“Most of my clients, of all ages, come to me because they are in pain. Each client has their own unique pain pattern and this frequently doesn’t fit the textbook cases. Thus, as a professional, I have to have vast knowledge so that I . . .”
This is part 2 in a series. Click here to read part 1.
In Part 1 of this series, we discussed the dilemma of back pain that persists despite your persistent efforts to solve the problem. You’ve been prescribed medication, exercise, and a myriad of methods to “stretch” and “loosen” your muscles, but no avail. You must be a lost cause . . . right?
Maybe not.
It’s not your effort that’s lacking; perhaps it’s your strategy of solving the problem that’s in need of some tweaking.
In Part 1 we established that the body operates as a system: an interconnected, interacting, interdependent set of parts designed to achieve a goal– and in the case of the human body, the goal is production of high-quality movement for the sake of survival. Part of its genius, in my opinion, is in its sophisticated setup for communication within itself: the body is one continuous, cohesive system with a built-in mechanism that allows for every part to be aware of, and work with, the other parts to achieve the goal of operating efficiently. The human body is a truly amazing system!
Every body movement is a whole-body task that requires an internal, whole-body solution. Your muscles are an interconnected, interacting, interdependent system, constantly communicating back and forth, working together to create and control movement. All of your muscles are involved in one way or another in any bodily event.
Conversely, an issue with low-quality muscle function in any area of your system has the inherent potential to affect the performance quality—and your brain’s conclusion about how you feel– in any other area of your system.
Let’s apply this Systems Approach to form a new strategy to address your back pain.
The fact that your back is where you feel muscle pain and tightness doesn’t necessarily mean your back itself is the problem. The standard Western medicine approach subscribes to the philosophy of “Local pain means a local problem, which requires a local solution”, but this isn’t always the case.
Imagine you start your car in the morning, and the “check engine” light pops up. What’s wrong with your car? Is the “check engine” light itself the problem? No– the “check engine” light is an indicator, a safety mechanism built into your car’s system to alert you of a problem somewhere in the car’s system that needs to be addressed.
Likewise, pain you experience with movement is simply an indicator that there’s low-quality function somewhere in your muscle system . . . but not necessarily at the specific location you feel the pain. The pain is just symptom, the downstream result of poor quality. The pain itself is not the problem to be solved; the low-quality control is the problem! Instead of focusing directly on the part where you feel pain, my work focus is on the quality of your position control. Any area of the body with low-quality muscular control can contribute to a problem with movement, pain, tightness, or discomfort you are experiencing in any other area of their body.
While the work of a Certified Muscle System Specialist™ and the work of a physical therapist may look similar, the philosophy and thought process differ greatly. Physical therapy generally focuses on a patient’s complaint of pain or tightness, and as a result the therapy is almost always performed on or around the area of the patient’s pain. The physical therapy approach often subscribes to the philosophy of “local problem, local solution” we discussed earlier.
The same goes for massage therapy, stretching, chiropractic, pain medication, and other traditional options for treatment of muscle pain and tightness. The “local problem, local solution” approach focuses on the pain instead of on the quality of your muscle function as a cohesive, dynamic system. Chasing “the pain” is rarely an effective problem-solving method. This is the reason why using generic protocols and pre-packaged plans to “treat back pain” are not effective. This is also why “strengthen your core” isn’t always the panacea for back pain we’re led to believe https://thefitnessequation.com/soma-carisoprodol/.
So . . . you’ve completed physical therapy, diligently taken your medication, foam rolled the “tight” area every day . . . but your “check engine” light is still on. So, how can you understand what your system needs to turn it off?
Find a “systems mechanic” for your muscle system.
Work with a practitioner who is able to look under the hood, run a battery of diagnostics, find areas of low-quality function throughout your muscle system, and prescribe a system-wide plan to remedy the problem and put into place an ongoing maintenance process (like getting regular oil changes and maintenance on your car) so you can keep your system running at its optimal operating potential.
This is the role of a Certified Muscle System Specialist™– we’re muscle system mechanics! As we help you improve control throughout your system, we can elicit a significant, positive effect on how your entire body feels and moves. Our clients are often surprised that improving muscle control in an area can lessen pain they were experiencing at a different location of their body!
So the next time you’re feeling muscle pain and tightness—or any change in the quality of how your muscles move and feel– remember that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The strategy you’re using to take care of your system matters!
If you’re interested in learning more about how a Certified Muscle System Specialist™ can help you move better, feel better, and live better, click here.
To find a Certified Muscle System Specialist™ near you, see our list of practitioners throughout the U.S. and Canada.
If you’re a fitness practitioner who is interested in learning more about how to become a Certified Muscle System Specialist™, visit us at www.exerciseproed.com.
Originally published on Physicians Fitness. Republished with permission.
Jessica Cahen, M.S., CMSS, ACE-CMES, RTS is a Course Facilitator for Exercise Professional Education, a rapidly-growing Continuing Education company for exercise professionals, offering the Certified Muscle System Specialist™ course as well as custom-tailored CEC courses for groups upon request.
Jessica holds a Masters Degree in Clinical Exercise Physiology and the Certified Muscle System Specialist™ designation. She has also earned the distinction of being one of only a handful of ACE Certified Medical Exercise Specialists in the Midwest. She practices as a Certified Muscle System Specialist™ at Physicians Fitness in Columbus, OH.
Cannelini beans are an overlooked nutritional goldmine. They are a versatile and mild bean, with a very creamy texture. They thicken soups and sauces. Make a velvety dip base and accept flavor profiles from every culture. This twist on an international favorite can be used to stuff enchiladas and tacos, too.
Tina’s black bean hummus tostada. Includes her black beans hummus with kale and orange salad on a coconut oil fried tortilla
Wheat is a phytoestrogen. This is generally a good thing, unless the wheat has been genetically modified. We’re hard pressed to find wheat that is non-GMO. Wheat in it’s natual state is inflammatory. We definitely don’t want that, with regard to preventing disease. So we can see that there is good and not-so-good characteristics in all foods. For many reasons, it does us good to take a break from wheat, and wheat products, whether we’re practicing a gluten-free nutrition plan or not.
When in treatment for a hormone based cancer like breast cancer, it is imperative that you buy BPA free cans. It will indicate this on the lable. BPA is a chemical that creates confusing, and incorrect messages in the endocrine system. It is thought that BPA is one of the main contributors to the rise in infertility. It’s really best to cook dried beans from scratch whenever possible.
Beans are a great source of omega 3 fatty acid, the most talked about of all essential fatty acids. What we don’t speak of enough, is the ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6. We are exposed to processed oils more than we might think, in our everyday foods. These oils are almost always out of balance. Even foods in their natural state can be too far out of balance with their ratio. Too much Omega-6 can actually cause tumors to grow. All beans are great! I don’t want to discourage any bean eating! My only message, as always, is variety. Traditional Hummus is a huge staple in our culture now, but garbonzo beans have a very bad Omega 3 to Omega 6 Garbonzos are full of Delicious Medicine, just don’t eat them everyday. Black beans have a very good ratio, and they’re really purple when you look closely. Kidney beans come in white, as we’re using here, and red. Each color offers a different profile of phytonutrients.
Fiber is the real healer here, though. Beans contain both soluble and insoluble fiber. Fiber collects circulating estrogen like a sponge in the bloodstream. We all think of one thing when we think of fiber: Yep! I’m going to say it, POOP! The estrogen is eliminated, ahh, much nicer word, through our bowel movements. If estrogen doesn’t hang around, it can’t become malignant. This provides great protection against breast cancer, generally speaking. Here’s the kicker, if you don’t clear your bowels at least once per day, the estrogen is reabsorbed into the body. Please be sure to drink enough water always, but especially when eating a high fiber meal.
Sesame seeds, like Flax, have shown tremendous results with regard to the prevention, and treatment of breast cancer. High Lignan content is the primary healer here. Lignans not only balance hormones, but they also protect receptors from damage. This is crucial in preventing tumors from forming. Nature provides clues as to what the food is good for.
Citrus is the shape of mammaries, and bioflavonoids keep the breast tissue youthful in appearance, and hormone health. Hello men, this isn’t just about “The Girls,” or weird hippies living on veggies, we care about your hormones, too. A long and healthy life means more great sex!
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
Do you ever have pain in your muscles and joints when you move around? I did… and still sometimes do! I started my career as a Personal Trainer 20 years ago at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York . . .
Time is one of life’s most valuable commodities. Consequently, between school, work and every day demands in today’s hectic world, family time is becoming more of a fond memory of days gone by. Additionally, television, computers, cell phones, and other technology are taking the place of family activities and interactions.
The decline in positive family interactions at home, and the increase in leading a more sedentary lifestyle, are two of the greatest threats to our children’s health and wellness.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), “family has a big influence on how we perceive exercise and mental health. Exercising as a family not only gets the entire family moving to reap the benefits of exercise but also models healthy beliefs about physical activity and improves family relationships”. And with childhood obesity becoming a nationwide epidemic, getting kids moving and active is extremely vital.
As parents, we want only the best for our children’s future. Making time for simple and fun family activities can have a profound impact on the mental and physical well-being of every single family member, both young and old!
Here are some fun, budget-friendly ways to bring your loved ones closer together and get a little exercise at the same time!
1. PLAY: Avoid television for family entertainment. Go to the park and play, have a family sports night (soccer, basketball, etc.), play Frisbee, hop scotch, or get a mini trampoline.
2. PETS: If you have a dog or other pet, actively play with them as a family and even take them on a family walk.
3. SWIM: Go to the beach, lake, or public pool. Swimming is fun and lively, and your family won’t even realize they are getting exercise.
4. WALK: Walk to the store, walk to school, etc. Get pedometers for the whole family and see who can rack up the most steps. Certain ones even log your steps online or through apps, so you can expand the contest to your friends and other families.
5. ADVENTURE: Every weekend, try a new activity your family hasn’t done yet. Hiking, bowling, canoeing, ice-skating, etc., all are active exercises disguised as fun. Let each member of the family have their turn to pick the next activity, so they stay involved.
6. GYM: Join a gym that offers family discounts, and work out together. If you can afford a personal trainer, they can organize a routine for each family member.
7. WILDLIFE: Visit a zoo, wildlife preserve, or an aquarium where you’ll be walking most of the day.
8. GIFTS: When birthdays and holidays come around, give gifts that encourage fitness. Jump ropes, Frisbees, running shoes, balls, active toys, etc., can all inspire your family to get up and get moving.
9. STAIRS: Encourage your family to take the stairs, instead of the elevator, whenever possible. If they object, make a creative game out of it.
10. REWARD: Exercise can be a reward. Offer to play catch with them or play a game of kickball or capture the flag as a break from homework or chores.
11. FRIENDS: Invite your child’s friend along for any of these activities. Kids have more fun with their friends, and are more likely to want to do it again.
12. FUN: Make things fun! Build an obstacle course with your family and have everyone participate. Have hula hoop contests or play active games like hot potato, Simon Says, and Duck, Duck, Goose. The internet is a great source for finding new games to play.
13. CHORES: Household chores done as a family can be great exercise (cutting grass, cleaning, etc.). You can also make chores fun by adding a “challenge” element. Kids love challenges. “I challenge you to put away all your toys in 1 minute.” You can have a fun family reward at the end like fruit popsicles.
14. DANCE: Dancing is a great form of exercise and is a lot of fun. You can have the kids each pick their favorite song and even have themed dance nights where you dress up in funny outfits.
Kendra K is an award-winning music artist with a passion for educating and entertaining children. She is a seasoned singer, songwriter, producer, pianist and violinist with a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from the University of Arizona. Kendra has worked as a physical education teacher and is also certified as a national health and fitness consultant. When Kendra is not busy writing songs and recording albums, she enjoys donating her time and talents as a children’s health advocate. Her biggest joy in life is spending time with her husband and their young son at their beach side home in the Los Angeles area.
Visit her website, kendrakmusic.com and her new children’s music CD is available through Amazon or CD baby
References:
https://www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/May-2016/Exercise-for-Mental-Health-8-Keys-to-Get-and-Stay
https://www.hhs.gov/fitness/resource-center/facts-and-statistics/index.html
“[Whole Person Integrative Eating] provides a fresh perspective on our epidemic of overeating, overweight, and obesity…that…could signal a paradigm shift in the field of nutrition.” . . .
You have back pain, and you’re determined to beat it. You’ve been to your doctor and received pain and anti-inflammatory meds. You’ve been to massage therapy to relax the tight muscles….
If there’s anything certain about MS, it’s the uncertainty of the disease. Energy, strength and mobility can fluctuate over the years – especially if you’re living with Relapsing Remitting MS.
So it’s important, when considering an exercise plan, to have options that you can scale and honor your body.
Personally, I’ve always loved exercising. So my ability to maintain a consistent schedule is something I treasure. I start my mornings either at CrossFit or going for a run.
This is what works for me now.
Shortly before I was diagnosed my “workouts” looked drastically different.
The fatigue was so extreme, the most movement I could do was a child’s pose on the floor next to be bed. Slowly I worked my way to walking around the neighborhood and eventually as I went into remission I developed the stamina to strength train.
The most important thing to know when developing an MS-friendly exercise plan is to always honor what your body can do in the given moment.
Sometimes that means giving yourself a pep-talk to take a stroll around the block even though you’re feeling a little down. Other times, you may need to scale back your efforts as anyone with MS knows, the fatigue is not something you “push through.”
Only you can be the true judge in striking that right balance – and it will likely be a fluid process. But keep in mind, even small efforts with diet and lifestyle can add up to create a healing environment in your body.
Need some ideas on where to start? Check out these New Exercises and Activities to Try if You Have MS.
This post originally appeared on www.alenebrennan.com. Reprinted with permission.
Alene Brennan has been featured in USA Today, Philadelphia Inquirer, Huffington Post and Mind Body Green. Alene overcame debilitating migraine headaches through diet and lifestyle and is now once again using a “Less Pharm, More Table” approach is managing her diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis. Alene holds four certifications: Nutrition Coach, Yoga Instructor, Personal Trainer and Natural Food Chef. She also completed specialized training in nutrition for autoimmune disease specifically the Wahls Protocol and the Autoimmune Protocol. Since receiving her MS diagnosis and seeing first-hand the power of using diet and lifestyle to create a healing environment in the body, she dedicated her virtual nutrition coaching practice to helping people with MS and autoimmune dieseases take back control of their health. Visit her website, alenebrennan.com.
Many athletes train in the early morning. Rowers commonly meet at 5:30 a.m. Hockey players might get rink-time at 5:00 a.m.. Athletes who need to be at work at 7:00 often train at 4:30 a.m. Many of these athletes report eating nothing before their training session. My stomach isn’t awake. … It’s too early to even think about food. … I get reflux if I eat. Others report they have better workouts when they eat something simple. The question arises: What’s the best way to fuel for early morning workouts?
Before answering that question, let’s first address the physiological goals for fueling before morning workouts.
1) To change the stress-hormone profile. Cortisol (a stress hormone) is high in the early morning. This puts your body in muscle-breakdown mode. Eating carbs + protein can switch to muscle-building mode.
2) To provide energy and prevent low blood glucose with the consequences of feeling light-headed, dizzy, and needlessly fatigued.
3) To be adequately hydrated. Dehydration slows you down.
If you are making the effort to get up early to train, you might as well get the most out of your workout! In a fueling study, athletes had dinner the night before and then a 60-minute exercise test the next morning. They performed 6% better in the 10-minute sprint to the finish when they had some fuel (carb) compared to having had nothing; 6% better when they had adequate water (compared to minimal water), and 12% better when they had both fuel + water (a sport drink). (1) Twelve percent better means running an 8-minute mile in about 7 minutes. Powerful, eh?
Your body can digest pre-exercise food and use it to energize your exercise as long as you are exercising at a pace that you can maintain for more than 30 minutes. (If you do stop-and-start exercise, you can still digest the food, but at a slower rate.) In another fueling study, athletes ate dinner and than nothing for the next 12 hours. Those who ate 180 calories (sugar) just five minutes before an hour-long exercise test performed 10% better in the last 15 minute sprint compared to when they ate nothing (2). Grab that granola bar or swig of juice!
If you are tempted to skip pre-exercise food so you can lose weight by burning more fat, think again. Yes, pre-exercise food will contribute to burning less fat at the moment, but that is irrelevant. The issue is not whether you have burned fat during exercise but if you have created a calorie deficit by the end of the day. Eating excess calories after a fat-burning workout gets you nowhere.
All of this means consuming some food and fluid on your way to the gym, spin class, or boot camp will enhance your workout—assuming you have trained your gut to tolerate the food and fluids. If you are worried about intestinal distress, start small (a few crackers) and work up to a handful of crackers, and then add, let’s say, a latte. For workouts longer than 60 minutes, the recommended intake is about 200 to 400 calories within the hour before you train. That recommendation obviously varies according to body size, exercise intensity and duration, and personal tolerance to food.
If you have been exercising on empty, you will likely discover you can exercise harder, feel better, and get more enjoyment from your workouts. Research subjects who ate 400 pre-exercise calories were able to exercise for 136 minutes until they were exhausted, as compared to only 109 minutes with no breakfast (3). Big difference! After learning this, one of my clients reported he was done with skipping pre-exercise fuel in the name of intermittent fasting. “Not eating is slowing me down and taking the fun out of my workout.”
Early morning optionsHere are some options for fueling your early morning workouts so you are adequately hydrated and fueled.
Eat a quick and easy snack with about 200 to 400 calories (depending on your body size and workout intensity). Some popular options include: English muffin, toast, bagel or banana (with peanut butter); oatmeal, a smoothie, Fig Newtons, or granola bar. Coffee is OK; it’s a functional fluid that boosts performance and yes, helps with hydration.
Wake up 4 hours before important training sessions/events, eat a simple breakfast (bread + peanut butter), then go back to bed. This is a common practice among elite athletes. As one marathoner explained, “I don’t want to have food in my stomach when I’m racing. If a race starts at 8:00 a.m., I’ll get up at 4:00, eat a bagel with peanut butter and a banana, and then go back to bed. At 6:00, I’ll get up, have some coffee (to help me take a dump and wake me up), and then get to the race start. Because I never really sleep well the night before an event, getting up at 4:00 isn’t terribly disruptive.” In comparison, a rower reported she used to wake up two hours before practice to eat. She became too sleep-deprived and decided she needed sleep more than food. She started eating a bigger bedtime snack.
Eat your breakfast the night before via a bedtime snack, such as a bowl of cereal, or yogurt with granola. If you have dinner at 6:00, you’ll be ready for a bedtime snack by 9:00. Choose quality calories; this is your breakfast that you are eating the night before. Limit the cookies and ice cream!
Fuel during your workout.If your stomach isn’t awake when you first get up, it may be receptive to fuel when you are 30 minutes into your bike ride, run, or row. Be sure you have some fuel with you: sport drink, dried pineapple, gels, chomps, gummy bears—whatever is easy to carry and simple to digest. You want to target about 30 to 60 grams carb (120 to 240 calories) if the workout lasts 1 to 2.5 hours, and 60 to 90 g carb (240 to 360 cal) if the workout is longer than that..
If you are highly competitive and has mastered the sports nutrition basics (eat a diet with 90% quality foods; fuel evenly during the day; have no disordered eating behaviors), you might try training low (with depleted muscle glycogen and/or low blood glucose) once a week or so. To do this, eat primarily protein for dinner after a late-afternoon workout. The next morning, train without having eaten carbs. Exercising depleted like this is not fun, but it stimulates cellular changes that can be performance enhancing if you need to get to the next level (4). Novice and recreational athletes, however, first need to work on the basic ways to improve performance—by surrounding their workouts with food, and fueling wisely the rest of the day.
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 food guides for marathoners, cyclists and soccer players offer additional inform-ation. They are available at NancyClarkRD.com. For her online workshop, visit NutritionSportsExerciseCEUs.com.
References