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Drinking 32 ounces of energy drink is associated with potentially harmful changes in blood pressure and heart function that are beyond those seen with caffeine alone, according to a new study.
There are more than 500 energy drink products on the market, and their increased popularity is matched by a significant rise in energy drink-associated emergency department visits and deaths.
Manufacturers and fans of these products claim they are as safe as caffeine, but there is little evidence to support that claim.
Caffeine in doses up to 400 mg (about five cups of coffee) is generally recognized as safe by the Food and Drug Administration. While energy drinks usually contain caffeine, little is known about the safety of some of their other ingredients the study team writes in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
To see what effects these other components have, researchers compared physical changes in a group of 18 healthy men and women after consuming a commercially available energy drink and after drinking another concoction with the same amount of caffeine but none of the other ingredients.
Besides 320 mg of caffeine – the amount in about four cups of coffee – the energy drink contained 4 ounces of sugar, several B vitamins and a proprietary “energy blend” of taurine and other ingredients that are often found drinks like Monster Energy, Red Bull and 5-Hour Energy.
Sachin A. Shah of David Grant Medical Center on Travis Air Force Base and University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, and colleagues measured the participants’ blood pressure and used an electrocardiogram (often called an ECG or EKG) to measure heart electrical activity for 24 hours after the subjects consumed the drinks.
An ECG change known as QTc prolongation and sometimes associated with life-threatening irregularities in the heartbeat was seen after drinking the energy drink, but not after drinking the caffeine beverage, the study team reports.
Several drugs have been withdrawn from the market just for causing ECG changes of a similar magnitude, the authors note.
Blood pressure increased by close to 5 points after drinking the energy drink, but by just under 1 point after drinking the caffeine beverage. Blood pressure also remained elevated six hours later.
These changes are by no means worrisome for healthy individuals, the researchers say, but patients with certain heart conditions might need to exercise caution consuming energy drinks.
Larger studies are needed to evaluate the safety of the noncaffeine ingredients contained in energy drinks, they conclude.
“The energy drink industry claims that their products are safe because they have no more caffeine than a premium coffee house coffee,” said Dr. Jennifer L. Harris from University of Connecticut’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity in Storrs, who wasn’t involved in the study.
“However, energy drinks also contain a proprietary ‘energy blend,’ which typically consists of stimulants and other additives. Some of these ingredients (including taurine and guarana) have not been FDA-approved as safe in the food supply, and few studies have tested the effects of caffeine consumption together with these ‘novelty’ ingredients,” she said by email.
“On top of that, energy drinks are highly marketed to adolescent boys in ways that encourage risky behavior, including rapid and excessive consumption,” she said. “As a result, emergency room visits by young people in connection with energy drinks are rising.”
Any research that compares the effects of consuming energy drinks versus caffeine alone provides important evidence for public health advocates who have urged the energy drink companies to stop targeting youth with these potentially harmful products, Harris added.
The problem: When I gain weight, it goes straight to my middle
You know those squishy midsection lumps you can pinch? That’s subcutaneous fat, located just beneath the surface of your skin, says Ursula White, PhD, an obesity researcher at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center at Louisiana State University. Another type of fat, called visceral fat, sits deep within the abdominal area, surrounding the organs. This is the kind that’s considered especially harmful; research has found that excess amounts of visceral fat may put your at a higher risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
Where we pack on flab may be determined by genetics, says White. But in general, notes Tara Collingwood, RDN, coauthor of Flat Belly Cookbook for Dummies ($23; amazon.com)�when people gain weight, it often increases their amount of visceral fat. That’s one reason a diet that’s too high in simple carbs is so problematic: “Eating too many low-fiber, high-sugar foods can spike levels of insulin, which then stores all those calories as fat,” explains Collingwood.
The solution:�You can’t fight genetics�but you can make it harder for your body to store excess calories as fat by limiting your consumption of refined carbs. Eat more high-fiber foods instead, such as oats, beans, and sweet potatoes, suggests Leslie Bonci, RDN, owner of Active Eating Advice. Also, aim to eat three meals and one snack a day�and have them on a set schedule, recommends Bonci. One 2014 study found that eating erratically was linked to a bigger waist circumference than sticking to a schedule.
Throwing punches in the ring is only part of the reason why professional boxers have knockout bodies. They also sculpt their strong physiques with tons of cross training—with a focus on building a rock-solid core. “Core conditioning is crucial for boxing,” says Chris Algieri, a professional boxer and two-time world champion. “Most of the power in a punch comes from being able to forcibly rotate your core, giving the strike explosive power.”
A sturdy core also helps keep a boxer’s body safe during a match. “The boxer has to be able to take blows to the body without damaging their ribs and organs,” explains Algieri. “The muscles in the abdominals and obliques act as body armor against opponents’ attacks.”
You don’t have to be a pro fighter to reap the ab-chiseling benefits of a boxer’s training. In the video above and in the gifs below, Algieri demonstrates his go-to conditioning exercises for a strong, stable core that’s ready to roll with the punches.
Bicycle crunches
This move is great for boxers because it focuses on core stability, while also rotating the shoulders and incorporating the lower body. Plus it’s an athletic movement that hones coordination.
What to do: Begin by laying on your back with hands behind head, then alternate bringing each elbow to the opposite knee, while maintaining a tight core. Do 10-20 continuous crunches with each elbow. Rest and then repeat 2-3 times.
Side plank
This is a key exercise for a boxer, since the movement promotes both core stability and shoulder girdle strength—crucial for throwing those strong punches.
What to do: Turn to one side with your legs extended and your feet and hips planted on the ground. Now, put your elbow under your shoulder and push your abs and hips up until the top of your body forms a straight line. Hold for 30-60 seconds. Return to the starting position, then move to the other side and repeat.
This is an awesome move that challenges balance and coordination, as well as core strength.
What to do: Start off in a plank position. With your weight resting on your left forearm, slowly lift your right arm off the ground, reaching it out in front of you. Lower back down, and alternate to the left arm. Do this 10 times with each arm.
T-push-up
The T-push-up will help you build core stability, as well as posterior shoulder strength and flexibility. Boxers experience a lot of wear and tear on the shoulder, so it’s important to strengthen each part of the shoulder. Plus, the push-up works the anterior deltoid, which is important for movement and power when punching forward.
What to do: Begin in a standard push-up position. Lower your body slowly, as you would for a regular push-up. But as you push yourself up, turn to one side, raising that side’s arm towards the ceiling. Return your hand to the floor, then repeat on the other side. Do this 15 times on each side.
Alternating leg with ball pass + seated underhand pass
This exercise really works your lower abdominals and also promotes full-body coordination. Boxers will often explode out of a crouched position, so it’s important to have strong lower abs to support this movement. And the second part, seated underhand pass, uses isometric holds to promote core strength and stability. Plus it hones the hand-eye coordination necessary to be a great fighter.
What to do: From seated position with feet off the ground, squeeze your abs and pull knees in as you pass a weight (or medicine ball or an imaginary object) under your bent leg. Repeat 20 times.
Accordion side crunch
This isometric hold promotes core strength, while the crunch tones your obliques and increases endurance. It’s also another move that promotes coordination between the upper and lower body.
What to do: From side position, simultaneously crunch and pull knees in, keeping feet off the floor and focusing on your obliques. Repeat this 15-20 times.
Russian twist
This classic ab move will improve your core rotational strength, which is important for maximizing power when throwing a punch.
What to do: Starting in a seated position, explosively twist from one side to the other. Aim to twist to each side 15-20 times.
Sit-up with a twist
This is a full-core movement, which works you upper and lower ab muscles in the initial sit-up, then fires up your obliques during the twist. Similar to Russian twist, this sit-up variation strengthens rotational core movement and improves your ability to generate power from the core (aka the essentials for throwing a punch.)
What to do: Starting on your back, roll up into a sit-up, with one leg extended and one foot pressed into the floor, knee bent. From here, explosively twist to the side, bringing your opposite elbow to the bent knee. Do this 15-20 times, then switch to the other side.
When you’re on a diet, you may gravitate to the “diet” food section at the supermarket, but beware: Diet foods can destroy your diet and make you fat. Although labeled “diet” or “low-fat,” they may be high in sugar and can make you gain weight, not lose it.
Researchers from the University of Georgia fed rats a diet high in sugar but low in fat that was meant to imitate many popular diet foods, and found that the animals gained weight when compared to rats fed a balanced rodent diet.
In addition, the high-sugar diet induced a host of medical problems, including liver damage and brain inflammation.
“Most so-called diet products containing low or no fat have an increased amount of sugar and are camouflaged under fancy names, giving the impression that they are healthy, but the reality is that those foods may damage the liver and lead to obesity as well,” said the study’s principal investigator, Krzysztof Czaja.
“What’s really troubling in our findings is that the rats consuming high-sugar, low-fat diets didn’t consume significantly more calories than the rats fed a balanced diet,” said Czaja, an associate professor of veterinary biosciences and diagnostic imaging in UGA’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
“Our research shows that in rats fed a low-fat, high-sugar diet, the efficiency of generating body fat is more than twice as high — in other words, rats consuming low-fat high-sugar diets need less than half the number of calories to generate the same amount of body fat,” he said.
Researchers divided rats into three groups and monitored their body weight, caloric intake, body composition, and fecal samples over a period of four weeks. One group consumed a diet high in fat and sugar, another group was fed a low-fat, high-sugar diet, and a third group was given a balanced or “normal” diet.
Both the low-fat, high-sugar and high-fat, high-sugar groups showed significant increases in both body weight and body fat when compared to the balanced group. They also showed an increase in liver fat.
The accumulation of liver fat in the high-sugar, low-fat group, Czaja said, “is a very dangerous situation, because the liver accumulating more fat mimics the effect of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.”
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is caused by fat buildup in the liver. Serious forms of the disease can cause liver damage similar to that caused by heavy alcohol use.
The two high-sugar diets also caused chronic inflammation in the intestinal tract and brain. Previous studies found that the brain inflammation changed signals in the brain that controlled the ability to determine when one is full.
“The brain changes resulting from these unbalanced diets seem to be long term, and it is still not known if they are reversible by balanced diets,” Czaja said.
Previous studies have shown other problems with low-fat diets. A study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders linked low-fat diets with depression. Low-fat diets have also been linked to heart disease. One study found that diets low in fat lowered the body’s level of HDL — the “good” cholesterol that helps protect against heart disease.
Can a new exercise regimen boost your brain health if you’re over 50?
Possibly, suggests a new research review that found middle-age folks can improve their thinking and memory skills by adopting regular moderate-to-vigorous routines involving aerobic and resistance exercise.
“When we combined the available data from [39 previous] studies, we were able to show that undertaking physical exercise was able to improve the brain function of people aged 50 and over,” said study lead author Joseph Northey. He’s a doctoral candidate and teaching fellow at the University of Canberra Research Institute for Sport and Exercise in Australia.
Results of Exercise on Memory
The review included 18 studies that looked at the impact of aerobic exercise — such as walking, running and swimming — on thinking, alertness, information processing, executing goals and memory skills.
Resistance training, such as weight lifting, was the focus of 13 studies. Another 10 studies looked at various types of exercise done in combination. And, a handful of studies specifically explored the impact of tai chi and yoga on brain health. Study participants did their exercise under some degree of supervision, the researchers noted.
Activity routines were categorized in terms of exercise type, intensity and length. They were then stacked up against the results of tests that measured brain performance. In the end, the researchers determined that exercise did help brain health. However, different forms of exercise were linked to different types of benefits. For example, aerobic exercise and tai chi appeared to enhance overall brain function. Resistance training was linked to improved memory.
Northey added that, besides highlighting the benefits of aerobic exercise, “being able to show that resistance training — such as lifting weights or using body weight — was similarly beneficial is a very novel and important finding.”
“Combining both aerobic and resistance training is ideal,” he said. “In addition to improving your brain function as our review shows, you should expect to see improvements in cardio-respiratory fitness and muscle strength, which are important for maintaining general health and being able to undertake day-to-day tasks,” Northey said.
Research Conclusions
The research team also concluded that the biggest brain boost comes from routines that are of moderate to vigorous intensity and conducted as often as possible for between 45 minutes to an hour. But will middle-aged people new to exercise gain as much of a brain boost as those who’ve been exercising for decades?
“We know in many animal models and population type studies that the longer people are physically active the greater the benefits to brain function,” Northey said.
He added that more research is underway to assess just how much exercising while young might ultimately confer on brain health among those over 50.
Northey also offered some advice for those motivated by the findings to get moving. If you’re currently inactive, he suggested speaking to your doctor to make sure it’s safe for you to start exercising.
“It is also worthwhile gaining some instruction on exercise methods to ensure that you are setting achievable goals and getting the most out of the time invested in exercise,” he said.
Dr. Anton Porsteinsson is director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Care, Research and Education Program with the University of Rochester School of Medicine in Rochester, N.Y. He said that earlier investigations looking into the protective effect of exercise on brain health “have not agreed on this matter.” But looked at collectively, he said, the current review “suggests that exercise, including aerobic exercise, resistance training and tai chi, is beneficial to brain health in addition to the well-established positive effects that exercise has to improve general health and reduce risk of disease.
“Of particular interest to me,” Porsteinsson added, “is that a combination of aerobic and resistance training appears to have the largest effect.” “(And) along with studies suggesting that certain diets contribute to brain health,” he noted, “it appears that adopting a healthy lifestyle is never too late.”
SOURCES: Joseph Michael Northey, Ph.D. candidate and teaching fellow, University of Canberra Research Institute for Sport and Exercise, Canberra, Australia; Anton Porsteinsson, M.D., professor, psychiatry, neurology, and director, Alzheimer’s Disease Care, Research and Education Program, University of Rochester School of Medicine, Rochester, N.Y.; April 24, 2017 British Journal of Sports Medicine online
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 .
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.
Just put one foot in front of the other and you’ll boost your brain at the same time.
That’s the conclusion of a small study that found the impact of a foot while walking sends pressure waves through the arteries that increases blood supply to the brain. “New data now strongly suggest that brain blood flow is very dynamic,” said researcher Ernest Greene and his colleagues at New Mexico Highlands University.
Activities such as bicycling, walking and running may optimize brain function and overall sense of well-being during exercise, the researchers said.
How Exercise Regulates Circulation to the Brain
Blood supply to the brain was once considered an involuntary action that wasn’t affected by exercise or changes in blood pressure. Previous research has shown, however, that the foot’s impact while running is associated with backward-flowing waves in the arteries that help regulate circulation to the brain. These waves are in sync with the runner’s heart rate and stride, the study authors explained.
For the new study, scientists examined the effects of walking, which involves a lighter foot impact than running.
Using ultrasound technology, they measured the carotid-artery diameter and blood velocity waves of 12 healthy young adults to calculate the blood flow to their brains as they walked at a steady pace. The participants were also assessed at rest.
The study showed that walking results in a significant increase in blood flow to the brain. The boost in blood flow isn’t as dramatic as with running, but it’s more notable than that seen with biking, which doesn’t involve any foot impact, the study authors said.
“What is surprising is that it took so long for us to finally measure these obvious hydraulic effects on cerebral blood flow,” said Greene, the study’s first author. “There is an optimizing rhythm between brain blood flow and ambulating [walking]. Stride rates and their foot impacts are within the range of our normal heart rates [about 120/minute] when we are briskly moving along,” Greene said in a news release from the American Physiological Society.
The study’s findings were expected to be presented Monday at the society’s annual meeting, in Chicago. Results of studies presented at meetings are usually considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.
SOURCE: American Physiological Society, news release, April 24, 2017
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 .
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.
Seattle, take a bow. Jackson, hit the gym. A new study ranking the nation�s 100 fattest cities has found residents of the Mississippi city topped the scales nationally, while Jimi Hendrix�s hometown has the smallest proportion of overweight residents.
The analysis, by Wallethub.com, found that 70 percent of Americans aged 15 and older are overweight or obese � in line with statistics compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But some cities are more likely to have more residents who hit those thresholds than others.
On balance, the south tended to rank higher in the new study, which has historically been the case, while residents of colder, northern states and the Pacific Northwest fared better.
Dr. Charles Platkin, director of the New York City Food Policy Center and Distinguished Lecturer at Hunter College, City University of New York, tells Newsmax Health the new rankings aren�t entirely surprising but bring attention to regional factors that may play a role in U.S. obesity trends.
“There isn’t any major new information here,” Platkin explains. “There are a lot of variables that go into diet and obesity, including poverty levels, and diet and culture of southern states, for instance.”
The 10 fattest cities on the new list tended to be southern:
Jackson
Memphis, Tenn.
Little Rock, Ark.
McAllen, Texas
Shreveport, La.
Chattanooga, Tenn.
Mobile, Ala.
Lafayette La.
Winston-Salem, N.C.
Knoxville, Tenn.
At the other end of the spectrum, researchers found the following 10 cities to be on the lowest end of the �obesity� scale:
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Wash.
Portland, Ore.
Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.
Denver and Colorado Springs, Colo.
Boston-Cambridge, Mass.
The researchers, as well as the U.S. Department of Agriculture, suggested a variety of factors play a role in U.S. obesity trends. Among them:
Regional variations in diet. The south is famous for barbecue, fried foods, and sweet tea; northern and coastal cities may offer a wider range of healthy options of vegetables, whole grains, and fruits. These differences in dietary patterns are influenced by social, demographic, cultural, historical, and economic factors
Poverty. Economic factors play a role in food choices and activity levels. According to the USDA, 42.2 million people live in households where access to healthy foods is limited, often because of poverty-related issues. In such households, families may not be able to afford to eat regular, balanced, healthy meals, or may turn to less-healthy alternatives to save money. Such households are more prominent in the south than the northeast, the west, and the Midwest.
Education. Schooling and personal achievement, uncertainty about jobs, and even access to good grocery stores also factor into food choices linked to obesity rates.
Activity, exercise trends. Northern metropolitan cities and other areas, such as the Denver area, that are popular places for healthy physical activities � such as hiking, skiing, and other outdoor sports � tend to rank lower in obesity scores.
Shopping habits. The shopping and dietary habits of people who participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food Stamps, are other factors. Most households receiving SNAP benefits, according to the USDA, don�t consume the same quantities of fruit, whole grains, and other healthy foods as people who aren�t on receiving food assistance.
USDA research has shown that 11 states � located along the western and southern borders of the country plus the District of Columbia � have higher-than-average levels of poverty and more people receiving SNAP benefits. These factors explain, at least in part, the prevalence of obesity across southern states. There is a higher level of food insecurity and greater use of SNAP benefits.
Platkin notes the survey rankings don�t aim to solve the nation�s obesity crisis, but they could inform aggressive promotions and education � similar to what Americans have done with in past public health campaigns, such as those aimed at tobacco use.
“Look at things we have done successfully, like smoking cessation and recycling,” he says.
Culturally significant programs like food access and cooking classes might make a difference in regions of the country where obesity rates are especially high, he adds.
Combatting poverty could also lead to improvements in diet and activity levels in some cities.
“Culturally, what are the diets, how much outdoor appeal is there, physical activity, and what about binge drinking in these areas?� he says.
To check out the complete list of the nation�s 100 fattest cities, check out Wallethub.com.
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