Supplement Confusion

I grew up in a household (in the 70’s) with a mother who believed in taking vitamins. Known today as supplements. At that point my mother recommended multi-vitamins. Just to ensure that we were getting the proper nutrition. After a while our “vitamin” taking grew into vitamin C, vitamin E and Iron. Afterall who knew what we were really getting from our food.

Since those days supplement usage has grown exponentially. We, as a society, now take many different “vitamins”. From yes, Multis, C’s, E and now add on to that list, fish oil, selenium, calcium and the list goes on and on. You can find a pill or liquid on the market to satisfy your needs whether it is to fight off the possibilities of a cold, aid in bone health or even help you grow muscle. Oooops let’s not forget hair too.

Before we go to far know this. 17 years ago legislation was passed that allows supplement manufacturers to make claims without any federal regulation. In other words, if they want to, they can lie.

Recent studies have surfaced that dispute the use of these health aids. In fact it seems for every study that you find that professes a pill’s positive effects. There’s sure to be another in the month’s to follow that debunk it.

For example let’s look at what has happened to vitamin E lately. (Vitamin E is an antioxidant. Antioxidants are substances that destroy free radicals, which are compounds in the body that damage DNA and even cause cell death. Free radicals are believed to contribute to the development of heart disease and cancer.)

You can find vitamin E in many food sources, which include:

• Eggs
• Nuts
• Dark green leafy vegetables like spinach and kale
• Avocado
• Asparagus
• Yams

But as usual we are told that vitamin E is going to help us maintain our health so we include it in our supplements.

Population studies (large groups of people over time) suggest that eating foods high in vitamin E may help prevent cancer. But several large clinical studies found that women who take vitamin E supplements do NOT have a lower risk of breast cancer. And another study found that men who took 400 IU of vitamin E every other day for 8 years did NOT have a lower risk of overall cancer than those who took a placebo.

Many population studies have found that people who have higher levels of vitamin E have a lower risk of heart disease. Now the counter. The Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation (HOPE) trial, found that taking 400 IU of vitamin E did NOT lower the number of heart attacks, strokes, or deaths from heart disease from men and women who were at high risk for it.

In 2004 researchers at Johns Hopkins reported that a high-dose of vitamin E (in excess of 400 IU) is associated with a higher overall risk of dying. 19 studies took place between 1993 and 2004 and involved more than 136,000 patients in North America, Europe and China. All of the studies included a control group taking a placebo. When the data was re-evaluated, high dose vitamin E (400 IU per day or more) showed an increase of death.

While doing the research on this I checked out my own cupboard and looked at the multivitamin that was in there and found that the dosage was 200 IU per day. I have to wonder that along with the foods I’m eating if I’m actually getting 400 IU or more a day.

Or maybe, just maybe I should just rely on eating well balanced meals and put the supplements away.

I don’t have an end answer here. My suggestion though especially since there are NO regulations on supplements is, buyer beware! You have to be comfortable with your decisions but please do your own research on what you are putting in your body. Several years ago I was training a teenage male and during the session he proudly announced to me that, that morning he had taken a bunch of vitamins. I asked him why. He just shrugged his shoulders.

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Book Recommendation – Born to Run

It’s been a busy summer and I haven’t been able to post here. But with the summer came a great read. Especially if you’re a runner. If you haven’t already, and you are a runner read Born to Run. Not since George Sheehan’s Running and Being has a book motivated me so much to run.

Born to Run is being credited for starting the “barefoot running” movement. But Born to Run is more than a story of foot anatomy and why we have more injuries the more we cushion our feet. Author Christopher McDougall takes us on a journey into the Copper Canyons of Mexico and a search for the elusive Caballo Blanco and the Tarahumara Indians. This where he finds extraordinary runners. Not only do these natives of Mexico run distances of 100 miles or more but they do this barefoot or with barely anything on their feet.

McDougall takes the reader through the compelling research that discusses how the more cushioned a running shoe is the more we can be susceptible to injury. Listen to the evidence and decide for yourself.

The story continues and culminates as the author joins with Caballo and other world class ultra-trail runners as they race against the Tarahumara in their Copper Canyon (the greatest race the world has never seen). If you love running order your copy today!

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Got Your Back????

How’s your neck feel? How about the top of your shoulders? Do you have a tightness between your shoulder blades?

Well it turns out your not alone.

In the last couple of years I’ve had several of the executives I train complain of these symptoms. Even to the point of seeking out medical advice.

I only bring up that they’re executives because this is one of a few things that these people have in common. They sit at a desk in front of a computer. Other common traits are that they are in high stress occupations. And another is that they workout every chance that they can (very frequently). You would think that the latter would be their saving grace.

When it comes to weight training balance is what you want to strive for. You see the one body part you don’t want to forget about is your BACK. The reason that a lot of people who do resistance training suffer with upper back problems is that they forget to include back exercises. The tone and muscle that is made, especially with chest moves pulls your shoulders in and forward. Combine this with sitting at a desk and not taking the time to consider correct posture and you’ve got the formula for a tight neck and shoulders…..OF COURSE!!!

But take time to strengthen your back and you can counteract this.

In a previous post I listed chest and back as the 2 upper body parts to always train. But you must include your back both upper and lower. Lowers should be trained with your ab moves to make it a complete core workout. And upper back is just as important due to its connection with your posture.

Back exercises include dumbbell rows, lat pulldowns and pullovers and the list goes on and on. There are plenty of movements to perform so that you can counter the effect your other upper body training is doing to your posture.

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Are You Experienced???

Are you experienced?

Not long after I moved to Phoenix and joined those who would climb the local mountains, did I find myself remarking about other “novice” hikers. You know what I mean. When you see the helicopters circling Camelback or Piestewa Peak Mountains don’t you knee jerk in thought and say to yourself, “dumb tourist” or “first time hiker” almost in disgust?

Last October I was running the “Camelback Loop”. (run from one parking area to the other and then up one side of the mountain and down the other to the original spot where we began). It was a great day for me. Everything felt really good. I was on FIRE! Once on the mountain especially as I was coming down, dodging hikers, wondering why they were in my way. A stumble here and a stumble there but recovering every time. I was the King!…..Until about 10 yards from the end. I dodged around the last hiker, and my right foot caught a rock. When I pushed off of another with my left I heard my hamstring pop and I landed hard off trail. It took about 20 minutes for me to get up and limp away. Aggressive Physical Therapy for the next week allowed me to walk upright again. It would be another month before I could hike and a second month before I could run again.

Are you experienced?

In the past couple of months the news has been sprinkled with athletic tragedy. Sally Meyerhoff an experienced and accomplished athlete lost her life while biking. Clint McHale lost his while rock climbing at Camelback Mountain.

There are simple rules of the road to follow when biking and running on the streets. Wheels go with wheels (in other words, bikes should be riding in the same direction as cars) and runners should be running, facing traffic. Stop at traffic signs. These should be easy to follow yet we still find situations where we choose to play with the “edge” and push ourselves into danger zones.

What is it in our mind set that allows us to push the edge no matter the consequence but then fault others as if we should be immune to the same scrutiny? Is it that magical line that takes us from safety to danger that is alluring?  Is it in the name of that higher level of competition that we play with this?

I’m certainly not sure of the answers. But I am very aware of the fact that it could be me or any one of us that could be getting a free helicopter ride off the mountain. I have often been heard to say during training sessions “you have to train so that you can train another day”.

I certainly do not want to hear your name in the news tomorrow. And I have no intent in you hearing mine. Please be careful. Enjoy this environment that we live and play in. And respect it as well.

For more Health & Fitness information please visit our ongoing blog at

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One on One vs Group Training

In most cases there are two types of training that you can receive from a trainer. The first one is one on one and the second is group training. First off the type of training I do is one on one. There are times that I will see two people at a time, but rarely if ever do I train more than two. So I’m a little biased as to my approach. But let it be known that there are positives to both and yes negatives as well. Let’s explore both.

Advantages of Group Training include –

• Affordability
• Energy from the group to keep you motivated
• Social

Advantages of One on One Training include –

• Focused attention
• Increased availability by the Trainer

• Sessions are directed to your goals not the group

Disadvantages of Group Training include –

• Lack of attention by the group trainer (especially when the group has over 6 participants)
• Time – The participants have to train at the same time (not flexible)
• Difficult to individualize goals

Disadvantages of One on One Training include –

• Expense
• Have to have a good rapport with the trainer in order for the program to be effective
• Sorry I told you I was biased

Since I have been in the fitness industry for many years now I have seen both the good sides and the bad to both styles of training. If you are a self-motivated person and don’t need a lot of attention, then group training may be for you. If you seek guidance and need direction then one on one training may be what works best for you.

So what say you? Have you worked with trainers in the past? Did they provide one on one or were you in a group setting? What worked best for your needs? Trainers, although I realize that groups can be very lucrative, what kind of training do you do? Did you start training in one type and then evolve into another, and how did that evolution take place and why?

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Napping!!!

Napping. Yes what we’re talking about is that brief time period we have when we lie down during the course of our day to recharge our body’s batteries. What?!?!?! You mean you don’t NAP? Maybe you should.

We are told that it is best to get 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night. But the reality is that most of us live very busy lives. It is more likely that we are getting 6 to 7 hours of sleep and maybe even less. The average sleep duration is now almost 2 hours shorter per night than it was 50 years ago. Although this may not seem like a significant difference when we continually sleep this way we’re actually causing a “sleep debt”. Which can then show up as poor physical health, increased stress and emotional instability. Sleeping less has been linked to increased risk of hypertension and cardiovascular problems.

Benefits of napping include:

• Relaxation
• Reduced fatigue
• Increased alertness
• Improved mood
• Improved performance, including quicker reaction time, better memory, less confusion, and fewer accidents and mistakes

So how long should you nap? And is there an ideal time of day to do this?

Naps should be kept short. 15 to 30 minutes is optimal. Napping longer does have its benefits but you can also risk disrupting your sleep later in the evening. As far as what time of day, many studies have been completed and there are many variables to be considered. But typically after lunch our bodies go through what is known as a “post-lunch dip” in wakefulness. This is a time when sleep propensity is at its highest. So if you can the ideal time would be an hour and a half to two hours after lunch. This is the time that you can recharge your batteries in order to end your day with a flourish of energy.

Truth be told due to the hours I sometimes work. I’ve been known to sneak out to my truck even at a late morning hour and grab 15 minutes in order to refresh. So when the need hits don’t fear the nap. Embrace it! It’ll do your body good!

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Overtraining – Is This You?

How many times a week do you workout? Notice that I said times not days. If you’re doing a class in one part of your day and then running for a period of time or lifting weights during another part of your day then you’re working out more than once in that day. Count these, not the days. How many days a week do you take off?

How do you feel when you wake up the morning after a workout? Are you still tired? Have you become a little more irritable? Are your legs feeling heavy when you’re going for your next run or workout? If any of this sounds familiar you may be suffering from overtraining.

In a very detailed paper published by the School of Physiotherapy at Curtin University, they define over training as – “an imbalance between training/competition versus recovery. Alternatively stated, it is too much training or competition combined with too little time for regeneration.” They list symptoms among others as “waking unrefreshed, loss of competitive drive, injury, muscle soreness and joint pain.”

Butler Universities Adrian Shepard goes a little further and lists other symptoms as

• Decrease in performance
• Increase in resting heart rate and blood pressure
• Increased muscle fatigue, disturbed sleep patterns
• Depression, irritability, apathy and low self-esteem

Dr William Kraus a cardiologist at Duke University who studies exercise adds that “you just feel bad. The spark is gone.”

Dr Steven Keteyian, director of preventative cardiology at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit says ‘there’s another trap, athletes are obsessed and gullible. They will do anything they can to improve their performance and they don’t know when to stop.”

As many of my clients have heard from me, the real work happens after the training ends. It begins with the recovery process. When the body has a chance to rejuvenate itself and prepare for the next load that is about to be delivered. If your body does not get this time to rest then you will continue to tear it down and it will NOT have a chance to increase its condition, and you can risk injury.

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What Have They Done To Oatmeal?!?!?

Oatmeal – Known to be one the best choices for breakfast. Has recently been trumpeted by the fast-food industry as evidence of their attempts to present the public with “wholesome” food. Once gain, BUYER BEWARE!!

We all know oatmeal’s health benefits. It is known to

• Reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol without lowering HDL (good) cholesterol
• Fight heart disease
• Have cancer-fighting properties
• Slows down the digestion of starch which then prevents a sharp rise in blood sugar
• Is a good source of protein

So when McDonalds recently started serving oatmeal it perked a few ears up. In a recent article in the New York Times, Mark Bitman attacks Mickey D’s pointing out how they took a natural meal item and added their own ingredients. This more than doubled the calorie, fat, carbs, cholesterol, sodium and sugar content in comparison to natural instant oatmeal.

Several months ago Starbucks rolled out their oatmeal. After reviewing their nutritional information what we found was that as long as you don’t add any of the items they also give you (in separate pouches) then they are very comparable to the natural oatmeal you should be eating. The troubling part about McDonalds is that they don’t give you that option.

So as always. We all have decisions to make. What are you going to decide to put in your mouth for breakfast? What healthy alternatives have you found? How do you spice up your eating plan?

For more Health & Fitness information please visit our ongoing blog at

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Holy Guacamole!!!

The BIG game is upon us. What are you going to serve? There seems to be a misunderstanding about some of the foods involved. Yes there are plenty of BAD foods. But there is also the inevitable silver lining. Yes, I’m talking about Guacamole!

Guacamole in some circles gets a bad rap. Isn’t it high in fat? High in calories??

Let’s talk first about the nutritional benefits of Avocados. Avocados are the basic ingredient of guacamole.

• About 75% of an avocado’s calories do come from fat. But most of that is monounsaturated fat.
• Avocados also have 60% more potassium than bananas. They are rich in B vitamins, vitamin E and K.
• Avocados are high in fiber.

High avocado intake has been shown to benefit cholesterol levels. Lowering LDLs and raising HDLs. And by the way this is due to its high level of monounsaturated fats.

Now the bad news. Yes the calorie count is something to take notice of. 1 tablespoon of guacamole dip has 94 calories while a whole cup (how can you eat just one tablespoon) has a whopping 1500 calories.

So if you’re going to indulge in dips while cheering on your favorite team. Pass the guac and the leave the other dips for everyone else.

A special thanks goes out to Al for inspiring this blog.

For more Health & Fitness information please visit our ongoing blog at

www.longevitypt.com

Stability/Core Training At Any Age

Stability (balance) training is productive at any age. From the athlete who is trying to get across the court to the senior who just wants to go from their living room to their kitchen. A lot of the same principles apply.

Core training (strength and stability) is essential for everyone. The Mayo Clinic states that “Core stability training, part of strength training, focuses on the areas around the trunk. A strong core increases balance and combats poor posture and back pain. Almost any activity that requires movement can help balance. Poor balance is a major cause of falls that result in fractures and disability.” So core and stability training do go hand in hand.

In younger years agility training teaches young athletes how to stay light on their feet while maintaining balance throughout their movements. As we age, and especially if we don’t maintain condition, our bodies don’t react as quickly as they did when we were younger. Which then can put us in precarious situations while just performing simple daily tasks.

In the gym when I train my world class racquetball player I have her perform one-legged hops over hurdles and quick reactive stepping using an agility ladder. This forces her to react very quickly. Even when she is focused in one direction, I force her to react in an opposing direction in a split second.

When I work with clients that struggle due to back strains I work on strengthening their core. Because traditional abdominal moves are not appropriate due to the tenderness of their backs I rely on using stability exercises to force them to use their core muscles to strengthen the muscles that support their back.

My seniors use stability exercises in order to perform simple tasks, from getting up from a chair without assistance, to walking on uneven surfaces. These movements teach their bodies how to react in precarious situations. And at the same time strengthen their core muscles.

Core training. It’s not just about 6 pack abs anymore. Since our core muscles are responsible for the rest of our body to maintain functionality. Shouldn’t we be placing them in as high a priority category as any other body part we use?

Stability training, without a strong core there is no base to build from. Stability training has purpose in your workout routine no matter where you are on the exercise continuum.

For more Health and Fitness information please visit our ongoing blog at

www.longevitypt.com