The Exercise Box Is Too Small!
How do you feel about exercise? Is it a necessary evil? A consuming passion? Something you have to do so that you can eat what you want? What box do you put exercise in?
Keep Walking: Benefits of Walking as Aerobic Exercise
Aerobic exercise (also known as cardio) is physical exercise of low to high intensity that depends primarily on the aerobic energy-generating process. “Aerobic” means “relating to, involving, or requiring free oxygen”, and refers to the use of oxygen to adequately meet energy demands during exercise via aerobic metabolism.
Generally, light-to-moderate intensity activities that are sufficiently supported by aerobic metabolism can be performed for extended periods of time. What is generally called aerobic exercise might be better termed “solely aerobic”, because it is designed to be low-intensity enough so that all carbohydrates are aerobically turned into energy. The bulk of the energy in this type of exercise is due to mitochondria ATP production which relies on oxygen for the metabolism of carbs, proteins and fats for energy.
Health Benefits
Among the recognized health benefits of doing regular aerobic exercise are:
- Strengthening the muscles involved in respiration, to facilitate the flow of air in and out of the lungs
- Strengthening and enlarging the heart muscle, to improve its pumping efficiency and reduce the resting heart rate, known as aerobic conditioning
- Improving circulation efficiency and reducing blood pressure
- Increasing the total number of red blood cells in the body, facilitating transport of oxygen
- Improving mental health, including reducing stress and lowering the incidence of depression, as well as increased cognitive capacity
- Reducing the risk for diabetes (One meta-analysis has shown, from multiple conducted studies, that aerobic exercise does help lower Hb A levels for type 2 diabetics)
- Reducing the risk of death due to cardiovascular problems
How to Walk Properly and Correctly to Keep Walking
Starting from the foundation of our body, our feet, we need to keep in consideration and balancing our weight through a tripod that includes our heel, big toe and small toe during our gait circle.
Gait is categorized into two phases: stance and swing. The stance phase occurs when the foot is on the ground. In young to middle-aged adults, the stance phase makes up 60% of the gait cycle. The remaining 40% of the cycle is spent in the swing phase where the foot is off the ground and being propelled forward.
The more we keep repeating this cycle in the correct form the more we keep producing the right pattern for our body to keep walking/exercising, planting the benefits for our longevity.
Additionally, we need to consider the alignment of the rest of the body. Thorax and Pelvis should be in the same line allowing breathing to go in a constant rhythm with the heart and lungs. Usage of the diaphragm and full expansion of respiratory muscles will allow extra oxygen intake, leading to better performance and eventually weight loss.
Body Performance Benefits
In addition to the health benefits of aerobic exercise, there are numerous performance benefits:
- Increasing storage of energy molecules such as fats and carbohydrates within the muscles, allowing for increased endurance
- Neovascularization of the muscle sarcomeres to increase blood flow through the muscles
- Increasing speed at which aerobic metabolism is activated within muscles, allowing a greater portion of energy for intense exercise to be generated aerobically
- Improving the ability of muscles to use fats during exercise, preserving intramuscular glycogen
- Enhancing the speed at which muscles recover from high-intensity exercise
Neurobiological Effects:
- Improvement in brain structural connections
- Increase in gray matter density
- New neuron growth
- Improvement in cognitive function (cognitive control and various forms of memory)
- Improvement or maintenance of mental health
Walking is widely recommended for its health benefits. According to a recent U.S. Surgeon General report on physical activity and health in America, more than half of the U.S. population does not participate regularly in any type of exercise. That physical inactivity can lead to poor health. It is time to start making better choices and better habits. Let’s start walking!
- Walking can help you attain that trim figure you’ve been “dieting” to have. It allows you to burn off fat without losing muscle and without depriving your body of the essential nutrients it needs. And it can help tone your muscles and shape up your legs.
- Before you begin walking for fitness with freestyle walking programs, you need to consider a few preliminaries, including your age and your overall health. It’s pretty easy to figure out that walking doesn’t require much in the way of equipment. One of the only, and by far the most important items that you’ll need, is a pair of comfortable walking shoes. If you don’t take time and care in selecting your walking shoes, you may be in for some serious discomfort.
- You also need to learn how to measure your heart rate and listen to your body, so you’ll know where to begin and how hard you need to work to increase your fitness and health. You may have heard similar claims made for other aerobic exercises, but consider this: The only exercise that will do you any good is the exercise you do, and walking is easy, as easy as putting one foot in front of the other.
Dimitrios Triantafillopoulos is a Master Personal Trainer, supporting people, athletes and other trainers to make them feel better with their body and themselves. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology and Sports Science, a Master’s Degree in Nutrition and Sport Fitness, as well as a Medical Fitness Specialty. Dimitrios has attended numerous seminars in Performance Training and Specialized Nutrition, and is also a Certified Instructor in Vibration (Power Plate) Acceleration Training and Electro – Stimulation Training. He is currently a Fitness Manager at Crunch Fitness in New York City.
Three Steps to Ease Back into Exercise After a Back Injury
According to studies, low back pain affects nearly 80% of all adults. Most low back injuries come from the following: wearing high heels (women), performing manual labor and people who sit for long periods of time (greater than 3 hrs.). Although these statistics are alarming, there are some simple steps one can take to make sure that they avoid current and future back pain or injury. These steps all involve simple exercises that can be performed from anywhere, including one’s office.
Step 1: Stretching
In order to prevent further injury or a relapse, the first thing to do is stretch common muscles that are tight and may have caused the lower back pain in the first place. Tight muscles are known to overwork and when this occurs, they become overactive and let us know through pain. These muscles include erector spinae, hip flexors, calves and the lats (the big back muscles).
For each stretch, you want to hold the stretch for 30-120 seconds and perform the movement for 1-2 repetitions 3-5x/week. (Watch Five Back Pain Stretches from WebMD.)
Step 2: Strengthening
After you have stretched the tight muscles, now it is time to focus on strengthening the muscles that are weak or underactive. Typically, muscles become weak or underactive from lack of use or overuse by the muscles that assist or oppose the weak muscles. For example, if your hip flexor is tight, it could cause your glutes (butt) muscles to become weak. The muscles that tend to weaken with a lower back injury include certain core muscles, the butt and hamstrings.
For each strengthening exercise, you want to perform 1-2 sets of 10-15 repetitions 3-5x/week. (Watch Core Strength for Back Pain View and Good and Bad Exercises for Low Back Pain from WebMD).
Step 3: Integration
Now that you have isolated the lower back with stretching and strengthening exercises, it’s time to focus on integrating your entire body back into exercising. Integrated exercises involve using as many muscles as possible in one given exercise. By performing integrated exercises, you will ensure that the your hip joint (which can be misaligned with low back injuries) starts and remains in the right position and the proper muscles are working as they should be.
For each integrated exercise, you want to perform 1-2 sets of 10-15 repetitions 3x/week. (View integrated exercises: http://www.allthingshealing.com/Chiropractic/Corrective-Exercise-for-Back-Pain/8558#.VIoTN74zf8E)
If you follow these three simple steps, you can avoid low back pain setbacks and ensure that your back is strong enough to handle your daily activities of life.
Maurice D. Williams is a personal trainer and owner of Move Well Fitness, as well as a fitness educator for Move Well Fit Academy 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. Maurice is also an Assistant Professor of Health & Human Performance at Freed-Hardeman University.
3 Curves = Straight: The Importance of Neutral Spine in Exercise
I have been teaching strength training, as well as Pilates based mat and Vinyasa Yoga for over 2 decades. As a former dancer, I know that I was always struggling with having a “flat stomach” or having a “flat back”. Dancers, in trying to achieve that “perfect turnout” and “flatness”, were often taught to “elongate the spine” by “tucking the pelvis” under, which basically leads to a posterior tilt. Unfortunately, this idea is often taught in fitness to the general population. Trainers and teachers alike, some coming from the dance world, will tell students to “protect their back” by tucking the pelvis such as during standing exercises, even bicep curls, or worse, curl their knees into their chest while lying on the ground or bench, and attempting to do a chest press. Students will be so conditioned to this ROUND SPINE and TUCKED PELVIS, that eventually when they stand, this is their posture. Over time, the discs can bulge, and the forward pelvis will eventually lead to lower back pain they were trying to avoid, as well as knee pain and other issues.
I am a reformed pelvic tucker. I advocate neutral spine when teaching, whether it be standing work such as bicep curls, pronated work such as plank and push-ups, or supine work such as leg lowers and overhead triceps.
The spine has 3 curves: the cervical spine (at the neck) has a concave curve, the thoracic spine (back of the rib cage) has a convex curve, and the lumbar spine (lower back) has a concave curve. And if you want to add a 4th, the pelvis/sacrum has a convex curve as well.
Together, this “S” shape is what keeps a body “straight”. Constantly flattening one’s back or pushing one’s vertebra into this position will eventually damage them. Plus you have to learn to CONTAIN YOUR MUSCLES, not force your vertebrae. There is a moment when the base of your ribs and your pelvic bone will feel like they are aligned in the front, like suspenders. Whatever curves are left over should remain.
Sometimes I do my supine abdominal work as well as strength training on a foam roller (pictured at right). This way there is no avoiding working in neutral spine. Plus, the foam roller will target the transverse abdominus as you are struggling to keep the foam roller still while performing exercises such as chest press, chest flies, overhead triceps, single and double leg lowers, etc.
Another bad habit that trainers and teachers tell their clients and students is to “sit on their hands” while performing exercises such as leg lowers. This is BAD for every reason. Your hands have small bones and veins which are easily damaged by sitting on them. Say you are 200+lbs, and you are putting all of your body weight on your hands! This is not good! I often joke and tell my students “I am a guitar player! I am not going to sit on my money makers!” Also, sitting on your hands again causes the pelvis to tuck, and the shoulders to protrude forward. By teaching this, you are telling your clients and students to “slouch”. You have not taught them how to gain strength by maintaining neutral spine. Third, more often than not, the reason the clients are feeling “pain” in their lower back is they are attempting to lower their legs beyond the range where the abdominals are effective. For me, about a 45 degree angle from the top is plenty of work. Attempting to lower one’s legs all the way to the floor and back will usually be out of the range of someone’s abdominal strength. Find a range of motion where the abdominal muscles fell the work, and the lower back is not effected. You can also put your client on the foam roller, or if you do not have a foam roller, place a thin towel under the sacrum to alleviate any pain the floor may be causing, as well as teach neutral spine.
For “plank”, I often joke (as I am a realtor as well) that “if the plank is not straight, I am returning it to aisle 4 in Home Depot”. People tend to hang their heads when something is difficult. I advocate looking a few floor boards ahead while performing plank, as well as push-ups, and to use a side mirror to check that the line of the head, shoulders, ribs and hips are aligned, while keeping the natural lumbar curve. Again, the ribs and hips should feel like suspenders. Push-ups are basically a “plank with an arm bend and straighten”. So it is important not to hang one’s head, especially when the floor is getting close :). (Planks pictured at right)
In closing, remember that you want to teach your students functional exercises that will help them out in the real world. Teaching neutral spine alignment is one of the most important ideas. You would never want to lift a box with a rounded, tucked spine, so why teach clients to “tuck their knees into their chest” while performing chest press? Sometimes it will take some time for a client to undo these bad habits, but in the end, clients will be stronger, and use the transverse abdomens vs poor alignment to perform daily tasks.
Photos courtesy of ANDREW MARK PHOTO.
Kama Linden has been teaching fitness for over 2 decades. She has taught strength, step, Pilates, Vinyasa Yoga, senior fitness, and has worked with clients and students of all ages and fitness levels. She is certified by AFAA Group Exercise and NASM CPT, as well as 200 hour Yoga. She has a BFA in Dance from University of the ARTS. You can order her new book, “Healthy Things You Can Do In Front of the TV” on pre-sale on amazon.com, and it will soon be available on BN.com, and Kindle. Visit her website at bodyfriendlyoga.com
Live Life First, Be Diabetic Second, and Stay Active
The secret to my overall success, both professional and personal, is that I made a conscious choice to live my life by one guiding principle: Live life first, and be diabetic second.
Let’s FACE It Together™!
Do you long to look and feel younger by the day? Are you searching for non-invasive ways to turn back the hands of time and prolong the onset of disease? You are not alone!
The research is in! Practicing repetitive facial movements and…
Parkinson’s Disease and Exercise
Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer’s disease. Unfortunately, the incidence of Parkinson’s disease has not declined, and its impact is seen in all races. This is due in part to the fact that the population of the world is greater than ever before and increasing. In addition, people are living longer than in previous generations, and the baby boomer generation, one of the largest generations in history, has reached old age.
Risk factors for Parkinson’s disease include:
Age: Risk of Parkinson’s disease increases with age. The average age of onset for this disease is 55 years and the rate of incidence increases steadily until the age of 90.
Gender: Men have a higher risk for Parkinson’s disease than women.
Family history: Individuals with a family history of Parkinson’s disease are at a higher risk for Parkinson’s disease. Moreover, it is said that those with affected first-degree relatives double their risk of Parkinson’s disease.
Agricultural work: Individuals exposed to pesticides and herbicides have a greater risk of developing Parkinson’s disease symptoms. Drinking well-water and living in rural areas have also been associated with an increased incidence of Parkinson’s disease.
Head Trauma: Head trauma can be a risk factor for Parkinson’s disease as is seen in the case of boxers. One study showed that trauma to the upper cervical region, head, and neck was a risk factor for Parkinson’s disease. However, in some cases it took years for these symptoms to appear.
The exact cause of Parkinson’s disease is unknown. Regarding the molecular events that lead to the development of this disease, there is still some uncertainty in terms of what causes the neurodegeneration seen in Parkinson’s disease. The current hypothesis is that Parkinson’s disease may result from the interaction between environmental factors and genetic susceptibility.
The primary symptoms for PD are deficiencies in motor performance due to the loss of the dopamine pathways in the brain. Decreased dopamine production in the substantia nigra in the brain causes the 4 primary motor symptoms:
- Bradykinesia: described as slowness in the execution of movements while performing daily activities.
- Rigidity or Stiffness: caused by an involuntary increase in tone of the limbs and axial musculature.
- Resting Tremor: Found primarily in the arms and hands and can be socially bothersome. Resting tremors are less disabling since they often vanish with the initiation of activity (especially in the early stages of Parkinson’s disease).
- Postural Instability: manifested in a slow speed of walking, shortened stride length, narrowing of base of support, and leaning towards one side.
Exercise should be targeted for the primary motor symptoms with exercise and occupational therapy to improve quality of life. Recommended program components include:
- Posture, gait, mobility
- Fall risk reduction
- Cardiorespiratory health
- Strength and function
- Depression and Anxiety
- Joint health
Exercise prescription for clients with PD includes: (ACSM)
- An individualized program
- Cardiorespiratory: use guidelines for healthy adults
- Muscular Fitness: use guidelines for healthy adults
- Flexibility: slow, static exercises for all major and minor joints in the body including the upper torso, spine, and neck.
- Neuromotor Exercises: help with balance, gait, and postural instability. Clinicians use a gait belt or parallel bars to ensure safety depending on the severity of the symptoms. Include functional exercises to improve ADLs and quality of life.
PD exercise therapy includes intervention with many kinds of exercise modes. Both personal training and group fitness have been successful in helping to manage the disease and reduce the symptoms. There is not strong evidence at this point to show that exercise prevents PD, but it is believed that exercise may play a role. Exercise is however the mainstay for symptom management and slowing disease development.
June M. Chewning BS, MA has been in the fitness industry since 1978 serving as a physical education teacher, group fitness instructor, personal trainer, gym owner, master trainer, adjunct college professor, curriculum formatter and developer, and education consultant. She is the education specialist at Fitness Learning Systems, a continuing education company.
References and Resources:
- Rana AQ. (2018) Introduction to Parkinson’s Disease. Fitness Learning Systems. FitnessLearningSystems.com
- American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) (2018) ACSM Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription. 10th Wolters Kluwer Publisher.
Save the Date: Virtual Global Employee Health and Fitness Month is May 1-31
Virtual Global Employee Health and Fitness Month (GEHFM) 2021 Initiative is ready to go – all we need is you! us and show your support for an active healthy world! It has never been easier or more important to keep moving, set goals and create sustainable change in your health and well-being. IGNITE and National Association for Health and Fitness amazing step-by-step toolkits provide outstanding guidance, ideas and tangible examples to ensure success for each participant. Be sure to share your #GEHFM activities and experiences on social media and engage with other participants.
Paving the Road to Hell with Good Intentions
Going bigger is not necessarily better.
Many of us have the very best intentions with our health. We try to eat right, exercise, take supplements, make choices we deem to be healthy. However, we frequently think more is better: more restrictive with our food choices, more intense workouts, more supplements.
Let’s examine our choices from the perspective of inflammation.
What is Oxidative Stress?
Oxidative stress (OS) is an imbalance of free radicals and antioxidants in the body. Simply summarized, oxidative stress is electron thievery. Electrons are stable when coupled. Single electrons, called free radicals, scavenge the body to seek out other electrons to couple. It really is a wicked dating scene inside our cells!
Long-term oxidative stress damages the body’s cells, proteins, and DNA. OS strongly contributes to aging and is accepted to be the root of chronic conditions including diabetes, cancers, heart and vascular disease, depression, neurodegenerative disease, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, insulin resistance, IBD… more and more of our chronic issues are being linked to oxidative stress, as it can lead to chronic inflammation, to chronic illness.
Sources of Oxidative Stress
OS has both endogenous (from within) and exogenous (from our world) sources.
Endogenous: Cellular metabolism. Energy production happens in the mitochondria of our cells. Our currency or energy is ATP (adenosine triphosphate). OS is a natural by-product of ATP. When do we produce more ATP?
The body’s natural immune response can also trigger OS temporarily.
Fat cells create OS.
Exogenous: Exposures in our environment and lifestyle choices: alcohol, smoking, cell phone, EMF, environmental pollutants, many chemicals in our food and on our clothing, processed foods, sugar.
Chronic Diseases Continues to be on the Rise
Our inner antioxidant system was not designed to manage our current barrage of OS from our environment and lifestyle choices. According to the WHO, chronic disease is on the rise worldwide. Our levels of OS and chronic inflammation are also dramatically on the rise. An aging population and changes in our environment and our lifestyle choices are contributing to this steady increase. By lowering OS, we have a better chance of staving off illness.
Healthy Lifestyle?
From a perspective of inflammation, what is a healthy lifestyle?
Exercise
Bottom line: Too much exercise in terms of intensity and duration is proven to increase oxidative stress. Yes, exercise and physical activity are a necessity for every aspect of health. Exercise has been proven to lower oxidative stress, cardiovascular risk, but the mechanisms of this are still being studied.
- It has been proven that starting “on an exercise program”, then quitting abruptly, increases OS.
- Nutrition plus exercise is far more effective in lowering OS, than exercise alone.
- Exercise has better control on lowering oxidative stress in people who have higher levels of CRP (inflammatory marker).
- Exhaustive and prolonged exercise promotes the generation of ROS, depletion of antioxidants and vitamins, induces oxidative stress, renal impairment and inflammation.
- Prolonged aerobic exercise is linked to dramatic increases in oxidative stress.
- Less studied thus far, intense hypertrophy training (heavy weight lifting) has been shown to increase oxidative stress. Muscle mass is imperative for healthy aging; balanced training is key.
More exercise in terms of duration and intensity could lose the beneficial effects of exercise. It is very important for those engaging in stressful exercise to support their antioxidant system. Passive exercise is a liberating and invigorating addition to our lives. We can benefit from adding some range of motion and stretching, emphasize our cool-downs, Qi Gong, meditation, and passive exercise.
Nutrient Restricting Diets
Our body needs a variety of amino acids to function efficiently. Bioavailability of these amino acids varies amongst food sources. We need to eat antioxidants to counteract oxidative stress.
Let’s look at some research on a few popular diets, with respect to oxidative stress
- Keto diet: Ketogenic diets have shown to increase inflammatory markers.
- Paleo diet: can be good in some respects by eliminating sugar, alcohol. If not done carefully Paleo-ers have been shown to be deficient in fiber and certain minerals and vitamins, which is hurtful to gut health, and yes pro-inflammatory.
- Vegan diets: Again, proceed with intense caution. Vegan diets tend to be very carb-heavy. Our grains are not what they used to be. Genetic modification and toxins abound, and our soil is not what it used to be as a source of minerals. Meat and dairy are rich in bioavailable amino acids, and of course, moderation is key.
- A 2018 study showed that long term diets excessively low, or high in carbohydrates are both linked with a shorter lifespan.
There is NO utopian diet. Examine lifestyle decisions from the perspective of inflammation. The scale is not the omnipotent indicator of health. We need to examine what we are identifying as our markers of health. Maybe our good intentions weaken our inner defenses. Be healthy and balanced. Balance is strength!
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.