"Never fight with a pig. It loves mud & stink and you don’t. Identify a pig and avoid it."
December 2, 2010
December 1, 2010
Stylishly Scientfic: Staying warm for outdoor workouts
Cold Weather Workouts
As the weather get colder…and colder…and colder…where was I going with this? Oh right, it's cold outside. It would be easy to call it quits and spend the winter on the treadmill dreaming of green leaves, shorts, and the gentle warmth of the spring sun. But we can't do that. For a number of reasons. First, the treadmill is boring. Like, fork in the eye boring. Second, staying inside deprives the body of vital vitamin D, which, among other health benefits, makes us fell not-crappy all the time. I think we can all agree that's a good thing.
But we need to remember to dress for the weather. Breathable, technical fabrics, layered correctly, provide the perfect level of warmth without sacrificing movement or, just as important, style. Look good, feel good, right?
So get outside, even when it looks like Ernest Shackelton wouldn't. Run, do some body weight movements, even grab a kettlebell. It's good for you.
Here are some ways to keep from getting frostbite while doing so:
Zoot RUNfit Jacket (ZootSports.com)- I've been running with this jacket for about a year now. It's gotten me through a lot. Cold can be tough, but this jacket is tougher.
2XU Thermal Run Tights (2XU.com)- If you've got it, flaunt it. Rock the tights.
Nike Thermal Running Pants (Store.Nike.com)- And if you can't, these will work, too.
Patagonia R1 Hoody (Patagonia.com)- An essential layering piece. Cool colors but warm where you need it.
Accessories (Note: Important!)
Patagonia Lightweight Glove Liners (Patagonia.com)
Patagonia Cap 4 Beanie (Patagonia.com)
Q: SO WHY WOULD I WANT TO STAY SO WARM DURING WORKOUTS?
A: Well, that's a great question. The easiest answer is so that we can avoid hypothermia, where the body temperature drops too low to allow for normal bodily functions to occur which includes, but not limited to, neuromuscular and cognitive function decline. WHOA...That is not good at all and through simple solutions like wearing the appropriate clothes, we can prevent a lot of that. When our body starts to sense a temperature drop, it will divert energy and heat to keep our core body temperature up as much as possible while pulling heat away from our extremities like hands and feet. This can get dangerous especially if we are in an activity like jogging, where our feet and hands are being desensitized because of the cold. The vasoconstriction, or tightening of the blood vessels to reduce blood flow to the muscles also reduces blood flow to the nerves which means we do not respond very well to gravity, ground reaction forces, mass and momentum. Because of our loss of proprioception, we may be more prone to injury.
Q: WAIT...HYPOTHERMIA? CAN YOU GO INTO MORE DETAIL ABOUT WHAT IT IS AND WHAT CAUSES IT?
A: Hypothermia "a decrease in the core body temperature to a level at which normal muscular and cerebral functions are impaired." - Medicine for Mountaineering.
This is caused by a a number of factors which include:
•Cold temperatures
•Improper clothing and equipment
•Wetness
•Fatigue, exhaustion
•Dehydration
•Poor food intake
•No knowledge of hypothermia
•Alcohol intake - causes vasodilation leading to increased heat loss
Q: SO I SEE THAT THE FIRST TWO FACTORS ARE COLD TEMPERATURES AND IMPROPER CLOTHING AND EQUIPMENT. IT SEEMS THAT I CANNOT CONTROL THE TEMPERATURES, BUT I DO HAVE CONTROL OVER WEARING PROPER CLOTHES.
A: Yes! Great observation and you see the wisdom in Read's selections where he is recommending the ZootRunFit Jacket which is a great outer shell that will keep too much heat from escaping. The 2XU Thermal Run pants, that will "wick away" the sweat from the body which you know is important as the body starts to sweat to cool itself down from the exertion but gets into a dangerous situation when we are soaked with sweat in cold weather. We cannot stop the sweating but can control the effects with layering of clothes. Finally, the gloves and beanie are important as well. Most will be wearing socks but many will neglect wearing gloves which are super important as the hands are the most distal part of the arm and will be low on the priority list of blood flow if the core temperature needs to be regulated.
Q: OKAY, I UNDERSTAND HYPOTHERMIA AND I WILL DO MY BEST TO STAY WARM BY DRESSING PROPERLY BUT I'D STILL LIKE TO KNOW THE SIGNS OF HYPOTHERMIA. WHAT ARE THEY?
A: According to the OUTDOOR ACTION GUIDE from Princeton University are 3 stages of hypothermia: 1) Mild 2) Moderate and 3) Severe. With Severe Hypothermia being the most life threatening.
Signs of hypothermia are the "-UMBLES" of stumbles, mumbles, fumbles, and grumbles which show changes in motor coordination and levels of consciousness
b. Mild Hypothermia - core temperature 98.6 - 96 degrees F
•Shivering - not under voluntary control
•Can't do complex motor functions (ice climbing or skiing) can still walk & talk
•Vasoconstriction to periphery
c. Moderate Hypothermia - core temperature 95 - 93 degrees F
•Dazed consciousness
•Loss of fine motor coordination - particularly in hands - can't zip up parka, due to restricted peripheral blood flow
•Slurred speech
•Violent shivering
•Irrational behavior - Paradoxical Undressing - person starts to take off clothing, unaware s/he is cold
•"I don't care attitude" - flattened affect
d. Severe Hypothermia - core temperature 92 - 86 degrees and below (immediately life threatening)
•Shivering occurs in waves, violent then pause, pauses get longer until shivering finally ceases - because the heat output from burning glycogen in the muscles is not sufficient
to counteract the continually dropping core temperature, the body shuts down on shivering to conserve glucose
•Person falls to the ground, can't walk, curls up into a fetal position to conserve heat
•Muscle rigidity develops - because peripheral blood flow is reduced and due to lactic acid and CO2 buildup in the muscles
•Skin is pale
•Pupils dilate
•Pulse rate decreases
•at 90 degrees the body tries to move into hibernation, shutting down all peripheral blood flow and reducing breathing rate and heart rate.
•at 86 degrees the body is in a state of "metabolic icebox." The person looks dead but is still alive.
e. Death from Hypothermia
•Breathing becomes erratic and very shallow
•Semi-conscious
•Cardiac arrythmias develop, any sudden shock may set off Ventricular Fibrillation
•Heart stops, death
Q: WHOA! THE FACT THAT YOU CAN DIE FROM HYPOTHERMIA IS SCARY. WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I AM EXPERIENCING IT?
A: Well, the first thing I will say is that I am not a doctor so I am obligated to say SEEK PROPER EMERGENCY CARE IMMEDIATELY! Do not pass go or collect $200. This is your life and if you have any doubt in your mind, please seek some professional care.
The OUTDOOR ACTION GUIDE suggests the following:
The basic principles of rewarming a hypothermic victim are to conserve the heat they have and replace the body fuel they are burning up to generate that heat. If a person is shivering, they have the ability to rewarm themselves at a rate of 2 degrees C per hour.
Mild - Moderate Hypothermia
1. Reduce Heat Loss
•Additional layers of clothing
•Dry clothing
•Increased physical activity
•Shelter
2. Add Fuel & Fluids
It is essential to keep a hypothermic person adequately hydrated and fueled.
a. Food types
•Carbohydrates - 5 calories/gram - quickly released into blood stream for sudden brief heat surge - these are the best to use for quick energy intake especially for mild cases of hypothermia
•Proteins - 5 calories/gram - slowly released - heat given off over a longer period
•Fats - 9 calories/gram - slowly released but are good because they release heat over a long period, however, it takes more energy to break fats down into glucose - also takes more water to break down fats leading to increased fluid loss
b. Food intake
•Hot liquids - calories plus heat source
•Sugars (kindling)
•GORP - has both carbohydrates (sticks) and proteins/fats (logs)
c. Things to avoid
•Alcohol - a vasodilator - increases peripheral heat loss
•Caffeine - a diuretic - causes water loss increasing dehydration
•Tobacco/nicotine - a vasoconstrictor, increases risk of frostbite
3. Add Heat
•Fire or other external heat source
•Body to body contact. Get into a sleeping back, in dry clothing with a normothermic person in lightweight dry clothing
Severe Hypothermia
1. Reduce Heat Loss
•Hypothermia Wrap: The idea is to provide a shell of total insulation for the patient. No matter how cold, patients can still internally rewarm themselves much more efficiently than any external rewarming. Make sure the patient is dry, and has a polypropylene layer to minimize sweating on the skin. The person must be protected from any moisture in the environment. Use multiple sleeping bags, wool blankets, wool clothing, Ensolite pads to create a minimum of 4" of insulation all the way around the patient, especially between the patient and the ground. Include an aluminum "space" blanket to help prevent radiant heat loss, and wrap the entire ensemble in plastic to protect from wind and water. If someone is truly hypothermic, don't put him/her naked in a sleeping bag with another person.
2. Add Fuel and Fluids
•Warm Sugar Water - for people in severe hypothermia, the stomach has shut down and will not digest solid food but can absorb water and sugars. Give a dilute mixture of warm water with sugar every 15 minutes. Dilute Jello™ works best since it is part sugar and part protein. This will be absorbed directly into the blood stream providing the necessary calories to allow the person to rewarm themselves. One box of Jello = 500 Kilocalories of heat energy. Do not give full strength Jello even in liquid form, it is too concentrated and will not be absorbed.
•Urination - people will have to urinate from cold diuresis. Vasoconstriction creates greater volume pressure in the blood stream. The kidneys pull off excess fluid to reduce the pressure. A full bladder results in body heat being used to keep urine warm rather than vital organs. Once the person has urinated, it precious body heat will be used to maintain the temperature of vital organs. So in the end urinating will help conserve heat. You will need to help the person urinate. Open up the Hypothermia Wrap enough to do this and then cover them back up. You will need to keep them hydrated with the dilute Jello solution described above.
3. Add Heat
Heat can be applied to transfer heat to major arteries - at the neck for the carotid, at the armpits for the brachial, at the groin for the femoral, at the palms of the hands for the arterial arch.
•Chemical heat packs such as the Heat Wave™ provides 110 degrees F for 6-10 hours.
•Hot water bottles, warm rocks, towels, compresses
•For a severely hypothermic person, rescue breathing can increase oxygen and provide internal heat.
Afterdrop
Is a situation in which the core temperature actually decreases during rewarming. This is caused by peripheral vessels in the arms and legs dilating if they are rewarmed. This dilation sends this very cold, stagnate blood from the periphery to the core further decreasing core temperature which can lead to death. In addition, this blood also is very acetic which may lead to cardiac arrythmias and death. Afterdrop can best be avoided by not rewarming the periphery. Rewarm the core only! Do not expose a severely hypothermic victim to extremes of heat.
I hope this was informative from a style and a scientific standpoint. We all want to reach our best and by being smart and working hard, we can get to those goals. Please make sure you dress properly if you are going to do outdoor workouts during the cold months. We hear a lot on the news about people suffering from heat stroke but we also hear about many who are struck by the various stages of hypothermia.
If you have any comments or questions to either Read or I, please send mail to will@3doptimalperformance and I will pass any questions on to Read.
Read is also the designer of 3 great shirts for men that are made especially for athletes focusing on a nice fit. What is great is that Read is donating part of the proceeds to help promote education in Africa. Please visit his site at http://www.readsclothingproject.com/.
Stay warm!
Read Wall and Will Stewart
November 24, 2010
November 23, 2010
6 tips to keep the holiday weight off
As we come close to the holiday season with all of the company, friend and family parties, it becomes very easy to pack on the POUNDS between Christmas and New Years and when New Years Day comes around, we feel a little guilty and get our much bigger butts into the gym. I actually read a statistic that most people gain between 5-8lbs during the holiday season. (HOLY SMOKES!!!)
Well, how about for 2011, you not even get to that point???? Below are 6 simple tips to keep the weight off and put you ahead of the "New Years Resolution" crowd in the gym.
1) Stick to the 90/10 rule with food. 90% of the time you want to eat WHOLE, UNPROCESSED FOOD and 10% of the time, go crazy and eat what you want. I do this on a weekly basis but some people have taken to mean it during every meal. Honestly, once you start to clean up your diet, you wont crave the foods that are not so good for you.
2) Go for the salad first. Challenge yourself to eat at least 2lbs of veggies per day. Here are some GREAT Holiday salad ideas.
3) Have a great smoothie for breakfast with nuts or eggs. Go here for some good ideas. I use a healthy acai juice with no added sugar or preservatives
4) Go 90/10 rule with liquids. 90% of the time you want to drink WATER but the other 10% of the time live it up with GOOD QUALITY eggnog, wine, seasonal beer. Sodas and other sugar beverages are in general, CRAP, so unless there is a great holiday root beer float with eggnog ice cream you want to make, SKIP THEM!
5) Get at least 30-45 minutes of movement per day. That could be traditional gym exercise, walking, jogging, swimming, Yoga class. If you want to stimulate your digestion, go for a walk after a big meal instead of falling asleep. You will get some fresh air as well as getting your body moving. Check out my quick hitter circuit video below.
6) Invest and take good vitamin supplements like a multi-vitamin, Vitamin D (to boost immunity), Probiotics (to improve digestion), Fish Oil (for the cellular maintenance), Magnesium (the "relaxation" mineral) and a Vitamin B complex (to improve brain function). For more info go to Dr. Mark Hymans' great post on supporting your immune system during the winter which includes great info on supplements and vitamins.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!
Will
November 18, 2010
Optimal Performance Quote Series: Leon Fleisher
"Subvert the dominant paradigm” - pianist Leon Fleischer
November 16, 2010
Looking functionally at Osgood-Schlatters Disease
WHAT IS OSGOOD-SCHLATTERS DISEASE?
According to Wikipedia, it is:
Osgood–Schlatter disease or syndrome (also known as tibial tubercle apophyseal traction injury) is a rupture of the growth plate at the tibial tuberosity.[1]
Sinding–Larsen–Johansson syndrome is an analogous condition involving the patellar tendon and the lower margin of the patella bone, instead of the upper margin of the tibia.
The condition occurs in active boys and girls aged 9–16[2] coinciding with periods of growth spurts. It occurs more frequently in boys than in girls, with reports of a male-to-female ratio ranging from 3:1 to as high as 7:1. It has been suggested the difference is related to a greater participation by boys in sports and risk activities than by girls.[citation needed]
The condition is usually self-limiting and is caused by stress on the patellar tendon that attaches the quadriceps muscle at the front of the thigh to the tibial tuberosity. Following an adolescent growth spurt, repeated stress from contraction of the quadriceps is transmitted through the patellar tendon to the immature tibial tuberosity. This can cause multiple subacute avulsion fractures along with inflammation of the tendon, leading to excess bone growth in the tuberosity and producing a visible lump which can be extremely painful when hit.
Now this is an interesting analysis of the disease but it never really gets to the WHY of the situation. As we look functionally at OSD, we look at the site of the injury but it would be shortsighted to not look below and above the knee to see if we cannot find out who is zooming who in this situation.
When we look at what elicits symptoms from a person suffering from OSD, we see that it generally mid-range to deep knee flexion. With our knowledge of functional muscle function, we know that the quadriceps decelerates knee flexion, and this makes sense that the tensile stress on the tibial tubercule would cause micro-avulsions in an immature structure if the force exceeded the threshold of the bone/cartilage. Now we also know that many muscles also cross the knee joint that would aid in the deceleration of knee flexion like the powerful gluteal muscles, hamstrings, as well as the gastroc-soleus complex also known as the calf muscles.
The body is not going to allow the knee to not be decelerated. If it did, we would simply fall over with every step we tried to take. When the body sense that the powerful hip and calf muscles are not doing their job, it will OVER-recruit the quadriceps which will do the job but at the expense of the causing microtrauma to the tendon and insertions of the muscle. When we get this OVERUSE, we get....OSGOOD-SCHLATTERS DISEASE.
WHAT CAN YOU DO FOR PREVENTION?
Fortunately, training, conditioning, rehabilitation and prevention of the cause of OSD, are all in the same boat.
If you suspect an athlete is suffering from it, you want to direct he or she to a doctor so that they can receive an accurate diagnosis as well as treatments.
According to Mayoclinic.com, Osgood-Schlatter disease usually gets better without formal treatment. Symptoms typically disappear after your child's bones stop growing. Until that happens, your doctor may recommend mild pain relievers and physical therapy.
However, we can start get a jump on Osgood-Schlatters by getting the powerful gluteals and calves working to help decelerate knee flexion so that the quadriceps do not have to work so hard.
Here's a quick program:
HIP FLEXION WITH SLIGHT KNEE FLEXION TO ACTIVATE GLUTES AND HAMSTRINGS
1. Standing one leg, if possible, slightly bend the knee to about 10-20 degrees or to the point that doesn't cause pain.
2. If there are balance issues use a chair in front of the athlete to help stabilize.
3. Using the nose a driver, start bending from hips with the spine in neutral as much as possible to either chest or hip height.
4. The athlete is concentrating on using the glutes to slow down the anterior pelvic rotation along with the hamstrings.
5) The feeling of a stretching of the glutes and hamstrings. Do this 5-7 times PROPERLY. A trained therapist or strength coach should be able to guide a young athlete in this if necessary.
6) This should be followed up by EASY lunges, to the same nose driver height and knee flexion.
I will post a video of this in a day or so.
If you have any questions or comments, please let me know at will@3doptimalperformance.com
November 11, 2010
Effective vs Efficient: Shortsighted thinking at its best
Recently, my high school kicker has been having some intense back problems. He was diagnosed with spondylolisthesis a few years ago but after his rehab has been OK for the most part. Interestingly, he has had a great season and made a 44 yard field goal during the game last week to push our team to a 27-14 win against a rival school.
He's kicking with good power and accuracy but this is coming at a cost of his body. During the summer, he worked on getting more power and has done so but after evaluating him last week, it was obvious that he lacked any hip extension and was exclusively using extension from the lumbar spine. What a great way to irritate a previous injury! We've done some soft tissue therapy on him after his doctor gave him the "OK" to play. He's uncomfortable, but he'll make it through to the championship game this Saturday.
The thing about Chris is he's very effective at kicking. He's also a great kid so its hard to see him in pain after he's being so effective in making all of his kicks. However, the reality is that he's not really being efficient in using his whole body during his activity and it's causing him a great deal of pain.
 |
| Looks like this University of Texas kicker is getting the most out of his whole body. |
SO WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH EFFICIENT VS EFFECTIVE???
Effective (adj.): Adequate to accomplish a purpose; producing the intended or expected result.
Efficient (adj.) Performing or functioning in the best possible manner with the least waste of time and effort.
If you want an easier way to memorize the difference, remember this sentence: “Being effective is about doing the right things, while being efficient is about doing the things in the right manner.”
As I searched the Internet, I found many articles dedicated to contrasting and comparing the two. However, only one made mention of combining the two. I would like to propose:
EFFICIENTLY EFFECTIVE
AND
EFFECTIVELY EFFICIENT
Oxymorons? Maybe. However, I think that they are intimately connected by HARD WORK.
Dedication to excellence and optimal performance comes at the cost of getting into something and REALLY doing the work that it entails. It is not just touching on details. It is a commitment to delving into the depths of the activity that you are in and extracting the most from the moment or person working with you.( I've mentioned this in my post on OPTIMAL COACHING).
The thread that unites Efficient and Effective is DEDICATION.
Can you step back and objectively look at the things that are the most important AND least important in your life and evaluate whether or not you are being EFFICIENTLY EFFECTIVE AND EFFECTIVELY EFFICIENT?
Can you learn to be a better athlete/student/parent/child/employee/employer? Sure! I guarantee you that it will take hard work to get there but the results will AMAZE you.
Enjoy the process of being E.D.E (Effective. Dedicated. Efficient).
Best regards,
Will
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