NEWS
Inflammation
Should you use anti-inflammatory supplements?
Inflammation can cause many issues in our body from poor gut health and indigestion to joint pain. As we age we become more aware of joint health, often because we start experiencing joint pain. There are a number of joint health and pain relief products available on the market today, including ones I've personally used - glucosamine and chondroitin supplements. Glucosamine and/or chondroitin are advertised as joint health supplements that can improve joint health and reduce joint pain. I recently viewed a major study that was conducted on the supplements' effectiveness. The information I found might surprise you.
Inflammation
Should you use anti-inflammatory supplements?
Inflammation can cause many issues in our body from poor gut health and indigestion to joint pain. As we age we become more aware of joint health, often because we start experiencing joint pain. There are a number of joint health and pain relief products available on the market today, including ones I've personally used - glucosamine and chondroitin supplements. Glucosamine and/or chondroitin are advertised as joint health supplements that can improve joint health and reduce joint pain. I recently viewed a major study that was conducted on the supplements' effectiveness. The information I found might surprise you.
The University of Utah, School of Medicine put together the Glucosamine/chondroitin Arthritis Intervention Trial or "GAIT" trial. The trial was conducted at 16 rheumatology research centers across the US and included 1,583 participants in the study. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) and the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), two components of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), funded GAIT at a cost of just over $12.5 million.
The GAIT Trial studied 5 groups over 24 months to test the effectiveness of glucosamine and chondroitin in comparison to Celecoxib, which is a prescription drug effective in managing osteoarthritis pain. The groups included (1) placebo, (2) celecoxib, (3) glucosamine, (4) chondroitin, and (5) both glucosamine and chondroitin together.
The findings of the study revealed that those with mild joint pain saw no difference as compared to the placebo when taking glucosamine, chondroitin, or a mix of the two. There were some preliminary findings that showed those with moderate to high joint pain using a mix of glucosamine and chondroitin did have a higher rating of pain relief than those taking the placebo. The results state that there needs to be more testing to confirm this result.
If you are considering using supplements to help with joint pain, be sure to talk with your doctor before spending money on a supplement that might not work.
In the meantime, start focusing on increasing anti-inflammatory foods and decreasing inflammatory foods in your diet. Go to the link below to see 10 anti-inflammatory foods, a video on those foods, and a breakdown of each food and why that food is great for you.
Controlling joint pain can be done in more ways than with just diet or medications. Low impact exercise can be a great way to reduce joint pain, improve bone health, improve weight loss (less body weight is easier on your joints), and strengthen the muscles supporting your joints. Exercise accompanied with a proper warm up and cool down period can really make a difference in your quality of life
Need help getting back on track? Contact us now to get set up with one of our certified personal trainers!
Resources:
Time to Stretch
Stretching
Is it helping or hurting?
At some point in our fitness journeys, most of us have heard that stretching is a critical pre-workout activity. You wouldn't want to pull a muscle, right? Did you know that there are 7 different types of stretching? While they all have positive benefits when performed correctly, they can also negatively affect your workout if performed incorrectly or at the wrong time.
Stretching
Is it helping or hurting?
At some point in our fitness journeys, most of us have heard that stretching is a critical pre-workout activity. You wouldn't want to pull a muscle, right? Did you know that there are 7 different types of stretching? While they all have positive benefits when performed correctly, they can also negatively affect your workout if performed incorrectly or at the wrong time.
What comes to mind when we hear stretching is often static stretching.
What is STATIC STRETCHING?
Static Stretching is when we stretch a muscle to the maximum length and hold the stretch, usually for about 20 seconds.
Something you may not realize - most health and fitness experts believe that pre-workout static stretching may lead to less than optimal workout performance and that it doesn't necessarily prevent injury.
Now you might be thinking, "If pre-workout static stretching is a no-no, how should we stretch before a workout?" Rather than engaging in pre-workout static stretching, make sure that your muscles are properly warmed up and that your joints are mobilized. Let's talk about a few alternatives.
Dynamic stretching is thought to be a better pre-workout option than static stretching.
What is DYNAMIC STRETCHING?
Dynamic stretching consists of gradually moving the joint through a full range of motion. An example of dynamic stretching would be controlled lateral shuffles, leg swings, or torso twists.
Experts have found that pre-workout dynamic stretching can be helpful in mobilizing and warming up joints and muscles, while minimizing negative effects and performance losses. A tool to use in conjunction with dynamic stretching is foam rolling. This helps relieve tension in tight muscles and corrects imbalances; balanced movement patterns increase performance.
Another option is PNF Stretching (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation).
What is PNF STRETCHING?
PNF stretching consists of stretching the muscles to maximum length and then forcing against the stretch for a matter of 10-20 seconds before relaxing.
PNF stretching is a passive/isometric stretch technique that can be used in moderation prior to workouts to help achieve balance in your body. If you find yourself needing to increase range of motion, PNF stretching techniques can be the very impactful in the short term. It enables you to move beyond the full stretch point previously achieved.
This can be very beneficial to help with imbalances in muscle groups or in gaining range of motion prior to a workout. It is important to note though, too much PNF stretching could possibly lead to lower performance due to muscular fatigue.
As with any topic in the word of fitness, there is a variety of conflicting studies published on the positives and negatives of stretching before a workout. One thing experts agree on is that a proper warm up is a necessary component of a safe and effective workout.
For more information on stretching check out these resources below.
PAP training
Not seeing performance
increases? Try PAP Training!
What is PAP training? Post Activation Potential training also known as complex training is a method that is used to increase power and performance. To make it as simple as possible, performing a lift such as back squat at 90% of maximal effort for 3 reps and following that directly with 40 yard sprint. This contrast of heavy weight to bodyweight exercise plays a role in increasing performance and should show an increase in the speed of the sprint over time.
Not seeing performance
increases? Try PAP
Training!
What is PAP training? Post Activation Potential training also known as complex training is a method that is used to increase power and performance. To make it as simple as possible, performing a lift such as back squat at 90% of maximal effort for 3 reps and following that directly with 40 yard sprint. This contrast of heavy weight to bodyweight exercise plays a role in increasing performance and should show an increase in the speed of the sprint over time.
Interested in working with a trainer that can use techniques like these to help you reach your goals? You can contact us to get set up with a consultation with one of our trainers! Just send an email HERE with your fitness goals and we can get you in contact with the trainer that best fits your needs!
Weekend binge crushing your results?
After a long week, sometimes it's nice to unwind with some not-so-health-conscious food and drink decisions. Maybe you are taking a weekend trip and not planning on holding back in the diet department. This situation is very common and is sometimes a much needed break from the day to day. But is it keeping you from reaching those goals you set for yourself? If done incorrectly, these "cheat days" could cause some major issues.
After a long week, sometimes it's nice to unwind with some not-so-health-conscious food and drink decisions. Maybe you are taking a weekend trip and not planning on holding back in the diet department. This situation is very common and is sometimes a much needed break from the day to day. But is it keeping you from reaching those goals you set for yourself? If done incorrectly, these "cheat days" could cause some major issues.
Let's talk about how to bounce back after a weekend of letting loose.
I am going to start off with a little reminder. All of us need to fuel our bodies for our specific goals and sometimes we need to have a meal that doesn't quite "fit the diet."
No matter our goals, if our diet is unsustainable because it's too restrictive, we are setting ourselves up for failure! BUT a binge weekend should be a rare and extreme circumstance within the diet and should be avoided as much as possible. I totally understand that special events and holidays come up, but it's all about making the best choices in that situation so that you can reach your goals! You can do this by being mindful about what you are eating and drinking. Limit portion sizes of poor food and drink choices. Increase your water intake to fill up and stay hydrated. Limit the damage by saving some extra calories throughout the day when you know you will be breaking the caloric bank in the evening.
Now let's go over how can we put together a strategy to get back on track after one of these rare and rough weekends.
First things first: Remember that today is a new day! Instead of beating yourself up over the weekend, focus on getting back on track ASAP. If you aren't careful, your mind can be your biggest enemy and lead to reoccurring binging.
Get some sleep and drink more water! Studies have shown that lack of sleep can affect our hunger hormones Ghrelin and Leptin. Getting more sleep can help to bring those hormones back in check and help you fight off those late night cravings.
Often after an off-track weekend, we forget to keep up with our water intake and become dehydrated. This is exacerbated when drinking diuretics like alcohol and caffeine. As noted above, water can also be a great tool for reducing calories after a weekend of excess.
Some other ways to get back on track include starting your day off with a healthy breakfast, ramping up the veggie intake, making sure to get enough protein, starting the week with a workout, and avoiding skipping workouts.
Binge eating does more than just increase your calories. Binge eating can lead to GI issues, fatigue, depression, anxiety, feelings of shame, and an overall higher rate of occurrence due to feelings of "falling off track". If binges continue and become more frequent, side effects such as weight gain, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, sleep apnea, cancer, heart disease, and more can occur.
Let's take a look at what alcohol does to our bodies.
Alcohol contains roughly 7 calories per gram. That is almost as many as fat, which contains 9 calories per gram! On average, there are 14 grams of alcohol in a 1.5oz shot. That 1.5oz shot is equal to 98 calories! Add other sugary soda and juice mixers to make your favorite cocktail and you will likely have a fairly high calorie drink.
Alcohol effects
Brain: Short-term, alcohol can interfere with the transfer of short-term memories into long-term memories, which causes blackouts. Even retained memories may be fuzzy. Speech, judgment, physical coordination, and thinking are all impaired when a person is intoxicated. Long-term, too much alcohol can change the function of various areas in the brain, permanently impairing memory, cognition, and emotions.
Liver: Binge drinking can overwhelm the liver, so if a person suffers from alcohol poisoning, they still have several servings of alcohol in their body that have not yet been processed, which can make poisoning worse or lead to death. Long-term, people who drink too much can develop fatty liver disease, cirrhosis, alcoholic hepatitis, liver failure, and liver cancer.
Heart: Short-term, being drunk or binge drinking can raise blood pressure, change heart rate, and increase the risk of heart attacks from underlying heart conditions. Long-term, cardiomyopathy (or drooping heart muscle) will develop as well as arrhythmias, chronic high blood pressure, blood clots, and an increased risk of heart attacks or strokes.
Cancer: Alcohol abuse increases the risk of all kinds of cancer, including cancer of the stomach, liver, mouth, throat, esophageal, and breast.
Fat Storage: Alcohol is a toxin to your body and forces your body to focus on getting rid of it before all else. This can lead to storing calories as fat due to your bodies immediate need to rid itself of the alcohol.
Other effects:
Increased skin breakouts
Higher levels of stress or anxiety
Extreme fatigue or sleep disturbances
Inflammatory reactions inside the body, causing digestive problems
Increased chronic pain from inflammation
Dehydration
Salt imbalance that can increase the risk of seizures
Erratic blood pressure
Muscle weakness
Headaches
Increased mood swings
Depression
Hinder Testosterone production
As you can see, one fun weekend can create a habit if you let it and that habit can really wreck your progress. Balance is very important when it comes to staying on track. Falling into the traps of excessive restriction or off-diet binges can create problems that are harder to bounce back from than just sticking to your diet would have been.
This is why all of us at Relentless Fitness push sustainability! If you can find something that is sustainable when it comes to diet your chances of success go up exponentially!
If you need help with finding what works for you just let us know.
Yo-yo Dieting
Is it killing your progress?
Often, we start popular diets with 100% effort but soon give up without seeing major progress. We jump into the next popular diet, give it the same initial effort, and again see limited results. Most people only stick to a diet for about two weeks before they start falling off or give up completely because they see minimum body fat reduction.
Often, we start popular diets with 100% effort but soon give up without seeing major progress. We jump into the next popular diet, give it the same initial effort, and again see limited results. Most people only stick to a diet for about two weeks before they start falling off or give up completely because they see minimum body fat reduction.
These "fad diets" are not only unsustainable for most people, but can actually hinder our ability to lose fat. Our bodies learn from these experiences, notice we are going into extreme fat loss conditions, and try to fight it. Our bodies are amazing adaptable machines! This short-term dieting ends up preventing us from being able to lose weight as easily as we did before, and we start gaining weight back faster. Check out the study below from Layne Norton or watch my video by clicking the button below to learn about the negative ways in which this affects your body.
This is why I relentlessly push sustainability. If you can find something that is sustainable when it comes to diet your chances of success go up exponentially!
If you need help with finding what works for you just let us know.