Don�t get us wrong: We love trying out the latest boutique studio classes, busting through solid strength routines at the gym, and sweating it out on the treadmill. But these certainly aren�t the only ways to get active; and some days a full hour of exercise just isn�t in the cards. Luckily, you don�t need a fancy fitness membership or lots of free time to become your best, fittest self.
In fact, it�s possible to complete a super-effective fat-burning workout in less than 30 minutes, in your own living room. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is one of the most efficient ways to whip your body into top shape.
What is HIIT, exactly? It�s a cardio interval workout technique that generally involves 20-30 second bursts of full-on effort, followed by short recovery periods. These workouts get your heart pumping, sculpt muscle, and burns massive amounts of calories, even after your workout has ended. Plus, HIIT workouts are rarely more than 20 minutes long. So they�re ideal when you want to sneak a quick but serious workout into your busy schedule.
Sold? Follow along with this 20-minute HIIT workout led by Fhitting Room trainer Dara Theodore. It�s a heart-pumping sequence you can do anytime, anywhere�with dumbbells or simply your own body weight.
(Bonus: Check out this workout playlist that�s perfect for any HIIT workout.)
Upping the intake of soy protein may help fight inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), say Penn State researchers whose study included both mice and cultured human colon cells.
Inflammatory bowel diseases, which include ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, are characterized by either continuous or periodic inflammation of the colon and are a significant risk factor for colon cancer.
For their study, researchers removed protein sources from the diets of the mice and substituted soy-protein concentrate. The soy equaled about 12 percent of their diet.
“We didn’t want to get carried away with using doses that were really high and would crowd out all the other protein that was there,” said researcher Zachary Bitzer. “Instead, we wanted to find a scenario that was going to fit into a more human-relevant situation.”
The dietary soy-protein at the 12-percent dose level improved body-weight loss and swelling of the spleen in the mice with induced inflammatory bowel disease.
“Soy-protein concentrate mitigates markers of colonic inflammation and loss of gut barrier function in the mice with induced IBD,” said researcher Amy Wopperer.
Followup studies will focus on whether the results translate to people. Because soy protein is a widely used food ingredient — often used as a meat substitute and commonly referred to as “texturized vegetable proteins” in ingredient lists — the researchers believe human studies could be arranged in the near future.
The study is published in The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry,
Other studies have found soy to have health benefits. A study from Wayne State University found that compounds in soybeans can make radiation treatment of lung cancer more effective while helping to preserve normal tissue.
Soy isoflavones, a natural component of soybeans, increase the ability of radiation to kill cancer cells by hindering pathways necessary for the cancer cells to survive. At the same time, they act as antioxidants that protect normal cells from radiation-induced toxicity.
“In contrast to drugs, soy is very, very safe,” said Gilda Hillman, Ph.D., professor of radiation oncology at Wayne State University’s School of Medicine. “It’s also readily available, and it’s cheap.”
Weekly yoga sessions may be associated with a better quality of life for patients with ulcerative colitis, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that can be exacerbated by stress, a small study suggests.
People with ulcerative colitis have inflammation in the lining of the large intestine that can lead to symptoms like diarrhea and abdominal pain. When symptoms are severe, patients may have sudden loose or bloody stools so often that it impairs their ability to navigate normal daily activities like going to school or work.
Researchers studied 77 ulcerative colitis patients who reported a reduced quality of life due to the disease even though their symptoms were clinically in remission. They randomly assigned participants to receive either 12 weekly yoga sessions or written self-care advice and found the yoga group had greater improvements in quality of life.
“It seems to be safe and effective, so it is surely worth trying yoga as an add-on to other evidence-based interventions at least for maintenance of remission,” said lead study author Dr. Holger Cramer, a researcher at the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany.
“It definitely should not be used as a replacement but rather as an ancillary intervention,” Cramer said by email. “That’s how it was used in our study.”
Previous research has linked higher perceived stress levels to more severe ulcerative colitis symptoms, and other studies have also tied yoga to reduced stress in both healthy and sick people, researchers note in the journal Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics.
While there isn’t a standard treatment regimen that’s the same for all patients with ulcerative colitis, they may take a variety of different drugs to curb inflammation and achieve symptom remission. In more severe cases, they may need surgery to remove the colon and rectum.
At the start of the current study, patients had been in remission for at least four weeks and no longer than one year.
People were excluded if they weren’t in remission and had active symptoms, if they had surgery to remove their colon, or if they had medical problems that would make it hard for them to do even light yoga exercises.
Patients assigned to yoga during the study took 90-minute classes in what’s known as hatha yoga, with postures and breathing exercises designed to calm the body and mind. People in the yoga group were also given manuals to try poses at home and encouraged to keep a daily log of their practice time.
Everyone in the control group of self-care patients received two books with general information on ulcerative colitis and strategies for improving symptoms with lifestyle modifications, medication and other approaches. They were asked not to start a yoga practice or any other exercise regimen during the study.
With yoga, people reported a better quality of life after 12 weeks of classes, and again three months later.
Five patients in the yoga group had side effects like musculoskeletal pain that may have been related to the yoga, while none of the mild side effects in the self-care group appeared related to this intervention.
One limitation of the study is that many patients dropped out of the yoga class, mainly because it proved too time consuming, the authors note. It’s also possible that personal attention from yoga instructors contributed to outcomes for that group rather than the yoga itself, the researchers point out.
Still, some previous studies suggest that stress reduction may have direct anti-inflammatory effects, which may explain why yoga reduced disease activity and flares in patients with ulcerative colitis in the current study, said Dr. Gilaad Kaplan, a gastroenterologist, at the University of Calgary in Canada.
“Yoga should not replace the medications that help patients with ulcerative colitis go into remission,” Kaplan, who wasn’t involved in the study, said by email. “But yoga may serve as complementary intervention, particularly in patients experiencing stress or whose quality of life is poor.”
UTEP softball head coach Tobin Echo-Hawk announced on Wednesday that pitcher Julia Wright will join the program prior to the 2017 fall season. Wright has played the last two seasons at Ranger College.
“We’re super excited to bring Julia onto the pitching staff for next season,” Echo-Hawk said. “Since we’ll be three pitchers short heading into next season, she’ll definitely add depth to the roster. Julia throws hard and places the ball well. We know Julia is excited to play at the Division I level and it’s great to add someone with collegiate experience in the circle.”
Wright, a native of Langley, British Columbia, will have two years of eligibility with the Orange and Blue and will add to a pitching staff that will lose three senior pitchers (Kaitlin Fifield, Taylor Grohmann & Erika Harrawood) following the 2017 campaign. Wright will join current freshmen hurlers Devyn Cretz and Allie Johnson.
Wright (17-11) ranks tied no. 36 nationally among NJCAA Division I pitchers in wins and has fashioned an ERA of 3.52 in 151.1 innings of work with 89 Ks. Wright has started 28 games with 32 appearances and registered 16 complete games. She has also tallied a save and 60 walks. Wright has four at bats with an RBI single.
One of Wright’s highlights in 2017 was tossing a no-hitter during a victory against Western Oklahoma State College on Feb. 25. She threw 5.0 frames, stuck out five and walked one during the 15-0 triumph. Wight hurled a season-high seven strikeouts in only 3.0 frames of work in a win against Mountain View College (April 19).
She tallied six Ks in 5.0 innings against Northern Oklahoma College-Enid (Feb. 18). Wright registered five strikeouts and allowed only one hit in 5.0 frames during a victory versus Cloud County Community College (Feb. 17). Wright went 1-for-3 with a RBI during an 8-0 win at Rose State College (March 18), while recently tossing a one-hit win in 5.0 innings against Vernon College (April 22).
She earned her lone save on March 1 at North Central Texas College, throwing an inning with a strikeout during Ranger College’s 7-5 win.
In 2016, Wright threw 213.0 innings and recorded 134 Ks. She finished 17-18 in 35 starts (41 appearances) and saved a pair of games. Wright recorded a career-high nine Ks in 6.0 innings, while allowing only three hits at Western Texas College on Feb. 29. She tallied seven strikeouts in three different contests, while registering six Ks in four different games her freshman season.
Choosing to receive treatment from a chiropractor won�t stop your slice or improve your putting, but it just might end up improving your overall game and lowering your score. It�s no secret that golf can be hard on your lower back. The quick, repetitive twisting motion required to swing a club puts your back at risk every time you play, and if you already have a back injury you�re putting other muscle groups at risk. Keep reading to learn how to improve your golf game in El Paso with chiropractic care.
How Chiropractic Boosts Your Game
Since a chiropractor is specifically trained to treat the entire neuromusculoskeletal system they are able to help golfers reduce the amount of stress and strain placed on their bodies. The lower back does undergo a lot of stress with the torque of a standard golf swing, but there are other body parts that can affect your golf game, too. Pain or range of motion issues in your shoulders, elbows, knees or wrists will definitely affect your swing and lead to inflated scores.
Chiropractic treatment can put your body back into alignment, remove nerve compression, and improve blood flow to vital muscles. When you are free from pain and your mobility isn�t hindered in any way, you can swing freely and focus on your game.
It All Begins With You
Although you can improve your golf game in El Paso with chiropractic, taking steps to help yourself will improve it even further. Arrive early at the course and do some warm up stretching and light swings before your game. Whether you hit some balls at the practice range or not, stretching and loosening up is key. You�ll also want to perform some light stretches after your round to keep your muscles loose and lengthened.
It�s easy to get dehydrated out on the golf course, but not drinking enough can set the stage for a strained muscle or similar injury. Make sure you drink plenty of water before, during, and after playing golf, especially if it is hot outside. If you walk the course when you play, avoid carrying your bag and pull it instead. Carrying a heavy golf bag over 18 holes can cause disc problems and irritate nerves.
If you have the option, avoid wearing metal spikes when you play. They have the potential to get stuck in the ground during your swing, causing a serious knee or back injury. And if you find that your swing is causing pain in any area of your body, consider taking lessons to learn a more efficient way to swing your clubs. If you follow these tips you�ll enjoy a pain-free round every time out.
Have you ever wondered how many years your treating chiropractic doctor went to school for or how their education compares to that of other health care professionals? Knowing your doctor’s educational background and additional certifications is often essential to helping you choose the health care provider that is right for you. While the word�”doctor” automatically implies an extensive academic curriculum, each health care specialist has a unique and individualized educational program to complete prior to practicing in the field. Our doctors�have designed this article to help you understand your chiropractor�s educational background and how it may affect your care.
Chiropractors Educational Requirements?
As with many professionals, the specific requirements outlined often vary from state to state. Typically, chiropractors are required to have completed undergraduate pre-medical studies and obtained a bachelor�s degree prior to admission to a post graduate chiropractic college. Each chiropractic college has undergone a meticulous evaluation process to become certified by the Department of Education as an accredited educational institution.
The amount of time that your chiropractic doctor spends at a specific chiropractic academic institution is impressive. In fact, your chiropractor has spent a minimum of 4,200 hours at a chiropractic college prior to receiving his diploma. This time is spent in the classroom, laboratory, and clinic learning about the various aspects of the chiropractic profession and health care in general.
In the classroom, your doctor focuses his studies on the subjects of anatomy, physiology, diagnosis, pathology, biochemistry, neuromuscular and orthopedic evaluation, pediatric and geriatric care, microbiology, nutrition, immunology, radiology, philosophy, and clinical research. While this may seem like a lot, all of this information is assimilated and tested prior to advancement to clinical work. Once the student has completed his academic work, he will typically spend a minimum of 1,000 hours at a campus clinic under the guidance of a clinic doctor. During this time he will learn hands on how to diagnosis and treat patients in real clinical situations.
During your chiropractors education they will be tested through a number of different evaluations. Not only is your doctor subject to evaluation by their chiropractic college, they must also pass a series of national board examinations. Chiropractors practicing in the United States are required to have passed a series of four national board exams which evaluate them on their understanding of the basic sciences, clinical sciences, physiological therapeutics, diagnostic imaging, case management, and clinical competency. In addition to these requirements, following graduation and completion of national board examinations, each chiropractor must become certified by their state licensing agency.
The completion of these standards is not the end of the educational journey for chiropractic doctors. Depending on the state, each chiropractor is required to complete additional approved course work at designated times following their licensure. For example, Wisconsin requires a minimum of 40 hours of continuing education every two years following graduation.
Chiropractors Education In Comparison To Other Health Care Professionals?
After reading the above information, I feel it is safe to say that your chiropractic doctor knows far more about your health than just treating your back. To help understand this it is useful to compare a chiropractor�s education to other members of the health care community. Since many people are familiar with a medical doctor, we will compare their educational background with that of a chiropractic doctor. For starters, the typical chiropractic student will have completed a total of approximately 2,419 hours of academic work prior to the initiation of clinical studies. In comparison, the majority of medical students will have completed somewhere around 2,047 hours of study. Further, while each health care discipline has its strengths, chiropractic students undergo more hours of study in the fields of anatomy, embryology, physiology, biochemistry, diagnosis, x-ray, and orthopedics. In contrast, medical practitioners have had more classroom hours studying the subjects of pathology, psychology, and obstetrics.
When analyzing these numbers it is important to understand that while differences exist, each of your doctors has undertaken and completed a similar core education. In addition, it is important to remember that each of your doctors (even in the same health care discipline) possess various strengths to compensate for other health care professionals’ weaknesses and utilize a different approach to healing the body. In the end, finding the doctor that understands your needs and has the tools to provide you with the most appropriate care is what is important.
Degenerative disk disease (DDD) develops as an outcome of the effects of aging in your back and particularly in your intervertebral discs.
Additionally, it may be associated with an injury to the back, but in that scenario, your disks have generally become weak because, with age, disks lose water content, may become thinner; both of which can change shape and the strength of one or more discs. Before you feel the result of DDD� other symptoms as well as pain � your discs along with other backbone constructions are changing. That is simply the natural consequence of the stress and tension each of us places our backs through every day.
Causes and Effects of DDD
Effects and the causes of degenerative disc disease are relatively clear-cut: You age, your disks change, your bones could be affected, and also you can develop pain. It even helps to think as a cause and effect process or cascade of DDD: One anatomical change happens, which leads to changes and more degeneration in the structures of your back. These changes combine to cause degenerative disk disease and its particular symptoms.
DDD begins with changes in your intervertebral discs, but eventually it’s going to change another movement parts of the spine, like the facet joints.
Over time, the collagen (protein) structure of the annulus fibrosus (that is the outer portion of the intervertebral disc) changes.
Moreover, water-pulling molecules�and consequently water�in the disc declines.
These changes decrease the ability to manage back move of the disc.
How Disc Degeneration Occurs
The disc can be less spongy and substantially thinner. A disc that is thinner means the space between the vertebra above and below the disc gets smaller, which causes a brand new problem, this time with all the facet joints. They help stabilize the back, and changes move, in the event the disc loses height. Subsequently the cartilage that protects the facets starts to wear away, and they start to proceed too much: They “override” and become excessively mobile.
Function of the Spine with Hypermobility
Freedom causes another change in your spine. It attempts to cease the motion with the growth of little bony parts called bone spurs (osteophytes). Sadly, the bone spurs sometimes pinch nerve structures and cause pain. The bone spurs can narrow the space for nerves and the spinal cord �that disorder is called spinal stenosis. Degenerative disc disease won’t cause spinal stenosis but it’s something you should be aware of if you’ve degenerative disc disease.
Genetics and DDD
Your genes can also raise your danger of developing degenerative disk disease. You might be predisposed to excessive joint and disc wear and tear, so if someone in your family has or had degenerative disk disorder, you may even develop back pain or neck pain related to DDD.
Controlling Your Lifestyle
Eventually, the method you are living could result in degenerative disk disease. Smoking, by way of example, will cause them to degenerate faster and adversely affects your disks. Smoking really decreases the level of water in your discs, and water is part of what helps your discs absorb move. With less water content, your intervertebral discs can wear out sooner.
The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic and spinal injuries and conditions. To discuss options on the subject matter, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900 .
By Dr. Alex Jimenez
Additional Topics: What is Chiropractic?
Chiropractic care is an well-known, alternative treatment option utilized to prevent, diagnose and treat a variety of injuries and conditions associated with the spine, primarily subluxations or spinal misalignments. Chiropractic focuses on restoring and maintaining the overall health and wellness of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems. Through the use of spinal adjustments and manual manipulations, a chiropractor, or doctor of chiropractic, can carefully re-align the spine, improving a patient�s strength, mobility and flexibility.
IFM's Find A Practitioner tool is the largest referral network in Functional Medicine, created to help patients locate Functional Medicine practitioners anywhere in the world. IFM Certified Practitioners are listed first in the search results, given their extensive education in Functional Medicine
