Get the Most Out of Mowing the Lawn

Call me crazy but Ill find a way to make anything a workout.  Today was beautiful (and hot) and I mowed the lawn.  I love being out in great weather.  So what did I do?  I put on a backpack, loaded it with some weight and I mowed.  Using a push mower BTW.  I burned 328 kcals in about 1/2 hr.  Just for doing a chore I was going to do anyway.  I was wearing a heart rate monitor in case you were wondering how I knew the calorie count.  My neighbors think im nuts but then im in a lot better shape then they are!  Be creative, work hard and make it fun!!!!

Get Strong! Stay Strong!

Chris

Quit Kidding Yourself, Sugar is Not OK!

Refined white sugar is particularly noxious, and by some perverse twist we have come to believe that sugar-sweetened desserts are essential to "having fun." We feed our children this devitalized food because we are socialized to expect it, (amen!) and we to provide it (not me)."  As adults, most people like to end their meals with a sugar-sweetened dessert, anything from ice cream to cake or cookies. The absence of such a dessert at an elegant dinner party would almost be a social faux pas. What is so bad about this ubiquitous substance? According to nutritionist Robert Crayhon, author of Nutrition Made Simple, sugar can:
*raise insulin levels and contribute diabetes
*raise blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglycerides and so contribute to cardiovascular disease
*contribute to gallstones and obesity
*contribute to mood swings and depression
*increase stomach acidity
*cause migraines
*weaken the immune system
*deplete the B vitamins, calcium and copper
*interfere with the absorption of calcium and magnesium - and so contribute to osteoporosis
But despite what we know about the substance British physician John Yudkin calls "sweet and dangerous" and "pure, white and deadly,"many people still feel that they might be "deprived" when they consider quitting the consumption of sugar-sweetened foods. For our long term health, thats the kind of "deprivation" that would be a good thing, just like deprivation of tobacco would be good too.
Dont worry, a little treat here and there is not going to kill you, but consuming the amount of sugar that the average person does just might! What's really sad is the kids that suffer from their parents choices. Just look around.  Despite all the info out there people just don't get it!
Get Strong! Stay Strong! (and sugar free!)
Chris

Great Whole Body Exercise Circuit

 Russian Twist  Alt. 20-30 reps     

                Pivot Feet!

Kettlebell Swings   20-30 Reps                

            Watch your Toes!  Shoes???

Box Jumps    20 reps                                           

Physioball Plank to Push Up   20 reps        <---------->   

Complete 3- 5 rounds.   Rest 1-3 min. between rounds (or longer as needed)

Get Strong! Stay Strong!  (Have Fun!)

Chris

Get A Grip (Training)!

You have probably noticed that people with shoulder injuries have a diminished grip. (If you haven't ,start checking) One of the things I like to regularly do in my therapy sessions (and my own training session) is to alter the grip of many exercises. When you have an upper extremity injury your brain will down regulate your grip because it wont let you grab something it doesn't think the shoulder or elbow can handle. So by utilizing gripping (and focusing on contracting all the muscles of the arm during an exercise) you can improve the grip strength that is diminished and when you grip hard it actually enhances neural flow through the upper extremity via the irradiation effect. Also by gripping you stimulate activity in the rotator cuff. Therefore you can use gripping early on to enhance activation to this area. Grip strength is said to be an indicator of overall arm strength.
Some things I like to do is use a towel to vary the grip for cable pull (wrap towel around handle for thick grip. put towel through handle and roll ends 1-2 times for finger curl grip and put towel through handle and hold both ends for hand shake gip). Utilize a pre made gripper like the Grip Force (2 rubber pieces that fir on most bars that make the grip "fatter" and require you to grip to hold them on). I actually have the Grip Force and utilize these and a simple towel for most things. Also, just simply have the patient focus on squeezing harder while doing the exercise works great and costs you nothing! This can be applied to any exercise for any body part and can go a long way to enhancing overall strength and activation for rehab and strength training. The irradiation effect is a favorite of eastern block countries.

Get Strong! Stay Strong!

Chris

The Skinny on Gluten

Here is some practical info from Chris Mohrs website

Gluten is certainly all the rage.
From the ever so popular Paleo Diets, to Miley Cyrus who recently tweeted how going gluten free was her secret to weight loss success. 
The Views Elisabeth Hasselbeck has also touted the benefits (through a couple books) of eliminating gluten from her diet.
The list can go on from fitness pros to celebrities, diet docs to soccer moms.  In fact, its so popular we saw a "Gluten Free" stand when we went to the KY Derby the other day!  Yes, amidst the horses, bourbon, mint juleps and a sea full of hats a gluten free stand inside Churchill Downs.
So what is gluten anyhow? Why does it get such a bad wrap? And is it deserved or hyped up "diet secret" of the stars?
As an aside, Im knawing on a free sample bag of a gluten free cereal that came in the mail (a perk of doing what we do lots of free samples).  Unfortunately, this one tastes like stale cardboard.
I digress.
Gluten is a protein found in many carbohydrates, such as wheat, barley, and rye, among others.  Basically, most cereals, pastas, breads, and the like contain gluten.  Of course there are some gluten free alternatives to these products as well.
Lets take a step back for a minute.  There is a specific autoimmune disorder where people dont digest gluten this is called Celiac disease and it affects 5-10% of the population.
I used to work at a diabetes summer camp for kids and it was somewhat common there; celiac disease and diabetes often go hand in hand.
But outside of those with Celiac, gluten still gets a bad wrap.  Here are some of the reasons people have told me or cite for eliminating gluten:

1. Its not digested properly
2. It bloats them
3. It causes weight gain
4. It hurts recovery from training
5. It causes joint pain
6. Our ancestors didnt eat grains, so why should they?

Outside of the last one, 1-5 are all symptoms of a person who may have  celiac.  So the first thing a person should do is to get tested to see if they truly have gluten sensitivity. Even if the test does come back negative, however, there is still a possibility of non celiac gluten sensitivity. 
Having worked with people who have celiac in the past, when I worked at the diabetes camp, I know how challenging a true gluten insensitivity can be.  There are cases where you have you use different cooking utensils as the tiny bit of cross contamination from one pot to another or toaster to another, for example, could cause a reaction.
But those who try to eliminate gluten without a true diagnosis or sensitivity surely wouldnt have that same concern.
What I often tell people when it comes to gluten is that foods with gluten are not inherently "bad."  On the flip side, the foods that often do contain gluten may not be the best.
Eating loads of refined carbohydrates bread, cereal, pasta, muffins, pastries, etc certainly isnt great.  Please do drastically reduce these in the diet.  Its not a knock on gluten itself, but the sugar, food colorings, and other junky ingredients that are added to these (Froot Loops anyone?).
Also, what people often dont think about, is just how many foods may actually have some form of gluten in them from soy sauce to hot dogs, ketchup, beer and deli meats.  I can remember walking the aisles of a grocery store with one kid with Celiac looking or a particular brand of hot dogs that was gluten free for our cookout at summer camp.  We found them, but it was a challenge.
And beer who wants to give up beer?  Interestingly, Ive had many beers with many people who say they are not eating gluten, yet beer often has gluten (because of the barley/malt).
At the end of the day, heres our take:

1. Gluten itself is not bad (or you dont need to give it up) unless you have a true gluten sensitivity (like celiac). 
2. Many of the common foods that have gluten are junky processed, overly sugared garbage so toss those
3. Gluten free doesnt necessarily mean healthy.  Ive seen and eaten gluten free cookies, hot dogs and many other similar foods.
4. If you think you are sensitive, focus on naturally occurring gluten free grains.  These are high in fiber and loaded with great nutrients.  Heres a short list of some solid choices:
   • Amaranth
   • Buckwheat
   • Nut flours (like almond flour)
   • Coconut flour
   • Chickpea flour
   • Quinoa

Dont necessarily throw gluten under the bus.  Its currently "trendy" to do so, but simply make smarter choices, focus on high fiber grains vs. refined junky carbs, and youll be doing a great job in terms of making strides to reach your physical goals.

Get strong! Stay strong
Chris