Back and Spinal Fitness at PUSH as Rx leads the field with a laser focus on supporting our youth sports programs. The PUSH-as-Rx System is a sport-specific athletic program designed by a strength-agility coach and physiology doctor with a combined 40 years of experience working with extreme athletes.
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People who want a healthy heart should be mindful of not only what they eat, but when they eat, according to a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association (AHA).
The report is a response to the growing evidence that timing matters when it comes to heart disease risk, said Marie-Pierre St-Onge, the lead author of the statement. The various organs of the body have their own “clocks,” St-Onge explained, and that may affect how we handle food at different times of the day and night.
“For example, later in the evening, it’s harder for the body to process glucose [sugar], compared with earlier in the day,” said St-Onge, an associate professor of nutritional medicine at Columbia University in New York City.
The new statement highlights what’s known — and what’s not — about meal timing and heart health. The statement lacks specific rules, such as “Never eat after 8 p.m.,” or “Everyone should eat breakfast.”
It does, however, suggest that people spread out their calories over a “defined” period of the day — as opposed to either eating a lot over a short period, or grazing from morning until night. Based on the evidence, the AHA says, it’s probably a good idea to get a large share of your calories earlier in the day.
“A long fasting duration at night is better than a long fast during the day,” St-Onge said.
But there’s no declaration that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
The evidence, St-Onge said, is just not clear enough to make specific recommendations on breakfast.
A number of studies have found that breakfast eaters are generally healthier than breakfast skippers: They tend to weigh less, have better blood pressure and cholesterol numbers, and have lower risks of type 2 diabetes and heart disease, according to the AHA.
The problem is, those studies don’t prove that breakfast deserves the credit. And few trials have actually tested the effects of “assigning” people to eat breakfast, the AHA says.
Based on what studies have been done, adding breakfast doesn’t seem to aid weight loss, the report said. Of course, if breakfast skippers simply add an extra meal to their day, they’ll gain weight, St-Onge pointed out. A few small trials have, however, suggested that breakfast can help regulate blood sugar and insulin levels, according to the AHA.
Sonya Angelone is a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. And she was clear in her support of eating breakfast.
“I think it’s very important to eat breakfast every day,” Angelone said.
Just as important, she said, is to hydrate after a long liquid-free night. Coffee does “count,” she noted, but a glass of water is better. According to Angelone, breakfast is critical because it’s hard to get all the nutrients you need in just two meals a day — even if you snack.
That raises another question: Should people eat “three square meals,” or is it better to stick with small, but more-frequent meals?
That’s not clear, according to the AHA.
Studies that track people in the real world have found that those who eat more often during the day have a lower risk of obesity and better cholesterol levels. On the other hand, the AHA says, small trials that have tested the effects of altering meal frequency have mostly come up empty. When daily calories are kept constant, meal frequency may not affect people’s weight, levels of “good” HDL cholesterol or other factors that affect heart health.
Of course, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to eating, St-Onge said.
Some people, she noted, do well with “grazing” throughout the day — as long as the food choices are healthy, and they do not keep grazing until midnight.
“If you’re someone with good control over your diet, maybe grazing is a good idea,” St-Onge said. “But if it’s difficult for you to stop eating once you start, it’s probably not a good idea.”
According to Angelone, frequent eating may not be wise for people with resistance to insulin — the hormone that regulates blood sugar. Insulin resistance is seen in people with type 2 diabetes or “pre-diabetes.” If those people eat often, Angelone explained, their insulin levels may never have a chance to drop. In general, St-Onge said, “mindfulness” is critical. Often, people eat not because they’re hungry, but to deal with emotions, she said.
“Ask yourself why you’re eating,” St-Onge said. “Is it because you’re stressed or sad or bored? Ask yourself whether you’re really hungry right now.”
The statement was published online Jan. 30 in the AHA journal Circulation.
SOURCES: Marie-Pierre St-Onge, Ph.D., associate professor, nutritional medicine, Columbia University, New York City; Sonya Angelone, M.S., R.D.N., spokesperson, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Chicago; Jan. 30, 2017, Circulation, online
For more information, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900 .
Additional Topics: Weight Loss Eases Back Pain
Back pain and symptoms of sciatica can affect a majority of the population throughout their lifetime. Research studies have demonstrated that people who are overweight or obese experience more back complications than people with a healthy weight. A proper nutrition along with regular physical fitness can help with weight loss as well as help maintain a healthy weight to eliminate symptoms of back pain and sciatica. Chiropractic care is also another natural form of treatment which treats back pain and sciatica utilizing manual spinal adjustments and manipulations.
TUESDAY, March 28, 2017 (HealthDay News) — High-intensity exercise may help older adults reverse certain aspects of the “cellular” aging process, a new study suggests.
It’s no secret that regular exercise is healthy for young and old alike. But researchers said the new findings point to particular benefits from “high-intensity interval training” for older adults.
That’s the type of workout that combines brief bursts of vigorous exercise with periods of moderate activity: A person might, for example, go all-out on a stationary bike for a few minutes, ease up for the next few, and then start again.
In this study, older adults who performed that type of exercise showed greater changes at the cellular level, compared to those who worked out more moderately.
Specifically, interval training gave a bigger boost to mitochondrial function in the muscle. Mitochondria are the “powerhouses” within body cells that break down nutrients to be used for energy.
The training also revved up activity in more genes related to mitochondrial function and muscle growth.
What does it all mean?
The study findings suggest that interval training can turn back the clock in ways that moderate aerobic exercise and strength training do not, according to lead researcher Dr. K. Sreekumaran Nair.
But, he stressed, the findings do not mean older adults should jump into a vigorous exercise regimen.
“If you’re sedentary, you should talk to your doctor before you start exercising,” said Nair. He’s an endocrinologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
“And then,” he said, “you can start with walking, and build yourself up to a fast pace.”
For older adults who want to progress to a more-intense regimen, Nair said, it’s best to start with supervision. But he also stressed that intense exercise is not a must. “Any regular exercise will bring health benefits — absolutely,” he added.
This study demonstrated that, he pointed out. Even though interval training had the biggest effects on aspects of cellular aging, other types of exercise boosted older adults’ fitness levels and muscle strength.
The study, published recently in Cell Metabolism, involved 72 younger and older adults who were sedentary.
Nair’s team randomly assigned each of them to one of three supervised exercise groups.
One group did high-intensity interval training three days a week: They pedaled on an exercise bike at their maximum speed for 4 minutes, before easing up for 3 minutes; they repeated that process four times. They also worked out more moderately — walking on a treadmill — twice a week.
A second group performed moderate aerobic exercise — using an exercise bike at a less-intense pace — five days a week, for 30 minutes. They also did some light strength-training four days a week.
The third group performed strengthening exercises only, two days a week.
After 12 weeks, all of the groups were showing positive changes — younger and older exercisers alike, the researchers found.
People who performed moderate aerobic exercise boosted their fitness levels — the body’s ability to supply blood and oxygen to working muscles. And the improvement was greater for older adults, who generally started out with lower fitness levels than younger people.
Meanwhile, people who performed strength-training — alone or with aerobic exercise — increased their muscle strength.
The interval-training group showed only small gains in strength. But the training improved mitochondrial function in the muscles, especially among older adults.
Dr. Chip Lavie is medical director of cardiac rehabilitation and prevention at the John Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute in New Orleans.
He said this is a “great” study that demonstrates the benefits of different forms of exercise.
According to Lavie, it adds to other evidence that high-intensity interval training is “probably the best form of exercise.”
Many studies, he said, have found that interval training beats moderate aerobic exercise when it comes to improving fitness and the heart’s structure and function.
“It would be ideal to get more people to do high-intensity interval training,” Lavie said, “and it’s possible for more-motivated individuals.”
But, he added, the reality is, many people may not have the motivation or ability.
In that case, Lavie advised finding a moderate regimen you can live with — such as 30 to 40 minutes of walking or using an exercise bike or elliptical machine most days of the week.
SOURCES: K. Sreekumaran Nair, M.D., Ph.D., professor, medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.; Chip Lavie, M.D., medical director, cardiac rehabilitation and prevention, and director, exercise laboratories, John Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute, New Orleans; March 7, 2017, Cell Metabolism
News stories are written and provided by HealthDay and do not reflect federal policy, the views of MedlinePlus, the National Library of Medicine, the National Institutes of Health, or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Ashley Graham is definitely about that gym life. And we know this because the 29-year-old model has been posting her sweat sessions on Instagram as of late. Her workout of choice: hitting it hard with Dawin Peña, co-founder and trainer at The DogPound, a boutique training studio in NYC.
Thanks to a recent Instagram story posted by the America’s Next Top Model judge, we happened to get a glimpse into one of Graham’s evening exercise routines. Let me tell you, it is a killer upper-body circuit that hit the triceps, biceps, chest, and back. And she finished off with some core work.
The best part: it only took Graham 2 minutes and 48 seconds to get through these moves. (Yep, I timed her). Granted, you have to take into account that she probably rested here and there, and did a few more sets and reps than she let us in on, but even with those considerations, this is still a great workout option for when you are short on time.
Our suggestion: Cycle through this 11-move circuit 3 times. If you do that, you are looking at about a 10- to 12-minute upper body blaster that you can knock out the next time you are in the gym. Oh, and you also might want to download the playlist Graham was rocking too—Sean Paul’s “Gimme The Light,” Mr. Probz’s “Waves,” Kid Cudi’s “The Pursuit of Happiness,” Eddie Money’s “Take Me Home Tonight” and Future’s “Real Sisters”—because it was kind of fire!
Now get that upper body (and those abs) in shape…because summer is coming!
Rope Triceps Extension
Stand with feet hip-width apart, hinge forward slightly and grab each end of the cable ropes; palms face in. Keeping upper arms straight and close to body, pull down using forearms, lowering the rope until arms are fully extended and at either side of legs. Pause and then slowly return back to start. (Graham did 10 reps.)
Overhead Triceps Extension
Stand with back to cable machine, feet staggered, one foot in front of the other, and knees slightly bent; hinge forward. With arms overhead and bent backwards to about 90-degrees, hold cable rope in each hand; palms face in. Keeping elbows close to ears, pull ropes down until arms are fully extended. Pause and then return to start. (Graham did 9 reps.)
Rope Biceps Curl
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, legs bent slightly and end of cable ropes grasped between hands; palms face in. Pull ropes up toward shoulders using forearms; upper arms stay fixed. Lower back down to start, and then repeat. (Graham did 9 reps.)
Start seated on a bench with legs wider than hip-width apart, feet planted, and arms extended up on a diagonal with ends of cable ropes grasped between hands; palms face in. Squeezing back, pull ropes down towards torso; keep arms close to body. Pause and then slowly return to start. (Graham did 8 reps.)
Seated One Arm Row
Start seated on a bench with legs wider than hip-width apart and feet planted. Place left hand on hip while right arm is extended up on a diagonal with cable handle grasped in hand; palm face down. Squeezing back, pull rope down towards torso, twisting hand out so that palm faces in; keep arm close to body. Hold, and then slowly return back to start. Repeat on opposite side. (Graham did 7 reps.)
Seated Lat Pulldown
Start seated with back straight, knees under knee pad and bar in hands (overhand grip) slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Without moving torso, pull bar down to chest while squeezing shoulder blades together. Pause, and then slowly return to start. (Graham did 7 reps.)
Lie faceup on a bench with feet planted on floor and a dumbbell in each hand. Extend arms straight up over chest; palms face in. Keeping a slight bend in elbows, slowly open arms out until they are in line with chest and hands are parallel to floor. Pause and then raise arms back up to start. (Graham did 6 reps.)
Standing Biceps Curls
Stand with feet wider than hip-width apart and knees slightly bent. Hold a dumbbell in each hand in front of body; palms face up. Bend elbows and curl the right hand up toward the right shoulder. As you slowly lower the right hand back down, begin repeating the motion with the left hand. Continue alternating. (Graham did 4 reps per arm.)
In & Out
Start seated with arms behind you and hands on floor; fingers facing feet. Lean back, raise legs and bend knees. With abs tight, extend legs straight out as you lower back down slightly. Pull legs back in and lift torso back up. Continue repeating. (Graham did 17 reps.)
Lie faceup with arms and legs extended straight out. Simultaneously raise your right leg and left arm as you crunch up, bringing the two together over the stomach. Lower back to start. After desired number of reps, repeat with opposite arm and leg. (Graham did 10 reps.)
Crunches
Lie faceup with legs extended straight up, a light bend in knees, feet crossed at the ankles (left over right) and hands lightly on back of head. Crunch up and then lower back to start. Repeat. (Graham did 15 reps.)
Thanks to the Google’s�many clever features, we no longer get lost (as often), bungle dates and double-book, or choose mediocre restaurants. And now�Google is back at it again, with yet another way to simplify your life:�Reserve with Google�is a new platform that makes it super easy�to discover and book fitness classes.
The site�allows you to search your area for upcoming classes, and reserve�and pay for�a spot instantly. If you’re signed into your Google account, some of your info (like your name, email, and phone number) will pre-load to make booking even faster. The service�kicked off in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, and is now available across�the�country, thanks to partnerships with booking services you may already know and love, such as Mindbody,�Genbook, and MyTime.
Reserve with Google�also makes recommendations to help you discover new ways to get your sweat on, complete with�class descriptions, pricing, and reviews�so you know exactly what you’re signing up for. And the �Discover more around you� section groups suggestions into categories like��Yoga this evening� and �Pilates before work.� Really want to mix it up? You can choose Google’s�notorious �I�m feeling lucky” option.
To help you fit your workouts into your schedule,�the service works with Google Maps (so you get a�visual of the closest gyms and studios)�and Google�Calendar (so you can block off precious time).
Whether�you’re looking to try a new activity, or schedule out a full week of exercise, this platform can help you do so seamlessly. And once you’re sufficiently sore, it’ll help�you search�for massage appointments (and other spa services) nearby to help your body bounce back.
You probably know that Americans consume way too much salt, but a new U.S. government report points the finger at some surprising sources of salt in the diet.
The report said the top 5 culprits were:
Bread.
Pizza.
Sandwiches.
Cold cuts and cured meats.
Soup.
Surprisingly, potato chips, pretzels and other obviously salty snacks didn’t make it into the top five, though they did ring in at number 7.
“Most Americans are consuming too much salt and it’s coming from a lot of commonly consumed foods — about 25 foods contribute the majority of salt,” said lead researcher Zerleen Quader. She’s an analyst from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Knowing which foods contribute the most salt is important for reducing your salt intake, she said.
Sodium is an essential mineral that helps the body maintain fluid balance, according to the American Heart Association. But, too much in the diet increases the risk for high blood pressure, which in turn boosts the risk for heart attack and stroke. Table salt contains about 40 percent sodium. One teaspoon of table salt has 2,300 milligrams (mg) of sodium, which is the maximum amount recommended by health experts.
The new CDC report found that in 2013-2014, Americans consumed about 3,400 mg of salt daily. That far exceeds the recommended amount, and is more than double the American Heart Association’s “ideal” intake of 1,500 mg daily.
And, clearly, all that salt doesn’t come from the salt shaker. Most comes from packaged, processed and restaurant foods, the report said.
Many of these foods contain moderate amounts of salt, but are eaten all day long, Quader said. It’s not necessarily that foods such as bread are high in salt, but eating several slices a day quickly adds to the total amount of salt you consume.
One way to reduce salt is to pay attention to food labels when shopping and choose the lowest salt option, Quader suggested.
“When cooking at home, use fresh herbs and other substitutes for salt. When eating out, you can ask for meals with lower salt,” she added.
Quader said the food industry can help by lowering the amount of salt it adds to its products. Gradually reducing salt in foods can help prevent high blood pressure (“hypertension”) and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and won’t even be noticed by consumers, she said.
The CDC researchers found that 44 percent of the salt people eat comes from just 10 foods. These include bread made with yeast, pizza, sandwiches, cold cuts and cured meats, soups, burritos and tacos, salted snacks, chicken, cheese, eggs and omelets.
Seventy percent of salt in the diet is from 25 foods, the report said. Some of the foods included in the top 25 are bacon, salad dressing, French fries and cereal, the researchers found.
In addition, 61 percent of the salt consumed daily comes from store-prepared foods and restaurant meals. Restaurants have the saltiest foods, Quader said.
Processed foods not only raise blood pressure, but may also increase the risk for cancer, one nutritionist said.
Samantha Heller is a senior clinical nutritionist at New York University Medical Center in New York City.
“Processed meats such as bologna, ham, bacon and sausage, and hot dogs have been classified as carcinogens by the World Health Organization,” Heller said.
In addition, these and other highly processed foods are huge contributors to the excess salt in the Western diet.
“Parents need to understand that feeding hot dogs, fries, and ham and cheese sandwiches to their kids (and themselves) is significantly increasing their risk for certain cancers, hypertension and heart disease,” Heller said.
Lowering salt in your diet is “as simple and as difficult as cooking at home and using fresh ingredients, as often as possible,” she suggested.
“This can save money and time in the long run, and certainly is better for our health,” Heller said. “It may take some time to re-pattern your shopping and eating habits, but your health is worth it.”
The report was published March 31 in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Your schedule is jam-packed, and you’ve lost all hope of making it to the gym. But here’s some good news: You can still fit in a serious workout�even when you have almost zero�time. Really!
Research suggests that a 10-minute sweat session with�1 minute of high-intensity exercise (think�sprints, on foot�or a stationary bike) can lead to the same benefits�including�improved cardiovascular�health,�increased endurance, and fat percentage loss�as exercising at a moderate pace for 45 minutes.
If you’re wondering how that could possibly be, it’s all explained in the new book�The One-Minute Workout:�Science Shows a Way to Get Fit That’s Smarter, Faster, Shorter�($27; amazon.com). Author Martin Gibala, PhD, is the chair of the kinesiology�department at McMaster University and�the pioneering researcher behind�ultralow-volume exercise.
“We have this notion that it takes at least an hour to get in a good workout�more if you factor in the time required to get to and from the gym,” he writes. “My studies show that idea is nonsense.” Below, Gibala�shares two routines from his book that deliver maximum results in minimal time.
The One-Minute Workout
“[T]his protocol can be used by almost anyone who wishes to improve or maintain cardiovascular fitness in the most time-efficient manner science has yet discovered,” Gibala writes.
Peak Intensity:�10+
Duration:�10 minutes, with just 1 minute of hard exercise
1. Warm up with some light physical activity for 3 minutes at an easy pace.
2. Blast through a 20-second sprint at an all-out pace.
3. Rest with some light activity at intensity 1 for 2 minutes.
4. Blast through another 20-second sprint.
5. Repeat the cycle until you�ve completed 3 sprints.
6. End with a 2-minute cool-down for a total duration of 10 minutes.
Feel free to customize the sprint activity to any full-body movement that significantly elevates your heart rate.
“If I could only do one type of workout, it would be this one,” Gibala says in his book. “It includes some of the best elements of the most time-efficient workouts in this book, including body-weight training for upper- and lower-body strength and active recovery periods that keep the heart rate elevated for cardiovascular training.”
Peak Intensity � 10
Duration � 10 minutes
1. As a warm-up, perform 30 seconds of jumping jacks.
2. Alternate bodyweight resistance-training exercises with some type of cardiovascular exercise in repeating 30-second intervals. The bodyweight exercises should be performed hard, at an intensity of 10, such that you �fail� or are unable to perform any additional repetitions at the end of the 30-second period. Reduce the intensity somewhat during the cardio intervals in between, but the pace should remain vigorous, perhaps starting out at an exertion of 5 and progressing to an 8. So while these are �recovery� intervals in between the bodyweight exercises, your heart rate remains high throughout the entire 10-minute workout, providing an effective cardiovascular training stimulus.
3. The bodyweight intervals should incorporate upper- and lower-body exercises. One great combination is push-ups, pull-ups, and air squats. If you�re unable to conduct the exercise for the whole 30-second interval, just do as many as you can. Also, feel free to work in such other exercises as mountain climbers, burpees, or lunges.
4. The cardiovascular exercise could be cycling, climbing stairs, or running a predetermined �lap� around a park or even briskly in place. You could stick with one type of exercise or vary this throughout the workout.
And you�re done! Congratulations�you�ve just employed a variety of the most potent, scientifically proven fitness and strength-boosting techniques to improve health, in only 10 minutes!
Reprinted from The One Minute Workout by arrangement with Avery, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, A Penguin Random House Company. Copyright�2017, Martin Gibala, PhD
Female soccer players suffer the highest rate of concussions among all high school athletes in the United States, a new study finds.
“While American football has been both scientifically and colloquially associated with the highest concussion rates, our study found that girls, and especially those who play soccer, may face a higher risk,” said study author Dr. Wellington Hsu. He is a professor of orthopaedics at Northwestern University in Chicago.
“The new knowledge presented in this study can lead to policy and prevention measures to potentially halt these trends,” Hsu said in a news release from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
The researchers analyzed data on nearly 41,000 injuries suffered by high school athletes in nine sports between 2005 and 2015. The injuries included nearly 6,400 concussions. The sports studied included football, soccer, basketball, wrestling and baseball for boys; and soccer, basketball, volleyball and softball for girls. During the study period, participation in the sports rose 1.04-fold, but the number of diagnosed concussions increased 2.2-fold.
In sports played by both girls and boys, girls had much higher concussion rates than boys, Hsu’s team found. Between 2010 and 2015, the concussion rate was higher in girls’ soccer than in boys’ football, the findings showed. During the 2014-2015 school year, concussions were more common in girls’ soccer than in any other sport in the study.
Girls may be at greater risk of concussion while playing soccer due to “heading” the ball, a lack of protective gear, and an emphasis on contact during the game, the researchers suggested.
Each year, about 300,000 U.S. teens suffer concussions or mild traumatic brain injuries while participating in high school sports, the study authors said.
The findings were presented Tuesday at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons meeting in San Diego. Research presented at meetings should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
SOURCE: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, news release, March 14, 2017�
For more information, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900 .
Additional Topics: Headache and Auto Injury
Whiplash is a common type of automobile accident injury. Characterized by symptoms of neck pain, whiplash is caused when the complex structures and tissues of the neck are stretched beyond their limit as a result of an abrupt back-and-forth motion of the head. While neck pain is the most common symptom associated with the auto injury, headaches can also occur due to complications along the cervical spine.
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
