What’s your favorite summertime workout?

Post your favorite to my FB page at http://www.facebook.com/drivenfitness by July 30 and enter to win a month of free boot camp!**

It’s summertime (well, in most places – what is going on with this crazy foggy So Cal weather?)!  And we Southern Californians love to be outdoors in the sunshine.  From swimming to hiking, running, biking, surfing…our list of outdoor activities goes on and on.  But a few extra precautions should be taken when exercising in the heat and sun.

What exactly happens to the body when exercising in the heat? Runner’s World writer Amby Burfoot wanted to find out.  In his article “Turning Up the Heat,” Amby traveled to the University of Connecticut to undergo a heat study – running for 60 minutes in a 90 degree heat chamber.  After only 20 minutes, Amby’s legs felt much more fatigued than normal, he was breathing heavily and he was feeling a bit light headed. And after the run the results showed “his heart rate soared to 175, about 96 percent of his max. his temperature spiked to 103.5, close to the edge of heatstroke, which can potentially occur when your core temperature reaches 104.0. His lactic acid climbed above 4.0, the point most physiologists define as the lactate threshold where the leg muscles no longer function efficiently. And Burfoot’s plasma volume contracted by more than 10 percent, which, coupled with a 2.6 percent total dehydration, forced his heart to work harder to push blood to his legs. All this at a pace Amby considered comfortable. If he had run much longer or harder at 90 degrees, it’s possible that he could have staggered into heat illness, the precursor to the heatstroke hurt zone. ”
Read the full article here: http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-267–13245-3-1X2X3-4,00.html

It’s obvious that running in heat can have serious and even dangerous effects on the body. But not to worry! There are simple steps you can take to exercise safely and effectively during the summer months.  Check out these tips from Runner’sWorld.com: http://www.runnersworld.com/article/1,7124,s6-238-267-269-13568-0,00.html

And finally, use these tips published in the CDC’s Extreme Heat Guide to learn to recognize the signs of trouble:

Heat Stroke Heat stroke occurs when the body is unable to regulate its temperature. The body’s temperature rises rapidly, the sweating mechanism fails, and the body is unable to cool down. Body temperature may rise to 106°F or higher within 10 to 15 minutes. Heat stroke can cause death or permanent disability if emergency treatment is not provided.

Warning signs of heat stroke vary but may include the following:

• An extremely high body temperature (above 103°F, orally)
  

  Image by SashaW via Flickr

• Red, hot, and dry skin (no sweating)
• Rapid, strong pulse
• Throbbing headache
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Confusion
• Unconsciousness

What to Do

If you see any of these signs, you may be dealing with a life-threatening emergency. Have someone call for immediate medical assistance while you begin cooling the victim. Do the following:

• Get the victim to a shady area.
• Cool the victim rapidly using whatever methods you can. For example, immerse the victim in a tub of cool water; place the person in a cool shower; spray the victim with cool water from a garden hose; sponge the person with cool water; or if the humidity is low, wrap the victim in a cool, wet sheet and fan him or her vigorously.
• Monitor body temperature, and continue cooling efforts until the body temperature drops to 101-102°F.
• If emergency medical personnel are delayed, call the hospital emergency room for further instructions.
• Do not give the victim fluids to drink.
• Get medical assistance as soon as possible.

Sometimes a victim’s muscles will begin to twitch uncontrollably as a result of heat stroke. If this happens, keep the victim from injuring himself, but do not place any object in the mouth and do not give fluids. If there is vomiting, make sure the airway remains open by turning the victim on his or her side.

Heat exhaustion is a milder form of heat-related illness that can develop after several days of exposure to high temperatures and inadequate or unbalanced replacement of fluids. It is the body’s response to an excessive loss of the water and salt contained in sweat.

Warning signs of heat exhaustion:

• Heavy sweating
• Paleness
• Muscle cramps
• Tiredness
• Weakness
• Dizziness
• Headache
• Nausea or vomiting
• Fainting

The skin may be cool and moist. The victim’s pulse rate will be fast and weak, and breathing will be fast and shallow. If heat exhaustion is untreated, it may progress to heat stroke. Seek medical attention immediately if any of the following occurs:

• Symptoms are severe
• The victim has heart problems or high blood pressure

Otherwise, help the victim to cool off, and seek medical attention if symptoms worsen or last longer than 1 hour.

What to Do

Cooling measures that may be effective include the following:

• Cool, nonalcoholic beverages
• Rest
• Cool shower, bath, or sponge bath
• An air-conditioned environment
• Lightweight clothing

Heat Cramps usually affect people who sweat a lot during strenuous activity. This sweating depletes the body’s salt and moisture. The low salt level in the muscles may be the cause of heat cramps. Heat cramps may also be a symptom of heat exhaustion.

Recognizing Heat Cramps

Heat cramps are muscle pains or spasms—usually in the abdomen, arms, or legs—that may occur in association with strenuous activity. If you have heart problems or are on a low-sodium diet, get medical attention for heat cramps.

What to Do

If medical attention is not necessary, take these steps:

• Stop all activity, and sit quietly in a cool place.
• Drink clear juice or a sports beverage.
• Do not return to strenuous activity for a few hours after the cramps subside, because further exertion may lead to heat exhaustion or heat stroke.
• Seek medical attention for heat cramps if they do not subside in 1 hour.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Identifying and Preventing Heat-Related Illnesses (healthfieldmedicare.suite101.com)
• Exercise Safely in the Summer Heat (sheilastrainingnotes.blogspot.com)
• Health Tip: Treating Heat Cramps (nlm.nih.gov)

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This week I chose to repost an entry from several months ago regarding crunches.  Ryan Owen, a certified strength coach and personal trainer, recently published a blog sharing new research that supports our “no crunch” rule.  The researcher, Dr. Stuart McGill, is a well-respected researcher on spinal biomechanics.  Dr. McGill recommends removing all crunches and situps from your exercise routine.  I was lucky enough to learn about the detrimental effects of crunches while shadowing my own mentor, Lynda Head.  However, I do believe that functionally speaking, as a human being you do need to be able to situp from a laying position in everyday life.  And thus, I do include full situps occasionally in classes.  But, as the fitness world continues to grow and evolve  I too grow and evolve and I will continue to change my practice to reflect solid, current research.  Read the article below:

http://ryanowen.wordpress.com/2010/03/04/no-more-crunches/

REPOST:

If you have ever trained with me or taken one of my classes you have probably noticed we rarely do crunches. Yet open any health and fitness magazine and you see this exercise demonstrated time and again.  So why do I not utilize this exercise more often?  The fact is, I don’t like them.  And here’s why:  most people spend all day sitting at a desk in front of a computer.  Are you sitting up nice and tall, shoulders rolled back, head held high?  Of course not!  You are probably like me – the longer you sit the more you slouch.  The shoulders roll forward, the spine sags and effectively you are in a perma-crunch.

So why would you go to the gym and simply exacerbate the problem by doing crunches, which pretty much reinforce that position for your spine and anterior (in the front) ab muscles?  Your core actually contains 27 muscles and includes not only your typical “6 pack” abs, but also muscles in your pelvic floor and back.  Most people need exercises to strengthen these underutilized muscles and stretch the front of their body, including muscles in the stomach and chest.  Try adding these exercises to your routine for a well-balanced core:

The Plank – Planks are one of my favorite exercises.  Not only do they challenge almost all the muscles in the body, there are countless variations, including twisting planks and side planks, that you can perform to make them more or less difficult for your ability:

Cobra/Back extension – Use this exercise to strengthen the muscles along the spine.  The most important part is to really turn your palms outward pointing your thumbs toward the ceiling and opening the chest:

Situp – I am a fan of the good old-fashioned situp.  You have to be able to sit up from a laying position in everday life so it is a more functional exercise than a crunch and takes your body through a fuller range of motion.  Find a partner and add a medicine ball with a ball pass for added difficulty:

Bridge – Like the plank, there are many variations of hip bridges to help strengthen the glutes, hamstrings and lower back muscles:

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I’ve been getting a lot of questions lately about the new “shape up” shoes from Skechers.  You know, the ones that have a rocker bottom sole?  People ask me,”do they really work?”  My first question, is do they work to do what?  Some clients have heard they help with aches and pains in the knees, back and hips.  Others heard they are supposed to help tone the butt and thighs and other says they’ve heard the shoes help you lose cellulite (you all know what I have to say about that one).  I am open to researching any new technology that will help my clients live free from pain.  So I spent some time researching the shoes and their claims and here is my personal opinion:

The Shoe – The shoes have their roots in the technology of the MBT shoes, the original rockers, first developed by a Swiss Engineer.  A little about the actual shoe from the MBT website:

MBT is totally different because:

• Its sole is curved, not flat.
• It is unstable, not stable.
• It activates your muscles instead of undermining them.
• It has a positive effect on the entire body, not just the feet.

MBT stands for Masai Barefoot Technology, supposedly named for the Masai in Africa who are famous for their perfect posture and, supposedly rarely have back pain.(http://www.jefflewis.net/blog/2007/07/massai_barefoot_technology_sho_1.html)  The inventor of MBT shoes determined their posture and lack of back pain was due to a life of barefoot walking over soft earth.  Now, I’ve been to Africa.  In fact, I spent 5 months there and I saw many a Masai warrior.  But I ask, who says they don’t have back pain?  Did you ask them?  We are talking about one of the most war-ravaged, poverty-stricken continents on earth!  They live a primarily nomadic life with their main source of income coming from cattle.  Most of the population in Africa cannot afford $10 for a moquito net or medication for any number of diseases.  I mean, they don’t have running water!  Do you think they are going to stand in line for multiple hours at the nearest medical clinic to complain of lower back pain?  Second, I aruge their posture is perhaps due to the cultural recognition they have as warriors in the region.  Warriors are strong and proud, and in my mind tall and commanding.  It is not like in America where I have seen countless girls begin to slouch in adolescence because they are taller than all of the boys and for some reason that image in our culture is embarrassing.  Or, maybe it is because Masai spend the majority of their time walking the fields of Africa instead of slumped behind a desk, then in a car, then on a couch.  It might not be their barefoot walking but their way of life in general that has helped create this perfect posture and lack of back pain.

In explaining the origin of the shoe the MBT web site states,  “We realized that the human body is simply not built to walk or stand on hard, flat surfaces.”  us.mbt.com/Footer/Company/About-Us.aspx).  I also find this interesting because humans have been walking on hard, flat surfaces since the dawn of time.  And, how much walking and standing on hard surfaces do people do these days?  Wouldn’t it make more sense that our “new”aches and pains are more linked to the sedentary, inactive lives we lead rather than constant walking?

The company claims  MBTs activate more muscles than normal shoes because the rockers simulates an uneven surface.  So it is like walking on grass or sand.  The company states,”In conjunction with the Masai Sensor, the body’s entire musculoskeletal system is activated and exercised, the muscles in the buttocks,⁶ stomach and back⁴ are strengthened, posture and gait are kept relaxed and upright^6;10 and stress on the joints^2;6;7 and back⁶ is relieved. Not only does the anti-shoe increase the fitness levels of its wearer with every step, it also has sustainable health benefits.” (http://us.mbt.com/Home/Benefits.aspx)

The company also states their claims are backed up by research.  I did find the research.  However, it all seems to be funded, or at least sponsored, by one of the company’s own departments called the Academy.  Now, unless research is funded and conducted by an unbiased third party I am always wary.  But I went through a few of their listed studies and read the abstracts.  In one, the test group had no more significant improvement than the control group who underwent a “traditional sensorimotor” training routine.   Another study concluded that the shoe altered the gait and it may, key word, may help some people with musculoskeletal problems. http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/mbt-shoes-do-they-actually-work-857532.html

Finally, almost all of my clients know I am not a fan of anything that alters your gait.  I feel strongly about this because your gait doesn’t just affect your feet and legs.  It affects your entire body from toes to head and making changes to the way you walk, although at times necessary for some, can tweak the way your body moves enough to cause new issues or enhance current imbalances. And, most people have exsiting imbalances in their body – why would you want to exacerbate these imbalances by putting your feet permanently in an unstable shoe that will require your muscles to work harder, but probably incorrectly?  It makes more sense to correct those muscle imbalances first through bodywork and corrective exercise, if possible, then work on the instability training.

My conclusion: Who really knows if these shoes help reduce aches experienced by some people?  The research is fairly inconclusive.  But if some people believe the shoes help them feel better, then they probably do.  The mind is a powerful thing.  However, for most people, I believe the best way to increase strength and stamina, reduce aches and pains and lose weight is to engage in a smart nutrition and exercise program that includes cardio and strength training, balance,  flexibilty and core work.  There is no quick fix, ever.  And if something seems to good to be true, it probably is.

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Welcome to the world of FOAM ROLLING.  Also called “self-myofascial release,” its a form of self “massage” that helps loosen overworked, imbalanced muscles to relieve stress on the bones and joints. 

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Recently  I watched a television show on TLC called the “650lb Virgin.”  A strange title perhaps, but a fascinating story.  It is a documentary about 32-year old David Smith who lost over 400lbs in 26 months the old school way – through diet and exercise.   That’s right – no gimmicks, no pills, no gastric bypass surgery.  Just old fashioned hard work and determination.

Smith’s story is a painful one – he had a traumatic childhood that included being abused by his best friend when he was young, bullied in school because of his weight and losing his mother and greatest supporter to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.  In 2003, upon reaching 650lbs, and after years of isolation, Smith was close to suicide.  However, rather than give up, and not wanting to be ridiculed in death as we was in life Smith looked “somewhere deep down and discovered that he still harbored a hope that he could transform himself. He decided to lose weight.”

Smith enlisted the help of Chris Powell, a personal trainer and fitness expert on a local television station.  Together the two changed Smith’s life by altering his food habits and introducing exercise into his daily routine.  “The baby steps became giant strides. The weight melted off — a phenomenal average of more than 15 pounds a month. By 2007, just 26 months after he decided to transform himself and his life, Smith had lost 410 pounds from a starting weight of 650.”

Smith had further complications, including surgery to remove over 30lb of excess skin due to his weight along with learning to deal in the social world in his new fit and trim body, and even find his first girlfriend!  But he takes it one day at a time and has even become a personal trainer to help others in his situation. 

Find some inspiration…

Whether you have 15lbs to lose or 650lbs, the discipline, determination and willpower are the same for everyone.  It is about sitting down to examine yourself, your life and how you want to live it.  The next time you reach a hurdle or feel frustrated with your own weight loss journey remember David Smith.   Or, find your own inspiration that will keep you on the right track to becoming a healthier person, mind, body and spirit.  Losing weight is a tough goal and having a network of support is crucial to success.  It may be a long journey, but it will be well worth it in the end when you feel strong, confident and healthy for your family, your kids and yourself.

Read more about David Smith’s Journey at:

“Looking for Love, 650-lb Virgin loses 410,” http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31845266/ns/today_relationships/

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 Go Green with Water

By  Erica Roselius, MA, CPT

April is earth month and as we gear up to celebrate Earth Day on the 22nd, I thought I would take the time this month to talk about greening your workout routine.  There are many simple ways to make your life and fitness routine friendlier for Mother Nature.   This week we are going to focus on water:

The bottled water phenomenon has exploded in recent years.   According to studies back in 2001, 1.5 million tons of plastic are used each year to bottle water.  And in 2003, Americans spent $7 billion on water!  And those numbers have probably increased since the studies were published.  

The energy cost to manufacture bottled water is huge.  It is estimated that 32-54 million barrels of oil were required to produce the amount of water consumed in America in 2007 alone.  That’s 2000 times more than is needed to make tap water.  Not to mention that 8 out of 10 plastic bottles end up in landfills, and it can take up to 1000 years before the bottles even begin to decompose.

Is bottled water really safer, healthier, purer?

A study by the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) showed that 25% or more of the 103 brands of bottled water tested was actually just tap water in a bottle.  Sometimes it underwent further treatment to increase purity and sometimes it did not.  The problem is that the FDA regulates bottled water, whereas the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) regulates tap water.  The EPA has much stricter guidelines for contamination testing and control.  For example, tap water must be tested multiple times/day, but bottled water must only be tested once/week.  And the EPA requires the testing results for tap water be made available to the public.  Bottled water manufacturers have no such requirements.

But what about taste?

Showtime television recently conducted a study on New York City residents.  73% actually preferred the taste of tap water over bottled water!

Drinking tap water saves money…

Bottled water costs between $1 – $4 per gallon, and 90% of the cost is in the bottle and the lid.  Tap water is practically free!

How can you green your H2O routine?

There has been a lot of attention in the news lately about the safety of reusing bottles for drinking water.  BPA-free plastic bottles are the best if you are going to use plastic.  However, currently the best option is to use a reusable stainless steel or aluminum bottle. Unlike BPA-free plastics, they’re not made from petroleum products. Metal water bottles are more durable than plastic, and the FDA requires that aluminum bottles sold in America be lined to eliminate the possibility of metals leaching into the drinking water inside.  Sigg bottles are popular, inexpensive and can be purchased at many retail locations.  

If you are worried about contaminants in the tap water itself, experts suggest purchasing a good filter that can be placed over your tap to eliminate microbes. “Water filters remove more dangerous contaminants than any other purification method, and they are uniquely designed to work with municipally treated water,” says allaboutwater.org.  And because they require no more energy than is required to move the water through the pipes in your home it is another step toward living green!

Sources:

All About Water, http://allaboutwater.org

Gaiam Life, http://life.gaiam.com

“The energy Footprint of Bottled Water,” Andrea Thompson, Live Science, http://www.livescience.com/environment/090318-bottled-water-energy.html, March 18, 2009

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