Keeping Inflammation at Bay

According to the CDC, "an estimated 50 million adults in the United States reported being told by a doctor that they have some form of arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, lupus, or fibromyalgia... and By 2030, an estimated 67 million Americans ages 18 years or older are projected to have doctor-diagnosed arthritis."

....Woah!


Whether this applies directly to you or not, you can surely relate to having stiff or achy joints, tendonitis, bursitis, or simply feeling "puffy". Many have long suspected that excluding certain food groups from your diet may help to alleviate inflammation symptoms. Here's the beauty in all of this... there's really no risk in trying. 

The following are some suspected culprits of inducing inflammation:

Nightshade Plants

Plants which are part of the "Nightshade" family contain a chemical alkaloid called solanine, which can trigger pain in some people. There is no formal research findings to support the claim that these cause inflammation, but avoiding these plants is widely regarded as a holistic approach to inflammation and pain management associated with arthritis and fibromyalgia. Understanding that dietary changes will often affect individuals in different ways is extremely important. Most sources recommend cutting out night shade plants for 2-3 weeks and observing the results for yourself. If it works, you've found some relief. If nothing changes... have eggplant parm for dinner the next night?

Try avoiding the following for 2-3 weeks:

Eggplant

Tomatoes

Peppers

Potatoes

(Surprisingly ok: sweet potatoes!)

Dairy

Dairy allergies are caused by an overreaction of the immune system to the whey and casein proteins found in cow's milk. Because your immune system sees the proteins as dangerous, the body produces histamine and other chemicals to attack the allergen which in turn causes inflammation. The tissue between your joints becomes inflamed, placing pressure on the surrounding areas, which causes pain.

 On a personal note, I have always been a big "fan" of dairy products. I was raised on a big glass of milk every day, and continued on that path up until one year ago. I temporarily cut out dairy to prove to a friend of mine (another personal trainer) that dairy was not adversely affecting me. The bummer was, I felt GREAT once I cut it out. I also cut out processed carbohydrates at the same time, which no doubt helped as well. I dropped a cool 7lbs in a few weeks. I have since added some dairy back into my diet (I love it too much!), but have cut back considerably. Before you start chastising me about calcium, it can be found in such a wide range of non-dairy products that it is simply a non-issue.

From the New York State Department of Health:

http://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/conditions/osteoporosis/pyramid.htm

So What CAN I Eat?

• Aim for variety (make your plate as colorful as possible, that's always a good place to start)
• Include as much fresh food as possible.
• Minimize your consumption of processed foods and fast food.
• Eat an abundance of fruits and vegetables.
• Get your recommended daily amount of fiber (between 20-35g depending on age and gender).

(These should be no-brainers!)

Some foods and spices to try adding to your diet:

Omega 3 Fats (Fish Oil -- Salmon, is great)

Spices like Cumin, Cayenne Pepper, Turmeric, Cinnamon

Almonds, Hazelnuts and Brazil Nuts 

Garlic

Ginger

These spices and foods have been rumored to have anti-inflammatory properties and can easily be added into your daily routine. Cinnamon is great in coffee and has been used around the world to treat issues ranging from indigestion to menstrual cramps, may help regulate blood sugar, lower LDL cholesterol, and may increase cognition and improve memory. 

Seriously, just sprinkle some in your coffee already!

Closing Thoughts

If inflammation, pain, arthritis, joint aches, or fibromyalgia are a concern for you, or if you're simply interested in exploring some new dietary options, there is not much to lose with a short experiment in food group exclusion. Three weeks is not a long time in the grand scheme of things. Worst comes to worst, you cave in and eat that grilled cheese sandwich, right?

Helpful Links:

Center for Food Allergies

http://www.centerforfoodallergies.com/

LiveStrong.com

http://www.livestrong.com/article/437115-dairy-products-that-cause-joint-inflammation-pain/

Arthritis Nightshades Research Foundation

http://www.noarthritis.com/

New York State Department of Health: Calcium Sources

http://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/conditions/osteoporosis/pyramid.htm

5 Tips for Keeping your New Year's Resolution

1. Be Realistic
Setting the bar too high can set you up for failure right out of the gate. Assess your current situation and make goals that are attainable. Sure, you'll often hear me say nothing is impossible. Could you do a Couch-to-Marathon rally? Sure, it's possible, but is it probable? If the answer is yes then by all means, cash in your gift cards for some new sneakers. It's important to be honest with yourself.

This is Mt. Everest. Maybe not a realistic goal.

(If climbing Everest is your goal, I apologize...)

2.Tell Everyone
Everyone! Tell your friends, family, co-workers. Find an online forum and tell everyone on there too. This is a perfect opportunity to tell all your Facebook friends something that perhaps they didn't care to know (payback for all those times you read about what someone else had for lunch).

If your goal is a certain event - maybe a 5k Fun Run, maybe a Triathlon or anything in between, consider raising funds for a charity. Knowing that others are counting on you will help you stay motivated and on track. I competed in the 2010 Lobsterman Triathlon and raised money for the AFSP (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention). Knowing those donations were riding on my participation kept me honest all summer long during my training, and even helped me through the toughest parts of the race. In the end, everybody wins (except maybe your legs for the next 2 days).

Friends and family will not only hold you accountable, but if you're surrounded by the right kind of people, they'll also support you through whatever goal you choose.

3.Find a Buddy
...which brings me to my next point - don't go it alone! Commit to a goal and commit to someone else. Bodybuilding.com has some Helpful Tips For Choosing the Right Workout Partner. You can motivate each other through the entire process.

Picture it: It's a cold snowy February night. 7:15pm. You've been home from work for a few hours, dinner was served and enjoyed. Kids are settled in. Spouse is gearing up for some Must-See-TV. Do you really feel like going to the gym or to that class you signed up for? There's a serious chance you do not, but your workout buddy is already in her car on her way and you can NOT leave her hanging!

Tip - not all friends make good training partners. If you know you will enable each other to take a night off, pick a different partner, or make it a trio with someone who will keep both of you honest.

p.s. Babies and dogs don't count!

4.Write a Plan - Set Checkpoints and Deadlines
We all know it's true - by March chances are you've completely fallen off the resolution bandwagon. Maybe April 1st is the perfect time to schedule that 5k? (hint hint: Run for the Troops 5k Run/Walk is scheduled for Sunday April 1st, 2012 in Andover... and Oxygen's getting a team together).

Weight loss goals? Mark dates on your calendar - have someone hold you to monthly weigh ins and measurements to keep you on your toes.

If you leave your goal to "this summer" or "this fall" it will quickly turn into "next summer" and "next fall".

5. Plan a Reward
There are a few rules here. If your goal is weight loss related, please refrain from a food-related goal! It seems logical in a way, but as many of you know my opinion on dietary changes revolves heavily around sustainable lifestyle changes and not crazy one-time diets where you lose a crap-ton of weight and then gain it all back after your "reward" trip to the all-you-can-eat chocolate buffet at the Langham Hotel in Boston.

Perhaps there is a certain piece of clothing that you would love to wear if you were to meet your weight loss goal?

Maybe there is an active vacation you'd like to take if only you had the endurance and stamina.

Make it something truly enjoyable!

Oh... and you'd think this would be a given (but trust me people, I've heard it all): if you don't meet your goal you don't get the reward!!

Pilates for All Ages

Pilates is appropriate for all ages and ability levels. We accept children as young as 13 in all group classes (with parental permission), and we take on clients of absolutely any age into private training sessions. Owner and main instructor Amy Langone has experience with children in fitness starting at the pre-school level and has worked personally with clients above and beyond 80 years of age. Please see her credentials on our website for details on her experience with special issues, injuries, and ailments. 

Balanced Body Pilates recently published an article to their website, www.pilates.com written by Ken Endleman, CEO and founder of Balanced Body Pilates outlining concerns of growing obesity rates in children in the US. The article is titled Pilates & Our Children : Fitness for the Future:

“The health of today's children is compromised by a culture of convenience and increasingly sedentary activity. Eating fast food, watching TV and playing video games has become habitual while a nutritious diet and physical activity is on the downslide. (…)

Concerned parents are now looking at exercise programs for their children in an effort to keep them fit and set them up for a lifetime of good health. (…)

A rigorous exercise regimen, however, may not be beneficial for young children and could even be harmful. The concern stems from the fact that a young child's developing skeletal frame cannot handle the demanding forms of exercise in more aerobic-oriented or cardiovascular programs. For these children, a safer, healthier, low-impact workout is needed such as Pilates.”

Pilates can also be especially helpful as an addition to a current training routine for student athletes in any sport - baseball, football, tennis, lacross, track and field, cycling, golf, wrestling, basketball and gymnastics, among many others. The argument that Pilates is for girls is almost not worth bringing up anymore. Take a moment (or have your teenage son take a moment) to search through recent media publications for prominent male athletes who utilize Pilates in their training routines and you'll see just how common it is.

Now, on the other end of the age spectrum, I cannot tell you how often I hear the excuse that someone is “too old” to start something like Pilates or Yoga. This is among the more frustrating excuses I hear, as it arguably becomes exponentially more important for older adults to stay active and maintain the basic range of motion that Pilates and Yoga exercises emphasize. 

In another article featured on the Balanced Body website, Ken Endelman elaborates on the undeniable benefits Pilates can hold for older adults. Whether it’s for balance, coordination, posture, surgical rehab, or just to keep them moving, there is scarcely an argument against it. Here is an excerpt from the article: Pilates and Older Adults: A Gentler, Effective Way to Stay Fit:

"Pilates for older adults, particularly on a Reformer (resistance-based equipment with springs and ropes connected to a sliding padded carriage) is wonderful because it is a relatively light resistance as opposed to some gym equipment, where even the lightest weight on the rack might be too much for them," says Beth Williams, a physical therapist at Dynamic Movement in Reno, Nevada.

Increased control and stability is crucial for older adults as it can help them improve much of their functional movement, including balance and posture. "As people get older, they can lose some of their balance and coordination. Pilates increases strength and flexibility in both the core and the legs, which positively affects balance. This, along with basic fitness benefits, can help them reduce the risk of falls," says Herman. "And Pilates is also a good way for older adults to rehab from surgical procedures like a hip replacement or knee surgery."

 Here are two photographs of Joseph Pilates himself. As you can see marked on the photo, on the left he is 57 years old, and on the right he is 82 years old.

If you or someone you know is looking for a specialized Pilates regimen, please contact the studio today. Initial consultations are free of charge and obligation.

60 Day Challenge - The Male Perspective on Pilates and Yoga

At the beginning of October, my husband Andrew set out on a 60 challenge (self imposed, I must add). The schedule was to be as follows for two months:

Sunday Morning - 10am Pilates Mat with Amy

Tuesday Evening - 5:30pm Pilates Reformer with Amy

Thursday Evening - 7:30pm Vinyasa Yoga with Erica

Friday Morning - 7am Pilates Reformer with Amy

You'll note the Sunday morning mat class is not on the Oxygen class schedule... this is an extra special class offered on our living room floor while our dog Vincent foils Andrew's every exercise attempt by curling up on the mat behind, beside or in front of him. Vincent particularly enjoys pestering during planks and push ups. 

At the beginning of his program, Andrew and I discussed some of the preconceptions he had about exclusively doing Pilates and Yoga and not participating in a traditional weight training program at the same time (preconceptions that most men tend to share). Specifically, we addressed how the muscles would change with Pilates and Yoga - that we would not be building muscle size, per-say, but would instead improve muscle strength, function and flexibility collectively. 

We recorded his measurements (chest, waist, hips) as well as fit test results (push ups, sit ups, chin ups, sit and reach, plank hold), to be compared with measurements and a fit test after 60 days of the program.

After the first week, Andrew reported significant muscle soreness throughout most of the body. Different muscles from usual. He did remark however, that he still felt like he needed to work out -- that because he wasn't doing a typical weight training routine that he somehow was not doing "enough". He knew he was sore and had worked out plenty, but the change in routine was something to get used to. 

Side Arm Press on the Reformer

After the second week, he reported that he was feeling more comfortable with the exercises, particularly on the reformer. For most men, the spring settings are different than for the average woman, as men tend to have more upper body strength. The foot bar is also positioned differently for his height. The first week we spent more time figuring out the correct settings, the second week we were able to ramp up the workouts a bit more. 

After the third week, the muscle soreness was lessening from Reformer and Pilates Mat, but the flexibility challenges of yoga still remained. He reported that he could really feel how much his body needed this type of exercise, even though he still felt that he should be doing "more" (push ups, chin ups, etc). 

As we enter into the fourth week, the classes have very much become a part of his weekly routine. We both take yoga together on Thursday nights with Erica and we not only enjoy the solid workout, the relaxation that we feel at the end, but also the time spent together.

The only workout missed so far was Reformer on November 1st, due to a leg injury sustained moving downed tree branches on the road after a Halloween party (see pictures below). 

Richard Simmons and Gene Simmons

Tree Limb Blocking Rt. 133 in Pepperell, MA

So just about halfway through the 60 day challenge, Andrew already feels that he will keep Pilates and Yoga as part of his workout rotation. He will begin weight training and running again, but he will aim to continue 1 yoga class per week, and one reformer or mat class per week going forward. 

So what's your challenge? The holidays are fast approaching, get a jump on it this year!

Pilates, Yoga, Resistance and Cardio... is there time for it all?

I've never felt as fit as when I've incorporated these four types of exercise consistently into my routine.

I can hear you now... who has time for all that? Most people do. Most people think they don't, but they do.

"Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness."
Edward Stanley, Earl of Derby (1826-93), British statesman.


The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) recommends the following on a weekly basis:

75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity (jogging, running, etc) and muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, shoulders and arms)

So let's split that up and see what we can get. The following is one example...

Monday
25 minute jog (Cardio)

Tuesday
55 minute Pilates Reformer Class (Resistance)

Wednesday
25 minute jog (Cardio)

Thursday
55 minute Yoga Class (Yoga)

Friday
25 minute jog (Cardio)

Saturday
55 minute Pilates Mat Class (Pilates)

Sunday
Rest

Now, you might say to yourself, I want more than just one day of rest. What if you live fairly close to your studio or gym? You could do a 10-12 minute jog to and from a class, be it Yoga, Mat, or Reformer and bam, there is 1/3 of your cardio for the week and you have an extra day off. Maybe jog (or ride your bike) to and from three classes a week and now you have 4 days off! ...and you save on gas!

Perhaps you prefer Reformer over mat, or mat over reformer - that's ok too. Pilates Reformer is double duty - core work and resistance training all in one. Ever tried Jumpboard before? Triple threat - cardio, resistance and core all in one. Many Barre workouts also incorporate cardio, core and flexibility all in one. You could even just stick to mat based classes and opt to do traditional weight training at home or at the local gym. The key is figuring out what works for you. What can you stick to? Can you create a routine that can last for you?

Pilates and Cardiovascular Fitness

An excerpt from www.Health.org regarding Pilates and Cardiovascular health:
"A November 2005 study commissioned by the American Council on Exercise has debunked claims that it also boosts cardiovascular fitness. Researchers monitored the heart rates and oxygen consumption--standard measures of aerobic exertion--of 15 healthy young women as they performed a beginner, then an advanced, Pilates mat routine. While the women's perceived exertion was relatively high, their aerobic response stayed below the level required to glean a cardiovascular benefit. That makes Pilates a complement to--but not a substitute for--aerobic exercise."

 The site later references interval training as an acceptable means to improving cardiovascular health:
"Interval training: This type of workout involves alternating bursts of intense activity with periods of a more relaxed pace. Doing so prevents lactic acid, a waste product of muscular activity, from reaching levels that make exercise painful and exhausting."

Enter the Jump Board.

The Jump Board is an attachment for the Reformer that transforms the foot bar area into a larger padded platform. With light spring resistance, laying on your back, you can "jump" horizontally, without having your own body weight bear down on your joints. Jumping jacks, split jumps, lateral jumps, and mogul jumps are just the tip of the iceberg. Normally exercises that would pound on your knees and back are suddenly not only possible, but not painful, and still challenging!


A typical Jump Board class would consist of cardio intervals of "jumping" split up by intervals of upper body work, abdominal exercises, and other leg exercises. Classes are specially designed to keep your heart rate up while you work your entire body. 


Come try a class and see what the buzz is about!

4 Motions You Should Do Every Day For the Rest of Your Life

As we get busier, older, tighter, weaker… our bodies start to show it. The classic posture: shoulders rounded forward, tight lower back, head forward.

Yikes!

So maybe you’re not participating actively in a fitness routine. Maybe you have a gym membership and you never go. Maybe you are super active but only train the muscles that you think will make you look good. Wherever you are at in your fitness journey, here are 4 movements you should do every day so that you don’t end up looking like Larry up there.

1. Thoracic Extension

This is a fancy name for exercising your upper back muscles. The muscles that have gotten longer and weaker as we’ve abused them, ever so passively, by driving, typing, and slouching on the couch for 12 hours a day, ever day, for the last who knows how many years.

Begin face down (prone, as we call it fitness land). Legs comfortably apart behind you, hands under your forehead. Without pushing your belly into the ground, and without tilting your head back, lift your head, chest and palms 2 inches off the floor. Hold it for 5 seconds, return to the ground. Repeat about 5 times.

2. Lumbar Flexion

Another fancy pants word. Lumbar (lower back) flexion releases pressure on the spine, stretches the tight muscles, and strengthens the lower abdominal muscles.

Sit up with feet in front, knees, bent, hands across your shoulders. Sit tall. Really tall. Sit so tall you feel your back muscles working. Making your lower back as round as you can, start to roll yourself backwards, maybe only about 1/3 of the way down. Sit back up tall, and repeat about 5 times.

3. Rotation

Sitting cross-legged, as tall as you can. Hands behind head, elbows wide. Keep both cheeks on the ground, exhale as you rotate from the waist up to one side, and then to the other, not allowing the hips or legs to move. Try 5 in each direction.

                     

4. Side Bending

Still sitting cross-legged, as tall as you can, with hands behind head. Keep both cheeks on the ground and exhale as you side bend in one direction. Don’t lean forward or back, just bend (like a little tea pot). Try 5 to each side.

That’s all folks! If nothing else, keep your body moving in a variety of directions EVERY DAY, whether you’re 25, 45, 65 or 85 years old. Use it or lose it.

p.s. You can do the first two motions in bed before you get up, and the last two motions sitting in your office chair. No excuses!

Pilates for Men

 

"Often men who have been accustomed to work hard on a farm or play hard in school athletics or labor hard in a factory, continue eating hearty meals they then ate even though now they are engaged only in sedentary indoor occupation where moderate meals are indicated." 

- Joseph Pilates

Amazing, even 66 years ago, Joe hit the nail right on the head.

According to a story published by CNBC in March of 2010, the annual Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association’s Sports Fitness and Recreation Participation Overview listed Pilates as the fastest growing activity in the country. "With 8.6 million Americans participating in ’09, it’s up 456 percent since 2000."

The rise of Pilates popularity in the last 20 years has made the method appear decidedly "feminine". Most studios gear their marketing toward women, and men sometimes assume that it's just not for them, because there are no free weights involved. The truth is, Pilates was developed by a man - Joseph Pilates early in the 20th Century. Joseph originally called his method of movement Contrology, and published his book Return to Life Through Contrology in 1945.

While a typical mat class would not use free weights, the method is designed to build both strength and flexibility together - stability and mobility. You've seen that guy in the gym with the jug of water and the TAPOUT sweatshirt on - he can't lift his arms over his head, can he? I'm not knocking it, but at some point, traditional weight training can be wonderfully supplemented by Pilates (and Yoga for that matter). 

If you think MMA fighters aren't incorporating exercises like Pilates core moves into their workouts, you're in denial. Fighters Diego Sanchez, as well as both Nogueira brothers have been rumored to incorporate both Pilates and Yoga into their routines. There is no doubt others do as well, though it's likely just called a "core routine" in the gym to save face. 

Don't follow MMA? A few names like Curt Schilling, Jason Kidd, Tiger Woods, and Ruben Brown might ring a bell. Yup, they have all cited Pilates as an integral part of their training routines.

Grab your gym shorts and tube socks and get your ass down here. 

www.OxygenMindandBody.com

Our schedule is online, first class is free.

Abdominal Triple Threat: Twisting, Crunching, Pulling In

Many people assume we all have a muscle in our stomach area called the "abs". What they are, what they connect to and how they work - we don't really care, we just want them to be flat, tight, and sexy.

The truth is, the abdominal muscles are a bit more complex. We have several layers that all have different jobs. To work each layer, you need to know the muscles and what each one does. Keep in mind, these are the basics:

The Rectus Abdominus - the top layer, the we want to look like a six pack, the "situation".
The Rectus Abdominus makes you crunch.

Kneeling Abdominals 

External and Internal Obliques - collectively called the Obliques.
The Obliques make you twist.
(Fine print/Anatomy disclaimer: The internal and external obliques are far more complex than this - they also make you side bend and crunch as well, but for simplicity's sake, we're saying "twisting" for now). 

Twisting Roll Backs

 

 

Kneeling Spine Twist

Transverse Abdominus - the deepest layer, the "girdle" - keeps everything pulled in tight where it belongs.
The Transverse Abs make you suck in.

Long Stretch (featured in the previous post)

Ok, so here's the catch. All of these exercises actually work all of the layers, but each one has a different focus. Doing only one type of abdominal exercise will not a washboard stomach make.

So, to target all of these layers, we can't just do crunches all day long. Please don't walk around bragging that you do 1,000 crunches ever day. One, you won't make any friends, two, you're probably not doing them correctly, and three, you need more variety!

A Parting Word on Flat Abs, Definition, and Fat Reduction
Unless you are doing some serious cardiovascular exercise, and following a solid nutrition plan along with these types of exercises, you may not see too much happen in the mirror. You WILL get stronger, you WILL prevent lower back issues, but the abs you see on TV don't happen without hard work - in the gym, and in the kitchen.

The Reformer... What IS it?

I know, I know. It looks like a medieval torture device. You will find in a few short sessions, or maybe even just one session, the amazing things it can do for your workout routine. It's one of the most popular pieces of Pilates equipment, and despite it's recent rise to fame, has been around for over 60 years!

The Reformer is an 8 foot long machine that rests either on the floor or more traditionally, is raised up off the ground and includes a wooden support base. Our Reformers, pictured below, are a contemporary take developed by Balanced Body to be more convenient in spaces that require movable equipment - like ours!

The "carriage", or the mat space that you sit, lay or stand on, glides back and forth along the rails against the resistance of five metal springs of varying resistance. Depending on the exercise, the resistance can be raised or lowered.

Some exercises are made more difficult by adding resistance.

Foot Work:
The legs push on the foot bar against the resistance to move the carriage back and forth. It's very similar to a squat or a leg press, but with primary focus on keeping the spine, pelvis, knees and ankles aligned and the core engaged.

Other exercises are made more difficult by lessening the resistance.

Long Stretch:
The resistance springs help keep the carriage close to the foot bar. By taking springs away, the body has to work much harder to control the carriage. Remember that ab wheel that's stored in the basement that you roll in and out of a plank position? Yeah, it's like that, but way cooler.

Think you can handle it? Call or email us today to set up your complimentary Reformer orientation. We'll figure out the settings that work best for you so that next time you want to hop in a class, you're ready to go!

 
www.oxygenmindandbody.com
oxygenmindandbody@gmail.com
978-475-1529