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Thursday, July 30, 2015

Friday Food: Almond Crusted Chicken Tenders

A simple meal or snack that is a classic but with a twist to make it just that much more healthy for you.  If you don't have a food processor a blender on the pulse setting works fantastic for this one.

Ingredients
  • 1 cup of raw unsalted almonds
  • 1 chicken breast
  • extra virgin olive oil spray
Instruction
  1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
  2. Prepare your almonds into almond meal. All you need to do this is a food processor!
  3. Give it a whirl… about a minute later you have almond meal!
  4. Now place on a plate or bowl (you won’t use all of it. I like to make extra and store it in the cabinet for future use)
  5. Slice your chicken into tenders
  6. Now spray each with a little olive oil spray
  7. Dip each one into the almond meal! 
  8. But here is the finished product!
  9. Place in the oven for 25 minutes or until brown on top
  10. Plate them up!
  11. So delicious, healthy, and CLEAN!
Thanks Ashley Luedke for sharing.

Courtesy: Fresh Dreamer

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Study Spotlight: The Effects of Synchronous Music on 400m Sprint Performance

We posted a couple weeks ago about how effective music can be in aiding in your recovery (Check it out HERE).  This week we take a look at a study that synced music tempo to efforts running the 400m and if it helped with work output and running times.

What They Did:
A group of male 400 runners were tested using different types of music and how it influenced their performance.  They used different paces of music and also different types, motivational vs. non.  They measured different markers such as work output, rate of perceived exertion and their actual running times.

What They Found:
Researchers found an increase in work output with using music (it didn't matter which type) and also faster running times.  They found this to be most beneficial especially in rhythmical efforts such as running.

What It All Means:
This is quite a cool finding because it shows how much of an ergogenic aid music can be irregardless of the type and just looking at the tempo.  Allowing for increased work output you're going to get more accomplished in each set when you have the music set to a pace that you are looking to accomplish.  These gain could be great but it begs the question that if you train at a level with music that you can't replicate without music (or at least the same music) do you really get a transfer of the effect to your competition.  It has been done before with a marathon runner repeating "Scat Man" in his head over and over for two hours to keep his pace high and consistent.

If you're looking for an added benefit to your workout this is an easy place to try but be cautioned if you're applying it over to high end competition.


Also check out Spotify's new running app.  It adapts to you.

The Effects of Synchronous Music on 400m Sprint Performance
Stuart D. Simpson

Journal of Sports Sciences, October 2006; 24(10): 1095-1102

Monday, July 27, 2015

Mobility Monday: PNF, High Posterior Chain Mobilization

This is a simple yet extremely effective stretching technique not only for this group of muscles but for any group of muscles.  It is quite impressive how much range of motion you can get by using proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation.

If you have tight hamstring or anything along the posterior chain this is a great example of how you can work on it.  Use it with a friend of do it all on your own, either way you're going to get great results.




Thursday, July 23, 2015

Friday Food: Pineapple Curry Chicken

Pineapple Curry Chicken

Jam-packed with fiber, vitamins and minerals, pineapples are low in fat and sodium with no cholesterol, and provide the enzyme bromelain, which aids muscle recovery.
 


Makes Three Servings
>> 20 oz. canned unsweetened pineapple chunks
>> 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
>> 1 Tbsp. curry powder
>> 8 oz. chicken breast, sliced into thin strips
>> 3 Tbsp. flour
>> 2 bell peppers, cut into strips


Start: Drain pineapple chunks and save 1⁄4 cup of the juice. Set pineapple chunks aside. Combine juice with cornstarch and curry powder in a small saucepan.

Cook: Bring curry mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer 3-4 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Set aside. Dust chicken in flour, and coat a nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Add chicken to skillet and cook four minutes per side or until lightly browned.

Serve: Add sliced peppers and sauté for two minutes. Add pineapple chunks and curry mixture to skillet. Cook over medium heat until thoroughly heated.

(per serving): 554 calories, 40 g protein, 54 g carbs, 8 g fat, 4 g fiber

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Study Spotlight: Getting Your Treadmill Run to Benefit You as Much as Running Outdoors

A 1 percent treadmill grade most accurately reflects the energetic cost of outdoor running.

Currently the heat and humidity can be killer when it comes to trying to get your run in outside and the further south you go, naturally the worse it gets.  Then comes the winter and thats never aneasy situation for anyone with the cold, snow, ice, etc.  That only leaves a couple good seasons for running outdoors and getting the benefit of running outside.  These benefits include having the wind resistance to help you expend more energy and get more stress and adaptation from your run.  But can we get the same energetic cost of running outdoors indoors on a treadmill?  This study spotlight looks to answer that.

What They Did?
This group of researchers set out to find what grade on a treadmill would result in the same energetic cost as running on the level outside.  They found initially that running on the level on a treadmill did not yield the same VO2 max results as it did outside.  They tested out 15 different treadmill grades in order to find how VO2 measurements matched up while at speeds between 2.92 m/s and 5.0 m/s.

What They Found?
The results found that a 1% treadmill grade will give you the most comparable oxygen cost as running outdoors.  All of this occurred at the same velocity both indoors and outdoors.  

What Does It All Mean?
While this happened to be over a short period of time (~5 minutes) it is the first study to show that you can get the same energetic costs running on a graded treadmill indoors.  This is helpful for everyone that has to run inside at some point during the year.  It has been known by many to add a grade but this reason may have not been well known but it is good to know you don't have to lose your hard work when you take it inside for a run.  Make sure to add a 1% grade to your treadmill to not miss out on the adaptations of running when you have to go indoors to do it.



A 1 percent treadmill grade most accurately reflects the energetic cost of outdoor running
Andrew M. Jones
Journal of Sports Sciences, 1996, 14, 321-327

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Back to Basics: Calories, Metabolism and Energy, What Do They All Mean? Part II

If we look at the term metabolism and its true definition which is: "the sum of all chemical reactions within the human body needed to sustain life" one may be confused as to how it relates to weight loss and energy expenditure. So what does this definition mean and how does it relate to fitness & health? 

Typically when we talk about metabolism we describe it as a way to measure our calorie expenditure throughout the day (For more on calories check out our part I of this series) or a way to assess our body's overall energy balance. Energy balance is essentially the sum of energy intake versus energy expenditure (aka our metabolic activity for the day).  In this case energy intake is everything that you eat or drink that has a certain amount of energy stored within it aka caloric content  Calorie expenditure on the other hand, gets a bit more complicated. The amount of calories we burn in a day can be broken up into several components. First of all we have our basal metabolic rate which is the absolute baseline number of calories that we expend just to stay alive.  This is the sum of all the chemical equations and processes that help us breathe, think, circulate our blood etc.


A step above this is our resting energy expenditure which is the maintenance energy cost of the body at rest, under steady state conditions (rested and fasted) which makes up about 60-70% of all the calories we burn in a day. We also have thermogenesis which is the amount of calories expended through digestion and absorption of food.  Then we have our daily activities / movement and exercise which can make up anywhere from 10-20% depending on how active you are throughout the day or if you are engaged in several hours of training a day such as the Tour de France or Two-a-days. Most people are surprised to hear that their daily trip to the gym really doesn't account for a large portion of their calories expended for the day.  So why does this matter? Anytime we are talking about gaining or losing weight we have to look at it in terms of our overall energy balance. As you might expect, if we are trying to lose weight we need to be in a state of negative energy balance or burn more calories than we consume at the end of day. It's really that simple. Of course the type of calories you are eating plays a role but the overall energy balance is really the most important part.  On the other hand, if you are trying to gain weight (hopefully you are trying to gain lean muscle mass only) you need to be eating more calories than you are expending throughout the day.


How do you increase your metabolism?
Most people are probably more interested in how to lose weight and therefore may be wondering how than can increase their metabolism. Well first of all you should look at the easiest component of energy expenditure to manipulate and focus on that one which happens to be physical activity and exercise. This is something than you can change on a day to day basis and start immediately. There's no secret here, just moving around more in general throughout the day will help increase your calorie expenditure in addition to adding in bouts of high-intensity exercise as it appears to have a greater stimulatory effect on your post-exercise metabolic rate. 

Also, if you are to able to increase your resting energy expenditure you can automatically burn more calories throughout the day just by resting (doesn't get any easier than that does it?!).  The best way to increase your resting energy expenditure is by increasing or maintaining your lean muscle mass as it is an active tissue that helps you burn more calories. There is a direct correlation between resting energy expenditure and lean muscle mass.  This is why athletes and physique competitors are able to eat 6,000 calories per day and still maintain an 8% body fat.  Because of this, strength training and high-intensity interval training or both such as P90x or T-25-type workout programs can be a beneficial tool for weight loss as you burn energy during the workout and they help you to increase lean muscle mass. 

Stay tuned for next time when we cover different ways to assess your daily energy requirements in order to provide you with a starting point in your body composition management.

Monday, July 20, 2015

Mobility Monday: The Ball and Your Back


Not all back pain is caused by problems in your back but every now and then you just have to get to work on those tissues.  Along with the other posts we have done with trying to loosen up your hips and get rid of your anterior pelvic tilt (which will help low back pain) these mobility ideas will help you clean up any tightness and stiffness in your back.


Your back muscles run up and down from your pelvis to your skull and can get tied up anywhere along the way.  Your entire spine has small intrinsic muscles running along each individual vertebrae that can get tied up and locked down restricting motion for each spinal segment and causing all kinds of problems.  These are well worth putting into your mobility routine.


Friday, July 17, 2015

Friday Food: Peanut Butter Protein Bites

These tasty snacks are perfect for a post workout protein fix or an on-the-go option. The original recipe is from BodyBuilding.com but we put our own spin on it. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
  • 1 cup of natural peanut butter
  • 3/4 cup honey
  • 1 cup of chocolate protein powder (of your choosing)
  • 1/8 cup mini chocolate chips
  • 1 1/2 cups gluten-free whole oats
  • 2 tbsp chocolate syrup (used for drizzle)

Directions:
  1. Heat peanut butter and honey in a medium saucepan until melted.
  2. In a bowl, mix whey protein and oats.
  3. Add melted peanut butter and honey mixture to the bowl and mix until all ingredients are fully incorporated.
  4. Stir in the syrup or add it as a drizzle once the bites have been made.
  5. Mold the mixture into golf ball-sized bites.
  6. Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts:
Per 2 drops (makes ~20)

Calories: 333
Fat: 14.2 g
Carbs: 35.2 g
Protein: 15 g

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Study Spotlight: Music to Enhance Recovery

Joel Luedke

Almost every gym goer has utilized music one way or another to help their workout.  Whether it is to get them pumped up and ready to go for a run, a big set or something to help keep them going during a workout it's heavily used.  There is plenty of great research out there on how uptempo music can affect the pace of a runner and the intensity of a workout for the good but what about recovering?  Slower paced, calm music has been researched and used to help with studying but could it possibly help your body get into a recovery state quicker?  That's what these researchers looked at.




Researchers looked at a group of young adults recovering from a  bout of physical exercise and how fast music, slow music and silence effected each persons ability to recovery.  They looked at both objective measures (blood pressure) and subjective measures (recovery from exertion (RPE)).

What They Found:
Researchers found that the recovery time of systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, pulse recovery rate and recovery from exertion (RPE) was significantly faster with slow music when compared to no music or fast music.  They found all of this was irregardless of personal music choice.  Music reduced muscular and mental tension and thereby decreased sympathetic stimulation as observed in some studies. In addition to this, the plasma catecholamine is also lowered when relaxation is accompanied by music.  Overall the study found that music hastens post exercise recovery and slow music has a greater relaxation effect than fast or no music and there was difference between males and females.

What Does It Mean?:

Finding that slow music helped speed recovery gives another simple tool to aid in recovery.  Often times you return to your car, the locker room or home and the music might be upbeat or too loud and this can slow down your recovery process.  Look to try and switch up your post workout music routine to something slower (remember style doesn't matter) to help reset your levels back to baseline.


Combine this with the nervous system resetting power of a cold whirlpool and your are setting yourself and your athletes up for a great recovery they didn't even know they were accomplishing.

Check out that Study Spotlight HERE.

Effect of Different Musical Tempo on Post Exercise Recovery in Young Adults
Savitha D.
Indian J Physiol Pharmacol 2010: 54(1): 32-36

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Diet Tips for Lowering Your Blood Pressure

Dr. Andrew Jagim

High blood pressure is a serious issue as it puts a lot of additional stress on your heart and if you have it for long periods of time (i.e. your 50’s and on) it may actually shorten your lifespan as it’s right up there with smoking on leading causes of health related issues.  A lot of people struggle with blood pressure issues and their primary care provider may recommend certain medications to address the issue.  However, if you’re anything like me you’ll try anything to avoid being on meds for the rest of your life. 

One strategy that has had a lot of success is managing blood pressure with dietary changes.  Dr. John Berardi, founder of PrecisionNutrition, wrote a great article recently on some quick changes you can make to your diet to help lower your blood pressure.  Below are some of the highlights:

Top Diet Strategies to Lower Blood Pressure:

Eat More Vegetables
Vegetables contain several essential vitamins and minerals that can help reduce blood pressure by improving vascular function, decreasing inflammation and improving cholesterol profiles.   Dr.
Berardi recommends striving to “Eat the Rainbow” or lots of colorful plant sources to ensure you are getting a variety of these nutrients in your daily intake.

 Eat Lean Protein
Lean sources of protein, particularly those high in fiber (legumes/beans), will help to better regulate insulin levels and improve your metabolic profile.  A diet high in protein will also help to maintain lean muscle mass which in turn helps to increase energy expenditure, increase insulin sensitivity and facilitate an active lifestyle.

Eat Whole Grains
Whole grains such as brown rice, oats and quinoa help improve blood vessel elasticity which better allows your blood vessels to dilate and increase blood flow to certain areas while reducing overall pressure on your cardiovascular system.

Eat 10-30 grams per day of dark chocolate
Certain ingredients in cocoa appear to again help blood vessel function and of course tastes delicious! (in moderation of course)

Eat Healthy Fats
Consume fat-sources high in Omega 3’s (oily fish, wild game meats and flax) as they will help improve blood vessel function, provide an anti-inflammatory benefit and help “thin” blood, which also helps reduce blood pressure.

Eat Less Sugar
A diet high in sugar can lead to increases body fat, insulin sensitivity and inflammation; all of which can lead to an increase in blood pressure.  These are just a snapshot of a long list of reasons why avoiding processed sugars is a good idea for your health. And no, this doesn’t mean avoid fruits because they have sugar in them as they contain different types of sugars which aren't as “bad for your health” and no where near the amount that sodas or juices have.

Eat Less Salt
This always seems to be a staple in the “how to reduce blood pressure book” and for a good reason. A diet high in salt will draw additional fluid into your circulation and any time you increase fluid in the same volume aka your vessels the pressure will inevitably go up.  So try to cut back on your salt intake to lower your blood pressure.  As a general rule, if you eat less processed foods (foods in a wrapper, box or package) you will automatically cut your salt intake in half.


This is a just a quick summary of the great piece by Dr. Berardi who is a pioneer in practical nutrition strategies to improve health and performance. For the full article click here.

Monday, July 13, 2015

Mobility Monday: Is It Your Shoulders?


The overhead squat isn't something the average person busts out on a daily basis but it is one of the best tests to figure out if you have full body mobility.  In the weight room we see many people who aren't able to get into the position due to restrictions in either their shoulders, their hips or a healthy combination of both.  In this video Kelly Starrett talks about how to differentiate between if it is a shoulder issue or if there is a bigger problem occurring at your hips.


You may never perform a snatch of need to get down into an overhead squat but if you can continue to work on your mobility and get into these positions your levels of stiffness, tightness, and pain should decrease substantially.  




Thursday, July 9, 2015

Friday Food: Chocolate Coconut Protein Pancakes

This recipes is coming to you from the blog: MACROCHEF which is run by a 16 yr old avid cyclist!

These can be a little heavy and wish when you utilize them but if you remove the chocolate and go straight coconut pancakes they are pretty solid and still a great meal and good on your macros.  Also possible to try them out with vanilla protein powder.

Chocolate Coconut Protein Pancakes

Prep Time: 5 min.
Cook Time: 6 min.
Serving Size: 1

Ingredients:

Pancakes:

  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 scoop of chocolate protein powder
  • 2 tbsp. granulated stevia
  • 1 tbsp. cocoa powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup nonfat greek yogurt (or go with full fat to increase fat and decrease sugar)
  • 2 large egg whites or 1 whole egg
  • 1/2 tsp coconut extract
  • 1 container coconut Greek yogurt (for layering pancakes)
  • 1 tbsp. Amber Lyn sugar free dark chocolate chunks
  • 1 tbsp. shredded coconut

Coconut Maple Syrup:
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup (can use sugar free)
  • 2 tbsp cocnut Greek yogurt


Instructions:
1. Preheat pan or griddle to medium/high heat. Mix flour, protein powder, cocoa, stevia and baking powder in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, mix milk, Greek yogurt, egg whites and coconut extract. Combine wet and dry ingredients and gently mix until smooth.
2. Spoon batter onto griddle to make 4 medium sized pancakes. Cook for about 3 minutes per side.
3. Layer pancakes with coconut Greek yogurt leaving a few tbsp extra for coconut maple syrup. Sprinkle pancakes with shredded coconut. Melt dark chocolate chunks in the microwave. Drizzle over top of pancakes.
4. Mix maple syrup with coconut yogurt to make coconut maple syrup. Drizzle syrup over top and enjoy!

Nutrition Information:
Serving Size: 4 pancakes
Calories: 410 calories
Fat: 4 grams
Carbs: 50 grams
Sugar: 5 grams
Fiber: 11 grams
Protein: 46 grams

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Study Spotlight: Muscle Activity While Running at Reduced Body Weight

The amount of impacts that occur when running is astounding when you break it down.  A runner can easily achieve 3600 impacts during a 5km run.  The amount of force each contact creates is also substantial depending on the size of the runner.  Distance runners are always looking for the best way to increase their cardiovascular ability without increasing their risk for injury.  Cross-training has always been a good alternative and utilizing bikes, ellipticals, underwater running and within recent history anti-gravity treadmills has benefited countless runners.

While these types of training can help reduce injury it isn't always possible to get the physiological adaptations to transfer as well as one might hope.  Alter-G is a company that creates an anti-gravity treadmill (see picture) with the thought that you can reduce body weight while you are running for both return from injury and also to increase training load.  It has proven to be a great tool for injury and return to running but many physiologists still have the verdict out and if it can increase performance and maintain the same level of muscle activation as normal running can.

What Did They Do?
This study takes a look on how muscle activity and force change while running at a reduced body weight.  Researchers took athletes and measured through EMG both muscle activity with full body weight and then placed them on a weight reducing treadmill and measured muscle activity at reduced bodyweight's to 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50% (of normal body weight).

What Did They Find?
The data showed that there was in fact a decrease in muscle activity in key lower leg muscles when body weight was reduced on the treadmill.  What was interesting in these findings was that the decrease in muscle activity did not directly correlate with the decrease in weight.  As an example, muscles were only 36% (on average) less active when body weight was reduced by 50%.  Further numbers showed muscle activity was 43%, 51$ and 52$ less active, respectively, when body weight was reduced to 40%, 30% and then 20%

What Does it all Mean?
This non-correlating drop in body weight appears to show that their may be a ceiling effect with reduced muscle activity.  Ok great but that doesn't tell us the practical application.  Well what it all means is that runners on a treadmill that reduces bodyweight should be able to tolerate running at faster speeds at that reduced weight.  This allows runners to keep muscle activity high while absorbing less impact on their body and also running at faster paces.  

We can't comment on if that leads to a specific increase in training effect but it can allow you to replace miles that you were doing on the ground with less impact and also practice keeping a higher speed on the treadmill while also maintaining muscle activity.

These machines are great for return from injury and progressions.  This study shows some benefit to a healthy runner trying to increase their performance but more research is needed.

Reference:
Muscle Activity while running at 20 to 50 percent of normal body weight
John Mercer
Research in Sports Medicine, 21: 217-228, 2013.

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Back to Basics: Calories, Metabolism and Energy, What Do They all Mean? Part I

Author: Dr. Andrew Jagim PhD CISSN, CSCS

Terms like metabolism, calories and energy get thrown around a lot in fitness articles and catch phrases such as "boost your metabolism" or "burn calories by doing this...." but what do they all mean? As you might expect these terms are very closely related and often times even used interchangeably however there are some differences among them.  In this "Back to Basics" series we are going to take a step back and define some of the terms commonly used in the fitness world when in fact they may not be completely understood.


Let's first take a look at the term calorie.  The definition of a calorie from a physics perspective is the amount of energy or heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water 1 degree Celsius and we use devices known as Bomb calorimeters  to directly measure the amount of calories in foods by burning food items and identifying the temperature change or what it takes to raise the water by 1 degree Celsius. WTF?! A little different than how many M&M's you burned on your run isn't it? Luckily there is an easier way to measure heat production aka energy expenditure by monitoring the gases we expire which a lot of prediction equations are then developed from.  These equations are what gps monitors, treadmills and elipitcals use to estimate how many calories you are burning. But again, what are calories from a non-physics perspective?

Well, all of the process that occur within our body are used to produce or use energy and are what we rely on to breathe, digest our food, transport blood & nutrients, move etc.  All of these reactions that are constantly on-going require energy to occur.  The energy currency within our bodies that we use is referred to as adenosine triphospate or ATP.  So, why don't devices like FitBit tell you how many molecules of ATP you burned during your run? First off because the number would probably be in the millions. Second of all, we use a more robust term such as calorie to describe how much work is required to cause a certain change (i.e. move).

So how do we get from heating water and measuring gases to burning calories and losing weight?  Food has energy or calories in it in the form of chemical bonds.  The cells within our bodies then use this energy in combination with various metabolic-pathways to create a bio-available or usable form of energy within the body known as ATP.  We are not machines, we don't use calories, we use energy and measure it by using the unit: calories. Life's costs are ultimately made available or paid for by the conversion and transfer of energy within food that is made available to use through the process of digestion. This transfer of energy from the chemical bonds of food to cells within our body is quantified in terms of calories as again, they are  just a unit of energy measurement. Ultimately it's this number, or calories consumed/expended, that we use to monitor our body's state of energy balance which could be calculated as energy in (calories eaten) versus energy out (daily calorie expenditure).



So next time you look at a food label and it says you are consuming 270 calories, you are essentially eating a food item that has the potential to release 270 calories worth of energy when the chemical bonds within the food are broken down during digestion.  However, remember that a calorie does not always elicit the same response within the body (for more on a "A calorie is not just a calorie" check out our previous post here).  Conversely if you were trying to burn 270 calories, you would need to complete enough work/movement that would require 270 calories worth of energy to complete the task beyond that of your normal daily calorie expenditure.

Stay tuned for the next post in this series when we discuss the term metabolism and metabolic rates and what all goes into this magic number.

Monday, July 6, 2015

Mobility Monday: The Neck of Desk Warrior Poet

Neck pain from sitting all day and staring at a computer or your cell phone?  How about tension headaches that never seem to go away no matter how much ibuprofen you take?  Your posture can cause you so many problems and we've addressed this before with your hips, pelvis and low back but never at the neck level.

A lot has been talked about with "head forward" position and the problems it can cause.  Short and tight muscles in the front of your neck that causes increased pressure on the nerves and can send a zing down your arm.  Long, weak and tight muscles in the back of your neck and knots/trigger points that feel like they are throbbing when you're not even doing anything. 

In this video Kelly Starrett gives some great options to help loosen up your neck, check your posture and help relieve some of your pain and problems with your neck.



For anymore information or ideas please email us at info@totalathletictherapy.com and we will find the best way to help you out.

Friday, July 3, 2015

Friday Food: Ground Sirloin Sliders

  • It's the holiday weekend and what is that without grilling out.  This is a good option if you're looking for something to do for the 4th.  Have a happy holiday everyone.


  • 12 miniature buns or dinner rolls
  • 3/4 pound lean ground sirloin
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • Olive oil cooking spray
  • 2 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, thinly sliced
  • 24 small dill pickle slices
1. Remove some of the fluffy center from the buns so that they will sit well on top of burgers; set aside.
2. Combine sirloin with Worcestershire and pepper, and form into 12 (2-inch) flat patties.
3. Preheat a lightly oiled grill pan over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Cook burgers over moderate heat, turning, and evenly top with cheese, about 2 minutes per side for medium or until cheese is melted. (Use a meat thermometer to check that burgers have reached 160°.) Transfer the burgers to a plate, and grill the buns, cut sides down, 1-2 minutes or until toasted.
4. Sandwich burgers between buns with about 2 pickles per slider.

Thursday, July 2, 2015

Benefits of Yoga for the Athlete

By Ashley Luedke


Over the last 4 months I have ventured on a journey of doing Yoga. During my first week of class I got slapped in the face coming to realize how inflexible I was. Like seriously, yoga humbled me entirely. I got to thinking about the runners I work with as an athletic trainer and how some also suffer from the curse of not being flexible and how the benefits of this peaceful practice are far more than just becoming flexible. 
                  Runners are strong in ways that relate to running which involves the lower body and primary movement in the sagittal plane with some rotational component.  The focus on these planes cause certain muscles to become stronger while others that are underused remain weaker. Many people would agree that runners have strong legs built for a combination of power and endurance but when faced with the challenge of holding a standing static yoga pose, they are shocked when they find their legs to feel like jelly. Why this happens you ask? Well a properly aligned yoga pose involves using all the muscles in a variety of planes and using muscles you haven't worked before. The muscles that are weaker tend to fatigue quickly and those muscles that are tight scream for release.
                  A balanced yoga practice requires most of the muscles in the body to perform some action and fire to keep you in line and balanced. At the same time your joints are taken through their full ranges of motion as the corresponding muscles contract or stretch to support the movement. This is where your body increases in flexibility. As a personal testament, I can say that my flexibility increased immensely.
                  Balance and stability in yoga is huge aspect of the practice. Improving your balance will help the athlete decrease in falls and injury. When you relax and learn how to be soft and go with the flow, you can more easily bend and are less likely to break or fall over. Stability in yoga helps strengthen all the of those little stabilizing muscles that people tend to miss in other physical workouts and are vital in protecting your joints.
                 I believe yoga is so important is the recovery of the athletes and it can help put athletes back together after workouts or injuries. It allows you to tune into your body and give it the care it wants and needs. Yoga elongates all the muscles that athletes spend so long contracting so it is a great counter-action.
                  Lastly, not to get to hippy but yoga changes the way you think and approach everything in life. When you learn to move with ease and stop forcing things, you will prevent injuries and your body will open with your mind, increasing flexibility all around.

                  Thank you for reading this article! Namaste!