STOP FOAM ROLLING YOUR IT BAND

Do me a favor. Stop abusing your IT band. It is your friend, and you haven’t been treating it like one. This article is absolutely right on. A must read!!!

STOP FOAM ROLLING IT BAND

Get off your ass and do a BRIDGE

Check this familiar exercise out but with a few modifications that really make a difference. Those with lower back problems, approach with caution.click here to OFFSET excessive sitting.

March 8, 2015

My Journey Towards Health and Wellness

The month was May (2014) and I just heard the news from my Primary Care Physician (PCP) that my triglycerides were 218 mg/dl. I was shocked, given the fact that the norm (according to most authorities) is 150 mg/dl. Not to mention the arrogance I've built up over the years being a trainer and having everything under control in regards to my health.

I guess I needed "regressive growth". 

My PCP explained to me that triglycerides are the most common type of fat in the body. They come from food and your body also makes them. High levels of BLOOD triglycerides are often found in people who have high cholesterol levels, heart problems, are overweight or have diabetes.

I didn't have any of the above mentioned conditions but nevertheless I had elevated triglycerides. Regardless of the etiology of my elevated "blood fats", I needed to lower them.

My PCP asked me what I ate  on a typical day. I told her that I had 2 eggs (hard boiled), 1/2 of a whole wheat English muffin, and a glass of orange juice for breakfast. 

Lunchtime, I would have a tuna fish sandwich on whole wheat bread with apple juice. 

For dinner, I would eat at Wendy's Restaurant (yes, Wendy's). I would get a FRESH grilled chicken (plain). 

I snacked on Dove bar (dark) squares. I'm a chocoholic!!

My PCP told me the this--cut down on all that bread, cut out the orange Juice (it's got 22 grams of sugar in an 8 oz. serving) and cut down on the chocolate. 

To many, this advice may be obvious. 

The advice wasn't new to me by any means but it hit home on this particular day. I was about to embark on "an about face" dietary lifestyle change that was about to change my life. 

Before I get into the details, I want to say that I was in a position to change. I was ready. I was feeling lousy--bloated stomach (to the point of not being able to sleep at night), and I was lethargic. I was sick and tired of feeling sick and tired.

The soil was ready for harvest.

After a major change in my diet, I was able to lower my triglycerides from 218 to 58 in 5 months.

Here's the details.

I decided NOT to work out during this 5 month period to see the impact that DIET alone would have on lowering my triglycerides. 

It turns out that NOT only did I lower my triglycerides, but my HDL went up (the so called "good" cholesterol). In addition, I lost 10 pounds, lost 3 inches around my waist,  and my abdominal muscles were starting to appear (with no exercise). More on this later. 

One thing I want to point out about diet is that fat is NOT the culprit. The real culprit is SUGAR, which I'm sure many people know by now.

The Sweetest Taboo

In the 1980’s we were told by American Heart Association, the American Dietetic Association and National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute that dietary fat was to blame for heart disease, obesity and a host of other diseases. Unfortunately, these organizations were wrong. Barry Sears, in his book, “Enter the Zone” says this “…All data analysis from 1980-1995 shows that in spite of the fact that the American public has dramatically cut back on the amount of fat consumed, the country has experienced an epidemic rise in obesity.”

According to Dr. Joseph Mercola, New York Times best selling author, and who has appeared on The Dr. Oz Show, CNN, Today Show, The Doctors, just to name a few, he says, “One of the primary sources of calories for Americans is sugar—specifically high fructose corn syrup in soda and processed foods. Because of advances in food processing technology in the 1970s, fructose derived from corn has become very cheap and is widely used in the majority of processed foods for increased sales.” He goes on to say, “Sugar takes a devastating toll on your health. In fact, excessive sugar consumption may be the largest factor underlying obesity and chronic disease in America.” 

The American Heart Association suggests no more than 6 teaspoons (25 grams) of added sugar per day for women and 9 teaspoons (37 grams) of added sugar per day for men.

After hearing the above information, I went on a rampage. My goal was to adhere to the 37 grams of added sugar a day. 

Here is what a typical day looks like:

My new breakfast consisted of:

2 Eggs (Organic/cage free) hard boiled

1 slice of Ezekiel FLOURLESS cinnamon/raisin bread

8 oz of unsweetened Almond Milk

Total Sugar: 7 grams

Mid morning snack:

2 cubes of Cacao Goji “Power Snacks” 

8 oz of water

Total Sugar: 8 grams

or 

3 tbsp of Justin’s Hazelnut Butter

Total Sugar : 8 grams

Lunch:

1 can of Tuna Fish with 3 tbsp Cage Free Egg Mayonnaise with vadalia onions

Garden Salad or a handful of "Snapea Crisps" (lightly salted green pea crisps)

8 oz of White (low sugar) Grape Juice

Total Sugar: 12 grams

Mid afternoon snack:

2 cubes of Cacao Goji “Power Snacks” 

8 oz of water

Total Sugar: 8 grams

or 

3 tbsp of Justin’s Hazelnut Butter

8 oz of water

Total Sugar : 8 grams

Dinner:

6 oz of Wild Salmon

Generous portion of steamed broccoli (no seasoning)

8 oz of water

Total Sugar: 0

Total Daily Sugar Intake (typically)=35 grams

Additionally, I drink at least 48 oz of bottled water.

I can proudly say that I no longer have any bloating and have a lot more energy than I’ve ever had.

Although I vary rarely eat meat, when I do it is grass fed and purchased at Whole Foods, which is where I buy most of my food.

Some may say my diet resembles the Paleo diet. I wasn’t trying to imitate such a diet, I was just keeping my sugar down, consuming foods that are unprocessed (for the most part), and trying to eat more fish, especially salmon, which contains healthy fats (Omega 3).

"Don’t be Chicken of the Egg"

Some evenings I would have hard boiled eggs for dinner. I am not worried about eggs. As Dr. Mercola says, “Don’t be Chicken of the Egg”. An egg has approximately 213 milligrams of cholesterol which is nothing to worry about, in fact, the human body only absorbs 10-30 percent of that, according to Michael Mogadam, MD, an assistant professor at Georgetown University and author of “Every Heart Attack is Preventable”. He goes on to say, “Sure, the yolk contains the fat and cholesterol. However, of the 6 grams of fat in a large egg, only 2 grams are saturated. The other 4 are unsaturated and actually coronary friendly. What’s more, 1 gram of the saturated fat is stearic acid, which behaves like monounsaturated fat”. 

Bottom Line: "Only 1 gram of the 6 is the unhealthy kind. The other 5 grams of health fat more than offset this 1 gram", Mogodam says.

As far as my physical appearance is concerned, I have lost 10 pounds and 3 inches off my waist, with noticeable abdominals during the 5 month period, as stated above.  Again, this is without any exercise. I am not advocating individuals NOT to exercise, but I did this for a reason: To abolish any doubt that diet was solely responsible for the favorable body alterations and the impressive blood lipid profile changes.

Promote good health: Laugh a Lot!!!

LAUGH A LOT

I remember meeting "Patch" Adams back in 1999 (he came to Becker College in Worcester) and he spoke on a lot of topics one of which was laughter.
Click on the link ABOVE (LAUGH A LOT) to view the many health benefits of laughing.
By the way, Robin Williams (REST IN PEACE) was not nearly as ZANY as Hunter "Patch" Adams!!!

EAT THE YOLKS

Worry about cholesterol. Avoid red meat. Eat whole grains. Could it all be a lie?

We live in an era of health hype and nutrition propaganda, and we’re suffering for it. Decades of avoiding egg yolks, choosing margarine over butter, and replacing the real foods of our ancestors with low-fat, processed, packaged substitutes have left us with an obesity epidemic, ever-rising rates of chronic disease, and, above all, total confusion about what to eat and why. This is a tragedy of misinformation, food industry shenanigans, and cheap calories disguised as health food. It turns out that everything we’ve been told about how to eat is wrong. Fat and cholesterol are harmful to your health? Nope—they are crucial to your health. “Whole grains” are health food? Not even close. Counting calories is the way to lose weight? Not gonna work—nutrients are what matter. Nutrition can come from a box, bag, or capsule? Don’t count on it! In Eat the Yolks, Liz Wolfe debunks all these myths and more, revealing what’s behind the lies and bringing the truth about fat, cholesterol, protein, and carbs to light. You’ll be amazed at the tall tales we’ve been told in the name of “healthy eating.” With wit and grace, Wolfe makes a compelling argument for a diet based on Paleo foods. She takes us back to the foods of our ancestors, combining the lessons of history with those of modern science to uncover why real, whole food—the kind humans ate for thousands of years before modern nutrition dogma led us astray—holds the key to amazing health and happy taste buds. In Eat the Yolks, Liz Wolfe doesn’t just make a case for eating the whole egg. She uncovers the shocking lies we’ve been told about fat, cholesterol, protein, carbs, and calories and brings us the truth about which foods are healthy—and which foods are really harming us. You’ll learn truths like: - fat and cholesterol are crucial, not harmful . . . and why - “whole grains” are processed foods . . . and what to eat instead - counting calories is a waste of energy . . . and what we actually should be tracking - all animal products are not created equal . . . and which ones we truly need - nutrition doesn’t come in a box, bag, or capsule . . . and why there’s no substitute for real food!

This book caught my eye at Barnes and Noble the other day and I had to buy it. 

Choose EGGS without Omega 3

Dr. Mercola, a doctor that has been on the Dr. Oz show on numerous occasions, and a highly respected person in the wellness arena, has posted on his website the following summary of a study that was published recently.

• 
  
• 
  
• A recent study claims eating egg yolks on a regular basis is approximately two-thirds as bad as smoking with regards to arterial plaque formation. But two of the study’s authors have vested interests in statin drugs, and the third helped create the vegan “Portfolio Diet,” which only allows egg substitutes
• While it’s true that fats from animal sources contain cholesterol, this is not necessarily something that will harm you. Cholesterol is in every cell in your body, where it helps to produce cell membranes, hormones, vitamin D and bile acids that help you to digest fat
• While organic pastured eggs are some of the healthiest foods you can eat, you’ll want to avoid omega-3 eggs, which typically come from chickens that are fed poor-quality sources of omega-3 fats that are already oxidized. You also want to eat your eggs raw, or lightly cooked, as cooking the egg will oxidize the cholesterol

Cook and McGill at Stanford University

The best of the best in the field of human performance and physical therapy were in Stanford University a few weeks ago. I am referring to Gray Cook and Dr. Stuart McGill. Anyone in the fitness and rehabilitation industry knows who I am talking about (I hope).

Here is a little summary of the talk. Enjoy.

Keep in mind, this blog post is geared to the clinician.

http://graycook.com/?p=1722

Directly accessing a physical therapist vs. getting a referral from your PCP, which is better?

Excellent article comparing DIRECTLY ACCESSING a physical therapist vs getting a referral from your PCP (in regards to improving patient outcomes and reducing health care costs).




http://ptjournal.apta.org/content/94/1/14

Fish Oil as a treatment for TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury)

    Before

    After (at Nordic Naturals, a company that distributes fish oils)

I recently watched "Sanjay Gupta, MD" A medical show with CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta. The show revolved around a young teenager named Bobby Ghassemi who was in car accident that left him in a coma. The physician suggested mega doses of Omega 3 Fish Oil. Two-weeks later after mega doses of Omege 3 Fish Oil, he awoke out of his coma. Amazing. Read these articles to get more details.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/19/health/fish-oil-brain-injuries/


http://www.prweb.com/releases/concussion/brain_trauma/prweb4500964.htm

I recently read an article in "Men's Fitness" (Jan/Feb 2014) regarding running. The question posed in the article is "is it better (on an injury standpoint) to land on your forefoot (toes)--a theory popularized by the "Barefoot Running" movement or on your rear foot (heels), which has been the accepted standard for many years.

It turns out that both types of landing patterns have their own negative orthopedic consequences, according to a recent study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. The author's came to the conclusion that there is NO right way to land as both striking patterns cause harm.

"Heel Strikers" causes more force on the knees compared to "Toe Strikers". However, Toe Strikers causes more force on the Achilles tendon.

The article summarizes the above points as follows:

"People with knee problems can benefit from forefoot striking...and those with Achilles tendon complaints can benefit from rear-foot striking. So listen to your body--and if you're considering switching, do it slowly!"