All posts by Dr. D. Rick

Exercise, Health Assessments, Nutrition

THE GREAT DEBATE: CAN YOU SPOT REDUCE FAT?

A new technology is reigniting the age-old controversy.

Whether you can or cannot choose where you lose fat in your body is one of the most polarizing topics in the fitness field. Anecdotal evidence has surfaced over the years suggesting that various forms of programming, supplementation and technology may in fact be able to target specific areas in the body where fat is stored. But science holds firm that the answer is a resounding no—a safe bet as there is no peer-reviewed clinical research suggesting otherwise.

“Body fat is lost in the same way that you put it on—slowly and all over,” says Dr. Justin Mager, an exercise physiologist in Mill Valley, CA, and founder of Health Incite, a holistic wellness clinic. “You can spot-reduce, but it has nothing to do with exercise and diet. It’s called liposuction.”

Besides surgical liposuction, there’s a newer, non-invasive “laser lipolysis,” which uses a laser to effectively ‘melt’ unwanted fat, which is then metabolized by the body. But neither addresses the underlying diet and exercise lifestyle issues that led to the fat build-up in the first place. Enter: red light lipolysis.

According to Rolando Garcia III, manager of the Columbus Circle location of E at Equinox, the combination of a structured workout plan and red light lipolysis treatments via a device called Pure Light seems promising for problem areas. Used in physical therapy environments for years to break up scar tissue, red light lipolysis aims an external infrared light generated by an LED (light-emitting diode) system at unwanted fat stores. “This breaks the bonds between fats, which allows you to utilize fat as fuel when you exercise,” he says.

Intrigued, Garcia tested the system himself for 8 weeks, targeting belly fat. “I focused little on my diet and reduced my training to 3 times a week, and I lost an inch off my waist after 10 sessions. Screenings showed that all my other measurements—arms, chest, shoulders—were the same. But because of my stomach, my total body fat went from 13.3% to 12.2%.”

Next up: E clients. In the protocol Garcia has developed, participants will follow a red-light lipolysis treatment (which involves wearing a belt of 8 cell-phone-sized LED pads each for 15 minutes). They will then exercise until they’ve burned 350 calories—enough to burn up those excess fatty acids before they get stored as fat again. “No research papers and clinical trials have validated this approach yet, “ admits Garcia, “but we have to start somewhere.”

Until there is, Dr. Mager suggests his approach: “First, I recommend that people de-stress their lives, which reduces the production of stress hormones like cortisol that cause fat to accumulate around your vital organs to protect them,” he says, “Then do strength and posture work,” which serves to properly line-up muscles and joints, often de-emphasizing fat stores.

A safe bet for now, but there’s no harm in a little experimentation.

To see full article go to http://q.equinox.com/articles/2015/02/spot-reduction?emlcid=EML-newsletters_2015_02_04&emlcid=EML-QWeekly-0204242015.  Article written by Roy M. Wallack, Photography by Trunk Archive
Exercise, Health Assessments, Nutrition, Rehabilitation, Sports

VIDEO: WHY I TRAIN PREGNANT

 

Like so many expectant mothers who exercise, Linda Baltes deals with criticism. But she hasn’t let it stop her.

Despite the near-total eradication of gender lines in fitness, to this day, when a pregnant woman walks into the gym, eyebrows inevitably raise.

“When you’re training pregnant, you get a lot of people questioning you,” says Linda Baltes, who is expecting her first child later this month. “They’re questioning whether you’re doing this because you’re vain.”

For Baltes, it made perfect sense to continue training through her pregnancy. The Santa Monica-based triathlete—who serves in the Air Force Reserves and works for a molecular diagnostics company—has been active and athletic her entire life. But that didn’t make her immune to this specific brand of fit-shaming.

“Pregnancy is not a disease,” says Jacques Moritz, M.D., director of the division of gynecology at New York City’s Mount Sinai Roosevelt and Mount Sinai St. Luke’s. “It’s a condition. As long as one doesn’t go overboard, pregnant women not only should, but are encouraged to work out.”

Watch the video above to glimpse Baltes’ prenatal routine and hear why she believes that fitness has a place of utmost importance in these nine months of her life, and even more so in the months and years that follow.

For full article please visit http://q.equinox.com/articles/2015/02/pregnancy-workout-video?emlcid=EML-newsletters_2015_02_11&emacid=EMA-QWeekly-02112122015.  Article written by Sheila Monaghan
Exercise

IS THIS HOW TO HANDLE YOUR CRAVINGS??

Suppressing those less-than-healthy urges? This psychologist has some surprising advice.

Juno DeMelo

Resistance isn’t futile when cravings strike, but it’s not the only outcome. “The best way to deal with a craving is to try riding it like a wave, or ‘surfing the urge,’ until it passes,” says Stanford psychologist Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D., the author of The Willpower Instinct. Should that fail, however, these surprising techniques can help you learn from your capitulation so it’s less likely to happen again. 

Go ahead and give in. “If eating a cookie really made us happy, we’d stop after one,” says McGonigal. “But we tend to check out as we indulge, which is numbing, not satisfying.” To change your behavior, give in mindfully, chewing slowly and paying full attention to the taste and texture of your food.

Gauge how it really—actually—made you feel. Then take note of how you feel afterward to see whether the result aligns with your expectations. “Research shows that people who claimed to love chocolate felt worse after they ate it than they did before, and another study found that women felt better after finishing a healthy meal versus something celebratory and supposedly comforting,” says McGonigal. Comparing the actual outcome of giving in to a craving to the perceived one can reduce its power over you.

Forgive, don’t flog, in order to change. While it’s natural to feel some regret after a self-discipline hiccup, beating yourself up leaves little energy for change. “Many type-A personalities have succeeded in life by being tough on themselves or by having a coach or mentor who pushed them hard,” says McGonigal. But this strategy works only when your behavior is in line with your goals and not when you’re struggling or suffering. The more you pile on the criticism after a setback, the less likely you are to take action that will prevent it from reoccurring. Or as McGonigal puts it: “Guilt and shame aren’t motivating, but self-forgiveness unleashes your power.”

Photography by ARTHUR BELEBEAU/TRUNK ARCHIVE

To see full post please visit:  http://q.equinox.com/articles/2015/01/cravings?emlcid=EML-newsletters_2014_01_21&emacid=EMA-QWeekly-01211212015
Exercise, Nutrition

THE ONLY WEIGHT LOSS ADVICE WORTH TAKING

For his new book, author Ted Spiker combed the science of successful dieting. Here are his 5 top takeaways.

As Ted Spiker, author of the new book Down Size and former articles editor of Men’s Health magazine, puts it: “When it comes to weight loss, everything is about food and exercise, but nothing is about food and exercise.”

He would know. While Spiker spent his days writing about weight loss—entrenched in depths of information, surrounded by some of the most knowledgeable researchers, scientists, and authors on the topic—he hit his highest weight ever, clocking in at 279 pounds. He knew exactly what he needed to do to drop a pants size or two: eat right, exercise more. But as he says: “There’s a gap between knowledge and action. We can know a lot. We can be inundated with information or be given a plan, but how do we get from knowledge to action? What makes people change in a lasting way?”

With Spiker’s unique perspective on the topic, we asked him to share the most interesting learnings he acquired while writing—and, in essence, living—a diet book:

1

Goals can destroy you—if you set them incorrectly.

“Dieting is one of the only areas of life where we don’t accept mistakes. At work, we make mistakes, we learn, we do better; in relationships, we have fights, we work it out. We don’t expect perfection. But if we fail at a diet—binge or eat something we don’t think we should—we throw in the towel and say: ‘Forget it. I ruined it.’ We never accept the fact that we can make mistakes and be flexible. In the long game, you have to have that mindset. But everyone wants to play the short game.

In the book, I include a story about a 440-pound man who set a goal to climb a 14,000-foot mountain in Colorado. He trained and hiked and when it came time to do it, he didn’t make it. He made it to 12,000 feet and had to turn around. A lot of people would view that as failure. But his attitude was: ‘I did something I never thought I would be able to do.’ That’s a healthy look at the whole idea of goal setting. If you didn’t lose the full 10 pounds, you didn’t fail if you still got 6 or 8 pounds down.”

2

Use objective and subjective data.

“Self monitoring can be productive: calories in, steps taken, and weighing yourself weekly—that’s all objective, tangible data. I don’t argue with that. That works for a lot of people. But that can be destructive, too. That’s why Doug Newburg, Ph.D., a sports psychologist who studies elite performers suggests a different concept: it’s called ‘feel.’ Newburg asks elite performers, ‘Does how you feel affect the way you perform?’ And the answer 100 percent of the time is: ‘Yes, of course.’ But ‘feel’ isn’t about feelings.

It’s more that if you’re stretching every day, lifting, and feeling good, energetic, and strong, that should have just as much weight as the number on the scale. When you can get those two things to work together—and reach that sweet spot where subjective and objective data inform each other—that’s finding where you want to be.”

3

You can manufacture motivation through social connections.

“I used to think motivation had to be heaped upon you—that you were a passive recipient to it. But motivation research says otherwise. Beating almost every psychological element—humiliation, frustration, and motivation—comes down to autonomy and social connections. That’s really important for people trying to lose weight. When you’re heavy, you just want to hide. But you can motivate yourself by making the first step to sign up for a class or train with a group. Even though you might be embarrassed, that’s a huge part of motivation.”

4

Speak in if’s and then’s.

“Peter Gollwitzer, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at New York University, studies goals—and how emotions, cognition, and behavior influence them. And when it comes to temptation, he has studied the ‘if-then’ statement—a willpower tactic that serves as an emergency plan: ‘If x happens, you do y.’ If I am going to a party, then I drink three glasses of water between drinks; if I am going to a pizza place, I’ll order a salad have only a slice. People who use ‘if-then’ more effectively handle temptation—it helps them deal with impulses. Have a backup plan before you get into the situation.”

5

Make it about more than the pounds.

“Pick a goal that’s between something you can do and something that there is no chance you could do—like run a half-marathon if you only run a mile at a time. That way, you’ll stop worrying so much about what the scale says and worry more about making the right lifestyle choices to meet your goal. In Down Size, I write about a guy who wanted to beat his brother in tennis. His weight was holding him back. But he made his goal about beating his brother and working on his game, not his weight. He ended up losing a lot of weight—and regularly beating his brother. ”

 

By:  Cassie Shortsleeve, For original post, please visit: http://q.equinox.com/articles/2015/01//secrets-to-weight-loss?emlcid=EML-newsletters_2015_01_14&emacid=EMA-QWeekly-01141142015
Exercise

WHY A SKI TRIP STARTS IN THE GYM

For successful runs, you have to do the (right) work. Steal these moves and tips from pros and coaches.

Slalom skiers sometimes withstand forces that clock in at three times their body weight, says Eirik Hole, U.S. Ski Team Women’s Speed Team Strength and Conditioning Coach. And while you may not be up against that, building a balanced body underneath you—one with good alignment, a strong core, hips, and powerful legs—is still crucial, regardless of skill level.

That’s why planning for a trip to the slopes should begin in the gym: Skiing may be an escape—invigorating and relaxing—but without the proper prep work, indulgence can turn to injury (and that can’t-quite-walk-right soreness). Here, an expert-backed plan for powering through your next day on the mountain.

1

Build a cardio base outside the gym.

Without an aerobic base, skiing for even a straight minute can be exhausting, attests Laurenne Ross, a U.S. Olympic alpine ski racer. But cardio can be boring. “I like to have fun while keeping my cardio up. I go mountain biking a lot—usually for between one and three hours. It builds a lot of leg strength too,” she says. “There are some similar aspects to skiing.”

2

Increase endurance with ski-specific intervals.

No matter where you’re headed, “you need some sort of endurance to be able to withstand forces over time,” says Hole. He suggests intervals in ski-specific lengths. Try this 53-minute workout he uses with the team:

Warmup: Jog slowly for 10 minutes, then for 5 minutes increase intensity to between 72 and 87 percent of your max heart rate. Incorporate 30-second, high-intensity sprints (87 to 97 percent max heart rate) if you choose.
Interval workout: Run for 2 minutes at high intensity, rest for 1.5 minutes. Repeat 8 times.
Cool down: Jog slowly for 10 minutes.

3

Prep for altitude with intensity and hydration.

“If you’re going somewhere with high altitude, the more cardiovascular-ly conditioned your body is, the more efficient it will be using oxygen,” says Beth Giersch, Senior Manager of the Equinox Fitness Training Institute and a skier herself. And besides upping your intensity and hydration, know this: “Your body hydrates more when you’re moving, so get up and move around while you’re hydrating.”

4

Build balance blind.

“Many injuries in skiing happen from loss of balance,” says Scott Weiss, C.S.C.S., an exercise physiologist who has worked with Olympic skiers. “Try doing lunges and air squats with your eyes closed. Not easy but extremely beneficial.”

5

Roll immediately beforehand.

If you have a mini foam roller, pack it on your trip. “Rolling is particularly helpful prior to skiing. It gets out any kinks or scar tissue and brings more blood flow to the muscle and soft tissue,” says Giersch. Ross agrees—that’s why foam rolling is part of her pre-ski routine.

6

Create your own force.

“You have to have enough force to withstand the forces you want to create on the mountain,” says Hole. “The better skier you are, the more forces will be put upon you, the harder you have to work.” That’s why the U.S. ski team practices power cleans: “The point of power clean is to create power—which is a force-velocity relationship where you have high speed and high force, just like skiing.”

7

Build solid legs.

“Regardless of the type of skier you are, you need strong legs and muscular endurance to make it through a full day on the slopes,” says Giersch. “Single leg and multi-directional movements will prepare your body for the dynamic and resilient movement skiing demands.”

Try: Skier Jumps (unloaded or loaded with ViPR) ,
Starting in athletic stance, hands free or holding a ViPR, jump out to the right and land on right foot, quickly sinking into a single leg squat as the left leg sweeps behind to count-balance; if holding a ViPR, reach the left hand toward the right foot before jumping laterally to the left foot and repeating for reps or timed intervals.
(Note: Be sure to master loaded lateral lunges before progressing to skier jumps.)

Try: Mini Band Monster Walks (lateral and diagonal)
Slip a mini band above knees (easier) or ankles (harder); maintaining an athletic stance (feet just wider than shoulders, knees bent, slight bend at the hips, arms grabbing invisible ski poles), step out further to the right and bring your left foot back to the starting stance; repeat 10-15 times and then repeat going to the left. Diagonal: Moving forward first, maintaining that athletic stance; take a wide step about 45 degrees diagonally to right, then tap left toe shoulder-width from your right before stepping diagonally to the left; repeat 10-15 times and the carefully repeat going backwards.

Try: ‘Round the Clock’ Lunge Matrix (loaded or unloaded)
Stand with feet together and imagine you’re at the center of a clock; starting with your right foot, do a forward lunge to 12 o’clock and back to center, then lunge diagonally to 1:30 and back, then do a lateral lunge to 3 o’clock (anchor leg is straight) and back, then another lateral lunge to 4:30 (anchor leg straight again) and back, and then a regular (reverse) lunge back to 6 o’clock; switch to your leg leg and start at 12 o’clock again (then 10:30, 9, 7:30 and 6); repeat 3-5 rounds of the full clock.

8

Stabilize your core.

“When skiing, your upper body should be relatively stable as your lower body shifts left and right and rotates,” says Giersch. “Focus on similar, anti-rotation exercises. This dynamic stability will help you react and recover quickly when the mountain or another skier throws you off balance.”

Try: Superman Planks
Start in plank position on your hands; lift your right arm up as if asking a question in class, then return it to the ground; then lift your right leg off the ground without moving the rest of your body, then your left leg, then your right arm; once you’ve mastered the single-extremity lifts, progress to lifting your right arm and left leg simultaneously for a few seconds and alternate for reps or timed intervals.

Try: Chops and Lifts (with cable or medicine ball)
From a standing or half-kneeling position, remaining tall from tail-bone to the top of your head, shift a weighted cable or medicine ball diagonally from one hip to the opposite side of your body overhead (“lift”), or in the opposite diagonal direction from overhead down to the opposite hip (“chop”); do chops and lifts in both directions for reps or timed intervals

Try: Warding Patterns (with cable or partner)
Using either a weighed cable or manual resistance from a workout buddy, start in athletic stance with arms extended in front of you, hands together, shoulders down, and resist allowing the external force to pull you left, right, down, or up (depending on which way the cable or buddy is pulling/pushing); from this starting point, keep your arms and upper body stable while repeating simple foot patterns such as side steps, cross-over steps, external rotation steps or small shuffles; switch up the direction of the external force and repeat for reps or timed intervals.

 

By:  Cassie Shortsleeve
For original post, please visit:  http://q.equinox.com/articles/2015/01/skiing-workout?emlcid=EML-newsletters_2015_01_14&emacid=EMA-QWeekly-01141142015
Exercise, Rehabilitation, Sports

FIT BODY SECRETS: ANKLE MOBILITY

Master trainer Josh Stolz shows you how focusing on forgotten areas unlocks a fitter physique.

Monday, January 19, 2015 | Sheila Monaghan

“Let’s start with ankle mobility—your foot and ankle contain a relatively large percentage of bones in a relatively small area,” says Stolz, “so if there’s something that’s not moving correctly, it’s going to affect the rest of your body. More specifically, your foot creates internal rotation up into your hip, which lengthens the glute and allows you to propel forward. So if you’re lacking mobility in your arch and foot, you’re going to limit the movement up the chain, and that’s when your body gets out of balance and overworks certain areas.”

Stolz’s approach to mobility training breaks down to three phases: Melt, mold, and move. For each phase, he employs specific tools, too. How he explains it:

Melt: “I’m going to melt the connective tissue – basically roll it, massage it, and reduce the adhesions. This smooths out and helps hydrate the tissue.”
The Tools: ROLL Recovery R8, VYPER vibrating roller, Supernova
How They Help: The R8 may resemble a recycled Rollerblade, but it’s much more hardcore. “This tool allows you to move the tissue in multiple directions—I can rotate, I can add friction—and I can increase or decrease the pressure.” The VYPER vibrating roller is another gadget garnering serious buzz. “Vibration is being researched, but it is purported to increase range of motion and bone density. You can use different settings, too: 1 would be for recovery, post-workout, and 2 and 3 would be a faster movement better suited for pre-workout.” The Supernova is like a lacrosse ball for masochists, but Stolz likes it because of the notches, which allow you to create changes by manipulating your skin.

Mold: This phase furthers the hydration; Stolz favors the analogy of a sponge: “If I drop a sponge in water, it soaks up a certain amount of water. But if I squeeze the sponge, it pulls in more fluid, which, in terms of your body, hydrates tissue and also pulls in nutrients and oxygen.”
The Tool: Voodoo Bands
How It Helps: These bands, Stolz explains, offer an extremely easy way to increase range in motion—you can grip and pull, press, compress, and elongate tissue. They also help recycle and pull in fluid, oxygenate the tissue, and reduce pain by increasing the amount of nutrients coming into a specific area.

Move: “This is to stabilize the mobility you just obtained. In the Melt and Mold phases, you’ve increased range of motion and added more freedom of movement. Now, with Move, you want to be able to stabilize that extra range of motion to reduce injury risk.”
The Tool: Monster Bands
How It Helps: You’re likely familiar with this standard, but it’s incredibly useful for creating joint capsule flexilibilty, says Stolz. “Sometimes the joint capsule gets stuck, and that’s the root of the movement problem. But since you can’t stretch or foam roll in there, you need a way to manipulate.”

Stolz begins this three-part series with an ankle mobility workout, which he demonstrates in this slideshow. “These moves can be done as a set,” he says. “And it doesn’t hurt to do them every day.” For this workout’s Melt phase, Stolz recommends choosing one or two of the moves to start. And make sure you don’t rush. “When you’re rolling, think of covering one inch at a time for a minute or so,” says Stolz. “A regeneration day should be slow.”

Photographed by Mike Rosenthal; Gromming by Marina Gravini; Art Direction + Styled by Ashley Martin

R8 Ankle Mobility

Kneel, resting your left knee on a foam mat or yoga block, keeping your right knee bent 90 degrees. Using the R8 roller, slowly roll the length of your calf. This is best done in one-inch intervals, alternating directions (roll up and down, rotate and roll diagonally, and so on). Switch legs and repeat.

 

Sit with legs extended in front of you, palms flat on the floor. Place the VYPER above your right Achilles, then lift yourself slightly off the ground, resting your left ankle on your right. Slowly roll the VYPER from your Achilles to your calf; again, rolling in one-inch increments is best. Switch legs and repeat.

 

Retinaculum Ankle Mobility

On all fours, hands under shoulders and knees under hips, place the Supernova directly beneath the spot where your shin connects to your foot. Resting your leg there, slowly flex your toes up and down for one minute. Move the Supernova slightly up your leg and repeat. Add some circles of the foot in both directions. Switch legs and repeat.

 

Band-Assisted Ankle Mobility

Sit with legs extended in front of you, your left knee bent and left foot flat, palms flat on the floor. Secure the end of band around something solid, like the base of a machine, and loop around ankle and top of your right foot. Lift and rest your right calf on the handle of a kettlebell. Slowly flex your foot for one minute. Switch legs and repeat.

 

3D Flossing

Place a heavy weight plate on the ground in front of your feet (or use a slant board). Tightly wrap a Voodoo Floss band around your right calf and rest your right forefoot on the weight plate. Hinging from the waist, use both hands to wring or twist your calf as you lunge slightly forward until your knee is above your toes. Continue for one minute, moving up and down your calf. Quickly unwrap the band and repeat on opposite leg. Your leg should be wrapped for no longer than 90 seconds.

 

3D Band-Assisted Ankle Mobility

Place a heavy weight plate on the ground. Secure one end of a band to something sturdy, like a cable column or a machine, and wrap the other end around your right ankle. Step your left foot fully onto the weight plate, and rest your right forefoot on the weight’s edge. Hinge from the waist, holding onto something for support like an weight bench or 24-inch plyo box, and lunge slightly forward until your left knee is above your left toes. This movement should be in all planes of motion, so be sure to move forward and back, but also from side to side and in rotation in both directions. Continue for one minute and then switch legs.

 

Isotonic Weight Transfer

Prior to doing this move, perform an isometric contraction or hold in this position. Focus on driving the ball of the back foot into the ground with as much force as possible without moving the foot; these contractions should be held for about 5 seconds and repeated 2-3 times on each foot. Then, stand in a split stance, left leg forward, right leg back, keeping a slight bend in your knees. With a slight bounce in your step, lunge slightly forward to come up onto your right toes without lifting them off the ground, and back. This should be a very controlled movement. Repeat for one minute. Switch legs and repeat.

 

Dynamic Force Absorption

Stand in a split stance, left leg forward, right leg back, keeping a slight bend in your knees. With a slight bounce in your step, and without leaving this position, lunge slightly forward onto your left toes and then back, transferring your body weight between legs. Repeat for one minute and then switch legs.

 

For original post please see:  http://q.equinox.com/articles/2015/01/ankle-mobility

 

 

 

 

Nutrition

WHAT’S REALLY IN YOUR COFFEE?

benefits of coffee, coffee, beverage, teeth, health, body, brain, decaf coffee, Swiss Water Process, health benefits, health, q by equinox, what is in coffee

Surprising ingredients could be lurking in your morning mug. We asked experts to explain.

For a beverage whose devotees are called junkies, coffee has managed to earn a reputation as a veritable health food: In recent years, studies have found that coffee can do everything from boost your mood and sharpen your brain to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and certain cancers. A new Boston University study even found that drinking coffee can help protect your teeth from periodontal disease. 

But according to new research presented at the 248th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, there may be reason to call your cup of Joe into question. Researchers studied ground coffee and found additives like corn, barley, wheat, soybeans, rye, acai seeds, brown sugar and even twigs and sticks in the mixes. They say coffee suppliers are adding these fillers to combat drought-related shortages, particularly in regions like South America.
According to Emma Bladyka, coffee science manager at the Specialty Coffee Association of America, it’s actually normal for roasters to find things like stones and sticks in coffee shipments. “After the beans are picked, they’re spread out on large surfaces like a patio or tarp to be dried in the sun,” she says. “Because they’re exposed to the elements, it’s not uncommon to find things from the earth in the bag.” As for the other fillers, roasters in the U.S. usually catch them when the shipments arrive—they use magnets and other filters to sort out any unwanted objects. Brazilian researchers are also working on a new way to test for coffee impurities that they say will be 95 percent accurate.
Decaf coffee has also been criticized over the years because of concerns about the chemicals used to remove the caffeine. Coffee is decaffeinated in one of four ways: using chemical solvents such as methylene chloride and ethyl acetate, carbon dioxide, or water (also known as the Swiss Water Process).
Certain purists like Dave Asprey, founder of Bulletproof coffee, argue that it’s best to stay away from decaf coffee that’s made with chemical solvents. “The chemicals may not kill you,” he says. But he cites symptoms like headaches, brain fog, and stomach issues as reasons to steer clear.
His M.O.: Sip regular coffee, and limit the caffeine by sticking to a small cup. Otherwise, look for decaf coffee brands that say they’ve been made using the Swiss Water Process.
But Bladyka says all of these methods are safe—even those that involve chemical solvents. “The FDA has approved these compounds for decaffeination and has set limits on the amount of allowable chemical residue,” she explains. “Most blends have less than one part per million, which is not cause for concern.”

http://q.equinox.com/articles/2014/11/whats-in-your-coffee?emlcid=EML-newsletters_2014_11_5&emacid=EMA-1105QWeekly1152014
Exercise, Nutrition

WHY HEALTH DOESN’T HAVE TO BE HEREDITARY

Health, Genetics, Hereditary, PNAS study, Add years to your life, stop stress, lifestyle, longevity, metabolism,

WHY HEALTH DOESN’T HAVE TO BE HEREDITARY

Think it’s all in the genes? Science says you have more control than you think.

In the not-so-distant past, certain factors related to overall health were thought to be uncontrollable. Immune response, longevity, a quick metabolism, and your reaction to stress were hard-wired: out of your hands no matter how much you exercised or how well you ate. Until now.

New research is demonstrating that controlling the “uncontrollables”—adding years to your life, and modulating how your autonomic nervous system reacts to stressful scenarios—is doable. Just as moving all day, staying hydrated, and explosive exercises can help keep your metabolism in check, the other “uncontrollables” in your life can also be impacted. Here’s how to:

Ward Off Illness
In a recent PNAS study, researchers trained some people in breathing and meditation practices, leaving others with no training. Later, researchers injected everyone with bacteria known to cause flu-like symptoms. What they found was amazing: The people who were trained experienced less flu-like symptoms, and actually produced more epinephrine—suppressing their immune response.

“Our goal was to investigate whether it is possible to voluntarily influence the autonomic nervous system and immune response using this set of techniques,” explains Matthijs Kox, MSc, and the study’s author. “We have proven that this is indeed possible.”

How to take control: Kox says that he cannot yet make claims about replicating these results for yourself—or what doing so could mean: “The next question is if there could be a health benefit in any way using these techniques,” he says. What we do know: Both meditation and breathing techniques (Kox says that it was likely the breathing that had the most profound effects on the trained men) have been shown to calm stress levels, boost your mood, and fend off disease. In fact, recent research in the Annals of Family Medicine found that people who followed a meditation practice for 8 months got sick far less than those on an 8-month cardio routine.

Add Years to Your Life
A long, healthy life may run in grandpa’s genes, but research increasingly points to the idea that certain physical performance tests can help to predict longevity, explains Michael Joyner, M.D., and an exercise physiology expert at the Mayo Clinic. Start simple. Joyner cites a recent Brazilian study of about 2,000 people: The easier it is for you to pick yourself up off of the ground (going from sitting to standing without using your hands), the longer you’ll likely live.

How to take control: The equation for exercise doesn’t need to be complicated. And starting with your own bodyweight is still smart. Push(-up) and pull(-up): A BMJstudy found that high muscular strength (which researchers addressed through handgrip tests) was linked to a 20 to 35 percent lower risk of early death from cardiovascular disease—regardless of BMI or blood pressure.

Stop Stress
In a recent (and remarkable) Princeton University study by Elizabeth Gould, mice were split into two groups: one with unlimited access to a running wheel and one that remained sedentary. Then six weeks later, all the mice were put in cold water to induce stress. The differences in brain activity were profound: The mice that hadn’t worked out showed an immediate stress response—an increase in genes that turn on quickly when a neuron “fires.” The fit mice, on the other hand, showed an uptick in “inhibitory neurons”—ones that keep these “excitable” neurons in check. Why this matters: The area of the brain where all of this activity was noticed is where anxiety lives.

How to take control: Make sweating a habit. In Gould’s study, the running mice didn’t run the entire day before the cold bath. What that means: The effect of exercise on the brain wasn’t short-lived—it was built upon. And while extrapolating results from mice to the brains of humans can be a stretch, other data has suggested that an active lifestyle is linked to bigger brains in humans—and even dampened stress responses. Help build the habit by spending time doing something you enjoy; associating stress relievers with fun makes you more likely to go back to them, research shows.

 

http://q.equinox.com/articles/2014/07/control-the-uncontrollables?emlcid=EML-newsletters_2014_07_16&emacid=EMA-0716QWeekly7162014
Exercise

5 SIMPLE WAYS TO LIFT MORE WEIGHT

 

5 (SIMPLE) WAYS TO LIFT MORE WEIGHT

There is such a thing as free strength. Push through your plateau with these easy techniques.

Can you lift more without getting stronger? Matt Berenc, certified strength and conditioning specialist and director of the Equinox Fitness Training Institute in Beverly Hills, thinks so. “Lifting heavier is not only about building muscle,” he says. “It’s also about mastering the skills of strength.” Berenc teaches his clients simple techniques that prime the nervous system to participate more fully in each lift, allowing the muscles to work harder. His top five:

 

1 – Crush The Bar

Before you start a lift, grip the bar or dumbbells extremely hard. “Imagine trying to leave your fingerprints on the metal,” Berenc says. This will stimulate nerve endings in the hand, sending a message up the arm to the shoulders and the brain that effectively says, “Get ready for a big effort.” The technical term for this strength-boosting effect is “irradiation.”

2 – Clap Your Hands

A second way to exploit irradiation for free strength is by smacking your palms together (hard enough that it stings a bit) before you grip the bar. This technique also works by stimulating nerve endings in the hands and is useful for any of the major strength lifts.

3 – Tense Everything

When you’re doing multi-joint movements such as deadlifts and pull-ups, think about creating maximum tension throughout your entire body—even seemingly irrelevant parts like your calf muscles. Known as “total body tension,” this technique boosts lifting performance by bringing every available muscle fiber into the movement and puts your nervous system on high alert. It also creates a solid foundation or point of stability for the working muscles to pull from.

4 – Breathe Right

Believe it or not, even your breathing can be a source of free strength. “Your breath is the first point of stability for any lift,” Berenc says. “Proper breathing provides a more stable platform by creating intra-abdominal pressure.” Correct breathing is diaphragmatic breathing. Inhale from the belly (imagine “pooching” your tummy) right before starting the lift. Exhale forcefully as you start to move the weight.

5 – Get Alignment

The alignment of your body segments affects performance in many lifts, especially those where you are under the weight, such as a barbell squat. Poor alignment sends a danger message to the brain, limiting motor output to the working muscles. Good alignment sends a message to go for it. According to Berenc, you don’t have to work with a personal trainer to improve alignment. You can make progress on your own by experimenting with slightly different foot placements and selecting the combination of foot separation and external rotation that makes you feel that you “own” the lift. Start with an unweighted bar and then add weight as you gain confidence.

Chiropractic can undoubtedly assist with your biomechanical work in the gym or with any type of fitness activity you may be doing.  

A Chiropractor is a doctor who specializes in the detection of spinal misalignments. These misalignments are found in the bones of the spine (vertebrae) and are called subluxations. When vertebrae become subluxated, interference is created in the body’s tissues (ie. muscles, heart, lungs, stomach, immune system, bones, etc…). These spinal mis-alignments can cause a distortion in the body’s nervous system, and may be expressed as many different symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, sore throats, low back pain, colic, indigestion, asthma, etc…

In order to treat these complaints, a Chiropractor uses a specific and specialized hands on treatment called a Chiropractic Adjustment. The purpose of the adjustment is to remove any nervous interference caused by the mis-alignment, restoring the body’s nervous system to its optimal level and enabling the body to restore its health. The wellness aspect of Chiropractic focuses on the maintenance and restoration of bodily functions (like regular tune ups for you car) thereby minimizing symptoms and optimizing health.