dedicated to helping people improve their sleep habits. Her love of exercise has always been a big part of how she leads her life, and finds that her keen approach to a healthy diet, daily yoga and dedication to high-quality sleep helps her offer sound advice to others all over the world!
References
- https://www.nhs.uk/news/heart-and-lungs/heart-attacks-worse-in-the-morning/
- https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/03/07/your-body-does-incredible_n_4914577.html
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3519150/
Quitting as Self-Care
A few years ago the term self-care appeared as a means of describing anything that a person does to take care of themselves, like getting a massage, meditating, going for a walk in nature, or taking a relaxing bath in essential oils. All of the above are great ways to improve your physical and emotional health; however, they are often used not as a way to improve health, but to undo the damage caused by underlying stresses and simply restore one’s previous level of health.
Take meditation. It’s a practice that has been used for millennia as a means of trying to reach an enlightened state. But what do we often use it for now? As a means to calm ourselves down after an argument with a significant other or a way to gain a glimpse of equanimity before what we know will be a tough day at work.
In the above instances, meditation isn’t being used to take us to a higher place, it’s being used to get us back to baseline. And then the next day, when our job or our toxic relationships drag us back into sadness or anxiety, we use it again to bring us back up.
This is akin to using Tylenol to treat cancer. Cancer causes pain, so we take Tylenol to relieve the pain. This treats only the symptoms and ensures that we’re going to have to take Tylenol again and again each time the pain arises.
How would we stop that cycle? By curing the cancer.
Similarly, you can’t massage away a bad job and you can’t journal away a toxic relationship. In both instances, you’re merely treating the symptoms.
What’s the cure? Quitting.
Quit the job that’s taken your sanity day after day. Quit the relationships that have led you to the negative self-talk that requires hours of journaling and meditation to sort out.
Because all of the above self-care tools are amazing in their own rights, but are so much more helpful in improving your physical and mental health if you’re starting from a more stable baseline — which requires taking a good look (often through journaling!) at what is disturbing your peace.
So next time something has you anxious or depressed, grab that journal and write down what led to that feeling. Then start analyzing whether the cause can be quit. You may need a job-ectomy, or to have some toxic friends surgically removed from your friend circle.
And after you do, be sure to light some candles, throw some essential oils in a bathtub, and meditate your way to enlightenment — free of whatever was holding you back!
Learn more about strategic quitting for your health… register for Dr. Morski’s upcoming webinar:
Article reprinted with permission from Lynn Marie Morski.
Dr. Lynn Marie Morski is a Quitting Evangelist. She helps people to and through their quits through her book “Quitting by Design” and her podcast Quit Happens, along with speaking and coaching. She is also a board-certified physician in family medicine and sports medicine, currently working at the Veterans Administration. In addition, she is an attorney and former adjunct law professor at Thomas Jefferson School of Law. Visit her website, quittingbydesign.com
Can I Avoid Surgery?
Did the title of this article capture your attention? It should because surgery, no matter how big or small, is serious business. The type of surgery this article is speaking to is orthopedic surgery. This means surgery due to pain, disease, and dysfunction in your muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones, and joints.
Maybe you, or someone you care about, have been told that surgery is necessary. You have done what the doctor suggested. You tried Physical Therapy. You went beyond that, and tried massage, acupuncture, chiropractic, drugs, and other alternative interventions. Why would avoiding a surgery even come into your mind? You are in pain, the doctor said you need it and that should be the end of the discussion right?
It’s a tough decision with uncertain consequences. Second and third opinions are recommended.
There might be several reasons why you want to avoid it; the thought of someone going in and “cutting you” (surgery is really a controlled injury), the risks associated with being put under anesthesia, the long recovery time and disruption to your life routine post surgery, you know someone that had surgery and months later are still not feeling much better, or they may be suffering complications from the surgery itself.
You have doubts.
Maybe you have read the recent research that concluded that a very common surgical procedure on knees actually showed more long term harm than good. (1)
Have you read the research that shows that there are many individuals with a diagnosable orthopedic disease that don’t report pain? And there is research that shows that some report pain and nothing can be found wrong that directly explains the pain. (2) (3)
Maybe you will need the surgery. But is there one more conservative non-surgical alternative that you haven’t tried yet?
There is… Exercise.
But wait, you already did exercises at the physical therapy clinic. Even the chiropractor gave you some stretches and rubber bands to tug on and that didn’t work.
Here is the problem. All exercise is not created equal. What may work for one person doesn’t work for another. Why is that?
Because every pain situation, just like people, is unique.
Pain is a word. When you choose to use the word pain to describe a sensation in your body you are clearly elevating the level of concern you have for the sensation.
Pain is not a thing like a brick, cat, glove, or car. Pain is the brain’s conclusion about all of the information it is receiving and processing from within the body moment-to-moment.
If you are considering surgery because you are experiencing a sensation that you choose to use the word pain to describe, then in a sense you are having surgery to remove the pain right? Which is weird because pain isn’t a thing to be removed, as it is simply a word chosen to describe a subjective conclusion based on bodily information. So a surgeon doesn’t remove pain with a scalpel, they remove the body part that they think is causing the pain. Sometimes this works great. Sometimes it doesn’t. See previous references.
What the surgeon is doing, what the drugs are doing, what the spinal manipulations are doing, are changing, or at least trying to change, the information that the body is producing to see if changing the information that way will lead to a new conclusion of the brain.
Change the information and possibly change the conclusion.
Back to the exercise thing.
What is exercise? It is stimulation to, and of, the body that changes the information within it. Sometimes those changes are short term and sometimes they can be of a longer term.
But you tried exercise in physical therapy and with the chiropractor and it didn’t help.
As stated earlier not all exercise is equal. Often exercises are just given to work on the area of the body that hurts. This might not be the best way to change the information. Exercise has very specific influences on the body depending on HOW you do it. The old adage “Just Do It” is painfully inaccurate advice. We need to know the quantity but also need to know the quality of your experience with different exercises.
Pain is a subjective experience that, at least right now, does not have an objective measurement like temperature, pressure, and distance. Your pain is totally unique to you and cannot be experienced by anyone else. Pain has a component of quality associated with it. It certainly can have a cause like when you break a bone, cut of your skin, tear a muscle, or sprain a ligament. But sometimes the cause is not so clear-cut.
So what am I proposing? What could be the thing that you haven’t tried yet?
A different approach. A totally different strategy. A more precise HOW.
I am talking about exercise that is highly catered and highly specific to your unique body.
Your body has its own unique history, a unique genetic profile, a unique combination of diseases and dysfunction, all of which confluence towards a unique problem. This requires a completely unique solution. A completely unique HOW.
This unique strategy and HOW is based on some simple concepts.
- All physical exercise uses the Muscular System in some form or another.
- The Muscular System receives and produces information form the nervous system.
- Muscles control you in three primary ways:
- By contracting to maintain your joint positions,
- By contracting to change your joint positions by lengthening,
- By contracting to change your joint positions by shortening.
- Your body is a system that by definition means that all of the body parts are interconnected, interacting, and interdependent.
- A system’s control over information, and the stability of that information, can be assessed by perturbing it – by knocking it off course a bit – to see if it can make the necessary course corrections in order to stay in control.
- You should be the center of attention – not the exercise. You should not be made to conform to the exercise – the exercise should be made to conform to you.
If number 4 is true then it stands to reason that any part of your body’s information generation and processing can affect any other part’s information. You may good at contraction shortening but are not so good at contraction lengthening.
If number 5 is true then a good way to see if you actually have control and assess the information control is my assessing your ability to do number 3.
Given the fact that your body is completely unique from any other body, this means that any strategy and HOW must be created to explore your unique information control system and any influences between parts. See number 6.
This is what Muscle System Specialists are trained to do. To systematically explore your information control by assessing your muscles’ ability to hold joint positions and change joint positions via lengthening or shortening contractions. This tells us about the quality of you information generation and processing.
The challenge is to find those places and conditions. You have roughly 600+ muscles and are capable of being in a dizzying array of positions and motions.
It’s okay – we have a process to explore your unique body’s abilities and start discovering the solutions it needs in order to change its control, to change the quality of information within it that just might lead to a change a reduction in pain.
Can you avoid surgery? Maybe. You have to decide if it’s worth some time and effort to exhaust conservative non-surgical options. Always speak with your doctors regarding this important decision.
Greg Mack is a gold-certified ACE Medical Exercise Specialist and an ACE Certified Personal Trainer. He is the founder and CEO of the corporation Fitness Opportunities. Inc. dba as Physicians Fitness and Exercise Professional Education. He is also a founding partner in the Muscle System Consortia. Greg has operated out of chiropractic clinics, outpatient physical therapy clinics, a community hospital, large gyms, and health clubs, as well operating private studios. His experience in working in such diverse venues enhanced his awareness of the wide gulf that exists between the medical community and fitness facilities, particularly for those individuals trying to recover from, and manage, a diagnosed disease.
Charlie Rowe, CMSS joined Physicians Fitness in the fall of 2007 after spending 9 years as the Senior Personal Trainer at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York. He has also worked within an outpatient Physical Therapy Clinic coordinating care with the Physical Therapist since joining Physicians Fitness. Charlie has earned the Cooper Clinic’s Certified Personal Trainer, the NSCA’s Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, the American College of Sports Medicine Certified Health Fitness Specialist, Resistance Training Specialist Master Level, and American Council on Exercise Certified Orthopedic Exercise Specialist Certifications.
References
- Thorlund, J., et al, Arthroscopic surgery for degenerative knee: systematic review and meta-analysis of benefits and harms, BMJ 2015;350:h2747 doi: 10.1136/bmj.h2747
- Ave Marie, L., Why Most People Are Wrong About Injuries and Pain – SimpliFaster Blog, 12/24/2018
- Brinjikji, W., et al, Systematic Literature Review of Imaging Features of Spinal Degeneration in Asymptomatic Populations, Apr 2015 www.ajnr.org
Aging Well By Eating Well
Our health and how we age are not only dependent on our genes, exercise and a positive attitude. What we eat has a major influence on how well we look and feel as we head into our golden years. Simple changes to the choices made on a daily basis can make aging well something to look forward to.
One vitamin (really a type of hormone) that most of us are deficient in, but is essential to optimal health is vitamin D (specifically, vitamin D3 or Cholecalciferol), and many longevity experts call it the miracle anti-aging vitamin.
A lack of D3 is thought to be a factor in many health problems, from increased cancer risk to inflammation and osteoporosis. Our bodies make vitamin D when our skin is exposed to sunlight. Ten to fifteen minutes per day between the hours of 10am and 3pm on unprotected skin is all you need. However, increased time is necessary for those who are older, have darker skin or are obese. By using sunscreen to prevent the risk of skin cancer after a thirty-minute sunbathe, not to mention wrinkles, or if you happen to live in northern regions (37 degrees above the equator or basically north of Atlanta, GA) during the winter months, you are unlikely to get sufficient sun exposure to produce enough. Since our vitamin D level decreases with age, and it can be difficult to get adequate amounts from the food and beverages we consume, the majority of individuals take it in the form of a supplement. A simple blood test can determine if your vitamin D3 level is within the recommended healthy range; ideally between 30 and 60 ng/ml. In the meantime, you can eat more fatty fish, mushrooms, and fortified dairy, juice and cereal products.
We also tend to become deficient in B vitamins as we age, especially B6. Thankfully, this vitamin is one you can easily get through food by choosing poultry and other meats, as well as fish including cod, salmon, halibut and tuna. Fruits and vegetables such as avocados, red bell peppers, spinach, yams and potatoes with the skin on, asparagus and green peas are also excellent sources of this essential vitamin. Snacking on unsalted sunflower seeds, chestnuts and pistachios will supply a good dose of B6 too.
If you want to age well, there’s no better strategy than loading up on the veggies. They provide essential minerals and vitamins. Plus, they are chock full of natural antioxidants. Strive to eat a “rainbow” of colors, as the darker the pigment in the food, the more minerals and vitamins it contains. Choose dark green leafy greens including kale and Swiss chard, orange and red foods such as carrots and tomatoes, purple fruits and veggies similar to blueberries and beets, as well as yellow foods like peppers and squash.
Fat is not the enemy when it comes to aging well. Good fat from omega-3 fatty acids, that is. Two crucial ones – EPA and DHA – are primarily found in certain fish. Two to three servings of fish a week is adequate, since so many types are contaminated by mercury, PCBs, dioxin or other toxins, so more is not necessarily better. This warning about fish is true especially for children and pregnant women. Another omega-3 fatty acid, ALA (alpha-linolenic acid), is found in plant sources such as nuts and seeds like walnuts, chia and oils from flaxseed. These all support heart health and brain cell function, among other anti-aging benefits. They are also thought to be important for cancer prevention and reducing the risk of autoimmune disease, which can increase as we age.
An additional strategy for nutritionally aging well is to increase your fiber consumption. Although we need a little less as we get older, most of us never reach the recommended 21-38 grams per day. Aim for two servings of fruit, three vegetables and three to four portions of whole grains daily. Remember to gradually increase your fiber intake, as well as your water to prevent any gastro-intestinal discomfort.
Most everyone can drink more water. It is essential to cellular function and organ health, including adequate digestion and glowing skin. Who doesn’t want that? Increasing your water intake gradually is the key to establishing a new habit. Start by drinking one glass for every caffeinated beverage you consume. Then slowly begin to replace other liquids like diet drinks, fruit juices or sugary beverages to work up to a minimum of eight glasses a day. Be sure to consult your physician or a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist if you have a heart, kidney or lung disease as your fluid intake may need to be limited.
Last, but not least, don’t skip breakfast. It is the most important meal of the day for fueling your body and maintaining your metabolism. Choosing your breakfast foods wisely will give you the energy needed to start your day on the right track. Reserve fast food, high-fat options, pastries, and high-sugar cereals to infrequent emergency situations.
Hopefully, by implementing the suggestions offered you will begin aging well by eating well.
Curious if your levels of D3, B6 and many other micronutrients are within normal range? Order a test HERE and MedFit members will receive 10% off the analysis consultation with promo code MEDFIT.
Regina Saxton is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist specializing in intuitive eating behaviors helping women develop a healthy relationship with food and their bodies while managing weight and disease for optimum health. She has a private practice out of Georgia and offers virtual nutrition coaching nationally. Visit her website for more information, reginasaxton.com
Sports Nutrition: Elite vs. Recreational Athletes
Nancy, do you offer different nutrition recommendations for elite athletes as compared to recreational exercisers? I am highly competitive, work out intensely, and often wonder if I am eating to be the best athlete that I can be.
Answer: Sports nutrition recommendations are based on the assumption we all want to get the most benefits from our workouts so we can perform to the best of our abilities. Because each elite athlete and casual exerciser is unique, a one-diet-fits-all approach doesn’t work. Rather, all exercisers want to be curious and experiment with a variety of fueling practices to learn what works best for their bodies. The following compares recommendations I might make for competitive athletes vs. recreational exercisers.
Note: Sports nutrition is a new science. In the near future, with the refinement of personalized nutrition based on genetics, sport dietitians will be able to offer individualized advice. Some athletes might perform better with more fat than carbs, or more beef than beans. Until then, here are today’s science-based recommendations.
Carbohydrate requirements
In this era that pushes fat and protein, carbohydrate deficiency is common. All exercisers can improve their performance (and health) by consuming adequate “high quality” carbs (grains, fruits, veggies) to fuel muscles and prevent needless fatigue. While elite athletes might want to strategically withhold carbs before specific training sessions to trigger performance-enhancing cellular adaptations, recreational exercisers want to focus on fueling well each day in order to have enjoyable workouts. A sports dietitian can help both elite and recreational athletes reach these carbohydrate goals:
| Amount of exercise/day | gram carb/lb. body wt. | gram carb/kg body wt. |
| 1 hour moderate exercise | 2.5 to 3 | 5-7 |
| 1-3 h endurance exercise | 2.5 to 4.5 | 6-10 |
| >4-5 h extreme exercise | 3.5 to 5.5 | 8-12 |
Example: For a 140-lb fitness exerciser who trains moderately hard for an hour a day, carb goals are 350 g (1,400 calories) For the competitive athlete who trains harder and longer, a good goal is 630 g carb (2,500 calories) a day. Divide that into 3 meals (400 to 700 calories from carb per meal) and 2 snacks (100 to 300 calories from carbs per snack). Start reading food labels to see how well you do. You’ll discover a spinach-cheese omelet doesn’t hit the goal.
Protein requirements
A well-fueled competitive athlete with trained muscles requires a little less protein than a novice exerciser who is building new muscle. The range of protein needs (0.6 to 1.0 g protein per pound body weight; 1.2 to 2.0 g/kg) tends to be moot, given most hungry exercisers and athletes consume plenty of protein.
Most competitive athletes can easily meet their protein needs by targeting about 20 to 30 grams protein per meal (a can of tuna) and 10 to 20 g protein per snack (a Greek yogurt). The protein in natural foods is preferable to protein supplements. Natural foods offer a complex matrix of nutrients that interact with a synergistic effect. Plus, they are unlikely to be spiked with illegal drugs and compounds that can lead to a failed drug test.
Fluids
Competitive athletes lose lots of sweat when exercising for hours on end. But so can recreational exercisers who are out of shape and working hard. That’s why everyone who sweats heavily wants to learn his or her sweat rate. You can learn this by weighing yourself (without clothing) before and after an hour of exercise without drinking anything at X pace and in X degrees of heat or cold. For each pound lost, you are in deficit of 16-ounces of fluid. Drink enough during exercise to minimize this deficit. Throughout the day, drink enough to urinate every 2 to 4 hours. (Peeing every half-hour is excessive; no need to over-hydrate!)
Fueling during exercise
For competitive athletes, a sport drink or gel is a convenient and precise way to boost energy during extended exercise over 90 minutes. With a target intake of 60 to 90 g carb per hour of extended exercise, an elite athlete generally prefers drinking a beverage than eating solid food. A casual exerciser might want some tastier orange slices or a granola bar.
Electrolytes
Electrolytes (potassium, sodium, magnesium, and calcium) are readily available in standard pre- and post-exercise foods. Most recreational exercisers don’t sweat enough to lose a significant amount of electrolytes. Highly competitive athletes, however, train and sweat for 2 to 3 or more hours in the heat. They should add extra salt to their pre-exercise food (helps retain water and delays dehydration) and consume sodium-containing foods and fluids during extended exercise (endurance sport drinks). Afterward, chocolate milk beats Gatorade for an electrolyte-filled recovery drink. Most sweaty athletes intuitively seek salty chips, soup, or salted foods in for their recovery meal. If you are craving salt, consume salt!
Recovery
Recreational exercisers who train 2 to 3 times a week can easily recover by backing their workout into a balanced meal that contains carbs (to refuel) and protein (to build and repair) muscles, such as oatmeal + eggs; yogurt + granola; sandwich + milk; chicken + rice. Competitive athletes who train twice a day should more rapidly refuel by eating soon after working out. The key is to plan ahead to have the right recovery foods and fluids ready and waiting. While a commercial recovery drink can be handy, a fruit smoothie (made with Greek yogurt) or some chocolate milk does an excellent job. Real foods work well for everyone.
After lifting weights, no need for anyone to immediately slam down a protein shake. Muscles stay in building mode for the next 24 to 48 hours. Regular meals, with protein evenly spaced throughout the day, do the job.
The bottom line
Every exerciser and athlete can win with good nutrition. The key is to be responsible, and plan ahead to have the best foods and fluids available at the right times. Here’s to satisfying results from your hard work!
Nancy Clark, MS, RD counsels both casual and competitive athletes at her office in Newton, MA (617-795-1875). Her best selling Sports Nutrition Guidebook and good guide for soccer, marathoners and cyclists offer additional information. Visit NancyClarkRD.com. For her popular online workshop, see NutritionSportsExerciseCEUs.com.
Have a Fit Vacation with Fido
While most people picture their ideal vacation as lazing about on the beach getting roasted by the sun and sipping Mai Tais, you are not like most people. If you’re going to take time off and travel, you want to make the most of it and be active during your travels. A great way to stay motivated is to bring your dog along. When you travel with your pooch, the two of you can spend your time exploring cities on walks, traversing hike and bike trails, and generally being more active than your usual lazy vacationer.
Safety First
Whenever you travel with your dog, you want to remain safe at all times. While many dogs love trying new things, they can also be overwhelmed in unfamiliar situations. Always keep your dog on a leash unless you are in a designated off-leash park. To stay safe even when off-leash, be sure your pup has updated ID tags1 and that their microchip has your current contact information. Dogs shouldn’t go to public places without vaccinations and parasite prevention products, including heartworm medicine and flea/tick/mosquito repellant. If your dog gets in a scuffle with another pooch at the park, be careful not to get in between them; instead, work at distracting your dog to get out of the fray as soon as possible.
Enjoy the Open Road
If you’re going to bring your dog on vacation, keep the locale within driving distance. Airlines may technically be able to “ship” your dog to your destination, but the process of crating, drugging, and shipping your dog in an airplane’s cargo hold is traumatic2 for the little guy. In fact, the Humane Society strongly advises against animals traveling in cargo. Beyond the stress that it causes dogs, airlines also have a habit of losing — and sometimes killing — dogs. Instead of risking it, plan a trip within driving distance so you know your dog is in good hands.
A Lot of Personality
Dogs differ in personalities3 just like people do. While some dog owners know their pup would love a day touring microbreweries in the city by foot, others would feel anxious surrounded by all those strangers’ feet and the smell of alcohol. Keep your dog’s personality and how they respond to situations in mind when planning activities. For instance, don’t take a little dog with short legs on a 10-mile hike up a mountain. Or, if your dog isn’t big on water, don’t book an afternoon kayaking in hopes that this time he will get used to it. Remember: this is your dog’s vacation too — he wants to enjoy it just as much as you do.
Take a Breather
While a fun and active vacation is great, don’t over-exert your pup. Even the most high-energy breeds need to rest. Be sure wherever you’re staying is shaded and cool if outdoors or climate controlled if indoors. Always bring a supply4 of freshwater and a travel bowl that your dog is comfortable using. Whether hiking, biking, kayaking, or simply walking around the city, your dog needs frequent water breaks to stay hydrated and healthy. Finally, it’s okay to spend a little time apart — your dog doesn’t have to be the center of the social spotlight 100 percent of the time. If you are staying in a dog-friendly room and only plan to be gone for a couple hours, he should be fine hanging out there for the time being. If you want to take a little longer than a couple hours, look into a local doggie daycare5 or pet sitter that will watch your pup while you shop, go to a museum, or do whatever not-so-dog-friendly activity you want to do.
When you bring your dog on vacation, you can’t sit around and be lazy. Beyond the daily activity a dog needs, you have to be mentally alert and stay on top of their safety. Dogs generally shouldn’t fly — you’re going to want to plan a road trip for this excursion. Keep your pup’s personality in mind, and don’t put him in a situation that will cause anxiety. Finally, find ways to take breaks so your dog doesn’t get too worn out by this vacation.
Henry Moore is the co-creator of FitWellTraveler. The site blends two of his favorite subjects (travel and health) to provide readers with information about how to get the most out of both.
References:
1 Dog Park Safety Tips – Angie’s List
2 United Airlines had most animal deaths in 2017… – Market Watch
3 Dogs Have These 5 Major Personality Types – I Heart Dogs
4 Planning on Taking Your Dog on Your Next Vacation? – Whole Dog Journal
5 What’s the benefit of doggy daycare… – Mother Nature Network
Which exercise is most important for older adults?
As a kinesiologist who specializes in exercise programming for older adults, I am often asked which exercise is the most important to do regularly.
Well, you might not like my answer! An older adult who wants to live an active and exciting life needs to be a “Jack Of All Trades” when it comes to exercise, making time for many different training techniques. Here’s why:
As we get older, the aging process takes a toll on most physical functions, such as muscle strength and cardiovascular endurance.
A way to illustrate this is through “Aging Curves”. Look at this illustration (below) and see how function improves early in life as we grow and mature, then begins to decline during adulthood. The amount of decline is not set in stone and is modified by our lifestyle choices. Research has demonstrated that function declines more slowly in those who are physically active (red curve) and declines more rapidly in those who are sedentary (blue curve). Without a doubt, staying active is the key to an active and exciting older adulthood!
However, there is no single exercise that benefits all parts of the body. So, in order to keep any of our aging curves from plummeting to the disability threshold, we need to include exercises for cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength/power, flexibility, balance, and agility in our training programs. Or, put it in another way, we need to become a “Jack of All Trades”!
Are you a fitness professional interested in learning more on this topic? Check out Dr. Thompson’s 4 hour course with PTontheNet, Exercise Programming for Active Older Adults.
Christian Thompson, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Department of Kinesiology at the University of San Francisco and founder of Mobility Matters, an exercise assessment and program design platform designed to help fitness professionals and clinicians work with older adults. Christian has published scientific articles on exercise programming for older adults in peer-reviewed journals such as Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, and Journal of Applied Research.
Stress Management in the Modern World
It’s exhausting being a human today – there are over one million Google hits per day for the word “stress”. Good and bad stress is a part of the human condition and it can be real or imagined and it is certainly a broad societal issue. By making a positive “next step” in managing your stress you can avoid becoming worn out by the journey of life.
Stress was first described in 1915 and the theory states that we react to threats with a general discharge of the sympathetic nervous system, priming the person for fighting or fleeing. Biologically, physical activity gives the body a chance to practice dealing with stress. Physical Activity releases mood-elevating endorphins, self-confidence and improves your sleep. Studies show that one can access the REM state (the most restorative phase of sleep) quicker on days you include physical activity. Under stress, our raised heart rate and blood pressure but tensions in our arteries and cause damage. Chronic stress which goes on longer than 20 minutes contributes to heart attacks just as acute stress does. It also causes constriction of the blood vessels, dilation of pupils, auditory exclusion and decline of peripheral vision. As the body heals this damage, artery walls scar and thicken which can reduce the supply of blood and oxygen to the heart (occluded arteries). Since the brain uses 20% of the oxygen delivered by the heart foggy-thinking may result. Stress can also cause the telomeres to shorten and erode. The telomeres protect the end of the chromosomes and if they shorten too much, they cannot multiply and die off resulting in quicker aging.
The President of the Salk Institute, Elizabeth Blackburn, and the recipient of the Nobel Prize states, “We’ve found that the better your telomeres are protected, the less chance you’ll have of getting any of the big diseases.” She suggests to stop the erosion, do physical activity of various types and don’t have long-term stress.
Begin to take charge of your thoughts, your emotions, your schedule, your spending, your environment and the way you deal with problems – especially family system challenges. Ask yourself, is it worth my health? Is this situation/person worth negatively impacting my health? Choose to be happy – it can boost your emotional well-being as stated in studies published in the Journal of Positive Psychology. Be mindful of good and hard-earned accomplishments and enjoy your small victories. Appreciate the simple pleasures, devote time to giving, make a point to listen to the other person’s ideas and UNPLUG! Ferris Bueller said – “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it”.
Hamlet said, “There is nothing good or bad…but thinking makes it so.” Positive thinking is medicine and every thought can enhance or diminish our health, happiness and stress level. Dr. Robert Sapolsky of Stanford proposes in his book Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers, “If you are a normal mammal, stress is the three minutes of screaming terror in the jungle which either it is over with OR you’re over with. Perceived threats spark the same physiological survival responses (fight or flight) that crocodile attacks do.” Our modern-day stressors have changed. Fighting off prehistoric predators and trying to find food are replaced by juggling deadlines, multitasking and always being “connected” and available. Modern day saber tooth tigers are bills, traffic, family pressures but our bodies react the same way without the natural release that we would get from fighting or fleeing. Try not to turn to sugar and caffeine which can result in swings in blood sugar levels, limit alcohol to one drink per day and try to achieve a balanced, clean diet on most days of the week to even out your beautiful life.
The United States Government has suggested 150 minutes per week of physical activity in addition to two days per week of strength training for 20 minutes and stretching every day. There are many meditation, relaxation response and calming apps which you can download to have with you and use when you are having a challenge with managing stress. Sit and stand tall and do not “slump” as this can cause shallow chest breathing which can trigger the fight or flight response. Try not to make important decisions while under undue stress as this may result in poor or faulty decisions.
A 2016 study by the American College of Sports Medicine stated if workers do not have emotional resilience skills and habits to help support them during stressful times, their productivity declines. Work-related requirements such as precision and accuracy, problem solving, interpersonal communications as well as speed and quality of work output will suffer. We need to adjust to change without disruption or difficulty while maintaining good functional capacities. We need to bounce back without breaking and without giving in, giving up or breaking down. Stress Management is an integral component of Global Employee Health and Fitness Month (every May) healthandfitnessmonth.org and as the Architect of this initiative I felt passionately about including this component along with nutrition and physical activity, to give each and every worker the opportunity to go home “whole.”
Each and every day when confronted with stress, think about what advice you would give to a friend and then take this advice yourself!
Diane Hart, Owner of Hart to Heart Fitness, (www.harttoheartfitness.org) is a Nationally Certified Fitness Professional, Personal Trainer, Health Educator and is current President of the National Association for Health and Fitness (www.physicalfitness.org) founded in 1979 by the U.S. President’s Council on Sports and Fitness.