Run for your life..but what are the consequences?

Photo by Gabriel Matula on Unsplash

Photo by Aditya Wardhana

Lately, I have been reading about the side effects of stress on our body functions. Not only will constant stress increase our resting heart rate, stop us from getting a good night sleep and leave us angry at the little things, but a chronic state of stress leads to weight gain, muscle pains and general malaise.  This can make us feel like we are at the end of our rope.






Our stress response is stimulated by the sympathetic nervous system which is part of the autonomic nervous system. This is responsible for our fight or flight response. This is what diverts blood flow to our extremities and allows us to make those life or death situations when we don't want to think, but we just need to act. The parasympathetic system counterbalances the sympathetic with the rest and relax states. This is when digestion occurs, and what allows our heart rate and respiratory rate to return to a normal level after all that life or death stuff.

Cortisol is the hormone that regulates how our body reacts. When the brain senses a need to alarm the body, it sends out signals to the adrenal glands which in turn release cortisol and then activate the sympathetic nervous system. If our body never recognizes that the threat is gone, the cortisol remains high, and leads to all of those chronic stress problems.

There is growing research that ongoing stress in the body may contribute chronic pain. It may have to do with the increased tension we feel, or the inflammatory response that is created when cortisol is released.

Photo by Jesper Aggergaard

In our current world, we are always on the go. We are connected to the world 24/7 via internet and phone. We don't leave our jobs at the office anymore. We rarely sit down to dinner to have a relaxing meal and make connections with our family. We push ourselves to do better, do more and just do. I think it's even more important these days to schedule time to shut down and encourage our parasympathetic nervous system to be more active. We need to retrain our sympathetic nervous system to quiet down and allow a balance between the two systems.

I know first hand that removing some of our daily tasks is not possible. So I recommend trying to add. That's right...add activities that may promote paraspympathetic activity. Just fit them in during your day while you're driving,  getting gas or mowing the lawn. What are these crazy things that can help you find some de-stress time thru your day?  My top 5 suggestions are:

• Breathe! Work on increasing the length of your exhale
• Remember what makes you happy and visualize it
• Sing and dance while listening to your favorite song, or listen to something funny and laugh
• Walk away from your work/computer for 15 minutes and take a walk while enjoying the views
• Eat a meal at the table without electronics and share your day

If you have time, start to meditate and learn to quiet your brain. My current favorite app is Insight Timer. I like it because I can set however long I have, I can follow a guided meditation or I can just sit and it will tell me when time is up.

If you've been struggling with managing pain, have had a change in weight and energy levels or generally don't feel well and your MD has not provided a diagnosis (even if you have a diagnosis that can lead to these), I encourage you to add some relaxation and play into your life. It can have profound effects when you let some air out and just exhale.

Many thanks for the inspiration for this post and for more reading about how stress, food, mobility and rest can impact your life, and suggestions for how to make a change,  check out the book "How to Make Disease Disappear" by Dr. Rangan Chatterjee. (Publisher  HarperOne; 1 edition (May 1, 2018) ) 

Runners and back pain

I commonly see runners who have low back pain, so the research roundup article in PT in Motion this month came as no surprise. In it they suggest that if the intrinsic core is weak, the superficial back muscle will compensate. This will lead to abnormal shear and compression forces on the back. Overtime this can create pain and dysfunction.

Learning how to correct the imbalance will help to decrease fatigue or injury. By identifying which muscle is over working vs under working, and progressing the core exercise gradually, you can build better mobility and allow the joints and muscles to move more efficiently.

Picture from Google Images Core Muscles 

You don't have to be in pain when you run. You only have to do the work to prevent the pain.

See here for the full abstract of the original article.

Photo by Zoltan Tasi on Unsplash

Sugar, sugar...oh honey honey....

I have never been super strict with my diet. I grew up with a mother who used nutrition to manage her Multiple Sclerosis (and she did a damn good job at it!). My philosophy has always been moderation vs elimination. So one might ask why am I now looking at doing a sugar detox. The answer there is I have noted multiple aches and pains, have been feeling sluggish, and just not so happy with how my body is working lately. According to Healthline.com, sugar has been linked not only to inflammation, which will contribute to those aches and pains, but also to insulin resistance and obesity. I generally can resist cookies and candy, so I figure this would be the best place to pay attention to my diet and to make a change.

Blood glucose is normal in our body and is what gives us energy. If there is too much blood glucose in your body, and it can't be broken down by the insulin, it stays in your body and cannot be used for energy. This is what happens with Diabetes. Over time this can lead to a whole lot of health issues. Calgary Avansino sheds some good insight of how sugar, and not just added sugar, can affect our health.

As I go forward with this detox challenge on Facebook, with some cool people by my side, I thought I'd make a list of foods I eat and the sugar content. This should help me plan where I can drop food, but also to find a better substitute that I can add in so that I don't feel deprived.

Let's start with the one I think will be the hardest to avoid: wine! Shape reports only about .7 grams in my favorite reds, and whites are pretty close to that as well. This surprises me because I expected a lot of sugar. Unfortunately, alcohol does limit the liver's ability to convert carbohydrates to glucose which can lead to a drop in blood sugars similar to what happens in diabetes. For this detox, I'll be including wine from my list.

Peanut butter, which I can eat by the tablespoon right out of the jar you would not expect to have sugar.  Natural peanut butter has 1 gram but some peanut butters have 3 grams, 2 of which are added sugar.

I love to add Craisins to my salads...at a whopping 26 grams per serving, I will definitely be cutting these out. Toppings for my salads can add a crazy amount of hidden sugars too

Typical salad dressing (photo from Google images 'salad dressing' )

Balsamic Vinegar (Image from Google images)

White wine vinegar (image from Google images)

I think the key as I move forward removing sugar this week will be to really read the labels and to keep track of how much sugar I am consuming. For a 2,000 calorie diet (which is really high for an average, moderately active adult), the recommended amount of sugar is 25 grams or about 5-7 teaspoons.  Perhaps this challenge might actually be more challenging than I thought. If those aches and pains go away, if I have more natural energy, and if my body does what I expect it to do....the challenge will be worth it. 

For the next week, and beyond, The Archies might be the best added sugar, sugar in my life 😂😜😜

Give it a try and let me know how it goes.

Travelling tips down memory lane

I love to travel! I really don't go away as often I would like to, but each trip seems like a true adventure in life. Today I am off to San Jose and then Santa Cruz in California, to further my studies on movement via  Anatomy in Motion (AiM). 

As I started my trek across the country today, I realized how blessed I am to have such amazing siblings. My husband is travelling back to MA himself, so my brother drove me to the train station and I met my sister at work so she can drop me at the airport. Today's journey really is like the very funny movie Planes, Trains and Automobiles...and maybe a little walk down memory lane.

My sister, Jenn, is an advisor at Northeastern University (NU). Being a double Husky I always get nostalgic and love coming back to campus. I forget at times how easy it is to get into Boston, and the really cool city that we called home for a big part of our lives.

NU Quad outside Dodge

Since I knew that I would be sitting a LOT on my flight to CA, I decided to walk from Back Bay to NU. It's not that far, but it did prove to be a good little workout as I had to dodge cars and snow banks while dragging my over filled suitcase behind me. I found that I had to frequently change arms to pull the suitcase, and it helped to turn my palm forward or back as I got tired. I noted after the 20 minute walk that my neck was getting tired too from the weight of my back pack and pocketbook. In this video, I talk more about ways to manage your luggage while travelling. Luckily, I was able to put my bags down in Jenn's office and do some mobility work to reset my joints. I know I'll be happy about that when I am mid flight.

As I embark to learn AiM, I am reminded of the importance of embracing movement when you can. Taking a walk thru my favorite campus, and the city I love, brought back so many memories and made that challenging walk so worth it.

St Botolph Street 

I encourage you to walk and explore when you can. Catch the fresh air. Check out the sights. Enjoy the mobility and celebrate your memories as you go.

And because this weekend continues the Hockey East championship games: Let's Go Huskies!

What inspires you?

Today I was inspired at the gym. There was an older gentleman there who struggled doing his workout, yet he was doing exercises to help him move better and get stronger.  At the same time he was getting his heart rate up. He really inspired me to work hard at whatever level I can.

💪💓

 Then there was a relatively young kid who was cleaning the gym, organizing all the weights, cleaning off the machines, and putting the mats away. I think this is stuff we gym-goers should all do on our own throughout each workout.

Yet frequently I find the gym to be a messy and disorganized  place. He inspired me in his dedication to his work and when I thanked him for doing his job he sincerely looked surprised and grateful.

And then there was this 20-ish-year-old kid who was doing a dynamic warm-up which included foam rolling, stretching, and activation exercises prior to his lifting. This is everything that I preach and yet rarely see in basic gyms. I liked his functional approach. Now I am hopeful that we are really making a change in how we approach fitness and exercise. (If you're not familiar with a functional, dynamic warm up check out this one by Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning )

At the end of my workout, when I didn't want to even think about doing one more set of my Turkish get up, the older gentleman I first spoke about unplugged his head set and played his iPod out loud. The song was Under Pressure by David Bowie and Queen, I am always inspired by this song. It reminds me to always to remember love. That song help me find inner strength and finish that one more set. Now I feel very accomplished and extremely grateful for all 3 of these fellow gym-goers
What inspires you?

**Images from Google clip art

**Video MSBC In place warmup

Dizzy? How is your ankle mobility?

Last week I didn't feel so hot. Whenever I turned my head left I got dizzy and I'd feel sick to my stomach. The day before my workout consisted of heavy Turkish Get Ups, Windmills and single arm kettle bell swings.  I noted that my neck felt a bit tight, but I didn't really associate the dizziness with lifting and just thought I didn't feel well. It didn't make for a very good day of trying to make others feel better. All I wanted to do was sleep. 😪😪

The next day my husband gently nudged me out the door to go for a walk, thinking the fresh air would help. As I started on my walk I noticed my upper and lower back felt stiff. I noticed I wasn't really rotating my trunk to the right as I stepped, which in turn limited my neck rotation to the left. I started to work my way down the body chain to my feet and could feel that my right foot wasn't moving very much and my big toe felt jammed. Suddenly it dawned on my that the lack rotation in my foot was connected with a lack of rotation in my hips, my trunk and my neck. 

In putting my attention to how I was walking, I could actually feel how the foot bone was connected to the head bone. This is just one example of how foot mobility can influence core stability and why I encourage working up to barefoot training. Increasing the time out of your shoes can help you be more aware of just how your whole body is moving. It needs to happen gradually, though, so that you don't over stress the tissues that have been stuffed into your shoes. 

                                                         Photo by Jordan Whitt on Unsplash

There are multiple exercises to condition your feet. The book What The Foot? by Gary Ward is a great starting point to learn more about connecting your feet and creating mobility.

As I walked, I started putting my focus on improving my rotation. If I took a bigger step with my left foot and pushed off more with my right foot, my toe hurt more. So I decided to start from the trunk down. With each step of my right foot I encouraged more rotation to the right. This helped minimally, so I switched it up and over exaggerated rotation to the left. I looked a bit like John Travolta  in Saturday Night Fever but I just didn't care.  By the time I was 1/2 way through my walk, my back pain went away, my foot felt less stiff and the best part...no more dizziness.

Sometimes when we don't feel good we do need to lay low and rest, and sometimes the nudge out the door to get some fresh air is what we need. Whenever you can, tune into how your body is moving. Everything is connected. When one movement feels stuck, try the other way. If starting at the point of stiffness doesn't feel right, perhaps pick the opposite.

Many times our ailments can be resolved by actually listening to our body and getting a feel for what is missing. If you try something and it doesn't work, check in with your movement professional and fine tune where the stuck is. This can be the very thing you need to get back to your favorite activities, like putting up your feet and listening to the crashing waves of the ocean.

                                           Photo by pan xiaozhen on Unsplash

To gym or not to gym..that is the question

I was asked today whether I thought a patient should join a gym. My thoughts are fluid and ever changing on this topic. He specifically asked me if joining a gym would make him worse or better. My answer was, as always, "it depends".

I would generally describe myself as a gym rat, but lately I think maybe we don't NEED to be at a gym to get strong. I think moving your body through all planes of motion on a regular basis is important to your health. I also think having the ability to pick up heavy things is important in life. Have you ever carried a 5 gallon Poland Springs bottle upstairs? Even just a gallon can be work. If you don't have the physical strength to do that, you do need to do some focused strength and mobility work. Does this mean you have to sit in the gym to do it?

I work with people who sit, drive and do minimal activity thru the day. If this is you, the gym may be a good place to help you to get some mobility in your life. It also can be detrimental if you jump into it too fast or get sloppy with your technique. Working with a good personal trainer can help you to stay injury free. Working with someone who's motto is to get you to puke, pee your pants, or faint is not going to help you stay injury free--in my opinion.

I also work with people who are active moving wood, hiking, climbing multiple flights of stairs, get up and down from the floor while keeping up with their kids. It's possible that adding a gym workout may be too much and overkill. Or it may give them a way to build the mobility and stability they need to keep going with those things as they get older. Resistance training and impact activities are known to prevent things like falls and osteoporosis.

Gyms offer a wide variety of equipment and they may be more cost effective in the long run so you don't have to buy everything. Of course, you can get just a few kettle bells, bands and a yoga mat and you can create your own 'gym' at home with plenty of variety to be able to target all aspects of fitness.

This particular person had knee replacements years ago and he felt like his knees were getting loose. When we check his mobility, he had lost some knee flexion that he had post-operatively. He thought going to the gym just to ride a stationary bike would be the fix since that's what he did just after the surgery. Unfortunately, what was needed at the time, may not be the exact answer now. I do think cycling is good to keep some motion in the knees, but it doesn't allow for end ranges of motion nor is it addressing the feeling of looseness.

Since I enjoy working out in a gym setting, I will usually recommend gym workouts. For all of us I think fitness and mobility wellness is dependent on a variety of factors. We need some cardiovascular, some strength, and some stretching. If we over focus on one area, the other areas lack. I am learning more each day the beauty of finding balance in life. I struggle with it myself, but I do think that is the key to happy, healthy, pain free living. This includes balancing our workouts. If you can find ways to include resistance, mobility, agility and heart pumping activities in your daily life without the gym then go for it. If you need the gym for motivation, equipment, or instruction then go for it.

The answer, in my opinion, is to move well and to move often...the rest is up to you.