Happy Festivus to All!

Thanks to all of the faithful readers of this blog (all 5 or so of you) and for listening to my many random rants! Have a Great Holiday!

And remember, it doesn't matter what you eat between Christmas and New Year's, it matters what you eat between New Year's and Christmas.

Low Back Prehab, Pt. 2

If you missed the riveting part 1 of the low back prehab series click here. I saw a good chart earlier this week about the percentage of the population suffering from some degree of low back pain. 80% of the population will suffer from low back pain at some point in their lives...the other 20% are lying. Point is low back pain is one of the most common afflictions but we can be proactive to help prevent pain later in life. The next hip mobilization exercise is the Lateral Squat. This is another great exercise to add to your warm-up to mobilze your hips in the frontal plane.

1. Take a big step out to the side
   
2. Keep your toes pointing in toward each other
3. Bend your right knee while keeping your left leg straight...push your butt back like you are sitting on a bench...in fact you can put a bench behind the leg you are lunging toward and use that as a tool to determine if you are attaining optimal depth
   
4. Keep both feet flat on the floor
5. Be diligent about your feet...keep toes pointed in toward each other
6. The goal is for ankles, knees, hips, and shoulders to be perfectly aligned to the side you are lunging
7. Perform all reps on the right side then perform all reps on the left

Add this exercise to your warm-up and gradually get deeper into the lunge.

Meal Intervals

People often get very confused about exactly what constitutes proper eating habits. There is so much conflicting information in the media that it becomes difficult to determine what to trust. One day coffee if bad and should be avoided, the next it's touted as having great anti-oxidant properties. Then it lowers the risk of diabetes. People may disagree about the details but there are a handful of fundamental principles that everyone agrees on. These principles will be found in every good nutrition plan and over the next handful of weeks or so I'll write about each of them. The first is proper meal intervals. The days of three squares a day should be over. You should plan your meals about 3 - 4 hours apart. That means you should have 5 - 6 smaller meals per day. Don't mistaken these for snacks. These are full meals containing lean protein, dietary fats, and fruits/vegetables...just in a smaller portion. This will keep your metabolism running all day long and keep you energized. It will also prevent you from crashing after a large meal. The body can only utilize so many calories at a time...the rest it stores for later use as body fat. So if you eat small meals throughout the day your body will become more efficient at using what you put in for energy. People often say they don't have the time to eat 5 - 6 times per day. The key is preparation. Take a couple hours on a Sunday to shop for high quality meats, fruits, and veggies. Cut up the veggies and store them in containers for use that week. I typically cook up a bunch of chicken breast early in the week and put it in the refrigerator. Then I put all my veggies/fruits in containers so I can just dump them into my wok (veggies) or blender (fruits - for breakfast.) I then take no more than 10 minutes to cook up good meals throughout the week. I switched to this type of diet about 8 years ago and could not believe the results. I had no idea I had lost so much weight (I didn't know I had so much weight to lose.) But I stepped on the scale 6 months later and I was 25 pounds lighter than I thought I was. The thing is changing my meal intervals was the only change I made. I didn't change my activity level or even food quality...only meal intervals. So try making this change and see the results for yourself.

Oh, and coffee is loaded with great anti-oxidants and is healthy...just don't douse it with cream and sugar and whip cream.

Low Back Pre-hab

About 80% of the population has some degree of low back dysfunction. This includes those who have had surgery to those who have disk problems but have not yet felt any symptoms. Low back pain generally is a symptom of some combination of three problems, 1.) Hip Immobility, 2.) Upper Back Immobility, 3.) Glute amnesia. Each week I will write about and post a video of a different exercise to help you mobilize your hips and upper back and activate your glute muscles. First up is a great and easy hip mobilization exercise; the Split Squat. This is a great exercise to mobilize your hips in the sagital plane.

1. Start with feet about 3 - 4 feet apart
2. Put your hands behind your head. If you have trouble with balance put your hands on your hips.
3. Drop your knee straight down and tap your knee to the floor
4. Push through your front heel and return to starting position
5. Maintain perfect posture throughout the movement. Keep your chest up and eyes looking forward.
   

Perform up to 8 repetitions on each leg. If you are a beginner try performing 4 perfect split squats each leg and progress from there. Try adding this exercise to your warm-up and may experience dramatic improvments in your hip mobility.

You Only Have One Body

I don't have anything original today, just a couple great posts by others. The first is titled, "Only One Body" by Michael Boyle. This is one of the best posts I've read in all my days. His point is simple...You are going to spend the time and money on your body during your life. You can either do it now to maintain your health or you can do it later...in the hospital...or in a rehab center. Your choice.

And this is from U.S. News and World Report titled, "6 Stupid Holiday Diet Tips You Should Ignore (And 1 You Shouldn't" A few popular myths are debunked...which is always fun. The last line is perfect..."It isn't what you eat between Christmas and New Year's; it's what you eat between New Year's and Christmas." Damn Skippy!

Holiday Spirit

This post has nothing to do with fitness or nutrition. Instead it has to do with giving to people who really need it for the holidays. Here is a great blog post by a local coach. I intend to follow his lead and at the very least buy a couple toys for Toys for Tots. There are other great agencies in every area as well. I urge everyone to take just a couple minutes to check out a local agency and do something to help those less fortunate.

And if you aren't in the holiday spirit quite yet this video should help....

Squat Past Parallel and More Eggs...

That's right, this is my fifth post of the week! I'm cruising now. Today will be brief though.

• I just read this very good article about squatting depth. Anyone who tells you not to squat past parallel or not to let your knees go past your toes simply don't know what they are talking about...
• I've been talking a whole lot lately about the tremendous health benefits we get from eating eggs. I've linked to these before but I think they are worth another read...Truth is eggs are among the worlds most perfect foods and the cholesterol found in the yolk actually helps to decrease your blood cholesterol levels. I start every day with 4 raw eggs in a blender with tons of fruit and a little yogurt...mmmmm, tasty....
  

Something Motivational?

Think of your last workout (yesterday I hope?) Were you completely present and aware of your body for your entire workout? Or did you simply go through the motions? If you work on a treadmill or an elliptical machine and you can read a magazine or carry a conversation you are not working hard enough. Next time you’re at the gym (today, right?) try to put maximum effort into every single rep of every single exercise you do. That involves:

• Get tight in your core! Stay tight in your core, glutes, and back for the entire set.
• Move the weight as fast as you can control through the concentric phase.
• Select the appropriate weight:
• If you can perform one more rep that’s perfect!
• If you can perform two more reps then use more weight!
  

Maintain perfect posture! That means feet just past hip width, knees slightly bent, butt out, chest up. You have two options; “Train Hard or Go Home!” If you are just not feeling it today try giving maximum effort for 15 minutes as opposed to going through the motions for 60. If you are not getting the desired results from your training then try upping the effort level and be ready to see the changes in your body.

Juice Up

I'm going to stay on the holiday gift theme today. This past August I bought a juicer. I realized I wasn't eating enough vegetables in my diet and figured using a juicer would solve that problem. I tried eating raw veggies and stayed with that for about 2 weeks. I tried preparing a tons of veggies on the weekend and putting them in containers for use that week and that didn't work either. Those options were just too boring. But with the juicer it is a piece of cake getting my 6 - 8 servings of vegetables per day. I bought a Jack Lalanne juicer. I honestly have no idea if it's a good one since I have nothing to compare it to. Here is a site with consumer reviews of juicers. I use mine 1 - 2 times per day and have been hooked since buying it. The great thing is you can put anything in it in any combination you like. You are only limited by your own creativity. For the first week or so I make some pretty nasty tasting juices but it doesn't take long to learn what is a palatable combination and what isn't. It takes about 5 minutes to clean after each use. The only down side is you lose the fiber in the pulp. So it's a tremendous tool to use to get all the vitamins and minerals you need but you must be aware of getting your fiber from other sources throughout the day. I eat tons of berries (along with other fruit, seeds, and oats) for my first two meals of the day so I think I have my fiber needs covered. The great thing is you can just throw in any vegetable, no cutting or peeling required. Broccoli, carrots, ginger, apples, pears, celery, cuccumbers, tomatoes, beets, grapefruit, asparagus, parsnips are all common in my juices. So if you have a hard time getting the necessary vegetables every single day in your diet give a juicer a try.

Holiday Shopping Sales

Here are a couple places offering great deals for the holidays:

• Perform Better - Really good holiday sale selection and free shipping. If you've been waiting to buy a foam roller or some kettlebells this is your chance.

• Fitness Anywhere - They make the TRX suspension systems. Everything they sell is at 20% off. This is the absolute best home training tool and at about $150 the best bang for the buck on the market.
  

Ready, FIRE, Aim

I have a confession to make. I'm a planner. I like to have everything figured out before I start a project. And then summer of 2008 rolled around. This was when I decided to leave the corporate world and pursue my passion for fitness and nutrition and helping people reach their fitness goals. But I've always come up with great ideas and then I'd never follow through. I would take time to plan out every step and essentially become paralyzed by the planning process. I needed to take action then adjust as I went along. So within a few days I was enrolled in a certification program and was ready to quit my job. Thing is I've made tons of adjustments as I go. All the knowledge I gain and people I work with have helped me to narrow my focus and adjust my goals. I like the analogy of the snowball at the top of the mountain (I'm stealing this from Alwyn Cosgrove.) Picture yourself at the top of a mountain with a snowball. You want to push the snowball down to the bottom, making it go in a certain direction, and make it bigger as it goes down. You can come up with an elaborate plan taking into account weather and wind and every possible scenario. But as you're planning the snowball remains at the top of the mountain. Instead you can just push the snowball and run alongside adjusting on the fly. All the planning in the world doesn't matter until you take action. Ready, FIRE, Aim. If you want to get in shape, start today. Take action. This may mean hiring a trainer or joining a gym. But do something. Do not put it off until next week as you devise a 12 week plan. And don't wait until the new year. You have 25 days until January 1st. Why waste even one of those days? Move fast, and make adjustments as you go.

Lack of Speed Kills

After a putrid posting performance from me in the month of November I am determined to be a much more active writer this month. First up for December is power development. Once we hit about 30 years old we lose a pound of muscle each year. With that muscle loss we lose strength. Even more important we lose power. Power is simply the ability to summon our strength fast. This becomes more and more important as we age. Think of slipping on an icy sidewalk or step and being able to catch yourself. By maintaining power we can prevent falls that often lead to broken bones that can then lead to a sedentary lifestyle. The good news is this can easily be offset by adhering to a solid strength plan. We can maintain and even build power by adding speed to our workouts. The worst thing you can do is perform exercises slowly. If you exercise slow you will become slow. Take a typical bench press as an example. Lower the dumbbells to your chest in a slow and controlled manner, then EXPLODE the weight up as fast as possible. Then add this principle to every exercise you do. Here are a couple great and easy power exercises to add to your training:

• Kettlebell swing - this is a great and easy exercise to learn to train explosive hip extension.
  
• Box jumps - Note the fact that she is simply stepping down in the video. You don't need to perform a ton of reps either. 2 - 3 sets of 5 will do it. Don't go crazy with the height of the box either. You should land soft and in an athletic position (feet just outside hips, knees bent, butt back, chest up.) If you are unable to land in a perfect athletic position use a smaller box. If you aren't yet ready for box jumps you can perform Jump Squats. Start with no weight and work on your landing. Again, land in a perfect athletic position. Then you can add weight, either a barbell on your back or hold two dumbbells by your side.
  

Whether you play a sport or not we are all athletes and maintaining power is the best way to avoid potential falls and injuries.