All entries for January 2011

Embody Your Workout

Posted by Karen Cutrona-Underwood on Wednesday Jan 26, 2011 9:35 pm

One simple rule to gaining the most benefit from your workout is to breathe.  Become empowered during your workout routine by bringing your awareness to your breathing pattern.  While we are equipped with lungs as part of our autonomic nervous system, meaning we don’t have to do anything to make them work, it would benefit any fitness enthusiast to become aware of ways to make their lungs work better. A breathing pattern that matches your movements, for example, will give you greater endurance and allow your body to embrace, if you will, or embody that movement or exertion, with an element of acceptance.  “All is well” is the message you want your body to reverberate as you physically challenge it.  Breathing effectively can do this for you.  Nothing “good” is retained within your body when you’re in a state of stress.  So, get the most out of your workout by getting the most out of your lungs.  Breathe efficiently and absorb, retain, embody your workout.

Include the practice of breathing deeply before engaging in any exercise routine as an excellent way to warm-up your body – fuel your internal fire, and prepare yourself for action.  With your mouth closed, inhale fully through your nose, as if you’re drawing the air down the back of your throat.  Become aware of the movement of your lungs as they fill your ribcage cavity.  Exhale fully by forcing the air all the way out through contracting your diaphragm and ribcage - keeping your mouth closed.  Your exhalations are just as important as your inhalations.  The more toxins you can expel by way of carbon dioxide, the more oxygen you can take in to supply your bloodstream and fuel your body.

Try this breathing warm-up routine in Downward Facing Dog and add the benefits of a full body stretch. With your hands and feet on the ground, create an inverted "V" shape.  Extend your arms shoulder-width distance apart, and your legs, hip distance apart.  Take up as much distance as you can so that your heels become slightly raised off the ground or mat. Draw your body weight away from your wrists by pressing your hips back. This position will extend your spine and expand your ribcage to enhance the full movement of your lungs.  Let your head hang down, gaze at your feet, then inhale and exhale fully.

By breathing this way, whether seated, standing or in Down Dog, on a regular basis, such as before and after each workout, you train your body to work with your lungs more effectively.   The lungs are not involuntary organs.  They require the diaphragm and ribcage to make them expand and contract.  Simply bringing your awareness to your diaphragm and intercostal muscles between your ribs while breathing in and out, will give you the vital edge to fuel your body more efficiently, engage your systems more fully, and ensure your muscles are getting oxygenated blood flow throughout your workout.  An added bonus to fully expanding and contracting the lungs is that the movement extends the tissue from collar bone to hip bone.  This naturally massages internal organs and releases tension along the spine as well.

So, the next time you get ready to put your own piece of equipment to a physical test, take time to breathe.  Make it a point to create a conscious breathing pattern that matches your movements.  Inhale deeply when you extend, exhale fully when you crunch.  Inhale when you release, then exhale when you press, and so on.  Maintain rhythmic breathing throughout your activity.  Not only will you see a noticeable difference in your endurance, but you will meet the challenges you put your body through with a sense of ease.

This combination, meeting challenge with ease, allows your body to retain greater muscle memory.  When you finish your workout, you don’t want to walk away from it, you want to carry it with you – wear it proudly!  Embody your workout, absorb all the benefits from your hard work – breathe.

Don't Hit The Gym Without A Partner

Posted by Chicago Home Fitness Experts on Sunday Jan 23, 2011 1:30 pm

As printed in the Wall Street Journal.

CARDIO TRAINER
While its main function is to serve as a pedometer that uses your phone's built-in GPS to track your distance, route and calories burned, Cardio Trainer also comes with a suite of separetely available (but free) add-ons like "Weight Loss" and "Resolutions" to keep you motivated. The latter, in particular, helps you stick to, say, three workouts a week by asking you to pledge a certain amount of money to charity if you don't meet your weight-loss or workout goals.

Free: worksmartlabs.com

NIKEWOMEN TRAINING CLUB
Need a coach to teach you technique and motivate you as you exercise? The recently redesigned NikeWomen Training Club does just that, thanks to a simple interface that lets you choose workouts based on goals (strength, toning or weight loss) or time (everything from targeted 15-minute workouts to more involved 30- and 45-minute routines.) Click on a program and let the virtual coaches talk you through (and demo via video) each exercise - a mix of cardio and weight-training - all set to a soundtrack you create from your iTunes library.

Free: nike.com

FITNESSCLASS
The 230 streaming video classes available here - everything from boot camp -style weight-loss sessions to stress-reducing yoga - put most other gym apps to shame. The classes are perfect for squeezing in a workout on the fly since they come in schedule-sensitive segments of as little as 10 minutes or as much as 60 minutes. If you're embarrassed to try pilates in public, this could be the ticket.

$3 - $8 for individual classes and 30-day class passes
pumpone.com

Is there such thing as No carb?

Posted by Dr. Larry Kaskel on Monday Jan 17, 2011 1:48 pm

There really is no such thing as a no carb diet

When I prescribe  patients to follow a wheat-free, cornstarch-free, sugar-free diet on top of of a low-carbohydrate diet, many ask: "How can I live on a no-carb diet?"

In reality there's no such thing as a "no-carb" diet. These eating styles are Low-carb but not no carb

Here are the carbohydrate contents of various "low-carb" foods:

Gouda cheese--3 oz contains 1.65 grams carbohydrates

Mozzarella cheese--1 cup contains 2.89 grams carbohydrates

Walnuts--4 oz (56 nuts) contains 2.96 grams carbohydrates

Almonds--4 oz contains 1.38 grams carbohydrates

Sour cream--one-half cup contains 3.31 grams carbohydrates

Red wine--3.5 oz glass contains 2.69 grams carbohydrates

Eggplant--1 cup cooked contains 8.33 grams carbohydrates

Green pepper--1 medium-sized raw contains 5.52 grams carbohydrates

Cucumber--1 medium contains 4.34 grams carbohydrates

Tomato--1 medium contains 4.82 grams carbohydrates

(Nutrition data from USDA Nutrient Database)

So  as you can plainly see foods thought to be "low-or no-carb" actually contain a modest quantity of carbohydrates.

These  modest quantities of carbohydrates are  probably  not enough to raise  your blood sugar or cause an insulin spike. If you add up all the "low-carb" foods you consume over the course of a day you can easily achieve 30 grams or more carbohydrates per day even without consuming any higher carbohydrate foods.

sugar makes you sick

Posted by Dr. Larry Kaskel on Sunday Jan 16, 2011 8:53 am

It sure does. Our bodies have a very sophisticated defence system called the immune system. Part of that system, the neutrophil , a type of white blood cell that circulates in our blood stream, helps to... More »

What should I eat for breakfast doctor?

Posted by Dr. Larry Kaskel on Sunday Jan 09, 2011 9:28 am

It turns out that the first meal after a nights sleep programs your metabolism for the rest of the day. A high-fat breakfast of nitrite free bacon and cage free eggs may be the healthiest start to the... More »

Meet Our Experts

	Karen Cutrona-Underwood E-RYT, Yoga Instructor/Owner, Blue Moon Yoga and Fitness, Inc. Read Posts | Bio
	Dr. Larry Kaskel Dual board certified MD Read Posts | Bio
	Dr. Micah Eimer Dr. Micah J. Eimer, MD FACC Read Posts | Bio

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