Exercises for Running Part 2

Today's running exercise is one that works the legs and the core. It's the lunge with a twist. First start with the lunge - toes facing straight ahead. Once you're in the lunge position, the slowly twist to a 90 degree rotation. Maintain good posture throughout so you don't injure the back. If you're turning to the right, the left shoulder should end up pointing in the same direction as the feet.

The lunge with a twist actually mimics the running posture. As you run and your left foot is forward, the right arm is forward which twists the torso just slightly.

Exercises for Running

Over the next couple days I'm going to talk about exercises you can do if you're looking at doing a long run like the Bolder Boulder which takes place here in Colorado tomorrow. Of course you would want to start this long before the day before the race!!!

An exercise called the step up can help stenghten the thighs, glutes, balance and single leg strength. This is a fairly simple one. standing in front of a step, step up and then step down. Keep the chest high and toes pointed straight ahead. For a little harder work out cross your arms in front of your body as you step.

The step up provides you with the ability to strengthen those parts which as necessary for you to go up hills. Trust me, any race worth it's salt will have a hill or too for you to climb. The step up prepares you to climb those hills.

Carrots - What do you know Question 4

And my last question on carrots is just for fun. How large was the largest carrot ever grown?

Normally carrots range in length from2 inches to 3 feet. The largest carrot was grown in England in 2007 and was 19 feet 1.9 inches long. Now that was a carrot!! The thought occurred to me - how in the world did they pull it up???

Carrots - What do you know Question 3

Do carrots really help your vision or is this just a wives tale?

Yes they do help vision. In addition to the large amount of beta carotene that carrots contain, they also contain Vitamin A which is need in the retina of the eye. They promote better eye health and they also help with night vision.

Carrots - What do you know Question 2

Lycopene is an antioxidant found in tomatoes. Is it also in carrots?

Red carrots contain lycopene which is thought to prevent prostate cancer.

Carrots - What Do You Know

Over the next 6 days I'm going to be asking you some questions about carrots.

Carotenoids, a phytochemical, give carrots their yellow, red and orange hues. But do you know what gives purple carrots their purple color?

hint - it's not the carotenoids.

What gives purple carrots their purple hue is anthocyanims. These are very potent antioxidants which have anti-inflammatory effects as well. Look at the other post in the list to learn more about anthocyanims.

Carbs and Athletes

Someone asked me the other day about why athletes eat so many carbs. They do this to fuel the body for the intense exercise that they are doing. The carbs for an athlete fuel the muscles and the brain. So the day before a race or the day before we ride 75-80 miles, we have a carbo rich meal so that we would have fuel for the muscles as we peddled our way up and down mountains. Included in these meals are high fiber sugars and starches like fruit, vegetables and whole grains.

During the ride time or race time, the athlete now needs low fiber sugars that can be easily digested. Especially with runners, they need to have things that are quickly and easily digested because the stomach is really jostled around as they run. You'll often see these folks drinking smoothies, sports drinks, sports gels and bars.

The other thing that is really important for athletes is to keep hydrated. Drinking 1-2 hours before the event and then more about 15 minutes before the event helps keep them going. If you run for more than 90 consecutive minutes, you need to refuel the muscles and brain with carbs. Cyclists usually have a rest stop about every 10 miles for refueling with carbs and drinking liquids. Cyclists have the advantage unless they are racing in that they often have water with them in the form of bottles on the bike or a camel pack of water on their back.

Picking Produce Part 5

My last few pieces of advice on picking produce are when you get home if you did buy in bulk, immediately go through the produce to be sure that there are no bad pieces. If there are bad pieces, take them out and throw them away so they don't spoil the rest of the produce in the bag. A good example of this is potatoes. If you buy 5 or 10 pounds of potatoes, open the bag and look at each one for soft spots or areas that are already spoiling. By the time you smell it, they have often spoiled the whole bag.

Consider what you will do with those pieces of produce which are starting to go bad. Plan things likes soups or casseroles so that you can use them up. Also, with fruit, consider making them into jam.

Picking Produce Part 4

Be vary wary of buying produce in bulk. Only buy enough for a few days up to a week. Otherwise you are likely to be throwing out a lot of produce.

If buy large packages of produce, be aware that while the outer produce may look good, when you in bulk like that, the produce on the inside is likely to have several pieces that are spoiled and are hidden from view. Definitely if you are buying in bulk and you see pieces of the produce that are already spoiled, chances are that most of the package is on it's way out. Buy a different bag.

Picking Produce Part 3

The next thing to do in picking produce is to smell it. Especially with fruit, a musty or sour smell means that it is already going bad.

Test the weight of the fruit. If it feels particularly heavy for it's size, it will be sweet and juicy. This is particularly true for fruits like plums, peaches, and mangoes.

While you're testing the weight, you can also be testing the firmness. Produce like mushrooms, broccoli, and artichokes should be closed tightly. If the cap of the mushroom is split, it is starting to dry out and spoil. The same is true for artichokes in that the buds should be tightly closed. The florets on the broccoli should also be tightly together.

Picking Produce Part 2

The next thing to look at when picking fresh produce is to look at the color. Generally the stems of plants are green. The fruit should be the color that you expect it to be. For example, strawberries should be a deep red all the way to the stem. If you're looking at cut watermelon does it have a nice hot pink color or is it pale. Avoid the pale ones.

If the produce is lacking the vibrant color that is should have, chose something different.

Picking Produce

There is an art to picking good produce. Over the next few days I'm going to give you some tips on picking good produce.

Since most people end up throwing out about a quarter of the fresh fruits and vegetables that they buy, the first thing to do is to check for blemishes. Avoid produce with mold or mushy spots.

Other things to avoid, mushrooms with a slimy coat, lettuce with brown edges, tomatoes with cracks, bell peppers with wrinkled skin and pineapples with dark spots on the base.

More on Fiber

I mentioned yesterday that I would talk about the "Whole Grain" piece. One of the ways to be certain that you are getting whole grain in whatever you are buying is to look for the "100 percent whole grain" stamp from the Whole Grains Council. This stamp lets you know that whatever you are buying contains whole grain and there is at least 16 grams of whole grains per serving. Participation of a company to obtain the Whole Grains Council stamp is voluntary.

Don't just go for the big label advertising like 100% whole grain or whole wheat. Read the ingredients. What you are looking for is "whole wheat flour" or "whole durum wheat flour. If you see "Semolina or durum wheat flour" minus the whole, it is a refined grain.

Don't assume that organic or health food pastas are whole grain. Pasta made with spinach or tomatoes may actually contain very little of the vegetables - just enough to give it some color.

Fiber in Your Diet

Have you ever looked at the print on a food and it says something like "high in fiber". What does that really mean? The other claim we see a lot in the grocery store "fiber fortified" - now does that exactly mean? What both of these mean is that you need to read beyond the big print on the package. Look at the ingredient list. A high fiber breakfast bar or a fiber fortified yogurt are not the same as eating old fashioned oatmeal with fruit and milk.

One of the claims on the package you may see is "made with 5 grams of whole grain per serving" is not the same as containing 5 grams of fiber. The fiber in quote is often a grain that is refined white flour.

Your best choices for fiber are fresh fruits and vegetables. Remember you should be eating 8-10 servings of these a day. Nuts and seeds are also great sources of fiber.

More tomorrow on the Whole grain bread stories.

Blood Pressure

I've talked about exercise and blood pressure before, but here is a little different slant to it. A study out of Italy demonstrated that listening to rhythmic music such as classical, Celtic, or Indian for 30 minutes a day while concentrating on breathing was beneficial to lowering the blood pressure.

Interestingly enough, I have been doing a thing I call bounce and shake for weight loss. It follows along the lines of native American dancing. I don't have a problem with high blood pressure, but I feel confident now that I likely never will.

Back to the breathing part and music, try that as a way to unwind at the end of the day. Listen to a classical piece of music and meditate. The research indicates that the music helps you slow down and deepen your breathing.

Easing Arthritis Part 6

Lastly in this series on easing arthritis is to supplement if necessary. There are some supplements that arthritis sufferers find really helpful. Of course these are things that decrease inflammation. So first on your list should be a good omega 3 supplement. While this has many beneficial effects, the most powerful is the anti-inflammatory effect.

Some other foods that will be helpful are ginger. This is a food which has been used in India for centuries to alleviate arthritis pain.

Most people have heard of glucosamine and chondroitin. the active ingredient is glucosamine and has shown to be the most effective. However, I have some patient's who swear that if they do not take it with chondroitin it does not work as well. I won't argue with what works!

Easing Arthritis Part 5

I eluded to this a couple of days ago, but did not go into very much when I was talking about breathing. Exercise is essential if you have arthritis. Many people think that exercise will actually make the problem worse. This is just not true.

In fact simple exercise is essential for proper functioning of an arthritic joint. Start with stretches to the joints affected and work up slow and easy.

Some of the more helpful exercises for arthritic joints are swimming and walking. Again start out slow and only walk for 5 minutes. Increase your time each day by a minute or two. This slow process will find you moving with less pain and better function of the joints. Many people get a lot of relief from water aerobics.

Another great exercise for arthritis is bicycling. Just don't overdo and start slow and easy.

Easing Arthritis Part 4

Today I said I would talk a little about what foods to focus on if you have arthritis and especially if you are having pain. The number one food to focus on is those containing omega 3 fatty acids. These are foods like deep sea fish, brightly colored fruits and vegetables, olive oil, dark green leafy vegetables and flaxseed.

Read the labels on foods that you are buying that are already prepared. Do they contain any of the culprits I mentioned yesterday.

Our ancient ancestors had virtually no arthritis, but there diet was equally split between omega 3 and omega 6. Today we are way over the scale on the omega 6s and way under on the omega 3s.

Easing Arthritis Part 3

The step in easing your arthritis pain is to watch your diet. Yes you may be feeding your pain! I've talked about many of these foods before in great detail, but it bears mentioning some of the culprits again.

Some of the foods that promote inflammation are red meat and high fructose corn syrup. Both these contain lots of omega 6 which is not the omega that you want. These fatty acids actually promote inflammation.

One of the biggest promoters of inflammation is sugar, especially processed sugar which is in almost every processed food in the grocery store. In these very same processed foods there is often saturated fats which also promote inflammation. A side not here is the fact that these foods are contributing to the obesity in this country and if you have arthritis and you are overweight, just think for a moment about the stress you are putting on your joints, especially knees, hips and the spine. Is it any wonder that we are seeing such an increase in the number of hip and knee replacements. How many people do you know that complain of back pain? Are they overweight?

Tomorrow - some foods to focus on.

Easing Arthritis Part 2

Let's start with the basics, like breathing. Yes, breathing can really help ease the pain of arthritis. Slow, controlled breathing really relieves the pain of arthritis because your focus shifts to breathing and not on the area of pain. If you combine this with any form of easy stretching like yoga or tai chi, the relief can be phenomenal.

I have some patients who take pilates and one of the things that is taught with those classes is breathing. If you have a lot of arthritis you may not want to do pilates, but you can certainly learn and use the breathing that is taught.

Easing Arthritis

Having arthritis in my hands, I know how painful that can be at times, especially if I have been doing something that aggravates it like playing hand bells. Over the next couple of days I'm going to mention a few things to help lessen the aches and pains of arthritis.

First just a few words about arthritis. Arthritis is inflammation in and around joints. The irony here is that inflammation is a protective mechanism that our body uses to increase blood supply into an injured area. But when the inflammatory process continues for longer that we need it, we end up with more pain and loss of cartilage in the joints. Other things that lead to inflammation are poor diet and lack of exercise.

The first thing that you want to do to ease the aches and pain of arthritis is to start with noninvasive treatments that are good for the body. More on this starting tomorrow.

Mucous Formation and Foods

This question got brought up today. What foods make mucous production worse. So I did a little research today. Dairy products are the biggest culprit in mucous formation. Part of the problem is the diary itself, but the other issue is the fat content. Fat in any form can actually thicken mucous and make it more difficult for you to move it.

Try decreasing the number of fatty foods in the diet as well as diary to help thin down the secretions. The other and probably most important thing to do is to drink plenty of water. Avoid carbonated beverages and caffeine. Water is your best bet for thinning down secretions and making it easier for you to handle them.

If you find yourself coughing or more commonly clearing your throat, take a few sips of water so that you can moisten the mucous membrane and thin out the secretions.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all of the Mom's out there. Have a peaceful wonderful day.

Getting Help with Health Information

Here's a free source for some health information. You might find it interesting that when a patient leaves the doctor's office they forget anywhere from 40-80% of the information the doctor has given them.

One reason is that you may not have actually understood what the doctor told you. Getting a health care advocate in this case would be wise. The other reason is that we can't retain all of the information we are given.

So here is a quick resource to give you a little help. It's free, so check it out. They are cards to help you know what to ask your physician. Click here to order a free set. When you get to the site, click on the box in the middle of the page that says "health tips what you can do". This will take you to the page where you can order a free set of cards.

Bones and Aging

I know I've talked about osteoporosis before. A recent article pointed out that many women who are not Caucasian feel they are not at risk for the disease. This is really a myth. Asian women are the same as Caucasian women in terms of the percent who get osteoporosis. But more importantly, there is a very high percentage of Asian women who have low bone mass putting them at higher risk for the disease.

While the percentage of Hispanic women who get the disease is lower, they still have a fairly high percentage who have low bone mass and are at risk. African Americans have a lower percentage who actually get the disease, but they too have a fairly high percentage with low bone mass.

The ones who often get left out of these statistics are men. There are significant numbers of men who either have osteoporosis or at risk for the disease.

Driving Aids for Older People

I couldn't find that it is actually out yet, but I read about an option that will be available in cars from General Motors. The technology is a new windshield that uses lasers, infrared sensors and a camera to help objects stand out that might go unnoticed.

The example they gave was during foggy conditions, a laser projects a blue line on the windshield that follows the edge of the road. It will be interesting to see how this develops. Maybe that those who are not so old could benefit from this technology as well.

Staying Healthy as You Age

I've talked about this before, but since I'm kind of on the keeping you young as you age this month, here's another piece to it. Keeping yourself mentally active is just as important as keeping yourself physically active.

A study done at the University of Illinois for people in their 60's and 70's indicated that being trained and playing video games helps the brain become more agile, with memory and reasoning ability also improving.

There are some free games on the AARP site to help your brain. Give them a try. They are on the top left of this page click here

Get Moving To Stay Young

You all know that exercise is important to good health. But did you know that exercise may actually slow the aging process? There was a study published in 2008 that found that exercise may actually protect the body against the aging process.

So no matter what age you are, start moving, walking, swimming, or whatever exercise is your favorite. You can start taking control of your health by moving!

Medications

One of the biggest problems in the elderly is the number of medications that they take on a regular basis. You don't have to be elderly to forget whether you have taken a medication or not. I would venture to guess that most everyone reading this at one time or another had to stop and think and maybe count the number of pills in the bottle to see if they had missed a dose.

My suggestion is be organized with your medication. Put it in a pill reminder box with the days of the week. If you are on an antibiotic and that is your only medication, put however many doses you need for the day in that day's bin.

Another suggestion is to always have a written list of the medications that you take in your wallet or purse. If you ever end up in the emergency room, this could save your life!

Balance in Seniors is A Risk

You may not know that the leading cause of death by accidental injury in people over 65 is falls. Seems kind of silly right. How could that be. Well, usually when a fall happens, the is a fracture of a bone somewhere in the body. Hip fractures account for many of these fractures and a hip fracture in someone over 65 has a high mortality. About 75% of those people will have a complication as a result of the fracture and 50% of those will actually die.

I just read about an interesting way to help reduce falls in the elderly. This new technology is based on the scientific work done to help astronauts regain their balance after being in space for a period of time. The new device is called the iShoe and is an insert that goes in the shoe.

I could not find them available as yet, but this could be a huge health benefit for seniors.

10 Healthy Foods for Less #10

My last healthy food that is inexpensive is yogurt. Yogurt should be the live culture variety as this contains the bacteria which are healthy for the gut.

Yogurt also contains lots of calcium which is helpful for bone health. Watch the amount of sugar content in the variety that you buy. This can be one of the problems with yogurt.