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Tuesday, September 29, 2015

And on the 7th Day....I RESTED

It's that day of the week that every exercise junkie dreads....rest day.




Hi, my name is ____________ and I am an exercise addict.

You all know this person; in their eyes, if they didn't work out one day they bed worrying that they got a little fatter and probably lost all the muscle and strength they had worked so hard for.  People may think this way even though they  KNOW this couldn't be further from the truth.


A lot of people fall into the misconception that if a little bit is good, than a lot is better! This can be true for some (i.e. if you weigh 400 lbs than there is no such thing as too much time on the stair climber).  However, for those individuals who try to train/lift/workout all out, give 110%, balls out, day in and day out than you may be  hindering your potential to improve.  It may sound crazy but it's on your off-days that you actually get bigger and stronger.  if you are training at a high intensity, you are actually causing micro-tears and other cellular damage to occur within your muscles.  Just like restoring an old building, sometimes you just have to tear down the old stuff to make room for the new stuff.  In a nutshell, this is how muscle growth works.  You damage your muscles and therefore are essentially forcing them to come back bigger and better than before.  So not only is your time in the gym important but so is your time away from the gym.  This is also the reason why you should try to avoid training the same body part/muscle groups on consecutive days as those muscles need proper time to recover.


Proper sleep and nutrition are not only important on training days but they may be even MORE important on your rest days.  You need to make sure you keep your protein intake up in order to support the increased rate of protein synthesis occurring as a result of your training.  This is especially the case for the weekend warriors who during the week eat right, get a solid 8 hrs of sleep, workout every day and then when the weekend comes around they party for 48 hours, eat like crap and then expect to pick it right up where they left off on Monday.  Then refer to their weekend as their "rest days."  Not only will the extra (and worthless) calories from alcohol likely lead to increases in body fat, research has shown that alcohol can lower growth hormone and testosterone levels which are key players in muscle growth and recovery.  A lack of sleep can also hinder your recovery and can have negative effects that last several days.

One thing I should mention, is that rest days or off-days don't have to consist of 12 hrs of couch time (unless it's football season).  Your off-day can consist of light activities or even your normal exercise routine but just drop the resistance/intensity way down.  Or this would be a great time to incorporate some of the mobility exercises that we post on our Mobility Mondays.

So, moral of the story: Train hard and rest hard!

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Friday Food: Quinoa & Brown Rice Bowl w/ Vegetables

This might be the most healthy recipe that we have put out but it is also a fantastic tasting one.  This is a great lunch option for anyone on the go that they can make in bulk.  Check it out below.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup long-grain brown rice
    1 cup red quinoa
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 small onion, finely diced
  • 1 carrot, sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
  • 1/4 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded and caps thinly sliced
  • 1 small zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
  • Salt
  • 1 head of broccoli—stems peeled and sliced into coins, heads cut into small florets
  • One 12-ounce bunch kale, large stems discarded
  • 1/4 cup tahini, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tablespoons warm water
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1 ripe avocado, cut into 1/2-inch dice
  • 1 cup mung bean sprouts

    INSTRUCTIONS

    1. In a medium saucepan, cover the brown rice with 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat until the rice is just tender, about 40 minutes. Drain and return the rice to the saucepan; keep covered. 
    2. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the quinoa with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Cover the saucepan and simmer over low heat until the quinoa is tender and all of the water has been absorbed, 20 minutes. 
    3. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the carrot and cook until starting to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the shiitake, cover and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Add the zucchini, season with salt and cook, stirring a few times, until tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. 
    4. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the skillet. Add the broccoli, cover and cook over moderate heat, stirring a few times, until deep green, 5 minutes. Add the kale, cover and cook, stirring a few times, until the broccoli and kale are just tender, 4 minutes. Season with salt. Stir in the other vegetables. 
    5. In a small bowl, whisk the tahini with the lemon juice, garlic, warm water and crushed red pepper. Season with salt. 
    6. Transfer the brown rice and quinoa to bowls. Top with the cooked vegetables, diced avocado and bean sprouts. Serve, passing the tahini sauce at the table. 

Monday, September 21, 2015

Mobility Monday: Help Recover Your Jumping Calves


Started working out again?  Jump into some plyometrics and now paying the price?  It's hard to get your body to want to do some mobility stuff when you are extremely sore and tight and it feels like the last thing you can handle.


This video talks bout just that and how to start working on them and get some relief quicker so you can get back to your workout.  Any new activity seems to make your calves pay the price so make sure you take care of them and allow yourself to keep going.



Friday, September 18, 2015

Friday Food: Sweet Potato Breakfast Burritos

I will not lie, my go to in almost any breakfast situation is a breakfast burrito.  Most of the time I won't even look at the menu, just give me the burrito.  They aren't always the most healthy item I could get but they are hard to pass up.  So it got me to thinking and I wanted to find a healthy option that I could do at home and this is what I came up with.  Sweet Potato Breakfast Burritos.  They look fantastic and I feel a whole lot less guilty eating numerous of them.   Check out the recipe below.

Ingredients
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 small sweet potato, peeled and diced
  • 1 small yellow onion, chopped
  • 3⁄4 cup frozen, sliced tricolor bell peppers, thawed
  • 2 cups packed baby spinach, roughly chopped
  • 1 teaspoon chile powder
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • 2 large egg whites, beaten
  • 4 (9- or 10-inch) whole wheat tortillas
  • 1 ounce shredded cheddar cheese
Directions
In a medium skillet on medium, heat oil. Add potato, onion and bell peppers, and sauté for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender and onions are translucent. Add spinach and chile powder; sauté for 2 minutes more.
Increase heat to medium high. Add eggs and egg whites. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until eggs are cooked through. Turn off heat and let cool for about 10 minutes.
Tear off 4 16-inch rectangles of foil and lay 1 tortilla on top of each. Divide egg mixture evenly into the center of each tortilla. Sprinkle evenly with cheese. To wrap, fold edges in, then roll forward tightly. Wrap burrito tightly in foil. (NOTE: Alternatively, line with parchment paper and then wrap in foil.)
Place wrapped burritos in a large zip- top freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. To serve, preheat oven to 400°F. Place a burrito, still wrapped, on a baking sheet and bake for 35 minutes. Use tongs to transfer wrapped burrito to a paper bag and take on the go. (NOTE: Baked burritos will stay warm for 15 to 20 minutes; they can be eaten on the go or when you get to work. If reheating in the microwave, make sure to remove foil first.)
Nutrition Information
Serves: 4 |  Serving Size: 1 burrito
Per serving: Calories: 226; Total Fat: 9g; Saturated Fat: 3g; Monounsaturated Fat: 3g; Cholesterol: 113mg; Sodium: 500mg; Carbohydrate: 32g; Dietary Fiber: 10g; Sugar: 7g; Protein: 13g
Nutrition Bonus: Potassium: 296mg; Iron: 14%; Vitamin A: 124%; Vitamin C: 8%; Calcium: 29%

Recipe from the MyFItnessPal Blog

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Study Spotlight: Relationship Between Functional Movement Screen and Athletic Performance

By: Joel Luedke

We feel that movement screening/analysis is extremely important.  If you don't start with some sort of baseline measuring your ability to perform 'basic' movements you won't be able to see where you have been and where you have got to.  We believe in test and re-test because what gets measured get accomplished but with no initial screening that make things very difficult.  In this weeks Study Spotlight we look at how one movement assessment, the Functional Movement Screen, can predict athletic performance.

What They Did:


-The researchers looked at many different performance measures to see if they could find a correlation between those measures and scores on the Functional Movement Screen (FMS).  They tested the 10m sprint, 20m sprint, vertical jump, agility T-test, and club head velocity (golf swing).  They also looked at 1 rep max squat strength
testing. 

The FMS is based on a seven exercises with a maximum score of 21.  You are graded on each exercise and performed them bilaterally if the movement calls for it.  You then take the lowest score from each exercise to add to your raw total score.  Previous research has found a score of ~14 to be the cut off of where injury risk potentially increases.

What They Found:
Researchers found that the FMS testing did not have a significant relationship to sprinting, jumping or agility performance.  It also appeared to have no significant relationship to sport-specific performance.  They did find however that 1 RM squat max had significant relationships to all variables measured.

What Does It All Mean?
This has been an area of contention when it comes to the FMS.  A lot of people when they first saw this study just wrote the FMS off as not a useful tool to help in athletic performance, and based on these results I can see their point.  That does not however mean that it isn't a useful tool.  The FMS doesn't claim to be a predictor of athletic performance but only a baseline movement that can help you find deficiencies and then work to correct them.

In our utilization of the movement screen we aren't using it to measure athletic performance markers and predict who the best athlete is.  We utilize the data to look at movement deficiencies that could potentially lead to a overuse injury if it is not corrected.  Utilizing this data we build corrective and mobility exercises around the exercises that are there to increase performance to address the entire picture of the athlete.

Movement screening is still vitally important tool and is something in one way or another (FMS or not) should be done not only for athletes but for everyone that is athletic.  It will allow you to get ahead of potential injuries and can also help save you from robbed athletic performance.  Find someone and utilize their skills to help get movement screened and get ahead of injury.



Study: Relationship Between Functional Movement Screen and Athletic Performance.  Christopher   Prachmann.  Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Nutrient Timing


It has long been accepted that exercise, specifically resistance training, is the primary way to increase muscle mass. However, an often-overlooked component of this process is the importance of nutrition and even more importantly, the timing of nutrients. Without the proper combination of nutrients, timing and exercise, one may not reach full potential when it comes to enhancing lean muscle mass and strength.

Before a workout, it is important to eat a well-balanced meal and consume plenty of fluids in order for energy stores to be full and ready for utilization. Ideally, this meal should be consumed 2-4 hrs before exercise and consist of 75-150g of carbohydrates, 30-40g of protein, and roughly 16 oz of water. Meals should also be low in fat and consist of familiar foods to promote gastric emptying and minimize discomfort. In addition, meals should consist of low glycemic index foods to prevent a rapid spike in blood sugar and insulin levels and provide a slower rise in blood sugar, resulting in longer lasting energy. During bouts of resistance exercise averaging an hour, nutritional supplementation is not as important as it is during long-duration endurance exercise because energy supplies are not. Therefore, proper hydration becomes the main focus during bouts of resistance training. Consuming 6-8 oz every 10 to 15 min should be sufficient to maintain proper hydration.

 Following exercise, nutrition should be the number-one priority to maximize muscle gains. There is an “anabolic window” of opportunity when the body is primed for muscle growth to occur if the proper nutrients are present. Following resistance exercise, the rates of protein synthesis and breakdown are elevated as a result of the stress placed on the muscles during the workout. If proper nutrients are not supplied to the muscle, muscle tissue will continue to be broken down without the desired increases in muscle synthesis.

This is why post-exercise nutrition plays such a vital role. Carbohydrates and proteins are equally important because proteins provide the backbone for the synthesis of new muscle and carbohydrates replenish energy stores and increase insulin levels, which aids in the transport of nutrients into the muscle. Ideally a post-workout snack should be consumed within 30 minutes after exercise followed by a larger meal 2 hours later. The post-workout snack should consist of carbohydrates and protein in a 3:1 ratio. This should equate to about 1.5 g/kg of body weight for carbohydrates and .5 g/ kg for protein. In this case, the carbohydrates should be high glycemic index foods to promote a rapid rise in blood sugar and insulin, which will assist in the influx of nutrients into the muscle. Proper re-hydration should also be considered post-workout to compensate for any fluids lost during. Again, it is imperative that proper nutrient intake and timing be included in any training program to maximize results and help achieve one’s potential. Keep in mind the above recommendations are really only applicable to those training at a higher level, consuming enough total calories at the end of the day AND following a proper training program.  Recent research has suggested that recreational exercisers may not need to pay as close attention to the specific timing of nutrients as long as their total daily calorie and nutrient intake is appropriate for their level of training/goals. 

For further readings related to this topic:

  •  “Effects of Supplement Timing and Resistance Exercise on Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy.”
Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: November 2006 - Volume 38 - Issue 11 - pp 1918-1925

Sunday, September 13, 2015

Mobility Monday: Mobilize Your Lower Legs and Ankles


Starting in on half marathon training and only being a week in these mobs are going to be come invaluable.  Getting back into Pose Method running is not easy (even though it should be) and my lower legs are telling me about it.


These are well worth taking the time if you are struggling or having struggled with shin splints or ankle pain.  Simple and easy but a life saver when you are getting back into training or if you are rolling along getting ready for a race.


Thursday, September 10, 2015

Friday Food: Lemon Pepper Shrimp Scampi

We hadn't done anything Italian in awhile and this one sounded too good to pass up.  Great for a date night or just to have any night of the week.  Check it all out below.

Ingredients: 

1 cup uncooked orzo
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
7 teaspoons unsalted butter, divided
1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined jumbo shrimp 
2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation: 
1. Cook orzo according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain. Place orzo in a medium bowl. Stir in parsley and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cover and keep warm.

2. While orzo cooks, melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle shrimp with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add half of shrimp to pan; sauté 2 minutes or until almost done. Transfer shrimp to a plate. 
Melt 1 teaspoon butter in pan. Add remaining shrimp to pan; sauté 2 minutes or until almost done. Transfer to plate.

3. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in pan. Add garlic to pan; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in shrimp, juice, and pepper; cook 1 minute or until shrimp are done.

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Study Spotlight: Can Orthotic Insoles Prevent Lower Limb Overuse Injuries

Repetitive stress injuries are common in sports like running and swimming where the goal is to be as efficient as possible while reproducing the same motion.  When it comes to running, especially long distance running, repetitive stress injuries come from a sudden increase volume or intensity or a slow and methodical break down of bone and muscle tissue as they absorb the impact of running.  There are many ideas out there to help correct these injuries through rehab and soft tissue work.  Another option is utilizing orthotics to help correct changes in the foot.  This study takes a look at if orthotics might be an effective option to help prevent overuse injuries.

What They Did?
Using a randomized control trial of 228 subjects the researchers looked at injury rates among runners using both orthotics or not.  They did this over a several month period to ensure ample time for training and the possibility of injury.

What They Found?
What they found was that the use of orthotics was not associated with a decrease in lower limb overuse injuries.  Their suggestion based on these findings was that orthotic insoles do not prevent physical stress related lower limb injuries in healthy young male adults.

What It All Means?
This doesn't all mean that orthotics won't work for you.  As with everything when it comes to sports medicine and training its all personalized.  What it does show us is that not everything can be fixed with a simple brace or an orthotic.  It gives hope to the idea that you can correct your feet and create your own arch again and by doing so save yourself from a over use injury.  

Being smart with your training and not increasing to much too soon is the most ideal way to start getting yourself ready and avoid injury and is the best recommendation.

Check out our video below on re-creating your own arch.

Recreating Your Arch

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

HMB: What Is It and What Can it Do For You?

HMB

People are often looking for a way to reduce muscle soreness following intense exercise....or when it's their first time back to the gym in a few months and are dreading the dreadful delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).  There may be a supplement that can help with this issue. Hydroxy-beta-methylbuterate or HMB, is a metabolite of the branch-chain amino acid, leucine.  Leucine has been shown to have several positive effects when consumed in conjunction with a structured training program due to its anti-catabolic effects:

1.  Leucine may help increase lean muscle, strength and decrease body fat following a resistance training program.


2. Help decrease muscle soreness following intense exercise.

3. Help prevent declines in testosterone levels following intense training periods.

4. Help stimulate protein synthesis and slow down protein breakdown.


It was originally assumed that leucine was the key player in the afore-mentioned processes until the notion of HMB being involved came about in the late 90's.  When HMB is combined with a training program it appears to help aid with recovery.  Specifically it may help slow down muscle breakdown during/following intense exercise (i.e. heavy resistance training or 2-a-days).  Therefore if someone is beginning a new training program or upping the intensity, adding HMB to your daily supplement stack may help improve gains in muscle mass, strength and power over time.  It could also help an individual who is trying to cut weight, specifically fat, during a cutting phase by helping maintain lean muscle tissue even though their is a negative energy balance.  Your body does produce leucine each day however only about 5% of leucine is converted into HMB daily....so,


 "To put this into perspective, an individual would need to consume over 600 g of high quality protein to obtain the amount of leucine (60 grams) necessary to produce the typical 3 g daily dosage of HMB that is commonly used" 
                          -ISSN Position Stand on HMB








The following conclusions were released by the International Society of Sports Nutrition in their position stand:


1. HMB can be used to enhance recovery by attenuating exercise induced skeletal muscle damage in trained and untrained populations.

2. If consuming HMB, an athlete will benefit from consuming the supplement in close proximity to their workout. 
3. HMB appears to be most effective when consumed for 2 weeks prior to an exercise bout. 
4. Thirty-eight mg/kg of Body Mass daily of HMB (or about 3-4 g for a 200 lb individual) has been demonstrated to enhance skeletal muscle hypertrophy, strength, and power in untrained and trained populations when the appropriate exercise prescription is utilized.

5. HMB has been demonstrated to increase Lean Body Mass and functionality in elderly and sedentary populations. 


6. HMB ingestion in conjunction with a structured exercise program may result in greater

declines in fat mass (FM). 
7. HMB's mechanisms of action include an inhibition and increase of proteolysis and
protein synthesis, respectively. 

8. Chronic consumption of HMB is safe in both young and old populations.




Reference:
Wilson et al.: International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB). Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 2013 10:6.

Monday, September 7, 2015

Mobility Monday: Bro, Your Internal Rotation is Lacking


In a world where we sit a majority of the day, are constantly hunched over texting on our phone, working on our computers, or generally not paying attention to our posture, our shoulders get wrecked.  We get short and tight in our front shoulder and across our chest that leads to shoulder pain, upper back pain and tightness and a list of orthopedic injuries for your shoulder.  If you add working out or playing recreational softball or volleyball your risk on injury goes up tremendously and it is not a simple and short fix.  You're talking 6-8 months post op shoulder surgery. 


Help your shoulders out and get them reset in their natural position.  Start with these here.


Friday, September 4, 2015

Friday Food: How to Cook the Perfect Grass Fed Steak


We typically put up a recipe for some good and healthy food on Friday's but today we changed it up just a little bit and give you a couple links to resources on how to cook the perfect grass fed steak.  We had a post earlier this week about the importance of knowing what your organic food is and where is comes from and its even more important with your meat.  Grass fed is the way to go for health, taste and all around quality.  Check out the links below and happy grilling.


From Chelsea Green: How to cook the perfect grass fed steak
-She covers how to cook it anywhere.  Great article.

Cooking Grass Fed Beef

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

What really is "Organic"?


"Organic" has been a word associated with health and wellness as of late and for good reason.  It is supposed to be cleaner, pesticide free and generally better for you.  But what does it all really mean?


By definition to be "Certified Organic" is farming/growing in a way that preserves the soil and the natural cycle of everything that interacts with those soil.  Basically it is looking at treating the soil as a living organism.  Now, this doesn't mean that when you see something as "Organic" that it is the best and it does not guarantee certification.  Organic is just a product claim, nothing more.

How It Works:
-Here are the guidelines of what is required for a farm to be Certified as Organic.
1. Three year transition
2. Certified by Agent (accredited by USDA)
3. Annual Inspection
4. Only use allowed substances

These are the basics of what all getting 'certified' entails but even when the certification process is done that doesn't always still mean things are on the up and up.  While it is true that certified organic farmers can't use irradiation, sewage sludge or genetic modification they are still allows to spray.  The sprays they can use must be "naturally occurring" and only "slightly synthesized".  Not exactly a reassuring statement.

Each farm is to be inspected yearly but as with most businesses the certifiers are also looking to expand their client list and this can often lead to conflicts of interest.  As all these people need more business it increases the likelihood that they are not going to blow the whistle on a farm that might be bending or breaking the rules.  In 2010, 13000+ certified organic farms were inspected, only 10 had their license revoked.

Organic doesn't mean locally grown or raised.  Cocoa, vanilla, banana all come from somewhere else and are often times put into processed food.  Just because it is organic does not mean it is healthy.  The travel that some of these products have to go through can increase their probability of spoiling, being contaminated and losing nutrition.  Local is your safest bet.


Recommendations:
Just because it says organic does not mean it is perfectly healthy for you.  The nutrition in "organic cake" still isn't great nutrition as sugar can be organic but that does not make it healthy.  Don't worry so much about the calorie content and everything else that is on the label if you can't pronounce most of the words.   A very easy and simple way to feel good about you are eating is if the ingredients list has five (5) or less.  This does a great job of trying to keep everything simple and easy but doesn't add much time to your shopping.

If you're worried about organic and how good it truly is for you the best way it know your farmer.  The more local it is the easier it is for you to check it out an know that it isn't a mega-farm producing your food.  Not knowing where your food comes from gives you no idea on how to select what you eat.

Below we have also added the list of the foods that have been shown to have the highest pesticides rates and ones that should buy "certified organic" if you can or try and avoid as much as possible.  We have also added the most clean foods.  These are the ones you want to go after and can be exposed to less hazardous material.

Dirty Dozen Foods: Highest Pesticides Residues (Earth Restoration Alliance)
1. Celery
2. Peaches
3. Strawberries
4. Apples
5. Blueberries
6. Nectarines
7. Bell peppers
8. Spinach
9. Lettuce
10. Kale & collard greens
11. Potatoes
12. Grapes

Clean Fifteen
1. Onion
2. Avocado
3. Sweet corn
4. Pineapple
5. Mango
6. Sweet peas
7. Asparagus
8. Kiwi
9. Cabbage
10. Eggplant
11. Canteloupe
12. Watermelon
13. Grapefruit
14. Sweet potato
15. Mushrooms

Resources:
www.inorganicwetrust.com

Video: In Organic We Trust

BONUS:

Now this post talks a lot about organic but we didn't touch much on GMO based foods.  This is an extremely hot topic.

The Case for Engineering Our Food