FITNESS PAGE

revised:2/17/10

email-schutzgymnastics@gmail.com

                                                             FOOTBIKING   moved to new page at:

                                                                               www.schutzgymnastics.com/FOOTBIKING.htm

Soon the ice will melt, flowers will bloom, the mountains will all turn green again, and spring will arrive.  Back to rollerskiing, paddling, footbiking and all warm weather things

The purpose of this section is to serve as an information resource about some lesser known fitness activities, sports, and methods of fitness training. There is also information pertaining to health, wellness, weight management issues and related research.

Consultation about any of these topics is free, in the interest of helping you pursue an active lifestyle that you can enjoy. Speak to us directly, or email us at: schutzgymnastics@gmail.com

PERSONAL TRAINING CONSULT: We offer a free consult for personal training. This would include a discussion regarding assessment of your present level of fitness, goals, and suggested guidelines for implementation of a fitness/wellness program.

II.  OVERVIEW OF FUNDAMENTAL WEIGHT MANAGEMENT CONCEPTS updated 1/15/10

III.  DEVELOPING A BASIC PROGRESSIVE RESISTANCE EXERCISE PROGRAM updated 1/15/10

IV.  MAINTAINING BONE DENSITY New 2/5/10

V. HEART RATE AND EXERCISE INTENSITY.  GENERAL APPLICATIONS FOR ENDURANCE TRAINING.  New 3/9/10

  RESOURCE ARTICLES/LINKS

#1b THE FOOTBIKE: from footbikeusa (main footbike page moved to: www.schutzgymnastics.com/FOOTBIKING.htm

 One pound of fat has 3500 kcal (calories) Older estimates used to say you burn one kcal/kg of bodyweight/kilometer walked or run. If you walk slow, or run fast it will overestimate the burn on on the lower end, and underestimate it on the high end. If you become familiar with M.E.T. values (metabolic equivalent values) you can find tables that tell you how many kcal you burn. In either case if you burn 500 kcal a day every day for 7 days that equals 3500kcal or you just lost one pound of fat.

 Most effective weight loss tends to be 1-2 pounds a week. Create a deficit of 500 kcal per day, 250 from exercise and 250 from cutting out one bagel a day = 3500 kcal/wk or a loss of 1 pound times 52 weeks = 52 pounds a year.

 Increase lean muscle mass, muscle is more metabolically active and burns more calories per pound. Use resistance exercise/weight training/emphasize compound movements utilizing large muscle groups, exercises should include pushing and pulling exercises for each area targeted. Lower body should include correctly done squatting and lunge type movements. Two to three times per week.

 Daily aerobic base of brisk walking 30-60 minutes. If you are pressed for time break it into smaller portions during the day. Include some higher intensity efforts mixed in a few times per week.

 Integrate more activity into your daily life. Take the stairs two at a time. If you sit for a large portion of the day, get up and do some squats or lunges.

 Follow a stretching program daily.

 Eat more high fiber foods, containing both soluble and insoluble fiber. However, too much fiber and phytates in certain grains can inhibit absorption of minerals.

 Eat fish. Choose deep water fish, low on the food chain to minimize pollutants. Wild Alaskan salmon is a good choice; farm raised may have some issues for concern.

 Avoid as much processed food where possible.

 Get used to not adding sugar to anything

 Try to avoid adding fat to anything. Use extra virgin olive oil for salad dressings and minimal amounts if added in food preparation. Steam where possible and add oil after cooking. You might use some coconut oil from time to time. I know it seems like heresy, because coconut oil is significantly saturated, but it contains medium chain triglycerides, which may behave a little differently. Check it out make your own decision. It is a heat stable oil, compared to most others.

 Try not to eat visible fat. Fat has 9 kcal/gram, protein and carbohydrate 4 each.

 Minimize foods of animal origin high in naturally occurring saturated fats (cheese, whole milk, cream, etc.

 Avoid all trans fats. Maybe not a weight management factor, but definitely health related. These fats in amounts as little as 2-4 grams per day are doing damage to our arteries. Labeling has helped to identify them. But what needs to be understood is that they are formed when oils are hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated. Labeling laws don’t have to list less than .5 grams per serving, so if you eat 2 cookies and that is the serving size, you could be consuming .4 of a gram. What if you eat 4 or 6 a day? Or pick up a little here or there. ANY WHERE YOU SEE PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED ANYTHING. PASS IT UP! Except for naturally occurring small amounts in dairy products it is a man made fat that doesn’t belong in our bodies.

 Avoid trigger foods. Those that you have a sensitivity to, are allergic to or a craving for.

 Select foods with the lowest glycemic load. This is determined by multiplying the glycemic index of a food times the grams of carbohydrate in a portion size.

 Plan your meals so that most of your calories come from raw or lightly steamed vegetables. If eating meat, have it as an addition to the meal rather than the center of the meal. If pursuing a vegetarian diet, make sure you are getting the proper combinations of foods to provide you with the necessary amino acids.

 Avoid diet and regular soda. Besides health issues, most research that I have looked at indicate that diet sodas do not promote significant weight loss. Regular soda is mostly sugar. Drink water; flavor it if you wish with a squirt of lemon, or other fruit.

 Avoid alcohol, mostly on the basis of a decrease in inhibition, which may make it easier to get sidetracked from your eating plan. If you are going to drink those extra calories, why not get them from nutritious food?

 Drink plenty of non-chlorinated water. No hard fast rules here. There are all kinds of recommendations from 8 glasses of 8 ounces up to drinking up to ½ your bodyweight in ounces of water per day. Check out the Mayo Clinic recommendation. mayoclinic.com/health/water/NU00283

 Set short term and long term goals.

 Avoid eating in high stress situations

 Avoid eating while watching TV

 Don’t medicate with food.

 Plan what you are going to eat ahead of time.

 Prioritize time.

 Meditation and biofeedback awareness (explore further)

 Seek a spiritual connection to life and to others on a daily basis.

 Connect with others on a similar wellness path. In today’s world, facebook, twitter, etc.

 Often times toxic compounds that enter our bodies that haven’t been effectively eliminated are stored in our fat cells. Studies have pointed to DDT in fat cells long after it was no longer being used. As the body begins to lose weight, those fat cells may dump the fat soluble substances into the circulation where the liver must detoxify it. If there is a large amount of weight loss in a short period of time, this may place a significant burden on the liver. Silymarin, an active substance in milk thistle may help the liver in detoxification. Follow recommended dosages.

 Multivitamin and mineral supplement.

 Vitamin C-a great deal of mixed recommendations. It appears 500-1000 seems to be a safe dosage. Check with your health care professional.

 Alpha lipoic acid- may help regenerate antioxidants.

 Choose alkali producing foods. Do some research on how to alkalize your diet. A high acid producing diet can leach calcium from bones to try to maintain constant blood ph.

 Reduce the amount of omega 6 oils in the diet, raise the levels of omega 3s

 The standard American diet is from 10 to 15 or more to 1 ratio of omega 6 to 3 oils. The ratio should be closer to 3 to 1 of omega 6s to omega 3s, if eating a balanced diet.

 Eat 3 to 5 servings of fresh fruit daily. Check the glycemic load.

 Drink several cups of green tea a day, preferably some decaffeinated. Or use green tea extract containing the EGCG polyphenols. Studies have had mixed results for weight loss but a few have shown some benefit.

 A final thought comes to mind. Somewhere in Dan Buettner’s book the Blue Zone, lessons for living longer from the people who’ve lived the longest, is a statement that the Okinowan’s use. I believe it is Hara hachi bu, or something like it, but it means eat until 80% full.

Why? Everyone should be engaged in some type of progressive resistance training program. Here are a few reasons why: if one needs to reduce weight, it produces lean muscle mass which is more metabolically active than fat, hence ,burns more calories; aids in building bone mass; can help maintain muscle mass and function with ageing; perform daily tasks with less perceived effort and improve endurance. Endurance is related to strength. Walking up a long steep hill using only a fraction of your leg strength is less taxing on a body compared to a weaker set of legs using a higher percentage of available muscle for the task.  If you lead an active lifestyle, enhanced strength will likely help prevent injury, and improve performance.

Overview of information: I have changed this section to give a general overview of what a progressive resistance program might include. It is not a specific program. It is meant to provide the beginner with fundamental concepts from which you can help design your own program, specific to your needs. If you need help with this contact me. Consultation is free.

A little background: I began weight training in 1957, following many of the methods of the legendary old time strongmen. Adding to that base, I jumped around following, from time to time, whatever was a popular method of training, picking up on what was coming out of Eastern Europe and Russia and anywhere else I could find ideas on how to build strength and power.

Understanding Progressive Resistance: the fundamental concept is that to make a muscle develop, it must be challenged to go beyond its current capability. To do this we provide a manageable resistance that we can perform for a maximum number of repetitions, say 10, that is a set. If we only do one set, and we give 48 hours to rest for the muscle to rebuild and become stronger, over the course of several workouts we will eventually be able to perform, say 15 reps. The next workout we add some resistance, and manage perhaps 8-10 reps, and repeat the process again.

Here are a few key concepts to keep in mind when embarking on a progressive resistance program:

 Clear your program with your health care professional.

 Perform exercises in a controlled manner. Do not use momentum. Follow strict form.

 Perform the eccentric, lowering motion, slower than the concentric, or shortening motion.

 Use full range of motion

 Breathe correctly. This means to inhale during the concentric portion of the exercise and exhale during the eccentric portion. As a beginner try to avoid the use of the valsalva maneuver. Often when lifting heavy, individuals perform the Valsalva maneuver, which does have a stabilizing effect on the spine, however, if sustained can dangerously disrupt blood pressure. A brief valsalva maneuver is considered to be unavoidable when lifting over 80% of a maximum voluntary contraction.(1)

 Never work through pain during exercise.

 Choose multi joint compound exercises, as a priority over isolation exercises. This is the way me move.

 Always perform a general body warm-up to raise body temperature, and move through the full range of motion to prepare the muscles, joints and circulatory system. Always work the extensors and flexors at each exercised joint. Example, if you do a pulling exercise include an exercise involving pushing, like a rowing exercise make sure

 Try to use a variety of exercises and vary the direction of force application.

 include squatting/lunging exercises.

 Heel raises

 Abdominal exercise (choice)

 Back extension exercise.

IV.  MAINTAINING BONE DENSITY

 Weight bearing

 High ground reaction forces superior to weight supporting exercises

 Low repetition loading and unloading with high GRF (example: squat jumps, depth jumps) Remember it may only take 30 to 50 squat jumps a day to maintain BMD

 Site specific. Check out this website to see what kind of BMD results from participation in these sports and activities

 Direction specific. Vary exercises to stimulate development in all directions. Consider the directional forces created by bending, torsion, compression, tension and shear.

 Dietary considerations: Adequate calcium, magnesium and vitamin D; sweat loss may contribute to calcium loss in endurance athletes; dried plums may be osteogenic; high phytates from whole grains may precipitate mineral loss; high acid forming diet draws calcium from bones in an attempt to maintain proper ph balance; high caffeine, smoking, too much protein, too much phosphorus all may have negative effects.

(2)Heinonen, A, Oja P,Kannus P, Sievanen H, Manttari A, Vuori I. Bone mineral density of female athletes in different sports. Bone Miner 1993 Oct; 23 (1):1-14

(3)Heinonen A, Oja P, Kannus P, Sievanen H, Haapasalo H, Manttari A, Vuori I. Bone mineral density in female athletes representing sports with different loading characteristics of the skeleton. Bone 1995 Sep; 17(3)L 197-203.

(4)Hooshmand S, Arjmandi BH. Viewpoint: dried plum, an emerging functional food that may effectively improve bone health. Ageing Res Rev. 2009 April; 8(2): 122-7.

(6)Nevill, A. Holder, R, Stewart, A. Do sporting activities convey benefits to bone mass throughout the skeleton? Journal of Sports Science 2004: July;22(7)

(7)Rector RS, Rogers R, Ruebel M, Hinton PS. Participation in cycling vs. running is associated with lower bone mineral density in men. Metabolism 2008 Feb. 57(2):226-232

(8)S.V. Stengel, W. Kemmler, R. Pintag, C. Beeskow, J. Weineck, D. Lauber, W. A. Kalender, K. Engelke. Power training is more effective than strength training for maintaining bone mineral density in postmenopausal women. Journal of Applied Physiology 99, 181-188, 2005

(9)Tervo T, Nordstrom P, Neovius M, Nordstrom A. Reduced physical activity corresponds with greater bone loss at the trabecular than the cortical bone sites in men. Bone. 2009, Dec.45 (6)1073-8, Epub 2009, July 22.

(11) (6)Zehnacher CH, Bemis-Dougherty A. Effect of weighted exercises on bone mineral density in post menopausal women a systematic review. Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy, 2007; 30(2):79-88.

V.  HEART RATE AND EXERCISE INTENSITY.  GENERAL APPLICATIONS FOR ENDURANCE TRAINING

When exercising in a steady state there is an approximate linear relationship between oxygen consumption and heart rate.  This becomes the basis for using heart rate as an indicator for oxygen consumption and development of training zone intensity.

Determining Maximum Heart Rate, MHR

 The most significant player in the equation is one’s maximal heart rate.  There are several ways used to determine this value, however, the results may be quite far from our personal reality.  A study in Medicine in Science and Sport, reported that age predicted maximum heart rate, for 95% of most individuals will actually be within + or – 20 beats per minute. [Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 2007; 39(5):822-829].

One widely used method of determining MHR is to use 220-age = MHR for males, or 226- age for females.  A possibly more accurate prediction model was reported in Medicine &Science in Sports and Exercise, using 207 - .7xage. (1)

You can use and check out some of these formulas at:  www.brianmac.co.uk/maxhr.htm

Clearly the most accurate way to determine MHR would be to have an exercise stress test with an EKG.

If you have been cleared by an MD, you can perform your own test.  The method I have used is to strap on your heart rate monitor and begin a sustained uphill run, warming up for about 15 minutes, then increase the intensity to race pace and finish with a maximal final 5 minutes to the absolute max.  It is brutal but will give you a realistic MHR.

Next you need to do this for each type of training modality you use, cycling, swimming, roller skiing, footbiking, etc.  Why? Because each activity is likely to illicit a different max heart rate.   Swimming will likely be one of the lowest, in part because of the horizontal body position and cooler water temperatures.

There are other factors that can affect hemodynamics and maximum heart rate. Overtraining, altitude, body position, temperature and total musculature involved can all affect MHR.

Determining target training zones.

Once we have our MHR established, we can determine our target training zones.  There are two methods commonly used.  One is based on a percentage of MHR, the other the Karvonen formula, uses a percentage of your heart rate reserve, HRR, which is the difference between your absolute resting heart rate and your maximum heart rate.  The Karvonen formula is generally considered to be more of a gold standard, but it is not without error.

Not to make it more confusing, but the % HHR more closely parallels our %V02 reserve capacity, the difference between our resting o2 consumption and our VO2max instead of our %VO2 max. This doesn’t mean a great deal to us in practical terms, but to get a better understanding check out: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9139182

To use the formula, we need another number in addition to your MHR, your resting heart rate.  You arrive at this by averaging your pulse over 3 days, taking it for one full minute before getting out of bed.  This gives you your resting pulse.  You then subtract that number from your MHR to give you your heart rate range.  Next, you take the percentage of that range that you wish to work at, and add back your resting heart rate to that value.  That will usually result in a slightly different target number then if you just take a percentage of MHR.

Choosing target zones

Depending on your fitness objectives and which energy systems you wish to target will determine the training target zones, as well as the time spent in each zone.  For a general recommendation, the ACSM recommends training between 60 and 85% of HRR and for low fitness individuals 50% is a good starting place.

There is a wealth of information available on the use of target zones and endurance training.  The purpose of this article is to give the reader a general understanding of the concepts and some direction in which to search.  I would suggest searching the ACSM position stands on all types of exercise, for the most conservative evidence based recommendations to start with.

Five methods to assess exercise intensity

All together there are probably 5 methods that one may use to assess exercise intensity.  We mentioned the %of MHR and the %HRR. More subjective measures worth investigating would be MET values; the RPE or rate of perceived exertion scale, usually based on a variation of the Borg Scale, see: http://www.acsm.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=current_comments1&Template=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm;

 And the Talk test. See: http://www.acsm.org/Content/ContentFolders/NewsReleases/2004/“TALK_TEST”_A_CONSISTENT_GAUGE

Recommendations for the use of heart rate and target zones:

 Follow the ACSM guidelines as a starting point.  If you are engaged in sports specific training, then you will want to do more research on training zones, frequency, duration, and intensity, and of course developing all the attributes for your sport/s

Frequency: 3-5 days/week

Duration: 20 to 60 minutes. May be cumulative in a minimum of 10 minute blocks throughout the day.

Intensity: 55/65 to 90% of MHR or 40/50% to 85% of max oxygen uptake reserve VO2R or Heart rate reserve HRR.

How does it all fit together?

Try to become more familiar with the RPE scales, since I believe this is a more natural way to feel what our bodies are telling us rather than risk becoming addicted to our heart rate monitors.  Studies have shown that this method can actually be a very reliable assessment of our exercise intensity. 

I still have one of the first Polar heart rate monitors from the early 1980s that I used to keep track of almost every workout and log in every 5 seconds of effort.  I still use a heart rate monitor occasionally, but more for helping me pay attention to my own biological feedback cues.

If your mission is to run a faster marathon, move up in your age group rankings in which ever discipline you are pursuing, then by all means learn all that you can about training methods, training zones, and heart rate monitors.  If your goal is simply to become optimally fit, than view all of this through that lens.  Never the less, It is still important and relevant information.

REFERENCES

(1)    Gellish, RL, Goslin BR, Olson RE, McDonald A, Russi GD, Moudgil VK . Longitudinal modeling of the relationship between age and maximal heart rate.[ Medicine in Science Sports and Exercise, 2007 May;39(5):822-9]

(2)    ACSM position stands:  http://www.acsm.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Position_Stands

(3)    Polar heart rate monitors:  http://www.heartratemonitorsusa.com/Pages/POLAR/All.html

(4)     Use of the Borg Perceived exertion scale / CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/everyone/measuring/exertion.html

  RESOURCE ARTICLES/LINKS

GREEN TEA AND DEPRESSION: In a study of 1058 >70 year old community dwelling Japanese who regularly drink green tea, it was found that the drinking 4 cups of green tea compared to less than 1 cup per day resulted in a significant reduction both mild and severe depression.  http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/90/6/1615

POMEGRANATE EXTRACT MAY HELP IN STRENGTH RECOVERY FROM ECCENTRIC EXERCISE Male subjects were divided into two groups, one supplemented with pomegranate extract and one not supplemented, for a period of 9 days.  They were given a bout of eccentric exercise consisting of two sets of 20 reps of  maximal elbow flexion, enough to produce delayed onset muscle soreness.  The results showed similar decreases in strength of 72% after two hours post exercise and  full recovery was still incomplete after 96 hours.  However, the supplemted group showed statistically significant greater strength recovery.  The study's conclusion was that supplementing with pomegranate extract significantly improves isometric strength after 2-3 days of damaging eccentric exercise.   (Thrombold, Justin R, Barnes, Jill, N, Critchley, Leah, Coyle, Edward F.  Ellagitannin Consumption Improves Strength Recovery 2-3 days after Eccentric Exercise.  Medicine & Science & Sports & Exercise. 42(3):493-498, March 2010)

SWINE FLU POSSIBLE  COMPLEMENTARY NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:  I came across this information and thought it might offer some insight into the nutritional interventions which might be typically used to help develop resistance to viral infections.  Some that we assume are always beneficial may actually be causing the opposite.  It offers some explanation as to why it may hit some more severely than others.  This is information is not being offered as medical advice.  Please  remember all interventions should always be discussed with your family physician.  Here is the link;  ( http://leifgrunseth.com/2009/04/many-natural-options-for-fighting-off-swine-flu/)