Encouraging manageable lifestyle changes for health and happiness, through research and personal experience.

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Aging, Exercise, and Knowledge


I went to an interesting seminar tonight regarding "The role of muscle strength and function in aging." While I realize that (at least to my knowledge) I probably do not have many followers that fit into the "elderly" category, this will still impact each of us personally some day, and we certainly all have family members that can benefit from this information now.
The audience was an interesting mix of graduate students who study exercise for a living and elderly members from the university and surrounding community. I felt like there were some great points mentioned in the talk, which I will summarize briefly, but what was most eye opening to me was the reaction to the talk by the elderly participants.
Let me start by summarizing some of the key points that I was able to pick up from the presentation:
  • As we age, our muscle mass decreases and our fat mass increases
  • A lack of muscle mass can certainly lead to debilitation and lack of functionality in activities of daily living
  • However, it is not just the amount of muscle we have, but the strength of the muscles that impacts not only our function, but also our health, including the risk of fatality from cancers and other diseases.
  • Individuals are able to gain strength at ANY age
  • While some [doctors, etc] may recommend supplementing/injecting human growth hormone, this has not shown to increase muscle mass, in fact it has shown a decrease from the control group.
  • Testosterone has shown to be effective (in helping to increase muscle strength), but should only be used for men.
  • Therefore we are back to the "eat right and exercise" mentality.
  • Everyone should be performing resistance training exercises and also getting plenty of protein in their diet (around 1 g of protein per kg of your body weight per day).

So, some of this may be common knowledge... or perhaps it is just common knowledge to those of us who study this for a living. My main take-home message from today's talk comes from the questions that the elderly individuals asked after the presentation. I think they were certainly all convinced that they need to be doing resistance training in order to delay degeneration and extend their lives (and quality of life). However, the first question that was asked was, "Well, what is resistance exercise?" Followed by many questions to include, "what machines should I use, are there certain muscle groups I need to focus on, how many days a week should I do this, and how hard do I need to work?"
I felt that if I were working as an independent personal trainer right now, I probably could have walked out of there with 20+ new clients. There is now a captive group who have no idea what to do. Their questions kept coming, and while I felt that a lot of the exercise students may have been rolling their eyes a bit, to me this was an eye opener. It was interesting for me to realize that this lack of knowledge may be an additional reason why individuals are not exercising. Because it is my lifestyle, sometimes I forget that it may not be common knowledge.
Well the good news is that I am passionate about teaching others what to do, and I'm not the only one. Please know that I am here if you need help designing a program for yourself or for any of your family members (I do have a SeniorFit training certification).
Don't wait until you have lost muscle mass (and gained fat mass) to fix the situation... start today! I would highly advise that when you are putting a new program together or setting a new health goal, you consult a team of health professionals. Consult with your doctor to make sure you are cleared to exercise, and see if you have any limitations. Get at least one personal training session to learn how to safely use the equipment and have a program designed for your interests. And finally, consult a nutritionist to get an individualized nutrition plan for your specific needs (that fits both health concerns and fitness goals).
More than anything, don't be afraid to ask questions! I would be more than happy to answer your questions individually, or write a post for everyone to read about your topic of question.

Have a HEALTHY day!
~ Fit Britt

Monday, March 22, 2010

Lovin the Food Revolution

Did you catch the premiere of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution last night?
Don't worry if you missed it, it really kicks off with a 2-hour event this Friday (the 26th).
Jamie is a British celebrity chef who has started a 'revolution' within the public school system of his homeland, and is spurring one on our side of the pond as well. His challenge is the city labeled "the unhealthiest in America," where more than 50% of the population is OBESE. The town that is also known for "We are MARSHALL;" Huntington, West Virginia.
You'll be amazed to see what is fed in the public school system (pizza for breakfast?) and the guidelines they must abide by (each meal should include TWO grains, each student MUST have milk [good idea, but they all pick high-sugar chocolate or strawberry]).
I encourage you to check it out. It will challenge you to think more about what you serve your family and who you allow to make health/nutrition decisions for your children.

Become part of the revolution!!

Have a HEALTHY day!
~ Fit Britt

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Put Your Best Foot[wear] Forward

As Spring makes an appearance and we spend more time being active, there is one piece of fitness equipment more important than all others... proper footwear!
We all know the foot bone is connected to the leg bone which is connected to the hip bone... but we often fail to realize that the pain we are having in our knees or lower back is due to our footwear and improper body positioning.
There is more to picking proper footwear than just picking out the most stylish, pair of sneaks at your local athletic store. It is very important to select footwear that is geared towards your body movement, the height (or lack there of) of your arches, and also your planned activity.
Gait Analysis
It would be best to go to a running store where the staff are knowledgeable in performing gait analysis - watching you walk, run, and checking the wear on your old tennis shoes in order to determine if you pronate or supinate.

Pronating involves your feet/ankles turning inward with each step, and is fairly common with low and flat arches. Pronators need stabilizer shoes that have more support on the insole.

Supinating involves rolling your foot outward, with the majority of the weight on the outside of your foot. There are also special shoes for supination with more support on the outer edge of the shoe.


When you go to an actual running store, the shoes should be labeled as stabilizers, neutral shoes, etc. However if you just go to a basic tennis shoe store, they may not label the shoes by type, but you can tell what type of shoe it is by where the darker, more supportive base is, like so:

Additionally, regardless of what type or brand of shoes your purchase, you should also get more supportive inserts. Two types that I use and enjoy are SuperFeet and Lynco orthotics. Both come in different styles for different activities and shoe types (athletic, casual, dress, etc.)

I would encourage you to either purchase your shoes and inserts together, or purchase the inserts in advance and take them with you to try on shoes.Also, remember that your tennis shoes should be replaced every SIX MONTHS or 500 miles. Most individuals complain of knee pain when the shoes are too old and no longer supportive. One rule of thumb for tennis shoes or any of your shoes is to try and bend them backwards. If the toe and the heel wrap around towards each other, there is no support left in your shoe!

These were my favorite shoes, which used to be very comfortable and supportive. But last December when I started having a lot of foot pain, I went to both an orthotic shoe store and a podiatrist and both of them commented on the lack of support of these shoes.Alas, we need to be making smart decisions about supportive footwear all the time, not just when doing activity. Don't buy shoes that are uncomfortable, unsupportive, and your toes don't have space to wiggle. And ladies, remember that when wearing heels all day long, you are keeping your ankle in "plantar flexion," which tightens the calves. Therefore, upon taking off your heels, make sure that you warm up slowly and stretch your calves thoroughly before taking off on your activity of choice.
We often don't make the connection that our knee, hip, back pain is coming from the footwear we've selected. I challenge you to check the shoes in your closet and make a commitment to make smart and healthy decisions for your feet and body with future purchases.

Finally, just a few suggested stores to check out:
- If you are in the DC area, look up a Pacers Running Store
- College Station friends check out Shoe Daze (they have casual shoes as well as running).
- All others - do your best to find a running store and specifically ask them if they perform gait analysis. (Let me know if you find a good one!)

Good luck and may your future steps be light :)

Have a HEALTHY day!
~Fit Britt

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Excuses, Excuses

So... I have to say, I think about blogging just about every day. I have so many ideas that I jot down that I could be writing about, so many great tidbits that I am learning through my classes, experiences in my own life, etc.

So why haven't I been blogging? My reason has been, wait for it... I think you know this one... "I've been too busy. I DON'T HAVE TIME!" But it's time for me to be honest with myself... and it's time for you to do the same.

What do we really mean when we say we don't have time to do something? Let's be honest, we are saying that it just isn't a priority. There are other things we'd rather do than [fill in the blank]... blog, exercise, cook a healthy dinner, get a health screening, etc. We all have 24 hours in our day, we all have the same opportunities.

You and I both need to evaluate our priorities. Once upon a time, when we were filled with emotion and excitement, we passionately and outwardly set a goal for ourselves. Then, over time, motivation started to fade for one reason or another... with exercise perhaps you haven't found something you enjoy, you haven't seen the results you wanted to, something "more important" filled its' place for one day and then another. Each day we have the same decision to make all over again.... how important is our goal to us? Will it be a priority today?

Let's start by re-evaluating. Put together a list of the reasons why we want to reach our goal. What are the pros of acheiving it? What are the cons of not?? Look further into the future... how can acheiving this goal help your life? Better health? Better self confidence? More successful? Better relationships? Write these down and put them where you will see them regularly, posted on the fridge, bathroom mirror, etc. Give yourself a daily reminder of why this goal is important to you.

Each day we can chose to make either decision, and we won't always make the decision in favor of our goal... but let's not kid ourselves into thinking that it's a "time" issue. It's a priority issue.

I hope you'll be hearing from me again soon, because it is important to ME to be here to motivate YOU on your journey of health and happiness.

Have a HEALTHY day!
~ Fit Britt

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