This past weekend I spent several sessions with a particular patient that has repeatedly told me how much worse his body feels when he is under high stress. Unfortunately, he also admitted that he feels like he is ALWAYS under high stress, and doesn't really take the time to do anything about managing it. Coming to see me has been his first step in his realization that he needs to start taking care of his health. As is the case for many of us, managing stress has to be a personal decision to not only take the time to create "me time" away from our stressors, but also to consciously begin to recognize our thought patterns that play a key role in the escalation AND diminishment of the negative stress we experience.
This article was published several months ago, but after re-reading it this morning, I have the feeling there are more than a few of you out there that can benefit from reading it, as well!
Cognitive Training Can Alter Biochemistry Of The Brain
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Monday, August 3, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Developing Confidence through Commitment
Beginning a cardio program, or simply a new fitness routine for that matter, is not always a simple get-up-and-go task. For some of you the idea of a change may give you a complete thrill, for others, it makes you shudder. If the latter sounds more like you, remember the following on your way to reaching your ultimate fitness and performance goals.
Start small, aim far- It's an old adage, but it still rings true. Making progress isn't always about how far you move but that you actually move at all! If running a marathon is you ultimate goal but the thought of doing one scares the bejeezus out of you, break it down backwards. Marathon, Half Marathon, 10k, 8k, 5k, Fun run.... you get the point, and start at the smallest interval you can currently accomplish without killing yourself. If one lap around the track is your max, break that down, too. Track athletes break their training into 100's, 200's, 400's etc all the time. There's nothing wrong with doing the the same thing for yourself.
If distance isn't your obstacle but lack of skill is look for local groups or reviews that will show you options for building the skills you you want to work on. For example, if Slick Rock sounds like an awesome ride but going down a bunny hill with two pebbles on it sounds tough, get on sites like http://www.mtbr.com for some ideas of easy trails to get started with. Get over the first hill, and the rest will start to fly by. Local groups like Active.com, GoVavi.com and MeetUp.com are additional great resources for finding training partners and groups to work out with.
Decide on a goal and commit to it- Your ability to make a commitment is the single biggest factor on whether or not you'll accomplish your goals. When it comes to fitness, commit with what usually binds you the most- your finances and/or friends. The more someone invests in a goal, whether through time or money, the more likely they are to follow through. Pick a race, event, or upcoming league you'd like to be a part of and sign up! Once you do, backing out will be much harder, and you'll have the money you just put down motivating your butt off the couch and out the door. Likewise, having someone else along for the ride helps not only with the motivation department, but also for the accountability factor. No one likes a flake. If you don't show up at the gym as planned, there will be more than your mirror to explain to!
Little by little, these simple tips will help you to improve and develop confidence in your skills and ability to complete your goals. Every time you reach one, add a new one and watch your confidence grow even stronger! Taking small steps like these might sound like a "duh factor", but if you're still thinking about running a race and still haven't made a solid commitment to completing it, you're already a step behind.
Start small, aim far- It's an old adage, but it still rings true. Making progress isn't always about how far you move but that you actually move at all! If running a marathon is you ultimate goal but the thought of doing one scares the bejeezus out of you, break it down backwards. Marathon, Half Marathon, 10k, 8k, 5k, Fun run.... you get the point, and start at the smallest interval you can currently accomplish without killing yourself. If one lap around the track is your max, break that down, too. Track athletes break their training into 100's, 200's, 400's etc all the time. There's nothing wrong with doing the the same thing for yourself.
If distance isn't your obstacle but lack of skill is look for local groups or reviews that will show you options for building the skills you you want to work on. For example, if Slick Rock sounds like an awesome ride but going down a bunny hill with two pebbles on it sounds tough, get on sites like http://www.mtbr.com for some ideas of easy trails to get started with. Get over the first hill, and the rest will start to fly by. Local groups like Active.com, GoVavi.com and MeetUp.com are additional great resources for finding training partners and groups to work out with.
Decide on a goal and commit to it- Your ability to make a commitment is the single biggest factor on whether or not you'll accomplish your goals. When it comes to fitness, commit with what usually binds you the most- your finances and/or friends. The more someone invests in a goal, whether through time or money, the more likely they are to follow through. Pick a race, event, or upcoming league you'd like to be a part of and sign up! Once you do, backing out will be much harder, and you'll have the money you just put down motivating your butt off the couch and out the door. Likewise, having someone else along for the ride helps not only with the motivation department, but also for the accountability factor. No one likes a flake. If you don't show up at the gym as planned, there will be more than your mirror to explain to!
Little by little, these simple tips will help you to improve and develop confidence in your skills and ability to complete your goals. Every time you reach one, add a new one and watch your confidence grow even stronger! Taking small steps like these might sound like a "duh factor", but if you're still thinking about running a race and still haven't made a solid commitment to completing it, you're already a step behind.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Inflammation: The Good & The Ugly
Inflammation has definitely been a buzz word for years now in the health and fitness circles. However, everywhere I look, read, and listen, there still seems to be a huge lack of understanding about what exactly inflammation is. Most people seem to think that inflammation is a big, bad, horrible thing. In fact, if we suddenly didn't have some form of inflammatory process in our body, we'd probably all die rather quickly. Why? Because inflammation is the immune systems' way of fighting infection and healing damaged tissues in our bodies. Here's the short of it:
When something gets injured, or a foreign substance enters our body, the system gets turned on and start sending a "cascade of events". In other words, basically a whole bunch of specialized cells and chemicals meant to either fight and destroy those harmful substances, or to repair and replace the cells that have been damaged during the injurious event, start racing around to where they need to go in the body to heal us up and keep us from getting worse. We need this to happen or bacteria would run rampant, and every simple sprain endured on the soccer field would get worse and worse, never getting better until we were all running around with floppy ankles. Not a pretty picture.
So, why does inflammation get such a bad rap? Unfortunately, as the good cells and chemicals rush around our body to heal us up, they also attract other chemicals to the site of injury which can cause cause those well known signs of inflammation that most of us don't really enjoy- redness, swelling, pain, etc. A certain amount of this tells us our system is working, but too much can indicate severe distress, auto-immune issues, nutritional deficiencies, or an inflammatory response that has gone out of control-just a few issues that can occur among a vast amount of other reasons.
If you've been experiencing severe inflammation, Functional Diagnostic Lab work, Dietary and Nutritional Changes, Antioxidants, Activity modifications, stress management, and certain specific temporary anti-inflammatory medications can all provide great ways to not only figure out what's going on, but get your condition under control. For more information specific to your situation, give us a call or talk to your health care provider about what you've been dealing with, and get to the bottom of it.
One last tip: Don't put off getting help until you're feeling and performing at your worst! The longer a condition has taken to develop, the longer it will often take to resolve. Pay attention to what your body is telling you-the sooner you seek help, the sooner you'll be feeling better again.
When something gets injured, or a foreign substance enters our body, the system gets turned on and start sending a "cascade of events". In other words, basically a whole bunch of specialized cells and chemicals meant to either fight and destroy those harmful substances, or to repair and replace the cells that have been damaged during the injurious event, start racing around to where they need to go in the body to heal us up and keep us from getting worse. We need this to happen or bacteria would run rampant, and every simple sprain endured on the soccer field would get worse and worse, never getting better until we were all running around with floppy ankles. Not a pretty picture.
So, why does inflammation get such a bad rap? Unfortunately, as the good cells and chemicals rush around our body to heal us up, they also attract other chemicals to the site of injury which can cause cause those well known signs of inflammation that most of us don't really enjoy- redness, swelling, pain, etc. A certain amount of this tells us our system is working, but too much can indicate severe distress, auto-immune issues, nutritional deficiencies, or an inflammatory response that has gone out of control-just a few issues that can occur among a vast amount of other reasons.
If you've been experiencing severe inflammation, Functional Diagnostic Lab work, Dietary and Nutritional Changes, Antioxidants, Activity modifications, stress management, and certain specific temporary anti-inflammatory medications can all provide great ways to not only figure out what's going on, but get your condition under control. For more information specific to your situation, give us a call or talk to your health care provider about what you've been dealing with, and get to the bottom of it.
One last tip: Don't put off getting help until you're feeling and performing at your worst! The longer a condition has taken to develop, the longer it will often take to resolve. Pay attention to what your body is telling you-the sooner you seek help, the sooner you'll be feeling better again.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Antioxidants – Defenders Against Oxidation and Free Radicals
Found this great article explaining Antioxidants. For more information be sure to attend our Body & Mind Series Event #4: Wine Tasting! Celebrating Antioxidants & Sorting through the Hype- For more information on when and where, please visit our website!
Antioxidants – Defenders Against Oxidation and Free Radicals
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Antioxidants – Defenders Against Oxidation and Free Radicals
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Thursday, June 4, 2009
Interesting Tidbits on Sprouts
For those of you into raw foods or simply looking for a great way to spice up your usual food routine, I thought I'd share what I thought to be interesting information regarding the health benefits of sprouts. Personally, I've always thought they make a great topping to my favorite salad or sandwich, so when I found the following info from Nataliya Schetchikova, PhD in the April issue of ACA, I was pretty happy about it!
Here' a short summary of some of the benefits found in these tiny powerhouses:
*20grams of broccoli sprouts= amount of nutrition in 1 Kg of Broccoli
*Broccoli sprouts- high in isothiocyanates: chemopreventive agents that inhibit bladder cancer development and currently researched for potenial as bladder cancer treatment
* Buckwheat sprouts- tons of concentrated antioxidant capabilities, studies also have found they hold the ability to help reduce cholesterol and triglycerides; (Contain phenolics, quercetin, rutin, gamma-aminobutaric & citric acids, others)
* Wheat Sprouts- high quality source of phosphates and enzymes, potent antioxidant, may inhibit development of colon cancer. Powdered version has been shown in numerous studies to significantly prevents or delays senile cataracts in animal studies.
If I wasn't so unlucky with growing indoor plants lately, I'd probably try growing a batch on my own windowsill at home. I'll just have to leave that to those of you with the indoor green thumbs. In the meantime, if you'd like to learn more about sprouts take a look at the following websites:
http://www.sproutpeople.com OR http://www.isga-sprouts.org
For the full article see ACA News/April 2009 "Supplements in a Plant:Sprouts and Their Health Effects" by Nataliya Schetchikova, PhD
Here' a short summary of some of the benefits found in these tiny powerhouses:
*20grams of broccoli sprouts= amount of nutrition in 1 Kg of Broccoli
*Broccoli sprouts- high in isothiocyanates: chemopreventive agents that inhibit bladder cancer development and currently researched for potenial as bladder cancer treatment
* Buckwheat sprouts- tons of concentrated antioxidant capabilities, studies also have found they hold the ability to help reduce cholesterol and triglycerides; (Contain phenolics, quercetin, rutin, gamma-aminobutaric & citric acids, others)
* Wheat Sprouts- high quality source of phosphates and enzymes, potent antioxidant, may inhibit development of colon cancer. Powdered version has been shown in numerous studies to significantly prevents or delays senile cataracts in animal studies.
If I wasn't so unlucky with growing indoor plants lately, I'd probably try growing a batch on my own windowsill at home. I'll just have to leave that to those of you with the indoor green thumbs. In the meantime, if you'd like to learn more about sprouts take a look at the following websites:
http://www.sproutpeople.com OR http://www.isga-sprouts.org
For the full article see ACA News/April 2009 "Supplements in a Plant:Sprouts and Their Health Effects" by Nataliya Schetchikova, PhD
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Hooray for the Crazies!
Every year around this time of March, San Diego traffic goes crazy. Not that it isn't a little nutzo already, but stir in a few thousand half crazy people running around the city, and it really is possible to get a little worse. If you hadn't guessed what I'm talking about, its the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon.
So how crazy is doing a marathon after all? Well, you'll just have to talk to one of the many whom have actually completed one or more of them. However, you're likely to hear one of two stories: Either they fell in love with the runners high, the zen of the marathon energy, and the self realization found along the way and in training mile after mile, OR you'll hear them say they absolutely hated it and will never do it again because they totally messed up their body. I can't really say that I fall in either direction, since I've become more of a trail runner over the years. Jumping from rock to rock like a mountain goat is just way more fun and appealing to me than running a flat piece of asphalt for what seems like forever. However, I can't completely deny that I'd like to one day be able to say I did at least one. You know, just for giggles...What can I say? Crazy is as crazy does.
So for those of you contemplating the idea of doing a marathon or half marathon in the near future, here is my sports medicine advice. PLEASE do yourself a favor and TRAIN for the thing! After working these events on more than one occasion, the most common complaint I hear people make is "I wish I would've trained better." Doing so is the #1 best way to avoid injury. When your body has trained long enough, and trained properly, it actually can handle running a marathon. Though it might not be without pain or ailment of some sort, you'll be able to handle the exertion and inflammation that follows. Check back to this blog in the months ahead for some additional hints on how to take care of the bumps along the way.
For those of you in the San Diego area that would like a group to get in race shape with, check out the following links: www.inmotionfit.com, www.teamintraining.org/sd, www.wcroadrunners.com, www.sdtc.com . And if you do end up needing a little bit of TLC and bodywork along the way, see your local Sports Chiropractor or visit us at www.ActionSportsChiropractic.com
For those of you running this weekend, Congratulations for making it, enjoy the journey, and treat yourself with a soak in the ocean when you cross that sweet finish line. You'll deserve it!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
The Spot Training Fat Reduction Myth
How many times have you or a friend said "I don't need to work on everything, I just need to work on this!" (All while pointing to the flabby arms, the butt, the abs, or lack there-of), or better yet, heard an infomercial talk about never needing to workout again? Hopefully if you're reading this, you know enough to laugh at those kinds of statements.
Unfortunately there is no such thing as spot reduction when it comes to losing fat! You can do as many crunches and abdominal exercises as you want, but unless you lower your overall body fat, those six-pack abs you're going for will still be in hiding. Why? Your body fat content is a direct correlation to your overall fitness level. Hence, the better your overall and cardiovascular fitness, the lower your body fat composition. Yes, you can spot-train for strength, but here's why the myth goes haywire: The strength training of one muscle has little to do with the consumption of fat and glucose needed for the energy use of your entire body if the other muscles aren't being used. Spot training a single area and wondering why you're not getting results is kind of like the couch potato kid that plays Super Mario Soccer and wonders why he has no skills when he goes to play in the real game. Sorry to disappoint, but it's just not the same.
Lose the idea of spot reduction and fad diets, and start to lower your body fat with overall cardiovascular and strength training and a healthy, proportional diet that becomes a lifestyle habit. You'll soon be seeing the lean muscle you're after in your entire body, and best of all, it will last!
Unfortunately there is no such thing as spot reduction when it comes to losing fat! You can do as many crunches and abdominal exercises as you want, but unless you lower your overall body fat, those six-pack abs you're going for will still be in hiding. Why? Your body fat content is a direct correlation to your overall fitness level. Hence, the better your overall and cardiovascular fitness, the lower your body fat composition. Yes, you can spot-train for strength, but here's why the myth goes haywire: The strength training of one muscle has little to do with the consumption of fat and glucose needed for the energy use of your entire body if the other muscles aren't being used. Spot training a single area and wondering why you're not getting results is kind of like the couch potato kid that plays Super Mario Soccer and wonders why he has no skills when he goes to play in the real game. Sorry to disappoint, but it's just not the same.
Lose the idea of spot reduction and fad diets, and start to lower your body fat with overall cardiovascular and strength training and a healthy, proportional diet that becomes a lifestyle habit. You'll soon be seeing the lean muscle you're after in your entire body, and best of all, it will last!
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