Dealing with plantar fasciitis is one of the least fun things any runner and athlete can deal with. It is such a multi factorial pain in that the source of it can come from any one of a number of things in your lower body all the way up to your hip.
This weeks Mobility Monday does a great job addressing the multiple areas of soft tissue that you should focus on when trying to address plantar fasciitis. It is a great resource to get you started in trying to self correct this problem.
What It Helps:
-Plantar Fascia Pain
-Medial Arch Issues
-Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome (MTSS/Shin Splints)
Many endurance athletes recall a time during their training (or event) where something didn’t sit well in their stomach, or they simply “hit the wall”. This phrase simply means that there’s been a build up of muscle and/or brain fatigue that limits the body’s capacity to do work. One way to combat this is to follow a good eating plan, called ‘Pre-workout nutrition’. There should be a somewhat strict pre-eating schedule when it comes to performing and feeling your best during such hard workouts, races, or other events, as the digestive system is more sensitive during times of prolonged stress. Now this pre-meal plan does not include the prior 24 hours even though a long-term eating plan is also very beneficial to performance. What I talk about here are the few hours leading up to the event - it’s what can be done from a nutrition stand point to enhance performance and avoid any hiccups the day of.
Let’s look at a food timeline that my collegiate coach would write up for our team on the day of a cross country race that started at noon:
5AM - Meet in Lobby for 10-15 minute slow, “shake out” jog
6AM (4-5 hours before event) - Breakfast
8-9AM (2-3 hours before event) - Snack
11-11:30AM - 1 Hour Warm Up + Fluid Intake (1 Gatorade Sip: 2 Water Sips)
12PM: RACE TIME
As you can see, food was encouraged to be consumed on a consistent basis as to keep blood sugar levels at a moderate level. This helps to combat crashing blood sugar levels while in the midst of competition, dissipate any hunger that could creep up around lunch time, and increase cognition and brain function.
Now, what this doesn’t include is what exactly constitutes as a good “breakfast” or “snack”. Therefore, I highlighted certain foods that may help you choose your pre-workout or pre-event nutrition plan:
Breaking Down Breakfast-
Breakfast (or any substantial meal) should be consumed at least 4 hours before a big event, especially if it’s nutrient and calorie dense. Research is wishy-washy on whether ‘breakfast is the most important meal of the day’, and it is my opinion that much of the short and long-term research on athletes indicate that it is a beneficial habit. In the short-term, breakfast consumption can increase cognitive functioning and reaction time while long-term consumption can improve metabolic activity. Increased metabolism means that burning fat and lean muscle mass increases over time. However, this is also dependant on the contentof the breakfast. Muffins, sugary cereals, or loads of salt-ridden bacon are not likely to help anyone. It’s time to think of food as fuel. What do you put into your car to make it last longer and run more efficiently? You have to put that same principle into place when it comes to your own body’s performances. Healthy fats and proteins are important here and consist of foods such as: nuts/nut butters, lean meats (chicken, turkey, etc.), eggs, avocados, and whole fat yogurt, to name just a few. This combination increases blood sugar and then maintains it at a normal level, which is much more desirable than the sudden rise and fall seen with most processed and high-glycemic laden breakfasts. Dried or fresh fruit and/or veggies can also be included for added nutrients, fiber, and as a source of healthy carbohydrates. Note that these same principles can be put into place for those who have evening performances, for which a substantial meal would need to be around lunch time.
Caffeine Please(2-3 hours before)-
2.There is also something to be said about these magic beans or leaves. Research suggests that caffeine from regular brewed coffee or tea increases work capacity and motivation. However, tea is the best alternative of the two as it avoids the typical “crash”, has antioxidants, reduces chronic inflammation, and manages anxiety.
Snack the right way(2-3 hours before)-
3.Snacks will differ from the content of breakfast foods because the time to ‘toe-the-line’ is becoming limited. Your digestive system is more sensitive to the foods you eat now, especially from the nerves. So think about foods in smaller portions, and that are easily digestible. Avoid milk proteins and fructose (soda, candy, juice, apples, cherries, etc.). Foods with too much fiber or fat can also be detrimental if consumed in high amounts. Although nuts are high in fat, just a few handfuls can be great at curbing any lingering hunger.
Fluids(>1 hour before)
4.Gatorade, Powerade, gels or other sports drinks are considered high-glycemic; meaning, the energy it has is utilized by the body right away. They replace electrolytes and any fluids that are lost during a hard workout, but are also good for maintaining levels prior to as well. Take sips only and do not chug as large amounts can contribute to that “slosh” in the stomach or those performance limiting side-aches.
There is much more to be said about pre-training nutrition, of course, but it is my hope that this little information sparks some interest in you, my readers, to really think about your own nutrition plan. Are you fueling yourself right to perform your best? Athletes or not, put yourself on the right path to be as successful as you can in this life….because you only get one.
We can try and be careful throughout our day. Not bending too much at the waist to pick things up, maintaining intra-abdominal pressure when we lift and generally just trying to be nice to our low back. But, as with most things, stuff happens and with your low back, it happens quickly. We will have some more stuff coming out on low back soon but if something were to happen to your low back and you don't know where to start THIS IS IT! Some great basics to start to help get your low back feeling better.
What It Helps:
-Low Back Pain
-Reducing Pain after "Throwing Out Your Back"
-Hamstring tightness all tied into low back
A good twist on chicken that will give you a change in what you are eating if you are tired of just having chicken. Lots of options to put in and on the chicken and as usual you can tweak and adjust as you need to for your taste. Give this one a try for the next big dinner or protein packed meal.
Ingredients:
4 skinless chicken breast halves, with ribs
2 skinless chicken thighs, with bones
1/2 tsp salt, plus 1 tsp
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus 1 tsp
1/4 cup olive oil
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
3 oz prosciutto, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (15oz) can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup white wine
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp fresh oregano leaves
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tbsp capers
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley leaves
The Game Plan:
Season the chicken with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. In a heavy, large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, cook the chicken until browned on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Keeping the same pan over medium heat, add the peppers and prosciutto and cook until the peppers have browned and the prosciutto is crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, wine and herbs. using a wooden spoon, scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pan, add the stock, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 to 30 minutes.
If serving immediately, add the capers and the parsley. Stir to combine and serve. If making ahead of time, transfer the chicken and sauce to a storage container, cool, and refrigerate. The next day, rehab the chicken to a simmer over medium heat. Stir in the capers and parsley and serve.
The shoulder is an incredible joint. It offers so much freedom when it comes to range of motion
and function that allows us to gather things from overhead, throw a ball, walk on our hands and many other things that can improve your life. That being said, all that mobility comes at a cost and the shoulder also is at the mercy of some of the other postures and movements of the rest of your body.
All of that taken into consideration, the health of your shoulders is of vital importance and this video gives you a great starting point. Check it out.
What It Helps:
-Shoulder Pain
-Shoulder Mobility and Movement
-Shoulder Function and Longevity
We do our best to test out the recipes we post and this one especially. We had it last night and it was fantastic. We followed the recipe as is with a few exceptions, avocado oil instead of olive oil (higher smoke point) and grass fed (Kerry Gold) butter for cooking. It was great as is but could be combined with rice, risotto or even pasta. Great meal.
Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Season salmon evenly with salt, and place, flesh side down (skinned side up) in hot skillet. Cook until deep golden brown, about 3 minutes. Turn fillets on their sides, and cook 1 minute; turn to opposite side, and cook 1 minute longer. Lastly flip fillets to skinned side down, and cook 2 minutes.
Add 1 tbsp of the butter and oregano sprigs to skillet, and reduce heat to medium. Baste salmon with infused butter for 1 minute. Remove salmon and oregano to a plate and let rest.
Add shallot and artichoke hearts to skillet. Cook over medium, stirring often, until shallot is softened and artichokes are beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Add chipped oregano and tomatoes, and stir to combine. Deglaze skillet with white win, and cook until win is reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add spinach and remaining 1 tbsp butter, and cook until spinach is just barely wilted, about 1 minute. Spoon vegetable onto a platter, and top with salmon and any remaining pan sauce.
Many of us spend a large portion of time in the car. Whether it's a weekend trip, work commute, or family cross-country road trip we've all felt the aches and pains of sitting in the same position in an uncomfortable car. Here are a few tips to try next time you're in a car for a long period of time.
Warning: I don't like that I have to tell you this as it should be common sense but...please be safe and use discretion if you do these while actually driving. I would recommend these if you're at a red light or stuck in traffic rather than in dodging traffic on the interstate.
Dosage: Try to do these stretches once every hour or two while in the car.
In the car:
Pec Stretch: The arms forward/reaching posture (aka gripping the steering wheel) is a recipe for disaster for chest muscle tightness. Let's get that chest opened up.
Reach your hand behind the passenger seat and anchor your arm
Rotate body towards the left
Hold for 20-30 seconds (if you have a partner to drive, would be good to get both arms every so often, but if not, it's okay just to do the right arm)
Glute Bridge/Hollow Hold: Constant seated position for hours and hours will lead to tight hip flexors; do this to fire the glutes and counteract that tightness....please don't do this with your foot on the gas or if you're whipping in and out of traffic.
Ground both feet evenly with as much knee extension as possible
Lift the hips and butt off the seat while pushing your shoulders into the seat back by contracting your core and glutes
Feel the stretch through the quads and hip flexors and the relief of pressure on the low-back
Hold this for a couple seconds or as long as time permits (reps are also beneficial)
Neck Position & Chin Tucks: MoveU does a great job of explaining this, so I'm not going to try and re-word it at all. Check out their Instagram post here.
Upper Trap and Levator Scap Stretch: Remember the upper cross syndrome I talked about before? Well here it is at work again. If you're sitting like in the beginning of the video above (forward head posture or "text-neck"), your upper trap and levator scapulae might be barking at you.
Anchor your right or left hand under your butt
For upper trap, just side-bend your head to the opposite side of your hand (touch your ear to your shoulder)
For levator scap, drop your chin to your chest and look towards your opposite knee (head follows); you should feel a stretch down the back of your neck (might feel a pinching sensation)
Hold each movement for 10-20 seconds for 2-3 reps
Repeat on other side
Pit-stop: gas station, weigh station, rest stop, etc.; get out and MOVE Shoulder IR Stretch: Another factor of the reaching posture, pinching of the anterior capsule of the shoulder.
Stand with your back to the open door
Place hand behind your back and grip the door frame (palm facing the door)
While gripping the door, take a half of a step away form the door (or as much as you can) to feel a stretch in the front of the shoulder
Hold for 20-30 seconds
Switch sides
Piriformis Stretch: Another way to combat the tight hip flexors from sitting for long periods of time; this strap-like muscle in your butt is a hassle but is important to relieve and stretch to prevent low back pain. The piriformis is a key component of sciatic nerve pain because it can compress that nerve when the muscle gets tight.
Variability in piriformis and sciatic nerve
Standing, place one knee up on the hood of your car, bags of salt at the gas station, table, bench, etc. and lay the lower leg flat on the surface (see photo to right)
From here we're going to lean our trunk in three directions i) outside of the knee, ii) on top of the knee, and iii) towards the foot
Hold each leaning position for 10 seconds; repeat 2-3 times
Switch sides
Calf Stretch on Tire: Ankle mobility is a key underlying feature of many movements that we don't usually think about: squats, cleans, snatches...really anything that includes hip and knee flexion. Do a little calf stretch on the tire while you pump your gas to help keep the ankles healthy. 3x20 seconds each side.
Extras: non-mobility things that may help you with your travel
1. Compression Socks: doesn't have to be anything fancy, there is just research out there that supports the use of compression socks to reduce edema and blood pooling during flights and long car rides.
2. Water: yes, you may have to make more bathroom stops, but that shouldn't be your reason to not drink water. 12-15 oz/hour. You'd be surprised how little water you may drink on a long car ride.
3. Ankle pumps/ABCs: if you don't want to spend money on compression socks, it's important to fight gravity and get the blood flowing and circulating in your lower legs and feet. Simple ankle pumps or drawing the ABCs with your feet may suffice to facilitate blood flow.
Movements become extremely powerful when you are able to take them from a basic point of starting and then build on them to make them challenge your body even more. This is the case when it comes to this rotational plank. This movement allows you to work on a lot of mobility through your hips and shoulders while it is also working on the rotational mobility along your spine. In addition to that you are getting great stability work of the 'core' to help that mobility work keep applicable to when you start moving.
Things It Helps:
-Hip Mobility
-General Spine Mobility (Thoracic Lumbar Junction)
-'Stabilizers' of the Spine Activation
After enjoying a maybe not so healthy pizza we thought it best to find a pizza that you could enjoy but also not have to feel guilty about consuming the entire thing (or at least most of it). This is what we came up with and figured with the added bacon that things should still taste pretty good when you have that pizza craving.
1/3 cup (1 1/2 oz) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 tbsp grated fresh Parmesan cheese
The Game Plan:
To prepare dough, dissolve yeast and sugar in 1/2 cup warm water in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cuts, and level with a knife. stir 1 1/4 cups flour and 1/4 tsp salt into yeast mixture to form a soft dough. Turn dough out into a light floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 5 mins); add enough of remaining flour, 1 tbsp at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands.
Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, Turing dough to coat. Cover; let rise in warm place (85deg) free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in size (press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, dough has risen enough.)
Punch dough down; cover and let rest 5 minutes. Roll dough into a 14-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Place dough on a pizza pan or baking sheet coated with cooking g spray and sprinkled with cornmeal. Crimp edges of dough with fingers to forma rim.
Preheat over to 450deg.
To prepare topping, cook bacon oil a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon form skillet, reserving 2 tsp of bacon dripping in pan. Crumble bacon; set aside. Add onion and mushrooms to pan; cook 10 minutes or until tender and moisture evaporates. Stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper.
Drizzle oil over dough; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper. Place pan on lowest oven rack; bake at 450deg for 10 minutes or until golden-brown. Remove from oven; spread ricotta evenly over crust, leaving a 1/2-inch rim. Arrange onion mixture an arugula evenly over ricotta. Sprinkle with bacon, mozzarella, and parmesan. Bake an addiotnal 10 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Cut into wedges.
For all we talk about mobility we haven't always laid out exactly how you can program mobility into your workouts. This might be as as important as getting the actual mobility work done. You want to make sure that you are putting the mobility work in the proper places in your workout and make sure that you are getting the maximum benefit out of the work without hurting your performance or yourself. Here Dr. Starrett does a great job breaking it all down for us.
Things It Helps:
-Improving Overall Mobility
-Increasing Performance through Better Movement
-Reducing Daily Pain/Tightness
