The Fitness Guru

Parents, rejoice!

Here is the first episode of “Eating Well with Michael and Elle”. Our intrepid hosts take us on the journey of a lifetime: the creation of a home cooked chicken nugget.

Take one and pass it on………

Here’s a little pick-ya-up to take you into the weekend.

Be forewarned: there are adult language and adult themes in this video.

And Dylan McDermott………

…….as you have never seen him before…….

This is where research money should be going…….

A recent study in Norway found that moderate wine drinking among women results in better cognitive function. The Tromso Study followed 5033 men and women, all 58 and older and stroke-free, over 7 years and found that there was a lower risk of poor test scores among women who drank wine 4 or more times over a two period relative to women who had less than one drink. The researchers also noted the not drinking resulted in significantly lower test scores. Also, associations between other risk factors and lower scores was also seen, including lower testing scores among people who were older, less educated, smokers, and those with depression, diabetes, or hypertension.

While the study did take into account such factors as age, education, weight, depression, and cardiovascular disease, other factors, such as diet, income and profession, were not addressed.

This isn’t the first time a study like this has come to the same conclusion: over the last three decades, a total of 68 studies involving 145,308 individuals have found this correlation between moderate drinking and cognitive function.

Which leads us to ask: what exactly do you mean by moderate?

Next up, how watching eight hours of football weekly will make men smarter and more handsome……….

Cheers!

You know someone who has had ACL problems, even if you yourself have never suffered the injury. The ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) is one of four ligaments in the knee, connecting the femur (thigh bone) to the tibia (the lower leg bone– forgive me, I try). Of the four, the ACL suffers the most strains and tears. For years, there has been a great deal of debate about why that is the case. Lateral motion in certain sports, like soccer and tennis, may be a cause, as is the blunt force trauma of sports like football.

But also raising questions is exactly how to deal with the injury. Surgery has always been an option. For years, the surgery was brutal and invasive, but has recently become less so with the advent of arthroscopic surgery. Doctors may try to replace the ligament with bits of ligament from elsewhere on the patient or with the ligaments of cadavers.

I know, I know, nice right? Ok, I’m moving on.

Rehabilitation has always been part of the process but usually after surgery.

In a July issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, doctors from Lund University in Sweden published a study. In the study, they took two groups of people with acute ACL injuries. The first group had immediate reconstructive surgery followed by physical therapy. The second group had physical therapy immediately followed by optional surgery if needed. They scored the two groups with the KOOS scale: Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS)–pain, symptoms, function in sports and recreation, and knee-related quality of life, with a range of scores from 0 [worst] to 100 [best]. What they found was that there was no significant difference in the improvement level of either group. Both scored just below 40. However, the treatment given the second group substantially cut down on the number of reconstructive surgeries they need to perform.

Interesting, right?

I have always been a big believer in strengthen the entire leg to improve the integrity of all the joints. I am not a doctor, just a humble, country fitness guru, but I have found that the majority of people with knee problems have had weak inner and/hamstring muscles relative to the strength of their quadriceps (big ol’ thigh muscles). Whenever there is a physical imbalance like that, it is not often the question of if there will be an injury, but when there will be one. And if surgery is simply going to repair the area but not strengthen the supporting muscles, the patient is simply being set up to get knocked back down again.

That ain’t right.

So what do you do? Make sure that your lower body workouts include all the muscle groups, not just the quadriceps. Not sure how to do that? Again, this is where an educated trainer comes in handy. They should be able to access the imbalances and plan a program for you accordingly. In the meantime, check out this video about strengthen the knee. It’s quick and pretty informative.

Rock on!!!

I’m not saying McDonald’s made her do it. But check out this security video of a sweet, gentle young woman who was unable to get her McNuggets when she wanted them. Apparently, she had a hankering for the delicious little treat while her local establishment was still serving breakfast. While that sort of disappointment might lead some to a letter writing campaign, she became slightly more pro-active.

For those of you with less of an attention span, the action begins at 1:15.

Two big studies came out last week, one from the good folks at Yale and the other from equally as noble folks at Columbia, in partnership with the Children’s Hospital of Boston.

Both studies took a look at the importance of infancy on obesity in adults. As I have mentioned, and as I am sure you know, the obesity epidemic continues to climb, with the new numbers released last week showing that over 30% of the residents in nine states are obesity– much higher figures than just ten years ago. Doctors, scientists and fitness gurus are all trying to figure out what can be done to stem the tide of unhealthy weight gain.

According to the Yale University study, an individual’s weight is set in the brain before birth. In other words, our size is being wired into our brains in utero. For many people, portions of the brain that would trigger satiety are just not firing properly, causing those individuals to eat more.

“It appears that this base wiring of the brain is a determinant of one’s vulnerability to develop obesity,” said Tamas Horvath, chair and professor of comparative medicine and professor of neurobiology and obstetrics & gynecology at Yale School of Medicine, who is also co-director of the Yale Program in Integrative Cell Signaling and Neurobiology of Metabolism. “These observations add to the argument that it is less about personal will that makes a difference in becoming obese, and, it is more related to the connections that emerge in our brain during development.”

Horvath also mentions that this cerebral wiring leads to other problems. “Those who are vulnerable to diet-induced obesity also develop a brain inflammation, while those who are resistant, do not,” he said. “This emerging inflammatory response in the brain may also explain why those who once developed obesity have a harder time losing weight.”

Meanwhile, over at Columbia, researchers studying births over a period of 14 years (and over a half a million births) found that babies who were heavier at birth were much more likely to become obese adults. The researchers worked with the premise that a healthy weight increase while pregnant was about 18-22 pounds. As the expectant mothers would put on more weight, so too grew the chances that the baby would be large, with the likelihood one and a half times with a gain of 40 pounds and more than doubled with a gain of 52 pounds.

“These are the most important nine months of life from the standpoint of development,” said Dr. David Ludwig of Children’s Hospital Boston. “Our cells, tissues, even brain structures are being formed and fine-tuned so that having too high blood sugar and other abnormal metabolic influences can affect that infant not just at the moment but potentially throughout life.

“For an adult to gain an extra 10 pounds and then maybe lose it doesn’t cause permanent changes in that individual’s biology,” Ludwig said. “But, for a fetus to gain too much weight during key [moments] may permanently alter the brain circuits that affect appetite and metabolism, fat tissues or other parts of the body that have a permanent role in body weight regulation.”

Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. In a month of Lebron Fever and Lance: Did He or Didn’t He, I find this a great little commentary. Go Bryant!

Here are a few great books about food to kick back with at the beach this summer. Please note that by “great”, I don’t mean to suggest that they romanticize food in the least. Actually, they are very aggressive in talking about what is wrong with the state of food and eating today. But, as far as educating yourself goes (and ain’t that what we’re trying to do?), ya can’t beat ‘em with a stick.

The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-term Health– My friend, Donny Guns, our local weight-loss-muscle-packing-surfer-in-NY dude, turned me onto this book. It almost immediately made him go ultra-orthodox vegan. A fascinating study of the effects of nutrition on the population.

The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals– This book delightfully confused the hell out of me, and I don’t think I was able to eat without a great deal of forethought for weeks afterward. But Pollen’s delivery is never over the top and it makes for a very quick and interesting read.

In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto– Pollen’s follow up to The Omnivore’s Dilemma, this book gives a rough and tumble look at the Western diet (such as it is) as well as the food industry as a whole.

So kick back with a couple of margaritas and some BBQ and have a terrific read!!

Rock on!

I know what your thinking: I should just re title the blog “All about running shoes”. I agree. It seems every two minutes someone is publishing more info on the correct shoes for your feet. And, for whatever compulsive reason, I always feel the need to comment. Why not? The Shoe Industry is a multi-billion dollar a year business, with a ton of money thrown specifically at marketing. And, as most people go into their local shoe store and simply buy “the pretty blue ones”, I think the topic is one worth discussing.

The latest blurb was in the New York Times, regarding a program developed by the US military to assign shoes based on the shapes of soldiers feet in order to avoid injury. As they could find no definitive study regarding shoe design with regard to injury prevention, they started their own practice of handing out shoes to recruits based on the shape of their arches. I found this especially amusing as one good friend who recently returned from serving in Iraq told me that most soldiers ignore the shoes given to them by the military and buy regulation footwear from outside sources. Leave it to the military to find brilliant uses for finances.

Of the three studies quoted last month in the American Journal of Sports Medicine, researchers found no connection between shoe choice and injury prevention. And, further more, a study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that the “corrective” shoes actually led to more injuries. Go figure.

I see corrective shoes like the old joke:

Me: “Doctor, it hurts when I do this.”
Doctor: “Don’t do that.”

Corrective shoes are doing nothing for the imbalances and weaknesses that exist in your lower body. Forcing you out of a position will just put more pressure on the weakened area and, eventually, that will cause injury. I believe that there are shoes that can help each individual. But, at the end of the day, it is very important to take a look at your weaknesses and imbalances and set out on a plan of strengthen those weaknesses to avoid injury.

Which brings me back to the Barefoot Argument. Many people believe that barefoot running is better for the foot because it helps to strengthen the entire foot. Injuries are a result of weakness and imbalance brought on by years of over-support.

Do I subscribe to this philosophy? I think its a good argument. And personally, I know that the shoes I use for EVERYTHING- running, boxing, cross training, weight lifting- are the same shoes with which I ran the 2007 NYC Marathon. I can’t be too sure but I would guess they have three or four thousand miles of use on roads, treadmills, stair machines and in the ring. And, as I use them, the calf pain that I use to feel after a particularly long run, has all but disappeared.

Go figure.

Rock on.

A few weeks ago, I reported on the WORST Burger in America. Turns out that I may have jumped the gun. First, that burger was actually four burgers served on one plate– that’s not quite cricket. But now I find out that I haven’t done enough research.

It seems the Carl Jr.’s restaurant chain has been market testing a brand new foot long burger. That’s right– the dimensions that are usually saved for your favorite hero sandwich are now available in medium rare.

The plain cheeseburger cost $4 and you pay $4.50 for the trimmings, like tomatoes and lettuce. Deluxe costs a bit more. As it’s still in the testing phase, it’s not possible to get the stats on this 12 inch monstrosity, but let’s assume for the sake of argument that it is not nutritional perfection. And calorically, it probably comes in at close to half a day’s worth of calories. MMMM-mmmm good!