Currently viewing the category: "exercise"

Muscle Memory: How to Bring Back the Body You Admire

By On · Add Comment · In Body, exercise, health

Los Angeles Chiropractor Muscle MemoryWhy do you never forget how to ride a bicycle?* If you can forget people’s names, the triangle inequality theorem, or even where you put your car keys…then how the heck can you remember how to ride a bicycle, even after years of not doing so? The answer lies in our different types of memory. We have short-term memory, procedural memory, and even episodic memory, each one being stored in different regions of the brain. And while every form of memory within the human capacity is indeed fascinating, the type of memory I wish to share with you here is not a cognitive memory at all but physiological. It is called muscle memory.

Muscle memory is well-known among athletes and bodybuilders, professional and amateur alike; any person who has spent time exercising, any time at all, believe it or not, has some experience with muscle memory. Simply put, muscle memory is a “detrained” muscle’s ability to regain size, strength and endurance upon retraining. To understand this completely, one must understand what happens during exercise, in this case, I wish to keep it to weight-lifting, although you can assume some overlap into other forms of exercise like yoga, swimming, Pilates and so on. I am referring mostly to forms of resistance training, but these principles apply to other forms of exercise (sports, flexibility training) to varying degrees as well.

When one contracts forcefully against resistance – gravity, weights, resistance bands, etc – the muscle fibers develop micro tears, a form of microtrauma, which the body then adaptively repairs the tissue and adds more fibers to essentially prevent further damage. This process of adding muscle fibers is called hypertrophy – trophy meaning “growth,” hyper meaning “above” or “beyond.” Hypertrophic muscle is what it means to be yoked or ripped in bodybuilding speak. It is essentially what most people wish to achieve, on some level, by lifting weights.

Now in my experience as a long-time health practitioner – with many clients seeing me for a decade or two – I find that very few people exercise consistently day in, day out, week in, week out, or year in, year out. This is not a flaw – it is life. Over the course of a decade, most people have new obligations, changing schedules, new relationships, babies, divorces, deaths of loved ones, and a whole multitude of other tragedies. Sometimes people just burn out – they need a break. Sometimes people get sick or injured. I have many clients who are extremely dedicated to their health and fitness, and not one person have I ever seen keep up exercise without a break in a ten-year period. I am not saying it doesn’t exist, just that it is extremely rare. Life happens.

Here is the point: If you have ever in your life exercised against resistance – that is, lifted weights, done calisthenics, or any sport requiring strength or bursts of speed – you have developed muscle memory, which will allow you to regain what you once had relatively quickly. The two important terms here are “what you once had” and “relatively.” First, it is crucial to understand that getting back to your pre-layoff size, strength and endurance should be fairly simple. You’ll have to return to your work outs slowly and smartly to prevent injury and coax the body back into its groove, but if you do things rightly, you will see your body morph over a short period back to how it once appeared. True, you might have stored some adipose (put on fat), and it won’t just melt away overnight, but the good news is that resistance training actually speeds up fat metabolism, so that lifting weights regularly will help you shed weight faster than diet or aerobic exercise alone. All three matter, but by doing resistance training along with the other two will burn the fat in the fastest possible way. And that is also why I say “relatively,” because, obviously, the rate at which your body returns to pre-layoff shape, size and strength will really depend on the duration of your layoff and the damage caused in that time (food, drugs, alcohol to be exact). So patience will matter in this endeavor, but the principle remains.

West Hollywood Chiropractor Muscle MemoryI cannot emphasize enough this phenomenon of muscle memory and what it means for you. I am certain anybody who has ever seen their once-developed body slip into softness, but then returned to the gym, knows exactly what I am talking about. It doesn’t take long in most cases. One study showed that women who trained for 20 weeks (~ six months), then laid off (detrained) for 30-32 weeks (~ seven months), and then retrained for 6 weeks showed significant increases in cross-sectional areas of muscle fibers (size, girth) which also translated to strength and endurance. Interestingly, the same study found that the initial strength gained by the women during the initial training phase was not diminished much over the detraining phase.

This study shows that aside from the incredible ability of muscle to retain its size, strength, and endurance, even for people who have never worked out, a simple six month regimen of weight lifting exercise will create positive body changes that cannot be completely undone by an equally long layoff. So its worth every effort, even if incrementally. And, if you are like most people, when life twists and turns and you find the need to stop your exercise routine, you can rest assured that you will get back to where you left off quickly when you return to the gym.

I always try to impress upon clients, however, that while getting back to where you were last is relatively easy, taking your fitness to the next level is not – you have to work really hard to get to where you’ve never been. Keep that in mind. I am not trying to imply that developing your body to each successive level is easy. But I do wish to encourage you to keep with it (i.e. – get back to it…or start even) no matter what. Every time you exercise you are developing a little more toward your goal in mind, even if it doesn’t seem so in the moment. Muscle memory proves it. Your body develops and it remembers. So you are never wasting time by exercising – this should be encouraging to know that due to muscle memory, every workout matters.

*The bike thing is due to procedural memory

Side Plank to Strengthen Shoulders and Abdominal Core

By On · Add Comment · In abdominal core, exercise, exercises, proprioception, rectus abdominis, shoulders, side plank

Happy to be back from a much needed hiatus. I’m hoping you have been exercising, particularly planking. Planking seems to be a new-ish craze, despite it’s ancient yogic roots; and of this I am pleased, because if there’s gonna be a craze, may as well be something as powerful for your health and body as plank pose.

So this post is to show you the next level of plank pose, which is the side-plank. Remember that plank pose is an outstanding strengthener for the abdominal core–EMG studies have shown it to be one of the strongest contractions of the rectus abdominis muscle–so if you want a strong core and cut mid-section, then definitely plank, baby.

Side plank is similar, but now the difficulty is increased by going up on one arm and balancing. The transition from plank to side plank alone is a powerful strengthener, because you are taking a static position and now adding movement. It’s what we call “functional”- ity. Along with strengthening the core,both the plank and side plank will also strengthen the shoulders. Balancing on one arm adds proprioception to the mix, and thus you get an all around great challenger for the core and shoulder girdle. Yes, this should be a craze.

Watch the video below to get a glimpse on how to transition from a plank pose to a side plank…and then plank away, baby.

The Evolution of Health Science

By On · Add Comment · In American Cancer Society, cancer prevention, exercise, healthy diet, healthy lifestyle behaviors, medical science, self-healing, The Six Keys to Optimal Health, vitamin supplements

Happy that medical science is entering the new age; a little slowly perhaps, but I can appreciate the evolution. New recommendations from the American Cancer Society stress healthy lifestyle behaviors, not just as a preventative  to cancer, but also as a way to boost survival for those that currently have cancer. Bravo, ACS—welcome to the amazing world of human self-healing.

Because medical science believes strongly in evidence, yet prefers to follow the money when choosing which evidence to gather, it can take a little while to uncover what some in the healing professions (we charlatans) have known for decades through simple observation. But I’m a scientist at heart, so I appreciate. Check it:

According to the Powers That Be, healthy lifestyle behaviors—like the ones I discuss in detail in my book, The Six Keys to Optimal Health—could keep cancer from recurring, or can prevent cancer survivors from getting a new type of cancer. Yes! So healthy diet, exercise, and keeping the weight under control go a long way in enhancing and preserving health. Nice…

About 1 in 25 Americans are cancer survivors, according to Colleen Doyle, the cancer society’s director of nutrition and physical activity. Although earlier research showed healthy lifestyle behaviors to prevent cancer, no studies had looked at the benefits for current cancer patients or survivors. And remember: no evidence, no medical acknowledgement…sometimes even ridicule and accusations of quackery. But well that’s early hominid thinking, and the times they are a-changing.

“The last time we published recommendations for survivors in 2006, we didn’t feel there was enough evidence to say clearly that watching your weight, being active and eating a healthy diet can reduce risk of recurrence,” said Doyle, a co-author of the guidelines. “Since that time, 100 studies have looked at the impact of weight, diet or a combination of those things, and those studies have clearly formed a foundation for us being able to make these very solid recommendations that adopting a healthy lifestyle is one of the most important things cancer survivors can do for themselves.”

That’s wonderful…don’t you just love seeing natural selection right up close and personal?

But the guidelines still warn of supplementation. Say the elders of the tribe:

De-Evolution Anyone?

No evidence shows that supplements benefit cancer survivors, and there is some evidence that certain supplements may cause harm.

Well, they can’t get it all right too soon…that wouldn’t follow the principles of evolution being a time process. Let’s face it, though: the silly studies currently done on vitamin supplementation try to answer questions from a pharmaceutical frame of reference, like how vitamins might cure disease.

But the principles of self-healing to those of disease-curing are like comparing apples to colostomy bags—both edible but really depends on one’s tastes.

Applause to the machine, nonetheless; healthy behaviors do very much more than prevent disease—they give life. An incredibly profound concept that medical science has yet to grasp…let alone study.

Women Over 50: Health Choices

By On · Add Comment · In breast reduction, calcium, chiropractic, chiropractor, cosmetic surgery, exercise, health, hormone replacement therapy, infections, vitamin D

Ladies: Are you over 50 and considering a boob-reduction?  Hope you’re healthy then, because a recent study shows that you’re at an increased risk for infection. That’s right. And on top of that, women over 50 also have a higher rate of wound-healing problems as compared to younger women, leading to a higher rate of repeat surgery to remove areas of dead skin (debridement). Something to think about if you’re considering a slash to the sag.

The study conducted at Johns Hopkins University looked at 1,192 women who had breast reduction surgery between 1999 and 2009 and found that the post-surgery infection rate for women over 50 was 2.7 times higher than for those under 40.
Researcher believe that the differences are due to age-related changes to hormone levels. Yes, of course! And the reason is that they found older women on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) were less likely to have post-surgery infections. Further, women who had undergone hysterectomy or removal of the ovaries, both of which result in large decreases in hormone levels, had higher rates of infection. Accordingly, the study’s authors conclude that doctors should investigate any factors that might effect hormone levels in women considering breast reduction surgery, and that hormone replacement therapy might be warranted in women with reduced hormone levels.
So why would I say “hope you’re healthy?” Because health isn’t simply which chemical or hormone we’re missing. When the body is in a state of wellness, it’s missing nothing. Why not instead encourage older women to do some things that might improve their health overall? Why not encourage younger women now to maintain their health to their best ability?
Spoke to a lovely lady this evening in my practice who told me that she does what she does cosmetically because it makes her feel better about herself, which in turn, motivates her to do other right things for herself (like exercise and eat well, etc). While I certainly understand where she’s coming from on an emotional level, I’d say it’s somewhat illogical reasoning: You alter yourself through surgery so that you feel better about yourself, and then you exercise and eat well?
Ladies, your body is yours to do what you deem appropriate. But I assure you that by doing the right things:

  • Exercising regularly
  • Drinking lots of water
  • Eating whole, natural foods
  • Supplementing with vitamin D and calcium
  • Visiting your chiropractor regularly
  • Getting regular body work
  • Being aware of your body (through gyno checkups and breast self-exams)
  • Minimizing alcohol and tobacco use
  • Practicing safe sex
  • Getting plenty of rest
…you should be healthy for years to come. And if you are in your fifties and pick up these habits now, your highly intelligent body will rebalance itself. If you don’t feel better about yourself then, it’s time for me to hang up my hands (sorry, I’m a chiropractor: it’s all I could think of…). At the very least, if you decide to get that breast reduction after all, then you’ll be in the best shape to handle the surgery.

Obesity Causes Imbalance

By On · Add Comment · In anabolism, autonomic nervous system, calories, catabolism, exercise, fight or flight response, homeostasis, hormones, obesity, parasympathetic nervous system, sympathetic nervous system

Continuing on with obesity, you know, I’ve been hearing quite a bit about hormones and their role in weight gain. It is an indisputable fact that the concentration of some hormones goes haywire as people gain weight. But listen up o’ seekers of truth: Hormone imbalances are a consequence of weight gain (though I am certain they are also maintainers of such), but in and of themselves they are not the cause.

Hormones are chemicals messengers that have a number of functions, one being regulation or homeostasis. Homeostasis is a control mechanism that maintains the balance in a system—it is a universal principle. The peripheral nervous system is made up of the somatic and autonomic nervous systems (ANS), the latter controlling functions that are on auto pilot–the one’s we don’t have to think about.

The ANS has two branches that act in continual oscillation under normal conditions—the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for our fight or flight responses; the parasympathetic for our rest and digest. In other words, each branch of the ANS is responsible for various functions that support either build-up (parasympathetic) or breakdown (sympathetic) processes. Energy utilization is one such process.

During energy buildup and storage or anabolism—when we extract and store our energy molecules—our parasympathetic system is the driver, controlling various hormones and chemical messengers. During breakdown and utilization (fuel burning) or catabolism—it’s our sympathetic nervous system that’s the driver, with it’s own hormones and neurotransmitters. Parasympathetic prepares the body for build-up (rest and digest), which includes slowing molecular breakdown and energy utilization (sympathetic), increased blood flow to the digestive system, and decreased blood flow to the muscles. When this system is in full force, we often feel relaxed, lazy, maybe even sluggish. Our bodies are ripe for energy storage or weight gain when we are in rest and digest.

On the flip side, our sympathetic nervous system prepares the body for energy utilization, especially under stressful conditions. Remember it’s the fight or flight system. During sympathetic stimulation, our metabolism speeds up so we burn fuel more efficiently, blood flow to the digestive organs decreases (less food coming in and being distributed to tissues, thus less stored), and muscles perfuse with blood (getting ready to work). It’s what makes you shake and tremble when you are stress or excited, although I am certain some people rarely feel it so strongly.

I say that because, no doubt, obese people are in a state of parasympathetic imbalance. That is, their parasympathetic system is kicked in more often than their sympathetic system. As a result, it has been observed in obese people that certain parasympathetic processes are acting normally while their sympathetic system is depressed. The effects of such an imbalance is that obese people have difficulty burning fuel efficiently, while they are quite proficient at packing it in.

Okay, we’ll no sh#%…we all know that: It’s harder for obese people to lose weight. No kidding…that doesn’t mean they cannot. The reason this happens is that when fuel keeps coming in as food, the body, in its profound intelligence, does what it’s proficient at: stores it as fat for leaner times, for survival. The body doesn’t understand gluttony; it doesn’t understand prosperity—it doesn’t know 24-hr pizza delivery exists. All it understands is, “Influx of food—store it.” Period. And so that’s what it does.

As a result of overeating, excessive weight gain and very likely low physical activity, the body is forced into this autonomic nervous system imbalance between parasympathetic and under-active sympathetic systems. And a vicious cycle ensues.

Yes it’s the reason obese people don’t see the same gains non-obese people see from short-term exercise…that’s why they’ve got to make it lifestyle, and see what happens after two years of continued activity. Too many obese people quit when they don’t see result within three months.

And, yes, decreasing calories too quickly can lead to a stress that is both mental and physical, one that the body interprets as a need to store even more (“Starvation!”). That’s why I always recommend keeping weight loss to realistic and healthy goals of one pound per week. It’s one thing I like about the Weight Watchers program—they do it slowly and steadily, advocating lifetime wellness and not just a crash-diet (literally and figuratively).

But here’s the skinny: In the end, it still comes down to calories in (and stored) versus calories burned. It’s just that the hormonal changes that DO occur—the ANS imbalance—slow things down that much more for the obese person. In the end, though, part of the answer is still to exercise regularly and effectively, as well as change eating habits (see last post).  There is, however, one more obstacle that is probably the biggest hump when it comes to losing and keeping off weight, and one which I will be discussing in the next post—the human mind.

Corrective Exercises for Knee Clicking

By On · Add Comment · In degeneration, exercise, knee clicking, knee pain, kneecap, muscular imbalance, patella, quadriceps, tracking disorder, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, West Hollywood sports chiropractic office

Clicking at the knee is a common complaint walking into my West Hollywood sports chiropractic office.  Although a couple sites on the knee are potential origination points, I find that the most common area of occurrence is at the kneecap (patella) itself.  Knee clicking coming from the knee cap is usually painless, but it can eventually lead to breakdown of the cartilage underneath the patella itself, which can be painful.

Despite being painless in the early stages, knee clicking can be disconcerting, so those experiencing it want answers.  I’ve cut the video below to explain clicking knee coming from the patella.  In a nutshell, knee clicking comes from a tracking disorder of the patella on the femur and tibia on bending and straightening the knee.  The disorder is usually due to a muscular imbalance of the quadriceps muscles, specifically the vastus lateralis, which gets strong or overactive, and the vastus medialis, which gets weak or under active.  The vastus lateralis, being the strong one, will thus pull the kneecap toward the outside of the leg on knee extension leading to a…”click.”

The way to fix knee clicking is by strengthening the vastus medialis relative to the vastus lateralis.  Watch the video below to see the best exercise to correct clicking knees due to a tracking disorder or muscular imbalance.  Remember, not fixing your knee clicking problem can lead to future degeneration, pain and disability, so start exercising now to click no more.


Los Angeles Chiropractic: Quadriceps Stretches for Pain Relief

By On · Add Comment · In exercise, hip flexors, iliopsoas, low back pain, patellar tendinitis, pelvis, psoas stretch, rectus femoris

I’ve been showing you stretches to open up your hip flexor complex, which includes the iliopsoas (iliacus and psoas major together) muscle.  Another muscle, which is an integral part of this complex and also needs attention in many people, is the rectus femoris (part of the quadriceps muscle) on the front of the thigh.

The rectus femoris attaches from the front of the pelvis to the shin (tibia).  It is involved in both knee extension (straightening the knee) and hip flexion.  In some people, it may be the hip flexor muscle in need of the most lengthening.  When this muscle is tight, it can lead to a number of problems, most notably low back pain and patellar tendonitis.  In either of these cases, stretching will bring quick relief and also prevent the formation and continuation of a chronic problem.

In the video below, I demonstrate four stretches that are excellent openers for the rectus femoris or quadriceps, and thus the hip, low back and knees.  The are actually four successive levels varying in difficulty and intensity.  You should try each one from the beginning to determine your current level.  When you find the one that challenges you the most, but which you can still do without causing too much pain or loss of balance, practice it for one to two weeks before trying the next level.

Within that time, you should be able to master the current level, if you do the stretch every day; and by moving on to the next level, that one will then become challenging but doable.  A principle of all exercise, whether we are talking weight lifting, cardio or stretching, is that you will have to try the next highest level at a lower intensity (whether that means reps, duration, increased intensity of stretch, or whatever) before you will be able to do it regularly and with greater ease.  For example, you won’t be able to master the third level stretch in the video until you can do the second level with some ease; then by taking it to the next level, and practicing, even if it’s uncomfortable, for a shorter period should in time allow you to do that next level comfortably (as comfortable as a stretch can be), and so on to the next level beyond that.  In other words, you won’t be ready for the next level until you do it repeatedly, and ultimately, that will become your next level of mastery (also a metaphor for life!)

Try these stretches to add even greater opening of your hip flexor complex.  I guarantee that once you master all four levels of this rectus femoris stretch, your low back, hips and knees will thank you.  And you’ll also see some amazing improvements in your posture.  Try them, you’ll see.

Shocking Revelation: Chips Make You Fat!

By On · Add Comment · In dietary habits, exercise, French fries, Harvard University, obesity, potato chips, soda, weight gain

When it comes to weight gain, is one food-like substance worse than another?  Yes, say Harvard University researchers, and the biggest offenders are potato chips!  Whaddayaknow–worse than sodas, worse than fries, worse than candy?  Yup, chips were more than four times more fattening than sweets or desserts.  Dang!  I’d say, “Who knew,” but isn’t it kind of obvious?

The study (actually three studies combined) looked at more than 120,000 people over a twenty year period, analyzing their dietary and lifestyle habits.  The subjects were all health professionals and not obese at the start.  Their weight was measured every four years, and they detailed their diet on questionnaires.  On average, participants gained nearly 17 pounds over the 20-year period.  For each four-year period, food choices contributed nearly 4 pounds, while exercise–for those who did it–cut less than 2 pounds.

This is how foods broke down into the fattening quotient (pounds gained/4 years):

  • Potato Chips — 1.69
  • French Fries — 1.28
  • Candy — 0.41
  • Alcohol (drinks) — 0.41
  • Watching hour of TV a day — 0.31
  • Recently quitting smoking, 5-pound increase
  • People who slept more or less than six to eight hours a night gained more weight.

The researchers conclude that diet is more important than exercise when it comes to gaining or losing weight.  Although I definitely agree with this statement in context of today’s western society, I wouldn’t say that’s a physiological fact, thermodynamically speaking.  Today’s foods may just be harder to burn, but I don’t know that it is true for all foods (and can’t one, technically, get fat from an excess of any food?).  Okay, different subject, I know, but I will agree that our current obesity epidemic ain’t from eatin’ too many carrots.

This is a decent study, but I would say we should put things into perspective.  Many people believe that as long as they work out, they should be able to eat whatever they want…within reason.  Problem is, people grossly underestimate how many calories they are eating at any given time.  A great piece came out in Scientific American last year discussing a study which showed most people, oddly, miscalculate total calories when high-calorie items are accompanied by ‘healthy’ side dishes.  Subjects overwhelmingly assigned less calories to plates with cheeseburgers and celery, than they did to cheeseburgers alone.  Doh!  Think that might happen regularly in real life?

Listen, crap is crap is crap is crap.  Chips are crap, period.  Eat them more than a few times a year (seriously) and expect fatness.  Same for sodas, canned ravioli, frozen tater tots and doughnuts–sorry to break-up the party, but…

Do we really need a study to tell us chips and fries are not Jenny Craig material?  I wish not, but sadly…we do.  So now you know.  Do with it what you will.

Beverly Hills Chiropractic: Bicep Stretches for Shoulder Pain Relief

By On · Add Comment · In Beverly Hills sports chiropractic, biceps stretch, biceps tendonitis, exercise, health, ice, inflammation, rotator cuff syndrome, shoulder impingement syndrome, weight lifting, yoga

Shoulder injuries are some of the most common conditions people walk into my Beverly Hills sports chiropractic office with, and treating them can be tricky.  I find that shoulder impingement, along with rotator cuff syndrome, has become increasingly problematic for people, especially as people pick up exercise as a lifestyle habit.  Now everyone knows that I think doing so is of mega-importance to achieving and maintaining great health, but it’s not without its challenges.

First, without proper form, most people lifting weights can cause injury to themselves.  So form is foremost, period.  This is true whether we’re talking about lifting weights, doing yoga, Pilates, or whatever.

Poor form during shoulder exercises can lead to impingement syndrome.  I find that in stubborn cases of impingement syndrome, the offending agent is an inflamed biceps tendon.  Please don’t take this to mean that the biceps is the primary problem in shoulder impingement syndrome–it’s one of three structures that can get inflamed–but it is the most often missed and neglected during the treatment process.

What you can do on your own to speed up the healing process for shoulder impingement syndrome is to ice and stretch.  Watch the video below to see the best home stretch for a biceps tendonitis.

When dealing with a stubborn shoulder injury (that means chronic, not one you’ve just hurt), go see a sports chiropractor right away.  But you can help your own case by icing and stretching your shoulder, particularly the biceps.  Enjoy.

Natural Health Icon Jack LaLanne Has Passed

By On · Add Comment · In Doctor of Chiropractic, exercise, health, Jack LaLanne, juicing, Jumping Jack, organic foods, physical fitness, Smith machine, vitamins, weight lifting

A hero of mine has passed today: Jack Lalanne died this afternoon at his home in Morro Bay, Calif.  He was 96.  The cause was respiratory failure as a result of pneumonia.

LaLanne was the godfather of the modern physical fitness movement.  I remember as a kid watching him every morning at 7 am while my mom made breakfast.  He made exercise a household activity, and had many other contributions to the world of health.  He invented the Jumping Jack exercise, as well as the Smith machine (a weight-training machine that has a barbell fixed within steel rails, allowing only vertical movement).

A little known fact is that he was a Doctor of Chiropractic.  Yeah, baby!  And a huge advocate for juicing.  He was a bodybuilder, a vegetarian, and believe it or not, a skeptic of organic foods, which he believed were “a bunch of bull.”

LaLanne was one of the first to advocate weight-lifting for women.  At a time when it was believed that lifting would cause women to look big and bulky, LaLanne was always one step ahead of the crowd when it came to health and fitness.

“The Jack LaLanne Show” was the longest running television exercise program.  It was started in my home town, San Francisco–perfect for us hippies and weirdos…but we made him an icon.  LaLanne became a popular inspirational speaker, author of several books, a recording artist (for exercise records), a video producer, and promoter of exercise equipment, many vitamin supplements and two models of electric (one his own, Power Juicer).  He made famous the phrase, “That’s the power of the juice!”

Jack LaLanne was definitely one of my heroes.  He lived an amazing life, contributing greatly to the world we live in today.  He will continue to inspire me, as he has for my entire life.  Thank you, Jack LaLanne for inspiring me to follow the path of natural health and healing that I have chosen.

Aerobitexting

By On · Add Comment · In aerobitexting, exercise, gym, smartphones, stretching, technology, texting, working out

I have seen the future of exercise, and I can’t say I like it.  Aerobitexting seems to be all the rage.  Tonight, I observed 50% of the people in the gym playing with their smartphones while doing something that resembled working out.  Gawd…am I the only one who finds this dorky?

I don’t know, maybe I’m just from the old school, but…doesn’t exercise warrant…focus???  OK, if watching a YouTube video demonstrating stretching, an exercise or something like that, then I get it.  Useful technology making life more productive…yeah, I’m all for it.

But texting…reading e-mails…facebooking?   D’-or-key…with a capital D!  And dangerous, too: exercise does require focus; in fact, if want to increase your risk of injury in the gym, just lose focus–it’s almost guaranteed.

Listen, this ain’t new.  People have been doing distracted workouts for years.  Boob-tubes attached to cardio equipment, computers on stationary bikes, and my all-time favorite: reading a novel while huffing on the treadmill.  Whatever.

WTF is so important that you can’t sweat your nards off without checking the latest tweets?  (Puff, puff) Oh boy, Justin Bieber’s trending right now!

Yep, I’m from the old school: When I go to the gym, I work out–that’s it.  Go figure.

*If you’re reading this while on the treadmill, pump your fist in the aiy-er.  Oops…sorry.

Biggest Loser’s Biggest Problem

By On · Add Comment · In body mass index (BMI), diets, exercise, obesity, The Biggest Loser, weight loss

I like The Biggest Loser–it’s good T.V. And I certainly see some value in the show. Saying that, however, it is not necessarily the best approach to weight loss.

According to some experts, The Biggest Loser is counterproductive and dangerous. The show takes obese contestants through extreme exercise conditions and carefully monitored diets, as they compete against each other for the greatest weight loss. The winner at the end of the show wins $250,000.

Last year’s season 8 saw two of the contestants collapse during a one-mile (1.6 km) foot race. And this year’s season 9 began with two contestants having complications during a 26.2 mile (42 km) race on stationary bikes. One of the contestants had to be dragged off the bike under her protests due to severe cramps, while a second, who weighed in at a massive 526-pounds, was treated for exhaustion.

Some criticisms of the show include that they take a group of people falling to the extreme side of obesity, or the largest people in society, the severely obese (BMI greater than 40) as contestants. Whereas the majority of obese Americans have a body mass index (BMI) of 30+, people with BMIs above 40 represent only 6% of the population. The show, however, uses mostly severely obese contestants. In fact, 17 of the 22 contestants (~80%) this season have BMIs over 40. The problem, critics say, is that it does not accurately represent the population and is, therefore, removed from real world conditions.

Another criticism is that the program is too strenuous and that weight loss happens too quickly, neither of which is healthy. Not only can this pose a danger to contestants but can also be discouraging for those viewers at home trying to lose weight. When people can’t match the numbers posted on the show, some being record weight losses (fastest 100-pound weight loss in seven weeks, and most weight lost in one week–34 pounds), people are bound to get discouraged.

The final criticism is that the rapid weight loss seen on The Biggest Loser is not likely to be maintained. Several former Biggest Loser contestants have regained some or all of the weight they lost while contestants on the show.

Well I’ve got to say…I couldn’t agree more. I do like The Biggest Loser, mostly because it shows that for any person to lose weight, one simple physiological principle must be satisfied: More calories must be burned than taken in. This principle is true whether one has the “obesity” gene, an underactive thyroid, or whether one just likes to eat. To lose weight you’ve gotta burn more than you bring in, period. I think the show demonstrates this princilple quite nicely.

But as I’ve said in a recent article, losing more than one pound per week is unhealthy. And if you are trying to lose weight for any other reason than your own inspiration, forget it–it will never happen, not with any permanence, that is.

If you really want to lose weight, you’ve got to set realistic goals, and do it over the long haul. Making some lifestyle changes will be a necessity, and getting over the mental barriers that attach you to eating will be of the utmost importance.

So as far as The Biggest Loser is concerned, it’ll keep on its game plan of getting the fattest people to lose the most extreme amount of weight in the shortest period of time, healthy or not. Even if they lose a couple contestants one year to heart attack or dehydration, they’ll keep going for one simple reason: It makes good T.V.

Boredom Can be Deadly

By On · Add Comment · In boredom, death, exercise, health, heart disease, purpose


Bored to death? Don’t take it lightly. New research shows that boredom can actually have a negative effect on your health. In fact, the research suggests that the more bored you are, the more likely you are to die early.

A epidemiological study carried out at University College London looked at more than 7,500 London civil servants from 1985-1988 and asked if they had felt bored at work during the previous month. The researchers tracked down all participants that had died by April 2009 and found that those that had reported feeling bored were 2.5 times more likely to have died from heart problems than those that had not reported feeling bored.

Although the correlation was reduced when researchers corrected statistically for other risk factors like physical activity levels, the connection between boredom and dying was still significant.

“Someone who is bored may not be motivated to eat well, exercise, and have a heart-healthy lifestyle. That may make them more likely to have a cardiovascular event,” said Dr. Christopher Cannon, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard University and spokesman for the American College of Cardiology.

Hmm, could be doctor, could be. But I think that life thrives as we have a purpose driving us. Once that purpose diminishes, life starts to dwindle. It’s not uncommon for people to die shortly after retiring–there are studies documenting it. Why? Because if you find purpose in work, a sense of usefulness, then you have something to get up for every morning, a driving force if you will. When that drive goes, well…you go. Now no doubt, some people find purpose in other things like family, home, recreation, whatever. But as a way to understand why boredom can lead to heart disease and death, well it makes sense to me.

So do what you love and have a purpose behind it. If you can’t find a purpose in your day to day life, you might just be ready to move on to the next experience.

Prostate Cancer Prevention Cap, Hold the Foam

By On · Add Comment · In beer, breast cancer, coffee, death rate, ejaculation frequency, estrogen, exercise, omega-3 fatty acids, prevention, prostate cancer, testosterone
Good news for men who drink coffee: Java might prevent prostate cancer. Yes! And my other favorite pastime–exercise–might prevent it as well. But wait fellas, it gets even better: BEER might prevent prostate cancer, too! Damn, life can be good.

Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer in America–more common than breast cancer, more common than colon cancer. More than 192,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year, and more than 27,000 men will die from the disease. Dang!

Prostate cancer is uncontrolled cell growth in the prostate gland–the walnut shaped gland that sits beneath the bladder and produces an alkaline solution that protects sperm in the acid environment of the vagina. Prostate cancer starts as primary tumors in the gland itself but can travel–or metastasize–to other parts of the body, particularly the bones or lymph nodes.

Prostate cancer is generally slow-growing–good news as it can be caught early in many cases with good treatment outcomes. Prostate cancer is also preventable through ejaculation frequency (that’s right master baiters, clearing out the ducts can be beneficial, but beware hairy palms), taking omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin B6, vitamin D, and now drinking coffee, beer and exercising.

In Harvard’s Health Professionals Follow-Up Study on coffee and prostate cancer, there was a clear relationship between the amount of coffee consumed and prostate cancer risk: The more coffee men drank, the more positive the effect observed. Caffeine was not the protective substance, however, as decaffeinated coffee also showed positive results. Researchers believe it has something to do with insulin and glucose metabolism. As one of the scientists put it, “A number of studies have found that coffee is associated with a reduced risk of diabetes.” The researchers cautioned that the link is not yet fully conclusive…but it certainly looks good.

The second study showed that the death rate from prostate cancer for men who exercised vigorously was 12 percent lower than for those who didn’t. Although researchers do not know exactly why exercise protects against prostate cancer, it might have something to do with immune function and reduced inflammation.

Finally, recent reports tell of the protective properties of a substance found in beer, xanthohumol, which in tests blocked a biological pathway that allows prostate cancer to be fueled by the male hormone testosterone. Yay! Don’t fret ladies, they also found that xanthohumol blocks estrogen receptors, which may lead to prevention of breast cancer. Double yay!

So drink up, gents (and ladies have a pint, too). If beer is not your thing, then have a cup of Joe, and do thirty minutes on the treadmill. You’ll be doing the right thing for your prostate that way.

Steroids Cause Kidney Damage

By On · Add Comment · In American Society of Nephrology, anabolic steroids, bodybuilders, cancer, dialysis, exercise, kidney disease, muscular, obese, recovery time, workout

I know you think it can’t happen to you, cuz I’ve heard you say it. You’ve said that as long as you do them responsibly, steroids are totally safe. I heard you, muscle man–you told me so. And further, you’ve backed it up by telling me to prove it. Prove it that steroids cause physical problems–purely speculation, you said. Prove it.

OK, now I can: According to the most recent reports, anabolic steroids used by athletes and amateur bodybuilders can cause lasting kidney damage. New research presented at Friday’s American Society of Nephrology‘s 42nd Annual Meeting in San Diego, shows that men taking steroids for more than a decade had more severe kidney disease than men who were obese and not muscular.

Anabolic steroids are used by both men and women to increase muscle mass. They work by decreasing recovery time. So that 24 hours you and I need to recover from a workout aren’t needed by steroid users; these guys and gals only need a couple of hours, if that. They can hit it hard at the gym every day, several times a day. That’s how they get big. And the truth is that there has been no conclusive evidence linking steroid use to cancer, or any other disease for that matter. But now, unfortunately for steroid users, there is some proof.

How steroids damage the kidney is unclear, but damage them they do. Long-term steroid use can eventually lead to end-stage kidney disease, which requires dialysis or a kidney transplant. I have a client in my Beverly Hills chiropractic practice that is on dialysis. Think it doesn’t hamper his life? Guess again. Dialysis is every day, several hours of the day, forever. I don’t think it’s worth it, but you decide.

The good news is that the kidney damage caused by steroid use is reversible. In the study men who stopped using steroids, reduced their exercise and lost weight saw their kidney function improve. Nice. And for a few men, early medical treatment (medication) proved helpful. But researchers wanted to point out that steroid users in the later stages of kidney disease may improve some, but are left with chronic and irreversible kidney damage.

Something to think about.

Exercise: An Alternative to Getting High

By On · Add Comment · In drug addiction, endorphins, exercise, narcotics, opiates, pain, pleasure

In part three of theSecond Chance–Break Free From Addiction DVD clips, I discuss using exercise an an alternative to using drugs. Before you shake this concept off as absurd, consider this: Exercise releases endorphins–the body’s natural opiates.

Endorphins, like narcotics, feel good. So you can really achieve very similar pleasurable feelings (remember, no pleasure without pain) that you get from using drugs. The same? No…but similar, for sure. And the benefits of exercise are enormous–increased strength, stamina, endurance, balance, weight loss and natural anti-aging–all the while feeling as good as an orgasm! Without the crash of drug withdrawal.

So there you have it. If you or a loved one is struggling with drug addiction, please visit the Second Chance website, and get a copy of the DVD today–and then watch it–you’ll be happy you did.

Exercise May Ward Off Prostate Cancer

By On · Add Comment · In exercise, immune system, prostate cancer, testosterone, walking

Awright Gents, yet another reason to exercise. Recent findings show that moderate exercise may lower the risk of prostate cancer. In a recent study, men who exercised the equivalent of three or more hours of brisk walking per week were two-thirds less likely than their sedentary counterparts to have prostate cancer. Booyah!

Even more exciting is that men in the study that were found to have cancer were less likely to have aggressive, faster-growing cancer if they walked as little as one hour per week. Not bad now is it?

Researchers believe that exercise leads to lower levels of testosterone and other hormones that help feed prostate tumor growth. It may also stimulate the immune system which works hard to suppress tumor development on a daily basis.

The caveat is that this current study does not prove that exercise protects against prostate cancer. For that, further studies will be needed to determine how much other lifestyle behaviors–like diet and mental health–play a part. For now, however, we can assume a link between exercise and lower prostate cancer risk; and at the very least between healthy behaviors and lowered risk. Now aren’t you glad to know that things in life are not just random?

Sports Anemia for Exercise Fanatics

By On · Add Comment · In chiropractic, exercise, intense, Israeli Defense Forces, military training, overtraining syndrome, sports anemia

Listen up bootcampers: Intense exercise can cause low blood counts. Yes, yes, it’s true–you can overdo it. Do not take this news lightly, especially you youngsters; you are not as invincible as you think.

A recent study looked at incoming recruits for an elite combat unit in the Israeli Defense Forces and found that many (18%) came in anemic–an unusual occurrence for healthy young men. But more alarming was that the numbers tripled to over 50% following six weeks of intense military training. Whoa! The anemia was the iron deficiency-type and is known as sports anemia. Very strange, indeed.

Scientists are unsure of the exact physiological cause of the anemia, but believe that intense exercise is at fault, particularly since 18% came into the training with the condition. Because young men hoping to join the elite forces prepare themselves through intense workouts to begin with, it’s not a total surprise that so many came in iron deficient. But to what degree the recruits developed anemia is startling, and goes to show that too much of a good thing does exist.

I talk about overtraining syndrome in my book, The Six Keys to Optimal Health. It is a real phenomenon, and I see the effects on clients in my West Hollywood/Beverly Hills sports chiropractic practice. No matter how much I preach moderation, there always will be people who deny the data and overdo it anyway. It’s really a shame, because if these same people would just understand that they are actually hampering their growth and progress, they might cool it. I have one client, a female in her forties, who works out every day! That’s too much. And guess what? She’s always injured, hurting and/or tired. She looks, forgive me for saying so, like she’s been run over by a truck most of the time I see her. I tell her to slow down, but she tells me it makes her feel good. Yeah, right.

So here’s the deal: If you are not training for a marathon, triathlon, UFC title bout or any other athletic event, three to four days of moderate to intense exercise is sufficient (and efficient, by the way). Anything more than that and you are risking burnout.

If you are training for an event or special forces–military training units and personnel pay close attention here–too much intensity will put the troops at risk. This is a true military public health issue and needs to be monitored and addressed.

Americans to Blame for Poor Heart Health

By On · Add Comment · In Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), exercise, heart risk, high blood pressure, lifestyle behaviors, smoking, sugar

Flash, this just in: Only 10% of American adults have low heart disease risk. You heard right, nine out of every 10 people in the U.S. have at least one risk to their heart health; and the worst part is that these risks are all lifestyle dependent. Not good for a nation bent on pointing the finger at external causes for its poor health rankings.

According to researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that looked at four national studies covering tens of thousands of Americans aged 25 to 74, only ten percent had low risk in the following categories:

  • high blood pressure
  • high cholesterol
  • high blood sugar
  • overweight
  • smoking
  • exercise too little

Each one of these categories is significantly impacted by lifestyle behaviors. High blood pressure, cholesterol and weight can all be controlled with regular and moderate exercise. Regular. Three times per week, minimum. Are you doing that?

High blood sugar and weight is directly related to the amount and types of food we eat. The U.S. has a morbid addiction to sugar. I’m not talking just desserts here–oh, we’ve got that too, but what I’m talking about is sugary regular foods: cereals, canned foods, ketchup, BBQ sauce, French toast, scones and muffins for breakfast, and the worst of all–sodas! Hey I’m guilty too, because I have recommended sports replacement bars to my readers. No more! That stuff is sugary shit. I don’t eat them, and I’m not going to recommend them to anyone else, anymore. Pure crap.

And the portions we eat are obscene. We all put away way too much every time we eat out. Sorry, but them’s the facts. Too much food.

And smoking? Like my good friend J.C. says, “Smoke ’em if you got ’em.” But just don’t point the finger at anyone but yourself when it’s time to pay the piper.

This is what really gets me irked about people: A full 90% of citizens are not doing all they can to care for their health, yet somehow it’s somebody else responsibility to take care of them if they fall ill. Sorry, but nobody can do your push-ups for you, no matter how much you demand it.

Cancer Cut by Intense Exercise

By On · Add Comment · In cancer, exercise, health care costs, health care reform
Put this in your socialized health care pipe and smoke it–men who do heart-pounding exercises regularly are less likely to develop cancer. Yeah, you got it: more exercise, less cancer; less cancer, less cost. Quick, call your congressman–get health club memberships subsidized. Uh…dream on.

Nobody yet is pushing real health care reform, one where actual health enhancement finds its place in a national bill. Why not, you may ask? Because it’s a political and money game being sold to the public as concern for the greater good. Sure it’s about people…suuuuurrre!!! That’s why all the big money players are positioning themselves like never before. Insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, AMA–all former opponents to universal health care are now on board hoping to get it all into place. Think there’s some money to be made?

I wouldn’t be against this whole sham if I didn’t know that it isn’t going to change a thing that’s worthwhile. Same old medicine, same old s@$#. Findings like the one in the title of this post get a quick mention and then back to, “how can we sell more drugs, surgeries, procedures, politics, bull turds…?”

Here’s how: The latest findings came from a study out of Finland that looked at more than 2,500 men and their exercise habits for one full year. They followed up with the same men sixteen years later. They found that the men who exercised the most–not sissy exercising, either; intense exercise, stuff that made them sweat–were half as likely to develop cancer than the men that exercised the least. The researchers attributed the lower cancer rates to an increase in oxygen consumption. The cancers most reduced were of the stomach or intestines, lungs, prostate and brain.

I find this study very exciting. To me it makes real sense as to where our focus should be. But guess what: I’M ALONE! Nobody, and I mean nobody (OK, besides former Health and Human Services Secretarial Nominee, Tom Daschle) is looking at this information and realizing where health care needs to go to become “affordable”. The big sham is thinking that if we all pick up the tab for those who choose to not exercise, not lose weight, not get off heavy duty drugs (both pharmaceutical and recreational), not moderate their alcohol intake, not eat well, not get chiropractic care, not fix their relatively minor physical problems before they become major ones, and so forth, then everything will be alright–and cheaper in the long run. What a frickin’ joke.

Copyright © 2013 Dr. Nick Campos - All Rights Reserved.