How To Pick Running Shoes

Different companies market all sorts of running “necessities”.  It really doesn’t matter much what clothes you run in, what brand socks you choose or what watch you wear.  The most important thing is running shoes.  The right running shoe can improve performance, and can be the difference between a pain-free run and a debilitating injury.

The first thing to determine is on which type of terrain you generally run.  Road running shoes are designed for pavement.  They work well for other hard packed surfaces like dirt roads or well maintained trails also.  These types of shoes are flexible and provide cushioning for the repetitive foot strikes on hard, relatively even surfaces. If most of your runs take you off-road and on uneven terrain, trail running shoes may be more appropriate for you.  These shoes will offer more stabilization and support as you navigate through rocks, roots, and other obstacles.  Trail running shoes will not be as light or flexible as those used on the roads.

The next thing to determine is your stride type and the extent to which you pronate. Largely misunderstood, some pronation in the foot is normal.  Pronation refers to the way the foot rolls through its’ range of motion from initial heel strike to toe off.  Once initial heel contact with the ground is made, the foot should roll inward about 15% and at the end of the gait cycle, the push off happens evenly with the front of the foot. This is called normal pronation and offers the most efficient shock absorption. 

Not everyone has this desired normal pronation though, which compromises the efficiency of the shock absorption.  With overpronation, the foot will roll inward more than the ideal 15%, causing pressure to be unevenly distributed across the foot.  The ankles roll inward and the big toe is forced to absorb most of the force as you push off.  Overpronation is common for those with low arches.

When the foot rolls in less than 15%, it is called underpronation and results in the forces of the foot strike being concentrated in smaller areas and, once again, distributing shock inefficiently.  Here, the weight stays on the outside of the foot through the entire range of motion.  Any deviation from that optimal 15% inward roll decreases the efficiency of shock absorption thereby increasing risk of injury.

The right type of shoe matters greatly in reducing this risk. If you have an ideal stride, a neutral shoe will be appropriate for you.  Arch support in the running shoe can help decrease the inward roll for the overpronater. Having extra stability and motion control in the shoes can help support the arch as well.  For underpronaters, extra cushioning can be helpful to aid in shock absorption.

A decent running store will be able to find the shoe you need. It’s important to not bargain shop for running shoes in a department store.  You will pay a little more for a shoe from a running store, but it’s worth it to know you’ve got the right pair.  An educated store employee should put you on the treadmill to assess your stride type if you’re unsure of which kind to get.  The treadmill test will only take a few minutes and should be completed with shoes on.   Some places test runners barefoot, but the stride will be significantly different without shoes on.

While spending a hundred dollars for a pair of running shoes may seem a little excessive, it’s not as expensive as treating an injury caused by improper footwear.  

Fad Diets

With summer just around the corner, I know many people will be trying to lose weight.   A popular and seemingly “quick fix” are fad diets.  They are all over the place. Whether they are low-carb, low fat, low-calorie, they all promise the same result: rapid weight loss.   The premise is simple, follow this diet, cut fat, carbs, or whatever the particular diet requires and you’ll lose weight in no time.   It seems too good to be true, and by the millions, people embark on these unreasonable and unhealthy diets, wanting the results they’ve been promised. 

The truth is, these fad diets don’t work.  If they did, there would only be one of them, and we’d all be on it.  Diets that restrict certain foods or food groups are not only ineffective, but harmful to the body. 

Carbohydrates are essential for the body, yet low-carb diets restrict you to eating as little of them as possible.  Carbohydrates are your body’s main source of energy; they are your main fuel source that’s used by the entire body including the central nervous system, brain and heart.   There are two types of carbohydrates: simple, and complex.  Simple carbohydrates are your candies, cookies, white breads…while complex carbohydrates are your whole grain foods like oatmeal and wheat bread.  As I’m sure you can guess, the complex ones are the ones you want to be eating more of. They take more time to digest so you feel full longer and they provide the body with essential nutrients.   Simple carbs are digested much more quickly and you soon will be craving more.

Low fat diets are also unhealthy.  Like carbohydrates, fats are essential for the body to function properly, but, as with carbs, its’ important to know which fats are better to eat than others.  For weight loss, and overall health, it’s important to know the difference between the types of fats.  Fat makes up about 60% of the brain and is crucial to its function. Fats are responsible for keeping the heart beating in a normal rhythm.  Fat insulates and protects nerves, helping to increase their transmission speed.  Even your lungs rely on fats to work properly. That being said, there are several different types of fat. 

·         Monounsaturated:  these are your plant oils like canola, peanut, olive etc, and also includes avocados and almonds.  People whose diet contains monounsaturated fats tend to have lower risk of cardiovascular disease. This type of fat contains omega-6 fatty acids which provide all sorts of benefits to the body. They are necessary for growth but, since the body is unable to produce them, they must be obtained in the diet.

·         Polyunsaturated: these are your soybeans, and fish like tuna and salmon.  Polyunsaturated fats have omega-3 fatty acids which are very similar to omega-6.  This type of fat helps to lower risk for heart disease and cancer.

·         Saturated: this type of fat comes from animal products like red meat and dairy products.  Too much saturated fat raises your LDL (bad) cholesterol and increases risk of coronary artery disease.

·         Trans: Trans fats are man-made. Adding trans fat (also called partially hydrogenated oils) to food, increases their shelf life.  You find trans fats in processed foods like cookies crackers, fried foods, etc.  trans fats are very dangerous as our body cant digest it so it clogs the arteries increasing your risk for cardiovascular disease. It also increases your LDL (bad) cholesterol while lowering your HDL (good) cholesterol.

Low calorie diets give the dieters an unhealthy fear of consuming calories. As emphasized above, calories from different food groups are essential to the body for so many reasons, yet many people starve themselves in an effort to lose weight quickly. When you deprive the body of the nutrients and calories it needs, you won’t lose weight. In fact, many people actually gain weight.  When the body isn’t getting enough calories, the metabolism shuts down.  Your body is trying to hold on to every calorie to prevent starvation.  A slower metabolism means you’re burning fewer calories. Severely cutting your caloric intake will also leave you fatigued and lethargic, your body is working hard to complete necessary functions without the necessary fuel.

Another factor to weight loss and staying healthy all those fad diets fail to mention is exercise.  The only healthy, safe, long term way to lose weight is through a combination of healthy eating and exercise.  The surgeon general recommends 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity each week, or 30 minutes a day most days of the week.

Weight loss and general health is a lifestyle.  It is something you need to maintain. I’ve mostly discussed the nutrition aspect here, but if you have questions or would like a personalized training program for your exercise goals, you can email me at thenextmilefitness@gmail.com

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a bone disease that causes bones to become porous, weak and brittle.  Because bones have become so weak, fractures happen much more easily.  Minor things like falling, bending over, even coughing or sneezing can result in fractured bones. Hips, wrists, and spine are the most common osteoporosis-related fractures, but they can happen anywhere in the body.  

No one is immune to osteoporosis unfortunately, but some are at a greater risk than others.  Women, for example, experience about twice as many osteoporosis-related fractures as men.  Aging and osteoporosis have a positive correlation, in that your risk increases as your age does.  Family history is also important to know.  If people in your family have been diagnosed with osteoporosis, chances are, you will develop it as well.  Smaller framed people are also at a greater risk for osteoporosis, possibly because their bones are already smaller.

Although those risk factors are out of your control, there are plenty that you’ve got a say in. Osteoporosis was once thought to be a natural part of the aging process, but it is now known that it can be prevented and treated. The following are risk factors that you can control. 

·         Diet low in calcium and vitamin D. Calcium is essential for building and maintaining healthy bones.  Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium more efficiently.  Increasing intake of both can help lower your risk.

·         Tobacco use. It is known that the use of tobacco contributes to weakened bones.  The exact mechanisms by which this occurs, however, are unclear. Quit smoking, and you'll decrease your risk.

·         Excessive alcohol consumption. This will interfere with your body’s ability to absorb calcium, therefore weakening the bones and increasing osteoporosis risk.

·         Sedentary lifestyle.  Lack of exercise is harmful to the body for endless reasons, and an increased risk of osteoporosis is no exception. Any weight bearing exercise is beneficial for reducing this risk; running, walking, dancing and weight lifting though, seem to be exceptionally helpful in strengthening bones.

It’s never too late (or early) to take steps to prevent osteoporosis.  Even if you already have it, its’ severity can be slowed and even reversed with lifestyle changes!  If you currently have osteoporosis, your doctor might prescribe medication to you as well.  Because osteoporosis often doesn't show symptoms until you fracture a bone, the National Osteoporosis Foundation recommends that women 65 or older and men 70 or older get a bone mineral density scan.  If you have any of the risk factors mentioned above, it is recommended you get a bone mineral density scan sooner.   

If you’d like more information as I’ve only provided an overview, please visit the National Osteoporosis Foundation’s website at www.nof.org

The Core

You hear about "the core" all the time in fitness. We all know having a strong core is a good thing, but do we really know why, or even what the core is?
The core is commonly thought to be comprised of abdominal muscles, which is true, but there's much more to it than that. Your abdominals are more than just a single muscle.  The rectus abdominis is the muscle sheath running from your sternum all the way down to your pubic bone.  It acts to flex the trunk and is strongly activated during exercises like sit ups and leg lifts. A few sit ups however, is not enough to fully work your core.  You also have internal and external obliques, which are located on the side and front of the abdomen. These are two seperate muscles, with the external obliques laying on top of the internal.  These muscles are activated with twisting and flexing of the trunk, for example, side crunches.
The deepest of the abdominal muscles is the transverse abdominis and it wraps horizontally around your waist.  This is the muscle that's sore after a Pilates class. The transverse abdominis is working when you do an exercise like a sit up, but, since the rectus abdominis is doing the bulk of the work, it won't usually be sore as a result. It takes more precise and specific movements (like those in Pilates) to primarily target this muscle.
Another very important core muscle is often overlooked; the erector spinae. Located along your vertebrae the entire length of your back, they function to extend the spine as well as flex it laterally (standing side bends).  
Often times what happens is people do their sit ups, maybe some side crunches, but they leave the gym without working their back.  This creates a muscle imbalance as the front core muscles are strong, but the back is weak.  All the muscles of the core work together, so if some muscles are not strong, it adversely effects your core as a whole.  
Your core is important for a variety of reasons. First and foremost you use your core in everything you do, they are your stabilizing muscles.  Almost every motion begins at the core.  Core muscles stabilize and balance you in everything from walking to exercising different muscle groups.  Your core also plays a role in posture.  A strong core can result in better posture and lower rates of low back pain. 
Knowing the individual components of the core is beneficial to your workout program.  Make sure when doing core work to include exercises that target all these muscle groups.

To Stretch or Not to Stretch

Through the years we’ve heard a lot about stretching.  Stretch before and after a workout. No, just stretch after. Stretching will help prevent injury. And, more recently, No, stretching doesn’t do anything at all.  After years of debate and a number of studies…the jury is still out.  
When I was in college, we were taught the importance of stretching. After a warm-up, you spend a few minutes stretching the major muscles groups you’ll be utilizing in your workout. This serves to “loosen up your muscles”, thereby decreasing your risk of injury, so you’re able to perform exercises to their full range of motion. Lightly stretching after your workout was to help prevent muscle cramping and to alleviate some of the soreness from the workout.  A main selling point for stretching is its ability to reduce the risk of injury; not only by prepping your muscles for the workout, but also by increasing your range of motion. A muscle with a greater flexibility can, obviously, cover a greater range of motion before it results in injury. 

In recent news, studies have come out rendering stretching ineffective and a waste of time. One specific study concluded that no difference was shown in injury rate between those who stretching and those who didn’t. The team of researchers conducting the study even told the Australian Army (the test subjects) to drop stretching from their routine. Several other studies have also been done that conclude stretching offers no affect on muscle soreness.

For all the negative press stretching has received lately, there are an equal amount of studies supporting its benefits. Stretching can help improve your flexibility and therefore, allow your body to move more freely through its natural range of motion, which, as mentioned above, can help reduce injury. Stretching can also help bring blood flow to the muscles, which is a good thing if you’re planning on using them.   

Although there is controversy over whether stretching is even effective, there is still a right way and a wrong way to go about doing it.  Stretching, when done correctly, may offer benefits, or  it may do nothing at all. There is no debate though, that stretching incorrectly is unsafe.

• Stretching and warming up are two separate exercise components, so treat them as such.  Before you begin your stretching, warm-up your muscles with about five minutes of gentle cardio.  Keep in mind, on colder days you’ll want to increase the length of the warm-up by a few minutes.

• Be still. I see people bouncing around as they stretch. Unless you want to damage and shorten the muscle, don’t do that. Hold each stretch for 15-20 seconds, and if you’ve got the time, repeat each stretch two or three times.

• Pain, no gain. You shouldn’t stretch to the point of pain, if you get to this point during a stretch you’ve pushed too far and need to back off.  You want to feel tension in the muscle, but you shouldn’t be grimacing.

Regardless of the varying information available about stretching, I continue to incorporate it into my exercise program. After a long run, my muscles feel better once I stretch. In addition, I add stretching components into each group exercise class I teach and I instruct one on one clients how to do so properly.