exercise - Dr. Mom Online

Is Working Out Too Much Causing You To Age Faster?

June 12, 2013 By Dr. Mom Online Leave a Comment

If you’ve hung around me for any length of time, you’ve probably heard me talk about the “3 keys to exercise success”:

1) Variety

2) Intensity (some of the time)

3) Consistency

If you’ve read The Truth About Cardiovascular Training or the Truth About Resistance Training, you know I’m a fan of shorter workouts that incorporate some type of “burst” or high-intensity intervals.

You also know that I believe very strongly in working smarter… not longer.

More is not better when it comes to working out!

Let me be very, very clear. From a purely scientific perspective, I know that daily movement is optimal. Motion is a requirement for optimal cell function.

I did not say that “working out” is a daily requirement! In fact, excessive training (whether it’s resistance or cardio) can work AGAINST you on many levels.

(I was just reminded of this when I read this report (“5 Simple Steps to Looking 10 Years Younger”)

Depending what you’re doing, you could end up storing more fat and losing muscle (as is the case with excessive long-duration, steady-state cardio training), or completely taxing your entire adrenal system, resulting in hormonal imbalance, excessive stress hormone release, and chronic fatigue.

Here’s a kicker: working out too much actually ages us faster!!

How’s that for adding insult to injury?!

It makes sense, though. When you think of the chemical changes that result from working out, the stress hormone release, and the breakdown… all of it is very good… when it’s not overdone.

You and I both know people who work out every single day. They spend hours in the gym, and sometimes, they don’t even feel or look any different after all that effort. Actually, let me take that back – they may indeed look different. They might be looking OLDER as a result of all that working out.

Been there. Done that. Now I realize that, not only do I have “laugh lines”, but I’ve got “work out lines”! Who would have ever thought…?!

Fitness legend, Steve Holman (Editor in Chief of Iron Man Magazine), and his wife Becky, recently wrote about this. I highly recommend you check out what they have to say about working out LESS as part of an anti-aging lifestyle! I think it goes something like this: LESS working out = LESS wrinkles!

Personally, I’ve enjoyed striving to find my “movement balance” lately.

I’ve become more “active”, while “working out” less. (Yes, I meant to say it that way!)

I strive to get movin’ in some way, at least twice, every day. Some days, this means a ‘formal’ work out, or a run, or sprinting. Other days, it’s stand-up paddling, or a bike ride, or Shape Shifter “flow” yoga, or a body weight-only work out. Every day includes walking and spinal hygiene exercises.

Then, there are all those “play-like” activities that are spontaneously added: jumping on the trampoline with the kids, or playing catch, or basketball, or soccer, or swimming with them, or skiing, or going ice skating & sledding (no time soon, I pray!), and so on. Just being active and having fun with our bodies!

Isn’t that the real purpose of having a healthy, fit body? So we can appreciate it, fully use it with confidence & comfort, and enjoy it with others? (I’d add ‘using it to serve others’ to that list, too.)

By the way, I’m SURE the jury is still out on this whole “How much exercise is the perfect amount?” subject. You know, it really doesn’t matter all that much. Just move… regularly… with variety… challenge yourself at times, take it easy on yourself other times… play… and be grateful for whatever movement your body is capable of.

(Again, take a few minutes to read what Steve has to say about the RIGHT type of exercise that he says will actually make you look and feel 10 years YOUNGER!)

Dr. Colleen Trombley-VanHoogstraat (“Dr Mom Online”) is a leading expert in Natural Health & Wellness. She is a Doctor of Chiropractic with 18 years of hands-on clinical experience in the Wellness Practice she shares with her husband, Dr. Marc VanHoogstraat, in Michigan. She is also the proud (home schooling) mom of two rather fabulous youngsters.

Her unique perspective of the science of Wellness provides predictable solutions and transformational results for those struggling with chronic health issues, as well as those seeking lifelong health. To discover her simple strategies for creating better health through nutrition, movement and mindset, regularly visit http://DrMomOnline.com, http://Facebook.com/DrMomOnline and http://Twitter.com/D rMomO nline.

Also, check out her available books at http://amazon.com/author/drcolleen .

For more information about working privately with Dr. Colleen and Dr. Marc in an Integrative Health Recovery Program for any number of metabolic and health issues, such as thyroid imbalance, weight loss resistance, hormonal imbalance, food sensitivity & gut permeability, cellular detoxification, and more, please contact Dr. Colleen directly at trombley68@gmail.com. Distance programs are available.

Filed Under: exercise, Featured Tagged With: anti-aging, burst training, cardio, exercise, interval training, metabolism, resistance, weight loss, yoga

Add This Type of Yoga to Burn More Fat & Flatten Your Belly!

June 9, 2013 By Dr. Mom Online Leave a Comment

Kristine Fondran ~ Master Mind Behind Shape Shifter Yoga

I’ve dabbled with yoga over the years.

Many years ago, I owned several sets of yoga DVDs and videotapes (if you just asked “What are videotapes?”, then you and I may not be able to be friends anymore!). I did “pregnancy yoga” throughout both pregnancies. Then I transitioned into doing yoga with the kids when they were little(r). We even taught yoga classes in our practice.

But, for some reason, I just kind of fell out of the regular routine of doing a full yoga “work out”. I guess I just gravitated more to running, cycling, and resistance training as my primary go-to work outs.

Now, I still incorporate yoga poses into my weekly routine… on my “light” days or as part of my stretching and spinal hygiene exercises each morning. But, it’s not the same effect as I recall in the past.

My favorite yoga workout was a specific video that took me through a “flow” or continuous string of poses and positions, at a rather ‘quick’ pace, that left me rather spent by the end. I remember the instructor explaining the science behind it and that it gets your body into the perfect fat burning zone when done this way.

Of course, I don’t know what happened to that video. Go figure!

Anyhow, I had kinda’ sorta’ forgotten about the “flowing” fat burning style of yoga that I used to enjoy so much. Then I came across an article about a particular yoga program… and guess what it was called in the article?!

Yup. “FLOW Yoga!”

The infamous "yoga butt"!

How cool is that? It certainly got my attention!

Actually, the program is called “Shape Shifter Yoga”… and I really like that name, too… and the visual image that it inspires.

*By the way, when you click on any of the highlighted links, you will be directed to an article about Shape Shifter Yoga. It gives you the option to purchase the program. Take it or leave it… BUT, I highly recommend you at least read the article. It’s *that* good!

You probably already know that yoga is good for improving flexibility and loosening up the rigid and overused parts of our bodies. You probably also know that yoga helps to manage stress, therefore keeping your physiological stress response in better balance. That’s key to everything from balancing your hormones to improving your immune system.

But, do you ever think of yoga as one of the best ways to get a lean, flat tummy and nice, defined muscles? It IS, when you perform it this way in a relatively vigorous flow.

Kristine Fondran is the developer and instructor of Shape Shifter Yoga. She’s also got the science brains to back up what she does – she’s got her Master’s degree in Exercise Science. Through her research, she was able to measure that she burned approximately 7 calories per minute, and over 6 of them were from pure FAT! That means the percentage of fat calories burned with her yoga work out was 90%!

Hello! That’s pretty much the same as jogging… BUT without the negative effects of excessive long, slow, steady-state exercise. When all we do is “chronic cardio”, slow & steady, we can actually increase the release of the stress hormone cortisol, which causes us to STORE more fat, especially in our belly & love handles area! You can lose muscle too, with an exclusive focus on long duration, low-intensity cardio.

Obviously, this is NOT what you want if you’d like a lean, fit, defined body!

I highly recommend you take a look at Kristine’s Shape Shifter Yoga… and consider adding it to your overall exercise routine a time or two each week, along with your easy cardio, sprinting, resistance training, and “playing”. (Of course you can do it more than that, too!)

I think you’re going to LOVE the results you’ll see in your sleek new physique!

To learn more about how Shape Shifter Yoga can turn your physique around, as well as help you find balance and stress reduction, Click Here!

***

Yes, Shape Shifter Yoga is a product you can purchase. I have an ‘affiliate’ relationship with Kristine. I believe in the program from a scientific perspective and support it, therefore I’m telling you about it! Cool? Cool.

***

Also, check out her available books at http://amazon.com/author/drcolleen .

Filed Under: exercise, Featured, general health

Quick & Effective “Hotel Room” Work Out

June 9, 2013 By Dr. Mom Online Leave a Comment

A few days ago, our family was fortunate enough to be able to get away for a couple days. It was a little “end of the school year” reward type of thing for the kids… and their teacher!

(Actually, we do “school light” over the summer, so I’m not really sure why we call it “the end” of the school year. So dramatic.)

I digress.

We stayed at a nice little hotel that was right on the water, had a couple swimming pools, and was right next to a great walking/biking trail. Plenty of opportunity to move our bodies! The hotel gym had an abundance of cardio equipment, but was sorely lacking in weight training equipment.

No biggie. Been there, done that.

So, after our morning walk with the pooch, and before doing some “sprints” on the elliptical machine in the gym, I did a quick-yet-effective little “hotel room work out”.

OK. So, obviously, you don’t need to be in a hotel room to do this, nor do you need to be on vacation!

The point is, if you’re stuck someplace with no equipment to work out with, or limited equipment, or you just can’t make it to the gym, or whatever the reason… you can always pull off a nice, quick work out even without equipment.

I’ve done this for years in a variety of situations, like:

in hotels that have less-than-desirable gyms (or cardio-heavy gyms)
at playgrounds
in campgrounds
on hiking trails
while visiting friends or family as a house guest
or, just when I feel like working out on my deck… and not lugging all the weights and stuff outside!

This is the “Hotel Room Work Out” that I did the other morning to give my muscles a bit of a challenge:

squats – held the food cooler overhead & out in front for added resistance
split squats – with rear leg up on bed
decline push-ups – with feet up on chair
dips – hands on chair, feet on bed
overhead press – with cooler
dead lifts – with full bag of gear for some resistance
chair step-ups & jump-ups
squat/front kicks & squat/side kicks
burpees & mountain climbers
walking lunges – this time I did them in the room while holding the cooler. Other times, I’ve gone up and down the hotel hallway… usually only when it’s early enough to avoid most other hotel guests!

I did all these sets to “exhaustion” (pretty much), meaning I did as many as I could before feeling the need to collapse or toss last night’s cookies!

Another option is to do as many repetitions with good form as you can in a pre-determined amount of time. E.g. as many squats as possible in a minute.

Pick 5-10 exercises, do each for a minute, rest for 20-30 seconds in between, and you’ve got yourself a great little work out.

Actually, I do work outs similar to this quite often. It seems, every few weeks, my body would rather go through a “body weight only” or “light weight” work out rather than the usual.

Remember, variety is one of the 3 keys to an overall successful and sustainable approach to exercise! Intensity & consistency are the other two.

So, whether you work out at a gym or not, there might come a time when you want to squeeze in a nice work out to rev up your metabolism and build lean muscle even without equipment.

It can be done… and it can be effective!

Keep this in mind as summer vacation is upon us – you can still get some nice work outs in, even as you’re lounging on a beach or relaxing at “the cottage”.

***

What do YOU do when you don’t have equipment to use?

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Please play nicely with others… and pass this article along to someone who might benefit!

Also, check out her available books at http://amazon.com/author/drcolleen .

Filed Under: exercise, Featured Tagged With: exercise, fat burning, gym equipment, hotel, metabolism, summer vacation, weight lifting, work out

Is Your Cardio Exercise Right For You? Simple Tips For Avoiding Injury

June 3, 2013 By Dr. Mom Online Leave a Comment

The weather has warmed up around here and brought all the seasonal (perhaps annual) exercisers out of the woodwork! It seems everywhere I look when I’m driving from point A to point B, folks are out running, cycling, and walking.

On the one hand, of course, this is fantastic! Movement is essential for optimal cell function. Movement is what “fires up” the cerebellum, which in turn fires up the cerebrum. Movement is fuel for our brains.

However, on the other hand, hubby and I have a slightly different perspective on the situation. As Chiropractors, we can’t help but notice good technique and good posture that makes the endeavor look effortless… as well as poor mechanics and form that are causing repetitive injury and strain… and most likely, sooner or later, causing pain.

It can be painful to watch.

So, while we are ALL to be applauded for getting up and getting out there to move, we would benefit from a few simple tweaks here and there to make things easier on our bodies, allowing us to reap the rewards of exercise with less of the “risk”.

Some of the most obvious pointers to correct biomechanics and form:

When running (jogging), our feet should land softly… not slam into the ground. Think of mid-to-forefoot landing first.

Walkers have the same concern about slamming into the ground, but can get away with heel contact before rolling onto the ball of the foot, especially if it’s more of a “strolling” pace.

Posture is always key. Unless you are racing for the finish line of the 100 meter dash, you should not be leading with your head while you run… or walk… or stand… or sit. Your brain likes to be over your spinal cord in order to function at its best. In fact, some interesting studies point out that even an inch of forward head shift diminishes our respiratory function by 30%. Plus, forward head posture puts tremendous strain on the muscles, other soft tissues, and the spine itself.

Think of making yourself more aerodynamic as you run or walk. You should “slice” through the air with as little resistance as possible. Think of the plane you’re moving in. For the most part, running and walking are “front to back” movements – legs and arms are moving front and back… not swinging out to the sides. I see feet (or one foot) turned out as it lands, too much side-to-side arm movements, and the ‘push-off’ running leg doing some strange arc thing off to the side. Joints are not happy. Think front-to-back… good form… efficiency. All that flailing about makes us more prone to injury and wastes our energy.

I am not a fan of running with ankle weights, wrist weights, or holding weights in your hands. This shift in the redistribution of weight out at the end of our ‘kinetic chain’ and away from the center of gravity is just enough to take a slightly ‘bad’ running form and make it exponentially worse! I think you should just run. Period. But, if you feel compelled to add resistance, stick to added weight closer to your center of gravity, like a vest or waist pack.

Get good shoes. Better yet, try going barefoot… or close to it.

Cyclists need to make sure their seats are at the right height so that they can extend their legs properly on the down stroke, and not have their legs come too high up at the top of the stroke.

Unfortunately, there are bigger problems out there in exercise world.

Not everyone should run… at least not right away.

Running in and of itself creates more impact on the joints than walking does. That’s why good form is so important.

If you’re carrying excess weight, then you add the impact of running, and potentially some bad mechanics, you’ve got a recipe for disaster.

How much weight is “excess”? There’s a wide range there… and whatever weight you are is amplified by bad form.

There are a lot of people who would be much better served by doing another form of exercise rather than running. If you’re really determined to become a runner, sometimes it’s best to start with a walking program (as well as other exercises) until your body is ready for the physical stress of running.

Keep in mind that a growing number of studies continue to show that walking offers all the positive benefits of running/jogging, but without the negatives of jogging. In fact, some studies place walking ahead of running (jogging) in several components measured, like range of motion used in the hip/pelvic/gluteal region.

So, if you don’t “need” to run, and (steady-state, low-intensity) running is really no ‘better than’ walking, and running is potentially causing your body more strain and stress, then why run? Or, why run so often… or so long… or so far?

If you’re passionate about it, that’s another thing all together.

Also, I know for some folks, running actually feels better than walking. Cool.

Now, sprinting and high-intensity bursts are a different animal. If you can work your way up to some bursts of higher intensity in whatever your chosen ‘steady-state’ activity is, that would be great. BUT, you’ve got to be ready… physiologically and “orthopedically” ready, that is.

Sprinting offers many benefits that steady-state, low-intensity jogging cannot.

Instead of forcing yourself to go out for a run several times per week, consider going out for a walk… or a walk-run. Then, add in some “bursts” of some sort, even if it’s just a quicker walk with greater arm pumping for a few seconds or so.

Mix it up. Walk daily, if you can. Add in some running if you feel like it, perhaps some sprinting, some cycling, some swimming, some play… have fun!

Whatever you decide to do for your steady-state activity or your bursts, make sure it feels relatively easy on your body, as opposed to abusive! You shouldn’t feel localized pain or feel like you’re potentially being injured as you do it. Fatigued and well-used muscles are another thing… those are a sign of being alive and blessed to have a body that moves!

***

What’s your cardio-type exercise of choice these days?

***

Also, check out her available books at http://amazon.com/author/drcolleen .

Filed Under: exercise, Featured Tagged With: cardio, exercise, injury, running, sprinting, walking

Why You Should Add This Single Activity To Your Exercise Routine

May 30, 2013 By Dr. Mom Online Leave a Comment

I’ve talked about the benefits of slow and steady activity before. Walking is the primary example of the type of low intensity, easy activity I’m referring to. It’s in our genes, if you will, to walk for hours every week.

Modern ‘man’ has forgotten that. I recommend that you walk (or do some other steady state, low-intensity, aerobic-type activity) on a daily basis.

Another thing we’ve forgotten is the importance of sprinting. Historians and exercise physiologists alike tell the tale of sprinting being our birthright, just like walking (steady state activity) and lifting heavy things. The Big 3.

Understandably, we may have evolved beyond the day-to-day “need” for sprinting as a survival mechanism… but that doesn’t mean we should overlook its role in our genetic history or ignore the benefits it offered our ancestors… and can offer us. Sometimes, our advancements don’t make us all that “advanced”!

Sprinting, by the way, is not just running as fast as you can. (Although it can be.)

A sprint is an intense movement performed at the highest speed &/or greatest effort you can muster, for a very brief amount of time (a “burst”), while keeping it safe. You can definitely sprint on a bike, in a pool, or play sports that naturally involve bursts and recovery periods.

Some movements require bursts of intensity, but don’t exactly move you very quickly – like pushing something big and heavy, or like pulling my kids in a sled in deep snow! These are still good “sprints”, considering their physiological effect.

Let’s keep this simple and not over-analyze. Sprinting is moving fast and hard for a short period of time (could be as little as 5 seconds up to a minute or so), followed by a recovery period. How long? Well, there’s the whole Tabata training that rips you off when it comes to recovery (!), but offers great results… but most experts in this field recommend that your recovery time is loosely proportional to your burst time. More on that later.

So, why should we sprint? Simply because it offers tremendous benefits.

Sprinting intervals improve insulin sensitivity, lipid profiles, circulatory function, and boost growth hormone (a fat-burning hormone, among other functions)
Sprinting improves the fat burning potential of muscle, in fact, helping you rely more on fat and conserving more glycogen during the exercise.
Sprinting improves endurance capacity. (Yes, even though sprinting is anaerobic, it does this!)
It may sound obvious, but sprinting is a highly effective way to improve your speed and agility, even in youngsters like adolescents and pre-teens. Sprints in the vicinity of 10 – 20 meters have been shown to make these kids more “athletic” overall. Their parents need to join in! We need more agility to prevent the “oldness” that comes with getting older!
Sprinting gives our bodies a different look. In my opinion, it’s a very good look – strong, lean, powerful, and sleek. Consider the difference in the physique of an elite sprinter or short-distance runner compared to that of an elite marathon runner. (OK, make sure you’re picturing sprinters that are steroid-free!) Sprinting makes us lean, but strong. We use more of our body in full-out sprints, and we use those body parts in a more complete range of motion. Think of arms pumping to increase your efforts, and think of the great, big, beautiful strides to cover more distance. Nice.
Arguably, sprinting is King when it comes to efficiency. Get in, get it done, get out. There’s some serious bang for your exercise buck here. It’s over with very quickly, yet you don’t (usually) feel completely spent and useless afterward. Your body is just happily reaping all the benefits of high-intensity interval training… burning fat and feeling strong & fit as it whistles along.
Sprinting also has an uncanny way of reminding you how ALIVE you are! Giving something your all is very rewarding, indeed.

I give you more info on sprinting and cardio work out ideas in here…

How to Start Sprinting

Aim for one day per week that you’ll sprint. Maybe two.
Warm up first. Do some dynamic stretching: walking knee raises, high knee “tuck” jumps, walking lunges, leg swings, “air” squats… that type of thing. BUT, do just a couple sets of these warm –up stretches. Too much will tucker you out ahead of time and negatively impact your sprinting.
Do 3 or 4 little runs (or cycles, or whatever you’re doing) to prepare for your sprinting. Aim for 60, 70, 80, and 90% of YOUR full intensity as you’re warming up.
If you’ve already been exercising and feel pretty good about moving your body with intensity, shoot for 8-10 sprints. If this is too much, just do as many as you can. Do you think 1 or 2 is better than couch-warming with a bag of Doritos and a diet pop? You bet your little behind it is! Do what you can and feel good about it.
Sprint for 5 or more seconds, depending on your condition and experience. You might sprint for a certain amount of time, or for a specific distance, like ‘sprinting to the second telephone pole over there’. Go to YOUR maximum effort.
Run like an animal! No, really. Humans have a tendency to run like goofballs, slamming their feet into the ground and flailing about! Think like a cheetah… feet landing lightly as you cruise across the ground. Wear spotted workout gear. It might help.
Rest in between sprints. Take a minute or two between sprints, or even longer if you really need it. The longer you sprint, the longer you need for recovery. If you’re running the 100-meter dash, or going full-out for 30 seconds, you might need two or three minutes to recoup. If you’re doing the equivalent of a 40-yard dash or 20-30 second bursts, you might just need a minute or two. Take the time you need to get ready for your next burst.
Keep in mind, you’re aiming for once per week. If you’re doing 8-10 full bursts in that one session, beautiful. If you’re not there yet, or choose not to be there at all, then you can break it into a couple shorter sprinting sessions with fewer bursts.
I’ll write another article about all the “What if’s”: What if I’ve got pain? What if I can’t run? What if a squirrel chases me? I’ve gotcha’ covered. For now, focus on hitting YOUR maximum effort, and keeping it safe. Know your limits.
By the way, as counter-intuitive as this may seem, sprinting up a hill is actually “easier” on the joints. You might want to give hill sprints a try… see what you think. Be careful and know your limits.

Try not to over-think this.

I believe that being “anal” about exercise parameters is NOT a good exercise. There are better exercises for your gluteal region! (In fact, sprinting is one of them!)

What I mean by this is, allow room for spontaneity in your exercise and movement. Maybe you head out for a stroll one morning, and suddenly feel the urge to sprint to a mailbox or sign down the path. Or, you decide to join your dog in chasing a squirrel or bird. Go for it (just keep the barking to a minimum)!

Remember the big picture here:

Move daily.
Do something steady-state and low-intensity every day.
Stretch, bend, reach, lengthen, move your spine.
A couple times per week lift, heavy things.
Once (maybe twice) per week sprint.
Look for ways to incorporate play.

Exercise isn’t all about rigidity. We need to make room for fun while we move. Our bodies should be enjoyed, too… not just trained!

Also, check out her available books at http://amazon.com/author/drcolleen .

Filed Under: exercise, Featured, Weight Loss Tagged With: burst training, cardio, exercise, fat loss, healthy lifestyle, high intensity interval training, sprinting

9 Tips to Keep You Fit With Less Time in the Gym

May 24, 2013 By Dr. Mom Online 3 Comments

Recently, I’ve had the pleasure of chatting with a few twenty-somethings and young ‘uns in their late teens about their exercise programs and routines.

Dude, they’ve like totally been telling me stories of “hittin’ the gym” EVERY day for 1.5 – 2 hours of “lifting”, as well as taking umpteen exercise classes, working with a trainer, and then even having time to have a tan sprayed on or baked on! Cracks me up!

Ahh, I remember those days… plenty of time to exercise… when my only responsibilities were school and a part-time job! Nobody else to cook for… or clean up after! Eat whatever you want… it doesn’t really show up, plus, you can just go “work it off”! Silly. A good chunk of every day was spent in the gym. A hefty chunk, actually.

Well, two things have changed dramatically since those days.

First, I don’t have 2 hours per day for exercise on a daily basis anymore! Let me re-phrase ~ I choose not to spend 2 hours exercising in a gym (or even 1 and ½)! I have work to do, businesses to run, research to be done, children to teach, a house to clean, people to feed, weeds to pull… puh-lease. Dude.

Thankfully, the second major change since those gym-rat days is that science has backed me up! We don’t need to exercise that much to get great results. In fact, too much “lifting” and “chronic cardio” can work against us in the long run.

Twenty-somethings and teens seriously do not want to talk to me about the long run, I’ve discovered! It’s OK. We’ve all been there. And, there’s no arguing that these youngsters are lookin’ good! (Functionin’ good might be another story… for another day!)

I’m, like, totally picking on the youngsters here… somewhat unfairly. It goes both ways – some of the younger crowd has got it right, and much of the ‘older’ crowd is wasting time in the gym. This, I know. It was just those recent conversations with a few dedicated (obsessed) gym rats that got me thinking.

For those of us with a bit more on our plate, and a bit less time available, we need to get down to the nitty gritty of exercise. How can we simplify this process, while at the same time, glean the countless benefits that regular exercise has to offer with less wasted time?

Here are 9 Tips to Keep You Fit… With LESS Time in the Gym:

1. The bare-bones bottom line Here’s what leading authorities in the wellness field recommend as an overall healthy approach to exercise and the minimum you need to stay healthy:

Daily movement in the form of low-level aerobic activity for approximately 30 minutes, give or take. This means walking, hiking, easy cycling, swimming, or very easy jogging for a grand total around 2 and ½ hours per week. More is fine.

Also, on a daily basis, do functional stretching, use a foam roller or exercise ball, and move your body through full ranges of motion… especially your spinal area. It’s great for your brain function, minimizes pain, and makes “happy” hormones.

Muscle-strengthening exercises twice a week. Three times is fine. More on this in #3 & #4.

Add “bursts”, like sprinting, once per week. Twice is better, but we’re talking bare-bones minimum here. More on this in #2.

Play! Add something else, in the form of a sport or other movement that you enjoy.

2. Bursts are best. In addition to those critical low-level aerobic activities that should form the foundation of your exercise and movement habits for the rest of your life, in some of your other exercise sessions, rev up the intensity with high-intensity bursts of more challenging &/or higher-speed activity.

Alternate a few seconds (up to a minute or so) of higher intensity, followed by a short recovery time. Rinse and repeat. You’ll jump-start your metabolism and maximize your fat burning potential for hours. Plus, you’ll save a bunch of time in your work outs. Now, instead of a cardio work out taking 30 minutes, for example, you can do a burst work out in 10 minutes and reap major benefits.

Remember, the 3 major keys to exercise success are:

1. Variety

2. Intensity

3. Consistency.

3. Strong like bull. OK, I admit it, we’re not in the same ballpark as those aforementioned young ‘uns. (That’s not all bad, by the way!) A natural part of aging… maturing… is that we lose muscle mass, potentially making us weaker, more prone to injury, and making it more challenging to burn fat. Two or three 15-30-minute sessions per week using free weights or resistance bands or other ‘weighted’ tools, like kettlebells and medicine balls, will restore muscle very quickly and keep our bones protected and strong.

In fact, resistance training is one of the most important things we can do to increase the integrity of our bones, as well as to help us burn fat efficiently. If you don’t have any type of weights or resistance equipment, many body weight exercises will work very well, too. No need for hours and hours in the gym.

Along the same line…

4. Full body work outs. Especially if time and efficiency of your work out sessions is a concern, then give full body work outs a try. This simply means that you’ll do both upper and lower body exercises in the same session as opposed to splitting them up into different days.

This is far more efficient if you do “functional” exercises and multi-joint exercises as the foundation of your work out: moves like (any variation of) squats, lunges, dead lifts, push-ups, pull-ups, rowing, dips, overhead press and so on. One simple approach is to alternate a lower body move with an upper, with little rest in between. No slacking off. You’re busy, remember?

You can even throw in “power moves” like kicks, jumps, or jump roping to maximize your efforts and time.

Use the same approach to working your abs (core) – think of moving and challenging your entire core and its full range of motion, not just little isolated abs moves. Most abs/core moves that incorporate moving your legs, like mountain climbers, hanging leg raises, kicks, pike ball tucks, and so on, are great for this. Even though they don’t move your core through a full range of motion, all variations of plank pose are excellent choices for your core strength and stability, too.

5. Become a sneaky mover. Make it a priority to fit more movement into your day… even when it’s not your “official work out time”. Take a 10 or 15 minute break to go walk the dog, or run around with your kids, or do some squats and wall push-ups at work. Stand on one leg or do some side bends while chatting on the phone. You get the idea. Sneak in activity whenever you can. Move outside of your work out… daily. Sit less, move more.

Speaking of fitting in movement, one of my favorite recommendations to make to those who tell me they have NO time to exercise at all, but have time to watch T.V. at night, is to do a “commercials work out”. Get up off your hind-quarters for those 3-5 minutes and do a series of full body moves. For example, do alternating cycles of body weight moves like squats, push-ups, lunges, and dips. Once your show resumes, you can park it again, if you feel so inclined. Then get up and do some more during the next commercial break.

6. Beyond weights and cardio. Each day, take just a few minutes to move your spine and the rest of you through a wide variety of motions that you may not normally encounter in your daily routine. Stretch, bend, reach, twist… push your body beyond its tight, stressed out comfort zone!

Take a beginner yoga class, or go get yourself a DVD to try on your own. Your basic cardio and resistance training don’t touch this area of flexibility, balance, range of motion, and proprioception in the same way. Make the time for this – you’ll feel a dramatic difference after you give it a consistent effort for several days.

7. Mix it up. Remember the first key to exercise success: Variety! Why would we ever think that doing the same exercise program, over and over, for months at a time would keep us stimulated physically and mentally! If you do the same thing all the time, your body adapts and you stop making progress. Shake things up!

If your core routine stays the same, like daily walking and weekend hikes and weight training twice a week, for example, then add some classes or lessons from time to time, or hire a trainer for awhile to challenge you, or register for an upcoming event or race to change your focus and motivation, or exercise in different locations, or get some DVDs or go online for new ideas.

Ultimately, keeping it fun will keep you IN it for the long run. And that’s the third key to success: Consistency!

8. No pain, no gain? No way. If you have chronic aches, stiffness and low-grade pain (and have ruled out a serious underlying health condition), they may very well subside once you begin moving daily… especially once you begin daily spinal hygiene exercises.

But, if you have a marked increase in pain or discomfort during your exercise, or very shortly afterward, get some help. I’d have a trusted, knowledgeable, experienced person check your technique, equipment, gait, grip, stance, etc. Something’s not right if exercising causes real pain. (I’m not talkin’ about wussy, dramatic “pain” to get you out of working harder here!)

I don’t recommend masking the pain with meds as a successful long-term strategy, by the way. Get with the right experts who can help identify the root of the problem and fix it, and then do what they recommend to maintain “the fix”. I’m a bit partial to Doctors of Chiropractic, personally! But there are other professionals in natural & functional healthcare who can offer fabulous insight as well. Once you find your go-to-expert, don’t rely on them to do all the fixin’… you’ve got to do your part, as well!

9. Make a lifetime commitment. We’re not playing around here. We’re grown-ups now. Exercise and movement should not just be part of our life for superficial and vanity reasons alone. We’re not just doing this to attract attention from others. Sure, it’s nice to look good and feel confident about the way you look. But, there’s far more to it than that.

This is about our health, our vitality, our cellular function, and minimizing our risk factors for ALL chronic illness (like cancer, heart disease, diabetes, neuro-degenerative conditions, arthritis, obesity, depression & anxiety, reproductive & sexual dysfunction, chronic pain, digestive disorders, and on and on).

It’s about our ability to fully LIVE and experience our lives for as long as possible.

Science has made it abundantly clear: regular exercise, movement, and motion are essential for optimal cellular function. Optimal cellular function means optimal genetic expression and optimal health.

This isn’t all about weight loss, beach bodies, and ripped abs. We’ll save that for those youngsters!

Daily movement needs to be prioritized. Make the time. Even if it’s 5 or 10 minutes. You can crank out a seriously effective “turbo” exercise session in this amount of time. Really! (Especially if you follow tips #2 and #4)

More importantly, it’s about the mentality you adopt… your unwavering commitment to MOVE everyday… for your current and future health.

Also, check out her available books at http://amazon.com/author/drcolleen .

Filed Under: exercise, Featured Tagged With: burst training, cardio, chronic pain, exercise, fitness, high intensity interval training, resistance training, weight lifting, weight loss

These Boots Are Made For Walking!

May 22, 2013 By Dr. Mom Online Leave a Comment

We all know that walking is a good thing.

It’s interesting to see just how good it is, though. There’s a growing number of studies demonstrating that walking out-performs (steady-state, low-to-moderate intensity) running and jogging in several physiological markers. At the very least, walking seems to provide the same benefit as going out for a run, without many of the drawbacks.

As a culture, we used to be big time walkers. There’s plenty of evidence to indicate that our earliest ancestors walked… and walked. Many would argue “it’s in our genes”.

It used to be a necessity. It’s not anymore… because we’re oh-so-advanced-n-stuff. Now, it’s a “when I have time” leisure event for most. (All you urban folk have a serious advantage here.)

It’s recommended that we aim for 10,000 steps per day, which is approximately 5 miles. The average American barely gets 5,000 per day.

How do you rank?

One of my favorite go-to health guys regularly discusses the science, physiology, and even the history and genetics of walking. This man is a time-tested elite athlete and health guru. For years, he has strongly encouraged all health-seekers to include walking in their overall lifestyle and exercise regimen. He’s not even talking “brisk” walking, necessarily. Walking at a moderate pace seems to provide ample benefit.

In one particular article of his, he issued a challenge to his readers (who include a vast number of high performance type folks). In addition to all our running, working out, sporting activities and so on, get back to walking. Daily. Ideally, for an hour straight, but can be broken up into multiple walks (or other low-level aerobic activity, like light cycling, hiking, or swimming).

I took his challenge. I’m just finishing my 4^th week of daily walking, in addition to the other stuff I do for exercise: sprinting, resistance training, cycling, some longer distance running, etc. Most days, I’m not hitting the hour mark. But it’s a least 30 minutes every day, and most days have more than one walk.

My dog is definitely loving this.

My gluteal, quadriceps, hamstrings, and hip & pelvic area muscles are all liking this shift in range of motion, too. The full stride of walking vs. “jogging” offers some nice benefits!

I also noticed increased knee pain right away, so I knew I had to tweak something. Apparently, I had forgotten how to walk like my ancestors! Clearly, gait, stride, foot strike/placement, pace, walking surface, and footwear are all important elements to be discussed in another article.

The (lack of) appeal of walking…

I don’t know about you, but I didn’t used to take walking too seriously.

I would take the kids out for walks in the stroller when they were little… take the dog out… go for shorter walks and hikes with the kids as they got bigger… go for walks when visiting with a friend…

I didn’t think it was “enough”. It isn’t “hard” enough or challenging enough. Walking definitely isn’t “sexy”, like Cross Fit, or hill sprints, or training for triathlons!

I suppose I always felt like I had accomplished more if I worked up a really good sweat by running, or cycling, or working out. NOT that those things are “bad” now… I just thought I should choose those over walking.

Au contraire.

We need to walk. Millions of years of our ancestors walking cannot be a “fluke”. Daily walking (or other low-level aerobic activity) is in our blood.

Slow and steady.

We also benefit from the other forms of exercise, like sprinting and lifting heavy things a few times each week, as well as playing.

Why walk? Plenty of reasons… here are a few:

Older healthy adults who walk briskly live longer than those who don’t.
Regular walking improves working memory in older adults.
Healthy adult males who engage in short bouts of brisk walking experience lower resting blood pressure and postprandial triglycerides.
Studies have demonstrated that walking 30 minutes per day (plus a stress reduction technique and ‘healthy’ diet) can reverse the expression of genes in those with cancer.
Regular walking improves working memory in older adults.
Those who take the longest walks take the least medication.
Walking improves longevity in women over 70 years of age.
A Yale study revealed that women who walk regularly after being diagnosed with breast cancer have a 45% greater chance of survival than those who are inactive.
Walking programs improve cognitive ability in people with dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Kids who walk to school are fitter than peers who do not.
Walking regularly reduces the risk of stroke and heart attack.
Walking regularly is a good way to keep body weight and body fat levels in check.

Of course, I could go on.

But no matter how many studies espouse the physiological and health benefits of walking, these aren’t even my favorite reasons to walk.

I like some of the more subtle, immeasurable components of walking regularly. Things like how it helps us adapt to stress… gives us time to put things in perspective, sort things out, and chill out when necessary.

All that time outside can help us make more vitamin D. It’s a great time to train our postural muscles, focusing on a strong posterior chain (good curve in the low back, core tight) and head over spine… not stickin’ out in front of us.

It’s also a crafty way to overcome some bad habits and addictions. For example, if you’re an after

dinner snacker or sugar fiend, get your bootocks up and go for a walk instead. Substitute walking for your less-than-healthy choices.

Walking has the highest compliance rate of all forms of exercise. I like that. We should be able to walk for the rest of our lives, virtually anytime, anywhere.

Walking is time to connect with nature. It’s time to be an observer… a “noticer of the small things”. It’s time to count our blessings. It’s time to get out there, move, and experience the world around you.

Tell me about YOU. Are you a walker? How often? How long? Is it your stand-alone activity… or do you do other forms of exercise, too?

Also, check out her available books at http://amazon.com/author/drcolleen .

Filed Under: exercise, Featured, general health Tagged With: cardio, endurance, exercise, fitness, healthy lifestyle, Vibram, walking

Simple Exercise Tip for Core Strength, Stability & Toned Abs

May 18, 2013 By Dr. Mom Online Leave a Comment

Just a quick little exercise tip and recommendation today…

If you’ve spent any amount of time in a gym, with a trainer, flipping through fitness magazines, or watching infomercials, you’ve no doubt heard the importance of exercise for our core: our abs, lower back… basically the entire trunk area.

We know that core strength is key to not only looking great, but also functioning well and avoiding injury.

However, core rotational stability may be even more important, according to many fitness gurus…and perhaps even more often lost somewhere in our distant memory or put on the back burner of things we need to work on and train.

The dumbbell plank row is a perfect memory-refresher! I remember reading years ago that this was one of the best exercises for core strength and stability, as well as toning and defining our abs & core. I remember trying it and thinking, “Holy cow! I can really feel that!”

So, what did I do? I did it in my work outs for awhile… and then, somewhere along the line, completely forgot about it! Go figure.

Something reminded me about these a couple months ago, and they’ve been back on the front burner of my work outs ever since.

Once again, you can hear me exclaim, “Holy cow! I can really feel that!”

So, how do you do dumbbell plank rows?

photo credits: Muscle & Fitness Hers

1. Grasp two dumbbells (or other weights) that you could curl for about 15 reps. Obviously, you may need to experiment with the right weight for this.

2. Get into a plank position, or push-up position, with the weights on the floor, palms facing in and shoulder-width apart. Your feet should be hip width apart.

3. Contract your core and glutes, keep your back flat. Then perform a (controlled) dumbbell row with one arm, bringing the weight to slightly above your hip. Return the dumbbell to the floor and repeat with the opposite arm. Or, you can crank out your repetitions all on one side first, then move to the other side.

photo credits: Muscle & Fitness Hers

4. If the hip on your non-lifting side dips, widen your feet a bit to decrease the rotational stability requirement. Keep the overall movement under control.

5. How many repetitions? Enough to challenge you while using a weight that is challenging. Clear as mud, right? When your plank form starts to fall apart and your rowing starts looking a bit like a wild chicken flapping around, well… you’ve probably done enough! (I normally do a couple sets of these, sometimes 3, with 8-15 reps, depending on how much weight I’m using that day.)

6. If you’re feeling really feisty and ambitious, &/or can easily perform push-ups (on either your knees or toes), add a push-up variation between reps to increase your total-body involvement. You can also do a combination of dumbbell row with a tricep kickback. Watch your trunk stability, though.

TIPS:

Keep your abs tight and your back flat during this move
If your hips tend to dip as you row, widen your stance
Keep you head in line with your spine.

I really like how these dumbbell plank rows work those core muscles that are often hard to get to with other exercises… or, at least they’re not always so easy to feel being worked during other exercises. With this one, you can almost feel those obliques being carved out!

Or, maybe that’s just my optimism playing mind games on me!

Let me know what you think when you try them… AND what YOU love to do for core strength, toning and stability.

Also, check out her available books at http://amazon.com/author/drcolleen .

Filed Under: exercise, Featured Tagged With: abs, belly, core stability, core strength, exercise, plank pose

Exercise & Movement for “Regular” People!

May 8, 2013 By Dr. Mom Online Leave a Comment

I’m no elite athlete or hardcore competitor.

I just really enjoy moving my body… being active… “exercising”.

I consider myself a “regular” person (stop laughing) who values health and fitness, and, yes, I care about what my body looks like on the outside in addition to how it functions on the inside.

I also happen to understand, from a physiological perspective, the necessity of moving my body on a daily basis. Movement is essentially converted into neurological food for the brain.

It’s called Proprioception. When we generate proprioception through movement, we fire up the brain and improve its output. Obviously, this is a better approach to altering brain function than taking drugs.

Now, there’s absolutely nothing inherently “wrong” with training or competing at an elite level. Not at all. Over time, I’ve just evolved into someone who’s pretty chill about my body and how it should move for me.

I am an athlete, though. So are you. We all are… just to varying degrees. It’s in our Human Body Owner’s Manual.

Maybe I’ve turned a certain mental corner because of the date on my birth certificate, or maybe it’s because my responsibilities don’t currently allow me to escape the house for long training sessions, but I no longer feel compelled to beat myself up to “get in shape”. (Been there.) I’ve already got an annoying list of chronic injuries from my more intense days, and I don’t care to add to that list any longer!

Now, I’m “training”, on a daily basis, to live a long, healthy, functional, drug-free life… one in which I truly enjoy my body and what it does for me, where it can take me, and how it can add more vitality to my days. This doesn’t mean I can’t or won’t do “Cross Fit” work outs or some other insanely challenging work out… it just means that I’m more balanced now.

I want to be here for a long time, preferably injury-free, physically fit, strong and capable.

When people ask me what I do for exercise – and what I recommend – I can give a pretty simplified answer. Keep in mind, the details change on a regular basis as the seasons change, as my personal focus and interests change, as my short-term goals change, as my schedule changes, etc.

Overall, here’s a good, solid plan for creating better health through movement:

Walk every day (or some other steady-state, low-intensity activity that you enjoy).
A couple times per week*, lift heavy things and use full ranges of motion. Challenge yourself. This could be “weight training” or “resistance training”… or just using your own body weight for some pretty amazing full body work outs.
A couple times per week* do bursts of high intensity “training”. A good example is sprinting.
On a daily basis take care of all the parts that take care of you! Do spinal hygiene exercise, stretching, use a foam roller &/or an exercise ball to work out the rough spots, do balance work, do breath work, etc.
Play, play, play! Do whatever sports or activities you love to do!

* as a baseline

By the way, the activities on this list can be performed at all different intensities, durations and with an incredible array of variety. This is no slacker list! This is a road map for moving your body for the long run… feeling great… and looking great.

If you look at that list and think, “It’s too much”, then being healthy for years to come might be too much for you as well.

Sorry. Tough love!

I’ve met far too many folks lately who do absolutely nothing to move their bodies in an intentional manner. Nothing. These are very capable folks, by the way. They simply choose to do nothing… or, choose to do something else instead.

Knowing the physiological, mental and emotional ramifications of this type of choice makes it all the more unfathomable to me.

Then again, I suppose that’s all relative.

Some people tell me that they just don’t have the time. My response? If all you can do is 5-10 minutes per day, DO it! That is far better than nothing! Do not tell me you can’t find 5 or 10 minutes. Create it.

Hint: You may need to put your smart phone down for a few minutes, for cryin’ out loud, or step away from the computer, or turn off the television!

Yeah. I’m onto you.

Others tell me things like their daily back pain or knee pain or neck pain, etc. is what prevents them from moving, I think to myself, “I have daily back pain… and pain elsewhere… but that’s exactly what drives me TO move!”

Movement triggers the brain to release “feel good” hormones and chemicals, and to make us less sensitive to pain. Movement is a key to healing and feeling better.

Once you know that, you make different choices.

When I feel tired in the middle of the day, I exercise to wake up. It works.

When I feel a headache coming on, I get outside and exercise in the fresh air. It works.

When I feel achy and stiff, I do a nice, easy run or bike ride, or walk. It really works.

When I’m stressed out, I work out. I’m far more stressed if I can’t move!

Sure, there are times when a nap, or punching a pillow, or a good ‘ol session of lounging are just what the doctor ordered, too! But, generally speaking, moving my body always comes first.

I think that we should strive to create bodies that can serve, that can save, and that can be enjoyed.

We should be able to take of others and ourselves in the case of an emergency: Could you sprint up a flight of stairs to rescue a loved one? Or carry someone for a mile, if necessary? Or tread through flood waters while carrying your family to safety? Sure, it’s not likely you’ll ever need to… but it’s nice to know your body would be ready and up to the task.

We should be able to work hard and play hard, whatever that looks like to each of us on an individual level. We should be able to get around confidently until our final days.

We should definitely be able to dance to the beat of our own drummer!

Everyday, move. Make the time for it. Prioritize it. Your body and mind will serve you better because of it.

Also, check out her available books at http://amazon.com/author/drcolleen .

Filed Under: exercise, Featured Tagged With: athlete, back pain, burst training, Cross Fit, exercise, fitness, injuries, walking, weight training

Neck Pain While Running ~ What’s the Fix?

April 17, 2013 By Dr. Mom Online Leave a Comment

We take care of a lot of runners in our practice, from the casual weekend joggers to ultra-marathoners… and everyone in between.

You’d think we would primarily hear complaints about pain in the knees, or feet, or low back. Yet, it’s interesting how many runners have issues with neck pain during and shortly after their run.

A few summers ago, when I started logging more miles in my running, I began to notice the same thing. I clearly remember thinking, “Why on earth is my NECK hurting right now? I’m not running ON it, for heaven’s sake!”

(That type of scientific researcher thinking right there is what keeps you coming back. Admit it.)

Of course, within moments, I realized that some subtle shifts in my posture immediately remedied the situation. More on that in a bit.

In the years that have followed my ever-so-enlightened moment of neck pain while running, I’ve carefully listened to other runners describe their neck (cervical spine) pain and discomfort while running, and paid attention to the many potential contributing ‘environmental’ factors involved.

By far, the most common reason for neck pain amongst the runners we take care of is spinal and postural in nature.

The cervical spine should ideally be shaped like a “C” curve from the side, just like the lumbar (low back) curve. If this curve has been reduced for any reason, or, worse yet, reversed, and the head is shifted anterior as a result, this puts tremendous stress and strain on the soft tissues of the neck and upper back area.

A well developed cervical curve will protect the strength and integrity of the rest of your spine, prevent many injuries, as well as powerfully protect against degeneration of the spine.

Think of it this way, since the average adult head weighs somewhere between 12-14 pounds, that’s like a bowling ball… only smarter. If you held that bowling ball in your hand while your arm was bent at the elbow and tucked in against your trunk so the ball was close to your body, you could hold it pretty well and feel fairly strong for a good length of time.

However, if you straighten your elbow a bit, extending your arm, and carry that bowling ball out in front of you a bit… well, you’d better get your toes out of the way! You’ll lose strength much more quickly with this type of posture.

The same is true if your head is shifted forward. It’s a chronic challenge for the muscles and other soft tissues to maintain this ineffective posture – multiple muscle groups are chronically tense and over-worked as a result of trying to hold your big ‘ol noggin in the right place! This is also irritating to the spine and nervous system. Your brain wants to be over its “tail” – the spinal cord

NOW, add the repetitive impact of running to this already-irritated and vulnerable situation… ouch!

Of course, rarely is it as simple as only having anterior head carriage or a loss of cervical curve. Usually some upper back (thoracic) imbalances accompany the cervical imbalance. And, when the cervical and thoracic spines are involved, the lumbar spine likes to join the party, too. It’s hard to say who instigated all the trouble at this party – the point is to address the entire spine… the entire postural chain.

The fix?

Seriously, get yourself to a Doctor of Chiropractic to start working on re-balancing your structure and reducing nerve interference. There’s no need to live in the dark ages any longer! Chiropractic is an intelligent health care choice for anyone trying to live a healthy, active lifestyle.

This is more important than neck pain when running, by the way. If you’re losing the optimal postural alignment and balance of your spine, and the spine’s natural motion patterns are negatively affected, you’re setting the stage for degeneration of your spine… and the neurological side effects that accompany this.

If you’re already noticing “funny feelings” in your arms or legs, like numbness, tingling, burning, differences in strength side-to-side, it’s time to get your spine checked by a professional. That’s the most logical place to start.

Also, you need to check in on yourself during your run. If you start to feel discomfort, tightness or pain in your neck during your run, make sure you’re not bending too far forward – unless you’re lunging forward to cross the finish line first! Get your head back over your spine and do your best to relax those neck and upper back muscles. Look ahead rather than down – chin up, cheerio!

Especially once you’re starting to fatigue a bit in your run, that’s when some of your postural demons may sneak up on you. You may start to slouch a bit or lean too far forward, or your shoulders try to fuse to your ear lobes as you tense up, etc.

That’s not too different than our “real” life, is it? When we’re tuckered out, we tend to forget about maintaining our core strength, or protecting our lumbar curve, or keeping our head back over the spine. Same thing while running.

The source of the problem could actually be much lower in the body. The kinetic chain is all ONE chain – if anything is disrupted along the chain, it can cause problems elsewhere in the chain.

So, even though you’re feeling the problem in your neck, it could actually be coming from your feet, or knees, or hips and low back area.

It could be your shoes, your foot placement while running (heel strike, supination, pronation), an old knee injury you’re favoring and so on. If you’ve got a running gear store near you, they can usually provide an expert to help analyze your gait. That could be a helpful piece of this puzzle.

I see some crazy running gaits out there… arms flailing, feet slapping down, and what-not. It makes ME hurt just to see it! Think of how efficiently an animal runs. Yeah, go all cheetah on me!

Here’s another quirky little thing that might be contributing to your neck pain: what’s on your head or around your neck? I find that my neck pain shows up in run when I’m wearing a baseball hat… especially if it’s breezy or windy. Why? I tend to tuck my chin ever-so-slightly to prevent a gust of wind from snatching my hat off my head.

It took me a little bit to figure out I was doing this! However, I’ve discovered that I’m not alone in that strange habit!

I’ve also heard runners tell me, once they started paying attention to potential triggers like that, that their head phones or ear buds can do the same thing – they carry their heads slightly differently while wearing these. I’d imagine the same could be said for just about anything that we wear on or around our heads and necks. Just something to think about.

Oh, and in case you’re a gum-chewing-while-you-run type of person, that could be a contributing factor as well. The constant chewing is constantly working the jaw muscles… which are intimately connected to the upper cervical spine. Relax your mouth while you run – you’ve got enough other things to do!

Now I don’t want you to over-analyze every step of your run, of course! This is supposed to be fun, remember?! Most of all, just remember to maintain upright posture, get your big brain over your spine… and relax into your run. Find your groove, land lightly, relax your back, shoulders, and neck… and enjoy the blessing that God gave you a body that can, indeed, run.

***

How about YOU? What has helped YOUR pain during and after running? Please share!

Also, check out her available books at http://amazon.com/author/drcolleen .

For more information about working privately with Dr. Colleen in an Integrative Health Recovery Program for any number of metabolic and health issues, such as thyroid imbalance, weight loss resistance, hormonal imbalance, food sensitivity & gut permeability, cellular detoxification, and more, please contact her directly at trombley68@gmail.com. Distance programs are available.

Filed Under: exercise, Featured Tagged With: Chiropractic, chronic pain, long distance running, neck pain, numbness, posture, running, spine

How to Start Building Functional Strength

April 15, 2013 By Dr. Mom Online 2 Comments

If you haven’t been living under a rock lately, you are most likely aware that there are hundreds of exercise gadgets and pieces of equipment out there… “guaranteed” to be the answer to our fitness and weight loss prayers!

I hear from many frustrated practice members and clients that these exercise machines often end up as handy little clothes racks or towel racks! Another dust-collector. Money down the drain.

Really, the majority of exercise equipment and gadgets that people are buying are a waste in another area, too – the movement patterns this equipment locks you into, and the range of motion, are unnatural. Not always, but often.

As a result, they do little to train your muscles for real strength.

What is “real” strength? It’s Functional.

It means you can do the everyday activities that an active, healthy lifestyle calls for… without pain or fear of falling: you can go up and down flights of stairs; you can carry your groceries; you can lift your children or grandchildren; you can unload your trunk; you can go for a hike and enjoy nature; you can get down onto the floor to play with the kids… and get back up!

It means that you can live life, actively.

Rarely is it a twenty-something that asks me about this! It’s usually someone more “seasoned” (like me!) that starts to notice little ‘slips’ in their physical performance: more aches and pain, less range of motion, loss of balance at times, and so on.

When we’re young, we just don’t think about it. However, as we get older, it may be on the back burner of our mind… especially if we’re witnessing an elderly parent or neighbor who’s going through this. When you begin to lose your ability to lift, bend, pull, stand, or remain balanced, you begin losing your independence.

If you feel you’re already losing functional strength, it’s not too late to start re-building it with some basics.

Focus on working your “big” muscles in order to see the greatest gains in functional strength: legs, glutes/buttocks, lower back. These are the biggies to focus on – the majority of our strength and stability comes from below the waist.

If you have a challenge getting up from a chair or couch without using your arms for additional strength, or getting out of your car without hanging onto the door or handles, then you might have already lost some muscle mass in your legs.

Don’t take this lightly. You need that functional muscle strength to keep you upright, balanced, injury-free, agile and mobile as you age. You need it so that you can keep on living life, not just settling.

There will come a time when you’ll need to prove to your kids and grandkids that you did, in fact, know how to run and jump at some point in your lifetime! You don’t want to break a hip proving your point!

We need to re-build some muscle strength. I’m not saying you need to start entering fitness competitions, by the way. Unless, of course, that does something for you. For starters, let’s just focus on starting to get more fit!

The good news is that building up your strength in these large muscles doesn’t require excessive work and sacrifice. You don’t need a gym. You don’t need trendy, expensive exercise equipment that will end up buried under your clothes sooner or later.

There are some very basic, foundational body weight exercises that immediately add to your functional strength, and you don’t even have to leave home if you don’t want to.

Why body weight? That’s what you need to lug around with you everyday anyway. Why not learn how to move it in a variety of challenging ways, preparing it for a variety of challenges it will undoubtedly encounter over time?!

What are some of the most common movements we use in our overall routine? Things like bending down, bending over, lifting (with our legs, as well as overhead), pushing, pulling, reaching, standing up from a chair, couch or car, and so on.

Here are some examples of simple body weight exercises that will add to functional strength. Do these in short intervals of only 3-5 minutes at a time. If possible, do your squat-type exercises by a mirror so you can watch your posture.

Squats: The king of functional movements! BUT, if you’ve not done squats before, or your form isn’t ideal, then start with a proper chair sit.

Chair sit: Stand in front of a solid chair that is backed up against something so that it won’t slide. With your feet spaced shoulder width apart, and your back upright with your lower back slightly “arched”, chin up, bend at the knees and lower yourself to a seated position while maintaining a tight core and that upright spine. Think of ‘reaching back with your bum’ to sit down, while keeping your back up straight. (Work with me here.) Your arms can come out in front of you, parallel to the floor, for balance. Return to standing using the same postural cues. Repeat.

Squats: Once you can properly perform the Chair sits, you can move on to the squats. The main difference between squats and chair sits is that you’ll go down lower in the squats – BUT, maintain that great form you learned by doing chair sits properly.

Wall Sit/Wall Squat: Stand up against a solid wall with your buttocks, back and back of your head in contact with the wall. Place your feet out in front of you, far enough from the wall that when you slide down the wall into a “sit”, your knees are right over your ankles – not forward. For starters, space your feet a comfortable distance apart. Later on, you can experiment with placing your feet together, and even using only one foot to do this exercise. For now, lower yourself into a sitting position, trying to get down to where your thighs are parallel with the floor. Hold it as long as you can. Do not call me bad names as you do this! It’s good for you. : )

Squat Jumps: OK perky people, this one’s for you! Start with your body crouched, feet together, arms at your sides, head straight. From here, explode up into a jump as high as you can while simultaneously extending your arms and reaching overhead. Once you land (on shock-absorbing bent knees), go right back to the starting position. Repeat… and repeat… and repeat. You get the point, right?

Knee Bends: These are great for balance. Start with your feet less than shoulder width apart and arms at your sides, looking straight ahead. Now, bend your knees, lowering your body until your thighs are parallel with the floor. Rock up onto your ‘toes’ (balls of your feet) to do this. As you’re descending, simultaneously bring your arms straight out in front of you until they’re parallel with the floor, palms facing down. Keep your back upright and perpendicular to the floor the entire time. Without breaking the momentum, reverse this motion and return to your original starting position. Repeat.

Push-Ups: These are great for your entire upper body and core. Start face down on floor with your palms against the floor under your shoulders and toes curled up against floor. Keeping your back and entire core straight and tight, push up with your arms. Push evenly with both arms. The length of your entire body should be in straight line – like a plank from your head to your toes. Lower to within a few inches of floor and repeat.

Knee Push-Ups: If your upper body strength isn’t quite ready for full-on push-ups just yet, you can do “knee” push-ups where, instead of keeping your knees ‘straight’ and not part of the weight bearing equation, you can bend your knees, kneeling on them to bear weight on your knees throughout the movement. This way, you’re lifting less of your body weight.

Wall Push-Ups: These are another great starting option. Stand facing into a corner where two walls meet, placing one hand on each wall at shoulder height. Head up straight. Now bend your arms so that your nose moves into the corner. Keep your entire body in a straight line – no swaying or bending your back, for example. Then, push out from the wall to straighten your arms. Repeat. Keep your feet far enough from the walls so that you can get a nice, full range of motion when you bend those arms.

This looks like a lot, but it’s really not. You’re not going to do chair sits and squats, for example, or push-ups and wall push-ups. So, you could easily cycle through a series of squats, push-ups, squat jumps, and knee bends in less than 5 minutes. Then rest, and do another series in a few minutes… or at the next commercial break.

It may take you a few sessions to build up some stamina. That’s perfectly fine. Start slowly… creating a strong, capable, healthy body isn’t a race.

Once you’ve got your groove on a bit, you can add more functional moves that incorporate some twisting, some uneven surfaces and grips (since life is rarely “even”!), some lateral movements, and movements that challenge your balance even more.

For now, start with these basics and you’ll see gains in your strength, stability, and confidence in a matter of days!

Also, check out her available books at http://amazon.com/author/drcolleen .

Filed Under: exercise, Featured Tagged With: balance, core strength, fitness, functional exercise, resistance training, strength, work out

FREE on Amazon! “The Truth About Cardiovascular Training”

April 13, 2013 By Dr. Mom Online Leave a Comment

Guess what??

For a few days only, you can get my most popular book in The Truth About Health series for FREE on Amazon!

Hurry… this promo ends on Wednesday April, 17th!

The Truth About Cardiovascular Training: Increase Your Fitness and Decrease Your Fat in as Little as 60 Minutes a Week!

Book Description:

For years, long distance, endurance-type aerobic exercise – like walking, jogging, cycling and cardio equipment at gyms – has been the ‘golden child’ of the exercise revolution. Whether your exercise goals were weight loss-oriented or to protect your heart, we’ve been told that this was where we needed to spend our time and energy.

Guess what? The science of exercise physiology no longer supports this ancient philosophy of exercise! You want to get the most out of your time and effort. It’s time to change things up and make your cardio exercise effective… get the results you want!

No more wasting your time or getting bored with the same old routine. “The Truth About Cardiovascular Training: Increase Your Fitness and Decrease Your Fat in as Little as 60 Minutes a Week!” tells you exactly how to simplify your cardio exercise routine and how to maximize the effort you’re making. You will learn exactly how to spend significantly less time doing cardio and get significantly greater results!

When you work smarter you see how easy it is to blow “old school” cardio out of the water! You’ll burn far more fat and calories… even when you’re NOT exercising, as opposed to traditional cardio. The simple shift in one single component of your cardio will cause you to shed your unwanted, excess fat and body weight faster, as well as train your heart more effectively than you ever could with traditional cardio!
This is the action guide you’ve been waiting for!

Here’s what readers have been saying about

The Truth About Cardiovascular Training: Increase Your Fitness and Decrease Your Fat in as Little as 60 Minutes a Week!…

“Great!”

“Perfect book for anyone who puts off starting a exercise program, thinking it’s just too overwhelming. No nonsense book about why many of the current methods of exercise just don’t get the results we are looking for.” ~ E.C.

“A simple, quick, easy read. To the point and interesting. Loved it!!! Recommend it to anyone who is interested in getting healthy or wants to stay healthy. Thank you Colleen. “ ~ J.B.

“Very interesting read!”

“I am very excited about trying the things I have read in the book. I exercise 6 days a week right now and feel like I’m spinning my wheels and going nowhere! Can’t wait to see how well this works.” ~ C.J.

“Very good read!”

“I have been looking for ways to mix up my cardio routine. I had heard about Tabata but never actually paid any attention as to what it was and I work in a gym! This book gives fantastic easy to follow examples of ways to get the most out of your cardiovascular workouts. Well written Dr. Colleen!” ~ S.W.

“Excellent!”

“I was so excited to find a resource that gives me the tools to exercise. You could take 60 minutes to watch a movie, or take a fraction of that time to make a difference in your health. Thank you Dr. Colleen for writing this great resource!” ~ M.R.

* * *

Enjoy your free gift… and please let others know, if you’d be so kind!

I’d love it if you could share this anywhere you can… Facebook, Twitter, your blog, email… anywhere humans hang out! : )

As always, let me know how I can help you achieve a healthier lifestyle!

Also, check out her available books at http://amazon.com/author/drcolleen .

Filed Under: exercise, Featured Tagged With: aerobic, Amazon, burst training, cardio, exercise, fat loss, free Kindle books, interval training, sprints, weight loss

Tips for Staying Motivated to Exercise

April 4, 2013 By Dr. Mom Online Leave a Comment

Exercise is one of the most important components of a healthy lifestyle.

We all know this, yes?

However, a little “funk” can happen to the best of us. We can find ourselves in a phase where it’s challenging to peel ourselves off the couch and get our hind quarters in gear.

Maybe it’s a stress, or fatigue, or chronic pain, or depression, or whatever… we end up in a funk, lacking the motivation to MOVE.

Us human folk are driven by two things: seeking pleasure and avoiding pain. Of course, it’s usually some combination of the two that will determine what we will do or not do. So, if you’re lacking motivation to exercise, consider that maybe the thought of NOT exercising isn’t painful enough for you… or not exercising seems pleasurable… or exercising seems painful… or not pleasurable enough.

Just this kind of deep thinking should earn you points in the brain exercise department!

First, take it easy on yourself… no need to beat yourself up. A phase is just a phase. Take it for what it is.

This is about the big picture of creating a healthy, happy lifestyle here. It’s not always going to look exactly the way we think it should. As long as it’s healthy overall, then cool it with the stress and guilt. Oy.

Second, let’s re-assess the role that exercise plays in creating that healthy lifestyle. Sometimes, that alone is enough to fire up some motivation.

When I say exercise, what I’m really referring to is intentional “motion” or “movement”.

Why the differentiation? Because when I say “exercise” some people can get all wiggy on me. We start labeling it and confining it… what it’s supposed to be like and look like… and if we’re not meeting our own expectations, then we might as well throw in the towel and opt for couch surfing instead.

Phooey.

Instead of limiting ourselves with what we think exercise should look like, and what constitutes an “official work out”, let’s expand our views to incorporate MOVEMENT.

Become a “Mover for Life”.

Move your body.

Daily.

Movement is essential to optimal health. In our practice we say, “Motion is Life”.

It’s not something you do only when you have time, or when you need to lose some weight, or because your cardiologist told you to… it’s part of every single day. Or, it should be.

Movement (especially movement of the spinal joints) creates an important type of neurological communication – proprioception. It fires up communication to the brain, allowing the brain itself to function at higher levels of performance.

You know what this means, right? In addition to the obvious outward physical improvements that movement provides, it also directly contributes to improvements in mood, learning, memory, focus, hormonal communication, immune function, and every other physical, mental and emotional function you can think of.

A “better” brain = a better body AND a significantly better chance of living a long, healthy life.

So, we need to do this thing. We need to MOVE. It’s not just about your skinny jeans. It’s about your healthy genes!

OK. How can we stay motivated to exercise?

First, adopt the 3 keys to exercise success:

1. Variety – Move in a variety of ways. Think beyond ‘traditional’ work outs and incorporate things like balance, agility, flexibility, power, speed, strength, calisthenics, ‘spinal hygiene’, sports, dance, play, and so on. Think outside the box. There’s more to exercise (and life) than “cardio” and “resistance”.

2. Intensity - Not all exercise needs to be intense… but some of it definitely should. Make sure that at least some of what you’re doing for movement challenges you physically – it’s how you will improve your physiology. This could mean adding sprinting, or burst training, or even just revving things up enough to break a sweat.

3. Consistency – Keep at it. It’s a lifestyle you’re creating. It’s a daily choice to get up and move. It really is true that if we don’t move it we will lose it! If, some days, it only means you’re taking the dog for a little walk, so be it. That’s moving. (While the dog is doing it’s business, you could always bust a move with some power dancing, just to rev things up a bit! Good for the neighborhood morale!)

Need more info or ideas here? Well, fancy that. I just so happen to know of a couple short-and-sweet books that will help!

Here are some additional tips that might help keep you motivated… in case brain function and your entire future aren’t enough!

Think beyond the work out. What you’re doing now is either contributing to your healthier future (1, 5, 10, 20 years down the road)… or it’s subtracting from it. Hint: couch and subtraction are closely related.

Shorten your work outs. Switch to higher intensity, burst training for shorter-yet-highly-effective work outs. This alone could be enough to reinvigorate your approach to exercise.

Along the same lines, try full-body work outs with “functional” exercises. This allows you to seriously shorten your work out time while keeping things very interesting and highly effective.

Never the same work out twice. I like to switch things up every time I exercise. You may do some of the same basic exercise, just tweaked each time… or completely different every time. Need ideas? Google has gotcha’ covered here!

Make it an adventure… create an adventure. For example, go for a hike and see what comes of it. Climb a tree, use a log as a balance beam, scramble up a steep hill, run down the other side (or roll down)! Connect with nature and feel alive!

Start. I’m a big fan of starting. If you’re debating with yourself whether to exercise or not, just START. Make a deal with yourself that you can call it quits after 10 or 15 minutes (of true-blue effort) if you really, really can’t stand it. By then, your happy brain hormones should have kicked in and you’re half way to conquering the world. You’re good-go-go.

By the way, I’ve never met someone who has said, after 15 minutes of focused exercise, “Oh my goodness… I so totally regret doing that!”

Set some challenging-yet-realistic/achievable goals and milestones. Once you reach them, set more. Rinse & repeat.

Of course, there are goals that have to do with physical measurements (weight, body fat percentage, size), and other goals that might have to do with your performance, like running a certain time or distance. Another type of goal might be to get yourself geared up for a future event or challenge, like a 10k run, or a full or 1/2 marathon, or a triathlon, or a “Tough Mudder” type event, or a long distance cycling event, or a 3-day walk, and so on. You could even schedule a vacation where you’ll be active, like climbing, or surfing, or skiing, or white water rafting, or hiking… you get the point.

Think “seasonal”. I talk to some folks in the dead of winter or the peak heat of the summer who are grumbling about how they’ve lost the desire to run, or go to the gym, or whatever. Change it up. Why on earth would we think our bodies and brains would find the exact same types of work outs interesting year round, year after year? Change up your exercise “themes” every few months, if you’d like. You may go from being a distance runner in the warmer months to doing short runs plus kick boxing and yoga in the cooler months… or whatever floats your little boat.

Exercise at home. Not all your work outs need to happen in a formal gym setting, especially if that’s what holding you back from becoming a move. You don’t need a lot of equipment (or any, really) to get started. You can use your computer or TV monitor and enjoy the plethora of work out ideas on YouTube, or get yourself some DVDs – there’s so much available now, you shouldn’t have any problem finding something you enjoy.

Get social. Taking a class or joining a group or club works for a lot of folks. Try something new. Zumba, yoga, Pilates, spinning, cardio kick-boxing, a running club, and so on. Challenge yourself. Play nice with others.

Play sports, if that’s what you enjoy. Join a team or a league, or sign up for lessons if you’re a newbie.

Play like a kid… and play with your kids (or borrow a friend’s)! Jump rope, jump on a trampoline, play frisbee, skip, play on the playground equipment, play tag, have races, wrestle, play catch, dance. Have fun!

Add music. There are times when the sounds of nature are perfect to accompany your exercise. Then, there are the times when your soul feels the need to busta’ move! The right music at the right time can be all the motivation you need to keep going. Go on… shake your groove thing!

Try Not to Get Discouraged. This “becoming a mover for life” thing is not all-or-none. When you hit a rough patch (and you will), or you skip a work out or 6 (and you will), or you pull a muscle or otherwise injure yourself (you might, but let’s hope for the best), it seems pretty easy to give up. DON’T. Adversity builds character, right?

Just do something ELSE, for cryin’ out loud! “Can’t” run for a few weeks because of a knee injury? Swim, do yoga, work on your balance and flexibility, walk your dog more often. “Can’t” make it to the gym or your exercise classes because of a change in your schedule? Do something different at home – borrow some new exercise DVDs from a friend, or sign some out from the library. Try something new.

Opting for a pity party on the couch with a month’s supply of potato chips because you missed working out this week? Or because you gained a few pounds? Really? Don’t make me come over there. Get UP. Do SOMEthing. Even if it’s 10 squats (or deep knee bends, if “squats” sounds like too much work)… do something. March in place. Move your spine. Put a little Elvis in that pelvis. Smile. You’re getting better now. Carry on.

See? You were trying to get weird on me there.

Just because things aren’t shaping up the way you had hoped doesn’t mean they aren’t shaping up! Just do a side step and carry on.

When you look at the big picture of your overall life, the goal is to see an ACTIVE lifestyle that you enjoy participating in and having FUN with… and that keeps you healthy and lookin’ good!

Also, check out her available books at http://amazon.com/author/drcolleen .

Filed Under: exercise, Featured Tagged With: burn out, burst training, cardio, depression, exercise, motivation, resistance, stress, work out

Tabata Workouts ~ High-Intensity Fat Burning in Just 4 Minutes!

February 16, 2013 By Dr. Mom Online Leave a Comment

It’s hard to choose between barfing and passing out after “properly” performing one of these workouts!

Sound like fun?

It is… a little bit. Especially once you’re done the workout!

I’m talking about Tabata workouts.

At first glance you may wonder why on earth anyone would intentionally do this to themselves! But, there’s a reason this type of high-intensity interval “burst” training has become a go-to workout, not just for elite athletes, famous celebrities, but even regular folks, like me.

(Who you callin’ “regular”?! Puh-lease. Nothin’ regular goin’ on over here, thank you.)

Although I’ve done some crazy-intense Cross Fit workouts in the past, admittedly, I’ve never belonged to a Cross Fit gym… so I can’t be sure that I’ve ever played the Cross Fit “game” full-out. Cross Fit diehards would surely say, “Nuh-uh.”

Nonetheless, Tabata workouts are definitely some the THE hardest workouts I’ve done. It’s clear why the masses of Tabata believers call this “The 4-Minute Miracle.”

As fun as I’ve made it sound thus far, it’s definitely worth doing. Doing as little as 4 minutes (or one “Tabata”) can increase your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR: helps you burn more fat & calories even at rest), aerobic capacity, anaerobic capacity, and VO2 max.

In other words, it’s great for your metabolism, your circulatory system, and your respiratory system.

Some statistics say that Tabata workouts can make you (relatively quickly) look 200% leaner than traditional steady-state cardio workouts lasting an entire hour!

Yes, 4 minutes can actually do that. Tabata workouts can give you better fitness gains than a full hour of traditional cardio!

What’s not to love?

By the way, Tabata is not new. It was developed in the 1970′s for the Japanese Olympic team to gain a competitive edge over the rest. Betcha’ they did.

The trick to achieving all these glorious benefits from your Tabata workout is the level of intensity. No surprise there. We know the 3 main keys to success with fat-burning exercise are: intensity, variety, and consistency.

Tabata inherently covers the intensity component. Adding these workouts to your other forms of exercise and activity takes care of the variety aspect. Then, it’s just a matter of sticking to it for awhile for the consistency component.

To do a Tabata, pick a cardio activity, like running, jumping rope, or biking. Then, go as hard as you can for 20 seconds. Follow that with 10 seconds of rest and repeat seven more times.

And when I say “go as hard as you can go,” I mean it!

Go for 100% maximum intensity.

So, a Tabata is 8 “intervals”, alternating 20 seconds of 100% intensity with 10 seconds of “rest”.

By the end of the 4 minutes (really, by the end of your second interval) you should be gasping for air, feeling you’re quite possibly going to die. Don’t fret. You probably won’t! ; )

Really, the “workout” part is only 4 minutes, but you should absolutely warm up for 3-4 minutes and cool down for another couple. OK, so it’s really 10 minutes.

Think you’ve got enough time for that? (Don’t even think about saying “No”!)

Although Tabata is traditionally used with cardio activities, I’ve also applied the same structure to super-intense “resistance-type” and dynamic workouts.

I’ll do these with a variety of squats (weights included), swings, deadlifts, push-ups, pull-ups, chin-ups, incline rows, bent-over rows, overhead press, etc.

I’ve also mixed up a Tabata routine by adding “burst” moves, like burpees, mountain climbers, squat jumps, bench jump-ups, tuck jumps, and so on.

A mix of the two (resistance and bursts) is barf-provokingly good, too!

It’s crazy what 4 minutes can do!

You can Google Tabata workouts to get loads of ideas on how to create fresh routines every time, as well as ideas of what movements you can incorporate into a Tabata.

Tips for Getting Started with Tabata:

1) Even though you can do a Tabata interval with just about any exercise, start with one you’re very comfortable with. Focus on one new challenge at a time! Most people choose sprinting on a treadmill.

If you really want a challenging high-intensity workout, do hill sprints as Tabata workouts! Whoa – seriously great workout!

2) I’d recommend you get yourself a good timer to help you be as specific as possible with the intervals – they actually sell “Tabata” timers, if you think you might stick with this for awhile. Don’t even think about estimating the time, or keeping track in your head. Trust me. Your head will be busy with other life-preserving thoughts!

3) If you’re going to use a treadmill, after your warm-up, stand on the side rails and set the speed and incline for your maximum intensity 20-second bursts – you do not want to be messing with this during your workout!

4) It’s easiest to watch your treadmill timer for an easy, “even” time to start. E.g. on the minute or half minute. Then, a few seconds before that time comes, get one foot “pumping” on the moving platform so you get a feel for the speed, then hop on and go hard for 20 seconds.

Hold onto the railings and hop your feet off to the sides of the treadmill while you watch the timer for 10 seconds (9 seconds, really… so you’re already running at the very start of your next interval), then hop back on at 100% for the next 20 seconds, and so on.

5) Many veteran Tabata-believers recommend that you create a mantra that you can repeat to yourself during your 20-second intervals to distract you, motivate you, and plant some motivational seeds in your brain so that you’ll keep going.

For example, “I can DO this. I can DO this. I can DO this!” Or, “I am strong. I am strong, I am strong.” You get the point. It’s not original or creative, but it’s what works for me!

Adding just two Tabatas per week to the rest of your exercise routine will help you shed noticeable fat within just a few weeks… as long as you’re not blowing it with a toxic diet on the side!

* * *

If you’re doing workouts like these, along with resistance training, and eating a “healthy” diet, but you’re still not losing fat (or weight), PLEASE contact me! Something’s obviously not right, and I can help. It might be that you need some simple dietary corrections, or maybe there’s a problem with hormone resistance due to chronic inflammation and toxicity, or gut permeability… just get in touch with me and I’ll help!

* * *

If you already do Tabata, let me know how it has changed your overall health and fitness.

If you give it a try for the first time, let me know how you do!

Filed Under: exercise, Featured, Weight Loss Tagged With: 4-minute workout, burst training, calorie burning, cardio, cardio workouts, fat burning, fat-burning workouts, interval training, Tabata timer, Tabata training

5 Tips for Becoming a Better, Injury-Free Runner This Winter

February 1, 2013 By Dr. Mom Online Leave a Comment

Just because it’s winter, and that means chilly temperatures for many of us, doesn’t mean we can’t improve our running performance.

I know you might be enjoying your warm couch rather than heading outside for some frigid running… but let’s talk about a proactive strategy to adopt ’til the weather warms up again.

Winter is a great time to take a different approach to working out and running. It’s a great time to work on any underlying weaknesses in your body, any chronic injuries, as well as performance.

This is one of the items listed in my “2013 Plan for Success”: in the first quarter, my main “health” focus is to repair my body. That includes several things, from cellular detoxification and a cellular healing diet, to addressing musculo-skeletal injuries, and changing up my workout routine to accomodate a light day with a “body nurturing” focus every other day.

If you’d like to be a better runner come spring, so that your body performs and recovers better with fewer injuries, here are 5 things you can work on over the winter:

1) Strength training & Cross-training

When we primarily participate in only one predominant form of exercise, we pave the way for weaknesses and imbalances. Take the time now to address these by branching out and adding a variety of exercise to your routine.

Add full body resistance work outs, where you focus on multi-joint exercises for both upper and lower body strength – e.g. variations of squats, lunges, dead lifts, swings, push-ups, pull-ups, overhead press, chest press, rowing, etc. Big movements to work on big groups of muscles.

One of the most common weakness patterns in longer distance runners is gluteal weakness and/or imbalances. Yes, I’m talkin’ about your bum.

Be sure you’re incorporating functional resistance training to address these weaknesses with exercises like squats and lunges. These are some of the best ways to improve glute strength.

Single-leg exercises, like Bulgarian split squats, unilateral dead lifts, and pistol squats take your glute re-balancing and strengthening to the next level. Walking lunges with some type of resistance are great for lower body strength and balance as well.

Adding instability to your work out will help improve your muscle balance, too. Make friends with a BOSU ball, balance disc, exercise ball, and any other innovative ways to create an uneven, unstable surface for you to exercise on. This creates a greater challenge for your intrinsic, core postural muscles and will pay off big when you run, and even when you don’t.

Adding high-intensity burst training will improve your performance across the board, and keep you muscular and lean. Add bursts with basic moves like burpees, squat jumps, mountain climbers, varieties of kicks, vertical leaps, and so on. Of course, I highly recommend adding sprinting workouts to shake things up in your running.

A critical component of this whole enchilada is to give your body enough time to rest and recover. Make sure the day after a high intensity workout is a lighter day. If you work too hard, too many days in a row, your body has no time for repair.

If your spring, summer, and fall are filled to the brim with running, then add something completely different now. Shoot, it could be anything… skiing (downhill or cross country), snow boarding, skating, a racquet sport, dancing, kick boxing, play a sport, join a Cross Fit gym… you name it.

Of course, it would be nice to maintain some of this variety, even in your heavy running months. Just sayin’.

2) Joint Mobility

Again, when you primarily do one type of exercise most of the time, you set yourself up for some problems. One of them is a lack of (or imbalance in) joint mobility.

The greater the distances you’re running, the more this may tend to happen. Poor mechanics, poor posture, and chronic injury will contribute to joint dysfunction and muscular imbalances. The soft tissues that surround your joints will take a toll. If you’re not being proactive and taking care of those soft tissues, an injury is bound to occur.

Two of my favorite tools for getting down to the nitty gritty of soft tissue work are the foam roller and a lacrosse ball. Well, they’re my “favorites” in an “I seriously hate them at times” sort of way!

These two inexpensive tools can help reduce chronic inflammation and, over time with consistent use, help to restore the proper length of your over-worked muscles and reduce the strain on your joints. Some of the most common problem areas that will probably need your attention are:

Iliotibial band & tensor fasciae latae – “IT band” & “TFL” (those gnarly, tight things along the outer side of your thighs)
Glutes & piriformis muscles – basically, all over your buttocks, sacroiliac (SI) joints, and hips!
Hamstrings
Calf, soleus muscle, Achilles tendons – all lower leg stuff
Psoas muscle (and hip flexors) – one of the major, most overlooked, most chronic contributors to low back pain. You won’t love working on this in the moment… but you sure will afterwards!
Chest and upper back – just because they tend to get ignored.

You could spend an entire day reading and watching Google results from a search on how to use these two tools! Suffice it to say, they get in there and get the job done!

Kelly Starrett

Whether or not you’ve already got soreness, aches, or pain, you’ve got to tend to your soft tissues and joints. If you’ve already got pain, you’re late. : )

Hands down, my favorite go-to guy for ALL joint mobility, injury-prevention and recovery stuff is Kelly Starrett, DPT of www.MobilityWOD.com. His site offers a wealth of information, knowledge, and fantastic strategies to help your body recover from injury and perform at its best.

Love/hate him, too!

(99% love.)

3) Get Things Fixed

This tip kinda’ ties in to the last one. Take care of yourself.

In tip #2, this was up to you. Do your stretching and foam rolling and lacrosse ball work. In tip #1, adding variety and days of recovery were up to you, too.

In this tip, get the help from others you need.

I think every owner of a physical body should have a team of folks who help them take care of it. No, not pharmacists, either. Folks that help your body stay tuned up and functioning at its best… like Chiropractors. How can your body perform at its best if it’s neurologically and structurally out of whack?! Regular Chiropractic care is part of a healthy lifestyle for athletes and non-athletes alike.

Add to that list all sorts of fabulous body work to benefit from: massage, structural integration (Rolf technique), Bowen technique, postural integration, Hellerwork, Soma, CORE… so much to choose from!

Take advantage of this time of year, when your running schedule might not be as intense, to address underlying chronic issues. Get ‘em fixed… then maintain your new & improved “fix-ed-ness”!

4) Assess Your Running Technique

This one may be a bit tricky. Maybe. Maybe not.

Many running experts suggest having a video taken of your running technique so you can take a look-see at your technique – posture, stride, cadence, foot strike, etc.

Whether you can swing the video or not, one of the most important, injury-preventing tips for running is to be aware of the amount of force you’re landing on, and where the brunt of that force is taking place.

Think of landing “softly” with each step. Like a cheetah. I’ve never seen a cheetah pound its feet into the ground when its running! Swift and light.

Many running coaches recommend, in order to accomplish this lighter landing, that you adjust your cadence a bit. Shorter, quicker strides. Give it a try – see if it reduces the brunt of the impact for you.

Also, the obvious thing to address here is heel strike. If cheetahs had a “heel”, I seriously doubt they’d land on it first! If you’re driving that heel down first, your kinetic chain will suffer – too much jarring impact through the heel… up to the knee… into the hips… low back… you get the picture.

Of course, there’s far more to proper running technique than just cadence and foot strike, but most would agree that foot strike is one of the most important things to assess, and correct, first. Oh, and quit stickin’ your head out so far in front… your brain wants to be over your spinal cord!

5) Eat an “Anti-Inflammatory” Diet

This is just a no-brainer for overall health and performance.

Chronic cellular inflammation not only prevents optimal performance and recovery from injury, but it puts us at serious risk for developing chronic and degenerative illness. This is serious stuff.

Some of the more inflammatory foods to consider reducing or eliminating are:

trans fats, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats & oils
high fructose corn syrup, conventional corn and all its derivatives
refined sugar and excess of any source of sugar (including grains)
artificial sweeteners, artificial flavors, artificial colors
modern soy and all its derivatives
energy drinks, ‘sports’ drinks, fruit drinks, designer coffee drinks, soda pop
the majority of packaged snack and convenience foods, fast foods, junk foods
diet food & beverages, low-fat & fat-free foods
conventional dairy products & conventional meats/animal products that are grain-fed, soy-fed, or corn-fed

Keep it simple: grass-fed meats and eggs, wild-caught fish from deep cold waters, healthy (real) fats, abundant fresh vegetables, some fruit, fermented and cultured foods, some raw nuts & seeds, lots of pure water, and some ‘green drinks’ for good luck! Beyond Organic is a great source for many of these healthier foods. (Check out your local farmers, too.)

To take it to the next level, you could even work on a cellular detoxification program where the focus is to restore optimal communication at the cell membrane, thus improving all hormonal function, and improving the ‘excretion’ of toxins out of the cell while improving the ‘flow’ of nutrients into the cell.

This is all part of the recover, repair, and regenerate phase we can focus on at this time of year.

(Contact me if you’d like more info about a thorough detox protocol to accomplish this.)

*****

Let me know what YOU do during the cooler (colder) months to stay in shape and be ready for more running in the spring!

Filed Under: exercise, Featured Tagged With: burst training, chronic pain, detoxification, inflammation, intervals, knee pain, low back pain, mobility, performance, running injuries

Who You Callin’ “Extreme”, Mister?

January 24, 2013 By Dr. Mom Online Leave a Comment

Him? Extreme. ME? Not so much!

Recently, someone told me, point blank, “You are totally extreme.”

I looked over my shoulder to see who he was talking to…

I’ve known him for years. I love this man. I’ve always known him to “tell it like it is”.

This one took me by surprise, though!

We were talking about health… about him getting healthier and losing the extra weight he has been struggling with for too many years. He wanted to hear about the programs we use to help people with chronic weight issues and weight loss resistance.

He was telling me about all the fad diets he has tried over the years – losing a ton of weight, only to gain it all back very quickly. He was telling me about his overall diet – will NOT eat vegetables, hates water, drinks pickle juice and ketchup for the salt, wants to eat several bologna sandwiches every day, and piles peanut butter, cheese, or any other available topping onto his “diet” cookies!

Houston, we have a problem.

I asked him if he was serious about this and willing to commit to putting his health first, as opposed to just focusing on the scales.

Here’s how the conversation went after that:

Him: “Oh, yeah. I’m definitely doin’ this. I’m not going to be extreme like you are, though.”

Me: “What?! Who are YOU callin’ extreme? I’m not extreme at all!”

Him: “Oh yeah you are. Totally. You’re over-the-top!”

Me: “No. I am not. Why would you think that?”

(To myself, thinking of all the not-even-remotely-extreme habits I have and choices I make… thinking of all the extreme sports I’ve never even attempted to try… all the risks I’m too chicken to take…!)

So, I asked Mr. Pickle Juice what his definition of “extreme” is.

OK, now this is where it got rather comical…

He told me I’m extreme because I’ve been sticking to this “healthy thing” for years… all the years he has known me. Over 17 to be exact.

I’m “extreme” because, for years, he has seen me “out there” running, or cycling, or walking the dog and the kids…

I’m “extreme” because I’m “skinny”. (Trust me. I am not “skinny”. I haven’t been “skinny” since I was twelve! “Skinny” is an insult… although I know he didn’t mean it as such.) When I pointed this out to him and flashed him a biceps muscle, he said, “Okaaayyyy… but you never gain weight… in all these years… that’s extreme!” Shut the front door.

I have entered the Twilight Zone with him now. This is wild!

I’m “extreme” because he saw me eating lettuce wraps at a Mexican restaurant and thought to himself, “Who eats lettuce wraps at a Mexican restaurant??!!” Um, me. They’re better than anything else on this particular menu!

I’m “extreme” because in all the years he has known me, I keep “putting out information, trying to get people to eat healthy and exercise, and get adjusted regularly, and detox… and all that stuff…”

“You won’t even eat a donut, for cryin’ out loud!” Um, I don’t like donuts… didn’t realize how offensive that was! My bad.

“Oh, and you don’t take drugs!”

OK, well he got me there. However, it’s merely a difference of opinion. What if I believe that taking drugs is the extreme choice? Ever think of that?

By now, I was seriously cracking up… and looking for a little back-up!

It’s interesting, isn’t it?

When I look back over the past couple of decades, I simply see a pretty “normal”, happy, healthy lifestyle… relatively balanced… full of healthy choices in movement and nutrition. He assumed that, all those times he’d see me “out there” running, or biking that it was a chore for me, and therefore, making it “extreme” that I made myself do it. But I think back to all those times with fondness. I LOVE to get outside and MOVE!

I’ve not done any of the “extreme” races and events that are so popular nowadays… I’ve not done any marathons or ultra-marathons… nothing like that. I’m not fitness goddess by any means! I’ve never surfed or jumped out of a plane or gone white water rafting or even snow-boarding. Pretty boring by a lot of people’s standards. In fact, I know a few people who get frustrated by how NON-extreme I can be!

I’ve just consistently moved my body in a variety of ways for years because it makes me feel good and I know how good it is for me. Kinda’ simple.

I also love how it feels to fuel my body with yummy, less-toxic, real food. I think eating factory food and food loaded with toxicity is rather extreme, personally… but I’ve still been known to “choose” those tasty toxins with eyes wide open from time to time! Also, no vegetables?? Totally extreme, dude!

I know all the less-than-healthy choices added to the mix, too. I know where I’d like to improve and what I’m working on. I know how “real” we are. It’s what makes it so easy for me to relate to the folks I help on their health journey. I get it. I can see the simple tweaks to make here and there in order to make the big picture a much healthier one.

Oh, and as far as trying to help people live healthier lives? Yeah. Not gonna’ stop with those “extreme” behaviors anytime soon! ; )

“It’s not about being perfect… it’s about making healthier choices, more often… and sticking with it over time!”

Filed Under: exercise, Featured, Nutrition, Weight Loss Tagged With: detoxification, fad diet, healthy diet, nutrition, weight loss, weight loss resistance

Yes, You Can Still Do This. Yes, I Will Still Help!

January 14, 2013 By Dr. Mom Online Leave a Comment

Maybe it’s because the start of a new year has people motivated and inspired to get healthy again and lose their excess weight.

I’m not sure the reason, but recently I’ve had quite a few folks asking me if they could still do the JJ Virgin Challenge.

The answer is YES! Of course!!

JJ had some special “book launch incentives” back in November… but she’s still got plenty goin’ on with great bonuses and add-ons to her program.

By the way, the folks who have been doing JJ’s program are posting exceptional results and success stories! Great stuff.

***

I’ve also had people ask me if I’d still be willing to offer my complimentary Metabolic Assessment along with a follow-up consultation and strategy session when you purchase JJ’s Challenge program through my site.

The answer is YES! I’ve decided I’d do that for all you wonderful little health-seekers out there!

Below is one of the posts I did about JJ’s program a couple months ago. (Just ignore the dates! You can still order the program, no problem.)

Check it out. Then go ahead and get started! JJ is as real as it gets. She knows her stuff and her programs are solid!

I’m here to help you make 2013 your breakthrough year for optimal health and function… inside and out!

*****

All righty… I just want to give you one last reminder about this great new program by celebrity nutrition & fitness expert, JJ Virgin. Her new book, “The Virgin Diet”, is already a top seller… and it’s still in the pre-launch phase!

If you don’t know JJ, look her up! This lady is a phenom! She’s a class act, knows her stuff, and is a trusted veteran in the health & wellness industry. She’s also got an amazing “mom story” that tugs on my heart strings. Her eldest son was hit by a car and nearly killed a couple months ago. JJ has turned the earth upside down to get him the proper care that he needs, and has been at his hospital bedside for countless hours… lovin’ on him while he’s awake, and working her tail off when he’s not. This lady is as dedicated as they come.

When it comes to her weight loss and nutritional strategies, JJ’s not just regurgitating the same (inaccurate) nonsense that so many others in the field are. Her program is different – it’s based on solid science and current research.

That’s why we support JJ. She’s speakin’ our language!

Her “Virgin Diet” and the “Virgin Diet Challenge” are based on many of the same principles we teach in our practice. Weight loss oftentimes isn’t as simple as, “eat less, move more.” That works for some folks… but not all. If your “gut” is unhealthy or damaged from a history of medications, stress, toxic diet, and a gazillion other things, then even foods you think are healthy can be damaging to your system… AND making you fat, tired, achy, and cranky.

Food intolerance is one of THE leading reasons why almost 3/4 of overweight people are struggling.

Think about it – counting calories and “points” won’t help AT ALL if the foods themselves are what’s making you sick and fat!

Check out this video of JJ describing her program… great stuff!
This weekend is your last chance (as far as I’ve been told) to get in on JJ’s Virgin Diet Challenge special pricing… and all the freebie bonuses she’s throwing in. The special pricing ends on Sunday November 25th!

She’s hitting the road now to do a series of PBS episodes about her program, as well as some work with various talk show hosts, like Rachael Ray. Now’s the time to get her program at this introductory price… because it doesn’t look like it will last much longer!

I believe in JJ’s approach so much that I’ve sweetened her deal…

If you order JJ’s Challenge program by this Sunday, I’m going to give you a $125 gift!

My uber-smart Dr. Hubby and I are offering our comprehensive metabolic and functional health assessment to anyone who enrolls in JJ’s program through this post. While JJ’s program is an immediate boost toward improving your health and dropping those excess pounds, our assessment will take things to the next level.

Through our detailed assessments, we will determine your current level of physiologic imbalance and the possible next action steps that are right for you. When you sign up for JJ’s program to take her Challenge, there is NO charge for your assessments with us AND no charge for your follow-up consultation with the doctor (in person, on phone, or via Skype). This is normally a $125 service in our practice! (That’s the “gift”, by the way.) The information and knowledge you will gain is invaluable. You’ll have a clear direction to take with a health-recovery strategy personalized for YOU.

We’re doing this because we know how much of an impact JJ’s program can have on your life – if you do and commit to it.

If you sign up for JJ’s program by Sunday, AND you’re interested in taking us up on our offer, then shoot me an email at info@drmomonline.com to let me know you’d like to get started.

I really like some of the extras that JJ is creating for this program, like her holiday survival tips and her travel tips. She’s giving all the tools and strategies necessary to truly make this a lasting lifestyle change for the folks that work with her.

It’s a great program! If you can do it, DO IT… TAKE THE CHALLENGE! You could be a different person, inside and out, by Christmas! I’m here to help you along the way…

Filed Under: exercise, Featured, Nutrition, Weight Loss Tagged With: detoxification, diet, exercise, JJ Virgin, nutrition, weight loss

Superior Exercise for Fat Loss ~ Sprinting

December 22, 2012 By Dr. Mom Online Leave a Comment

Ka-POW!

It’s becoming more common, even in mainstream sources of health, fitness and weight loss information, to hear that high-intensity, interval-type, “burst” training is the superior form of exercise for optimal fat loss.

For those new to this type of exercise, there’s no need to fret or to feel intimidated. Burst training can be performed at virtually any level of fitness. It just takes a little creativity and commitment.

For the purposes of this post, I’ll just talk about “cardio” type work outs. Just know, similar principles apply to resistance training as well.

Essentially, all you need to do is take whatever you’re currently doing (or plan on doing!) for your cardiovascular exercise, and add short periods of more challenging, higher intensity movement during that exercise period.

For example, let’s say you’re a walker and you normally go for 30-minute walks. So, let’s shorten that walk to 15 – 20 minutes instead, two or three times per week, and throw in some “bursts” of jogging, or running, or jumping jacks, or walking lunges, or vertical leaps, or jump rope… something that increases the challenge for you noticeably.

You can do these burst episodes for 10 seconds, 20 seconds, 30 seconds, etc. You just don’t want to go past a minute of full-out high intensity because it’ll begin to change your fat burning efficiency. So, you do a “burst” for a few seconds, then follow it with a recovery period. In the case of walking, just resume your walk. Then, add another burst, recover, add another burst… hence, “interval training”. 4-6 bursts is a great routine.

Depending on your current condition, your fitness goals, and various other factors, you can work up to bursts-to-recovery at a 1:1 ratio of duration, or 1:2 or 1:3. The point is to add bursts!

There are so many simple ways to incorporate this type of training to your exercise – I’m really only scratching the surface here. You can google “burst training” or “interval training” for countless ideas of how to incorporate this type of fat-burning exercise into your routine. You can do it with walking, jogging, running, swimming, cycling, roller blading, skating, cross-country skiing, racing with your kids or playing tag, on a treadmill or elliptical or exercise bike, with a jump rope, while dancing in your living room, etc. Use your imagination!

Speaking of fat burning, high intensity burst training is King. Even though your work outs will be shorter, you’re going to work “harder” (and smarter) and, therefore, you will burn more fat in the long run than you will with longer cardio work outs that are steady-state, low-to-medium intensity.

You will build more lean muscle mass which essentially serves as your body’s fat-burning furnace and results in a higher Resting Metabolic Rate. This, in turn, ensures that you’re burning more fat and calories even at rest, long after your fat-burning work out of bursts has finished! Nice.

Picture athletes who do a lot of sprinting or high-intensity as part of their sport, like sprinters, soccer players, hockey players, basketball players, and so on. They’re lean, muscular… and not emaciated looking.

My hands-down favorite type of burst training is sprinting.

I usually do this outside, but I also do it on our treadmill, if I need to stay home with my kids. I also like to add variety and intensity by doing hill sprints.

I do about 10 minutes of “warm-up”, whether that’s a jog over to one of my sprinting roads, or some brisk walking and then jogging on the treadmill. I spend about 10 to 25 minutes going through sprint cycles. If I’m the treadmill, it’s usually in the neighborhood of 10 – 15 minutes, because I get bored out of my mind on a treadmill!

My favorite routine is to do an easy run over to my sprinting road. Then, I do full-out wind sprints that are between 50 – 100+ yards. I like to start with the shorter ones and work my way up. If I’m doing hill sprints, I usually do 7 – 10 of them and they’re a tiny bit shorter in distance. If it’s straight-out wind sprints, I’ll usually do 10 – 12. Sometimes more, sometimes less. I like to spend a good, solid 10-15 minutes cycling through the sprint intervals. Then I do an easy run back home for another 10 minutes or so.

Outdoor sprints are better than sprints on the treadmill for a few reasons. For me, I crave being outside, even in the cold. Also, sprinting outside is more physiologically effective because there’s more force production involved in accelerating a sprint outdoors compared to on a treadmill.

More work done by the body means more results for you.

Plus, the maximum speed on a lot of treadmills isn’t high enough for full-out sprint. Ours is, because we looked for that when we were shopping around. But I still prefer outdoor sprints. The major exception is when it’s icy and treacherous outside… then, I’m perfectly happy and grateful to have a treadmill as an option.

Wind sprints are one of the specific exercises that are known to increase your body’s production of growth hormone (GH) – it’s a fat burning hormones. This is one of the body’s natural, built-in mechanisms for staying lean, strong… and even more youthful!

How’s that for motivation for getting your buns moving?!

If you’re just starting with sprints, don’t go 100% full out right away. Ease into it. Start with a few work outs at 60%, then 70%, then 80%, then 90% intensity as you work up to full-out 100%. Really, just start wherever you need to start!

If you’ve been doing these for awhile, you can increase the challenge by adding more hills, or increasing the length/distance of sprints, or increasing the number of sprints, or decreasing your recovery time between some of the sprints.

When I do these in the morning (my preferred time of day), I don’t like to do them without much food in my belly ahead of time. But, I have figured out the right amount and the right type of food to eat about 20-30 minutes ahead of time that provides the most energy and gets me the best work out results.

I’ll share that in an upcoming post!

For now, try adding some burst training two or three times per week for starters. Stick to it for at least 3 weeks. Then, let’s compare notes! Tell me how you’re feeling… and looking!

Filed Under: exercise, Featured, Weight Loss Tagged With: burst training, cardio work out, cardiovascular exercise, fat loss, growth hormone, interval training, resistance training, sprinting

This New Year, Ditch All-or-None Thinking and Stay Healthy

December 12, 2012 By Dr. Mom Online Leave a Comment

Whether I’m working with a practice member in-person, or working with a client “virtually”, one of the most common things I hear people do that sabotages their efforts to make healthy lifestyle changes (like eating better and sticking to an exercise plan) is to think their efforts have to be “all-or-none”.

You know what I mean. It can sound like this…

“I missed my work out the last two days… ahh, I’ll just start again next week.” (and, it’s only Wednesday!)

“I’ve already blown my eating plan for the day… I might as well just have that second serving of dessert since I’m off track anyway!”

With the New Year Resolutions fast approaching, these are the types of things many people typically say to themselves in late January or by mid-February!

I’m sure we could sit here and psycho-analyze all the underlying reasons WHY we do that to ourselves, or what it might mean about our self-worth, or our discipline, or some rotten childhood experience we had, and so on. But how about a different approach? How about we just take positive action instead.

Say something different to yourself and DO something that keeps you in agreement with yourself and the commitment you made to yourself to create better health (and a better body). It’s like climbing a flight of stairs. One step at a time… each one adding to the previous. No need to worry about the step you tripped on at the bottom of the flight… or about the challenging step coming up. Just take the next step.

You’ve got to ditch that all-or-none thinking. It’s completely limiting and does not serve you in the least.

Here are 9 Tips to Ditch All-or-Nothing Thinking:

1) Be aware that the negative voice (self-talk) in your head is constantly trying to have you take an all-or-nothing approach to your fitness and weight loss efforts. When you know it’s there, it’s easier to take charge of your self-talk and say something more empowering, like, “I am better than this. I can do this. My health is up to me. I make healthy choices.” Stay positive and keep moving forward. Take the next step.

2) Missing workouts or eating ‘bad’ on occasion only means you are human. Just because you slipped up does not mean you need to give up. Be responsible about how you “label” that missed work out or unhealthy food choice. You can choose to see the positive, cut yourself some slack, and make your next choice a positive one… or you can beat yourself up about it. (Not recommended.) Each day is a new day to be healthy so just jump back in the game and forget about yesterday! Actually… why would you even wait an entire day, if you don’t have to?! Take action and make a healthy choice right away!

3) Focus on “winning TODAY” and then repeating it again tomorrow. What’s your daily commitment to yourself? For example, do you commit to do some form of exercise each day, drink a certain amount of water each day, and eat more fresh vegetables with your meals? That’s great. Do that today. That’s a “win”. Now, do it again tomorrow. Win! Just string together as many winning days as you can and you’ve got the recipe for long-term, sustainable success. There’s less worry over how much weight you have to lose or how many workouts you need to do. All you need to do is focus on one day at a time (Win today) and making healthy choices. These wins add up to a healthy lifestyle with a body that shows it, inside and out.

If winning a day is too much at first, win a morning… or a meal… or whatever you can stick to for starters. One step at a time.

4) Redefine what a workout is! Here is my definition: anything that intentionally challenges your body in some way, whether it’s increasing your heart rate, building lean muscle, improving core strength, or improving balance and flexibility. Not all exercise needs to be 30-60 minutes in a gym! Goodness, most of us would fail at this, if that were the case!

This was an enormous mental shift for me a few years back. As a result, I don’t go a day without intentionally MOVING my body. Whether you can pull off 5 minutes of focused movement, or an hour… the point is to MOVE! Getting your rear end up off the couch and doing body weight squats and wall push-ups during commercial breaks is exponentially better than chowing down on chips as you zone out and become fossilized on that couch! Or, go up and down the stairs a few times, or do some jumping jacks, or go play with a hula hoop, or walk the dog, or jump on a trampoline, or do some stretches, or turn up the music and dance… you get the picture!

5) Create Random Acts of Fitness by turning everyday activities into workouts. Park far from the door at the store or office, march in place or alternate standing on one leg while brushing your teeth, do some deep knee bends while holding your child, put one piece of clothing away at a time while doing laundry (ugh – there’s motivation to just suck it up and go work out!), take two or more stairs at a time. Be creative – this can really add up!

6) Make your first beverage and meal of the day a healthy one. Have a glass of water before you put anything toxic in your mouth. Choose something “clean” and health-promoting to eat first. This is how you start a “winning” day, without any sabotage yet! Then, just keep adding healthy choices to those initial ones… building momentum. (Oh, and lay off the starchy carbs for breakfast and choose clean protein and healthy fats instead.)

7) Drink water all day long. This one is ‘easy’ to control. You’re totally in charge. Commit to it. Get yourself a quality, non-toxic water bottle you can refill with pure water throughout the day, and start sipping. This allows you to make a positive choice all day long. Plus, this helps you stay hydrated, most likely have fewer challenges with junk food cravings, and improve your overall health to boot.

Plan and prepare. One of the most important choices you can make to give yourself a fighting chance for success with your nutritional choices is to plan what you’re going to eat, and prepare it in advance. That means thinking beyond the next 5 minutes, most of the time! Make sure you’re stocked with healthy snacking foods, like veggies, fresh fruit, raw nuts and seeds, nut butters, as well as the fixings for healthy meals to go and meals that are (at least close to) ready when you get home. Of course, part of the plan is to get the toxic junk out of your easy reach! Plan to invest in healthy fuel and skip the junk. The more you plan and prepare, the easier long-term health is to sustain. You already knew this!

9) Find your re-set button. You are human. Therefore, you will get off track. Find your trigger – your self-talk – that serves as your wake up call to get back on a healthy track NOW. Maybe it’s an affirmation, or an inspirational quote, or a motivating photograph, or a prayer… whatever works for you. You need to find your trigger that allows you to immediately change course and get back to your healthy commitments to yourself.

All-or-none thinking is understandable. It’s sort of an easy way out of our commitments.

Just remember who’s in charge of those voices in your head. It’s YOU! Say more empowering things to yourself and you’ll begin to see your behaviors and choices shift more effortlessly as a result. Your self-talk is what drives your choices, after all.

It’s consistently made healthy choices that add up to a healthy life… one step at a time!

Filed Under: exercise, Featured, Nutrition, Weight Loss Tagged With: diet, exercise routine, healthy choices, healthy lifestyle, JJ Virgin, New Year Resolutions, nutrition, weight loss, work out

Motion is Life ~ How to Approach Exercise in a Functional, Primal Way

November 18, 2012 By Dr. Mom Online Leave a Comment

Motion is truly “life”.

Our bodies crave motion. Our brains are “driven” by motion of the joints. This is called proprioception – movement neurology, essentially. It’s the real reason why exercise and motion make us feel good, happy and alive.

We should strive to become “movers”.

Here’s the thing. We don’t need to do hardcore exercise in order to become effective movers. We don’t need to become marathon runners, or power weight lifters, or elite athletes of any sort in order to express healthier cell function.

We benefit greatly from a variety of movement forms. It’s hard to go wrong with exercise, honestly.

We do best when our overall exercise and movement routine is based on 3 basic components:

1) Variety – Mix things up to challenge different components of your physiology, as well as to prevent boredom and plateaus.

2) Intensity – Not all movement needs to be “intense”, but you should incorporate some challenging motion in your overall routine. Challenge is good. It stretches us mentally and physically.

3) Consistency – Rather self-explanatory. If motion is critical for brain health and, therefore, overall healthy function, then it makes sense that we should partake in activity on a very regular basis. Intentional movement on a daily basis is ideal.

When our intention is simply to live a long, healthy life (as opposed to training at elite levels for a specific sport) what types of motion should we incorporate and how often should we do them?

I focus on 7 main areas of movement in designing an overall exercise routine:

1) Simple moves – Slow & steady, as often as possible.

I believe that we should be able to move without a struggle. This type of simple movement includes the basics, like going for regular walks, taking the stairs more often, and parking the car further away from the door. We should be able to accomplish this simple level of activity on a daily basis, without aches and pains, and without resorting to our whiny pants.

2) Simple moves – A little more challenging, a little less often.

The next step is to ramp it up a bit and elevate your heart rate. Much has been said in recent years about the negative consequences of prolonged elevation of heart rate (as in long-distance, steady state, low-to-moderate intensity exercise). So, instead of the old-school cardio work outs being at the forefront of our exercise routines, we can back off on those a bit and pay closer attention to working below our maximum heart rate.

How do you calculate your maximum heart rate and your targeted range for aerobic activity? It’s not as simple as the old stand-by equation of 220 – your age. Science has evolved! It’s still pretty close, though. I’d recommend you go here to get a more specific calculation of your maximum heart rate. Then, you can calculate 55 – 75% of this maximum heart rate. This will be your target range for this level of aerobic activity.

(If this sounds like a pain, just do the 220 – your age! Then figure 50-80% of that number. Work in that range, depending on your current condition. For those of you who want more accuracy, and exercise specificity, use the link above.)

Do this level of exercise a couple times per week.

Great examples are: going for a brisk walk, a bike ride, hiking uphill, swimming, easy jogging, rollerblading, ice skating, easy rowing, stand up paddling… any activity that is slightly challenging, but keeps you in the target range.

3) Resistance & Lifting

You’ve got to consistently work at getting and staying strong. There are countless health-related reasons for this, such as decrease risk for falls, injuries and fractures, better posture, and even improved insulin sensitivity. Also, there are the more ‘superficial’ reasons, like looking lean and toned, and the added benefit of lean muscle mass to burn fat and calories for you.

There’s no need to over complicate this. There are some basic body weight functional movements that will challenge you and get you noticeable results on the inside, and out.

For the lower body: Squats and lunges cover almost all your needs. If you can add dead lifts to that duo, you’re set. Start easy – practice squatting by sitting down in a chair, and start lunges by holding onto a counter or chair back for balance.

As you gain strength, balance and confidence, you can add plenty of variety and challenge by playing with your stance, surface and stability, tempo, number of sets and repetitions, as well as recovery time between sets.

For the upper body: Pushing and pulling movements are the focus.

The leaders of the pack are push-ups, pull-ups, and overhead press. If you can’t yet swing a pull-up, I like rowing (pulling) type exercises. Again, add variety and challenge by changing the surface, the placement of hands, tempo, etc.

Don’t forget your core! Fortunately, when you’re doing mostly functional and multi-joint exercises as listed above, you’re naturally engaging your core on a regular basis. When you do add specific core exercises, focus on adding full core challengers, like jack-knives on a ball, mountain climbers, planks, etc.

Now put these all together! Two or three times per week, do a variety of these functional exercises in a 10 – 25 minute session. Be sure to include lower body, upper body, and core all in the same work out.

4) High-Intensity Challenge

High-intensity, short-duration activities, like sprinting, provide a greater challenge. Thankfully, they also provide greater results! High-intensity burst training burns more fat and calories over time than longer, steady-state cardio work outs. They also create very positive changes in hormone balance, and improve insulin sensitivity. You can accomplish all this with bursts as short as 5 seconds, working up to 10, 20, 30 seconds eventually. What’s not to love?

Not all sprinting needs to be the running sort. You can apply the same principles of high-intensity, short duration bursts to activities like cycling, swimming, stairs work outs, elliptical machines, climbing, rope jumping, vertical leaps, squat jumps, etc. As long as you’re giving it your maximum effort for short bursts of time, with short recovery periods in between, you’ll benefit from this type of exercise.

Several sports inherently include these types of bursts. Basketball, soccer, hockey, tennis, racquetball/squash, and lacrosse are just a few examples.

Do this type of activity a couple times per week. It may only take you 5 or 10 minutes!

5) Brain & Balance Training

Since the brain is so intricately connected to movement, particularly that of the spinal area, we can’t overlook this critical component to our exercise routine. Since the majority of proprioceptive input for the brain comes from the spine, hip joints, and ankle joints, try to move and challenge these often.

Think of these movements as “spinal hygiene”, where the focus is to fully move and stretch all segments of the spine, as well as the pelvis and hips. Another important component of this brain-building type of activity is to challenge your balance each day, even if it’s as simple as standing on one leg for a few seconds at a time. Bonus points if you stand on one leg while brushing your teeth with your non-dominant hand with your eyes closed.

Do this some type of this activity daily.

6) Flexibility

Being flexible not only helps prevent injury as we age, but it also allows us to more fully enjoy all activities we participate in with greater range of motion, less muscle strain and sprain, and better balance and agility.

This category is right up there with Brain & Balance Training. Do some work on improving your flexibility each day.

7) Play

The point of having a healthy body is to be able to put it to good use… and to enjoy it! Investing in all these variations of motion on a regular basis isn’t about having 6-pack abs or the perfect bikini body! It’s about creating and re-creating a healthy body that will serve you well as you age… so that you can serve in the way you seem fit.

If you want to play organized sports, play on a team, play a game at your annual family reunion, or just play with your kids at the park, a healthy body will allow that.

So, when you review this list, it looks like an enormous amount of movement and exercise to incorporate. Not really. I like to chunk it down this way, personally:

Each morning, I take 10 -15 minutes to tend to brain, balance and flexibility training (#5 & #6).
I also walk our dog daily (#1).
Three to four times each week, I do something “cardio” related. Sometimes it’s longer duration, like running or cycling (#2), while oftentimes I’m incorporating bursts of high-intensity (#3).
Three times per week, usually on opposite days of cardio, I do resistance training (#4).
I play with our kids a lot (#7). We like to jump on the trampoline, play catch, play soccer, climb trees and various things, go tubing, go sledding, play hockey… whatever floats our boat in the moment!

Invest in your body now, and each day from now on, and it will serve you well for many years. It’s the house you’ve been given to live in while you’re here… keep it clean and sturdy!

Filed Under: exercise, Featured, general health Tagged With: balance, body weight exercise, brain training, burst training, cardio, core exercise, exercise routine, full body exercise, functional exercise, primal exercise

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