More on Barefoot Training

Happy Thursday everyone! I hope everyone is in the midst of a great week!

I've written about this in the past but I thought it could use an update...

This past summer I started learning about the wonders of running barefoot. The thinking is the human foot is shaped the way it is for a reason...and artificially adding padding and support in a running shoe actually leads to significantly more injuries than they prevent. So I tried it out. The results surprised me. I felt stronger than ever. My running form immediately improved. My stamina even increased. And better still, the day after my first barefoot run I had an extra bounce in my step because me feet just felt better and stronger. I bring this all up because I just read that Harvard has done some research about the benefits of barefoot running. "New research, led by Harvard scientists and published today, shows that people who run barefoot or with minimal shoes - as people have done for millions of years - often land on their feet in a way that avoids a jarring impact. That’s very different from most shoe-clad runners, who crash down on their heels with every bound." This statement was absolutely true in my experience. Landing on your heel is much too painful if running barefoot. You will immediately adapt to land on your forefoot and roll to your instep, just like you're supposed to. The main reason I was so intrigued with barefoot running and training is because of my history with foot injuries. I have had Achilles injuries along with plantar fasciitis (nasty stuff.) I no longer have any issues at all. Vibram makes a Five Fingers minimal shoe that I will soon purchase and lose my running shoes forever. Now, if you are interested in making the switch to barefoot training please don't go crazy and attempt run a few miles or do some sprints right away. I learned my lesson on this one very early. Just like everything else a progression must be applied. My suggestion is this:

1. Perform your 7 - 10 minute dynamic warm-up barefoot
2. After a few weeks add some barefoot agility ladder work
3. A few weeks later include an activity like jump rope or even jumping jacks
4. Then hit the weights with no shoes on. A deadlift will feel great once you learn to properly use your feet.
5. Now you're ready for a run...start slow though. Try a few 20 yard striders at 60% speed.
6. Increase your speed and distance

Anyone interested in reading more about the barefoot revolution can check out this book...it's outstanding!

Winter Farmers Market

Happy Friday folks! One of the MANY reasons why I love summer so much is all the great local produce available at various produce stands and farmers markets. They are a great resource for inexpensive, locally grown, and organic vegetables and fruit (best of all worlds!) And now, in Natick, there is a Winter Farmers Market! They are open on Saturdays from 9:30 to 1:00 now through March 27. Check out the link to see what produce and meats they have available.

Have a great weekend!

Sitting is Bad

My last post was so long it took me nearly a week to recover. But I've finally restored my energy and ready for some new content. I remember a while back listen to a lecture when the lecturer mentioned that if your hips are not fully extended (in the standing position) for at least 8 hours per day then your hips are deteriorating. This is one of the major causes of low back pain. Deteriorating hips = less hip mobility. Less hip mobility = low back pain. I mention that because of this article I just came across on Boston.com. It's about the dangers of remaining in the seated position too long. "After four hours of sitting, the body starts to send harmful signals," Ekblom-Bak said. She explained that genes regulating the amount of glucose and fat in the body start to shut down. So not only are your hips deteriorating but your fat burning genes are shutting down when you remain seated for a prolonged period of time. If you work at a job that requires sitting or have a long commute to work (or both) then your training program should be built to offset the negative impact of all that sitting. And please don't go to the gym after sitting all day and exacerbate the problem by simply going through a Nautilus circuit. Using those machines not only puts your low back in a compromised position, they also do nothing to offset the sitting you've done all day. You also have no use for your core when you are exercising from a seated position. Move the same exercise to the standing position and your core becomes activated creating much greater bang for the buck. So next time you are at the gym try moving around some dumbbells or use a Functional Trainer. And when you are at work be sure to stand up early and often.

A Progressive Approach to Proper Eating

One of my biggest frustrations as a coach comes from talking with people about optimal nutrition. People will be misinformed by books, magazine or newspaper articles (like this one), and even dietitians. There is so much conflicting information out there that people can get so confused that they can't even make the first step eating a more healthful diet. Thing is it should not be confusing at all. People simply need to eat lean meats, vegetables, and fruits...that's it. Cut everything else out. The thing is, I completely understand that adhering to a strict diet of lean meat, veggies, and fruits is easier said than done...especially for someone with a horrible diet consisting mainly of grains. Then I need to remember that it took me nearly eight years and constant adjustments to get to the diet I now find easy to stick with. So I am here now to share the adjustments I made to my diet over the years in my quest for the "Optimal Diet" and offer a progressive approach to achieving great health through proper eating.

1. About 8 years ago my diet consisted of tons of pasta. I ate a big container of it for lunch and often for dinner as well. I ordered out often as well...I love a good grinder. Breakfast was typically cereal. I didn't snack during the day, I only ate three very large meals per day. I worked out everyday at a gym in Worcester. I never thought of myself as out of shape or overweight but I was weighing in at about 175 pounds (I'm 5 foot 5 inches tall.)
   
2. Then I read Core Performance by Mark Verstegen. This was the beginning of it all. Not only did I learn about proper exercise and the awesomeness of interval training, I also learned how to eat. More importantly I learned about proper meal intervals. I immediately went from 3 large meals per day to 6 smaller meals per day. I was also introduced to Whey Protein. I started taking a couple scoops of Whey pre-workout (I get my workout in in the morning) and a shake right before bed. The rest of my diet consisted of cereal in the morning, a snack of black beans (that's right, black beans), lunch was a turkey sandwich on wheat bread, I honestly don't remember what my afternoon snack was, and dinner was some lean meat (flank steak, fish, chicken) with some rice or pasta. There's not a whole lot of good stuff in there. No fruit. No veggies. Still tons of grains.
3. I stuck with that diet for about one year. So I didn't change much. My training program changed but I was working out previously. I still ate crap but I simply spread my meals out throughout the day as opposed to three large meals. A year later I stepped on the scale at my grandparents house, looked down, then told gram that her scale was all out of whack. I didn't think I had lost weight. I didn't even think I had weight to lose. But the scale read 145 lbs...down from 175 lbs a year earlier. The scale was right. Then I realized I was a ton leaner and just plain felt better from simply changing my meal intervals.
4. Over the next 6 years or so I kept making incremental improvements in the quality of food I bought and ate (sort of.) I replaced the turkey sandwich on wheat with tuna on a wrap. I replaced the mayonnaise I put on the tuna with hummus (not bad.) I replaced the hummus with olive oil (OUTSTANDING!) I replaced the tuna sandwich with salmon steak. I replaced farm raised salmon with wild caught salmon. I started eating protein bars. I think I tried everything on the shelf. I ate a big bowl of Cheerios for breakfast (not good, no matter what the ads say.) Dinner was still some lean meat but I started adding some veggies. I also included a piece of fruit or two...typically a banana and apple. My evening snack was a couple pieces of toast with Smuckers peanut butter. I experimented quite often, always trying to find healthful, tasty, and easy to prepare meals. I also drank a lot of Gatorade and other foods/beverages without really understanding what I was reading on the label. Throughout these years I would get sick 2 - 3 times per year. I thought that was normal and didn't think much of it.
   
5. Then, in October 2008 I enrolled in a Personal Trainers class to change careers. There I learned all about High Fructose Corn Syrup and Hydrogenated Oils (very bad stuff.) Out went Gatorade. And no more Smuckers. I learned what I was looking for on the labels. I kept eating a very similar diet but I did cut out those two things.
6. In April '09 I read The Paleo Diet by Loren Cordain. This was the beginning of my quest for an all natural diet. I learned stuff I had never even heard of. Grains are an anit-nutrient, meaning they block the absorption of vitamins and minerals in our bodies. Corn isn't even a vegetable, it's a grain. Asthma is diet related (I had horrible asthma as a kid.) Allergies are due to poor diet (I have summer allergies.) There is no relationship between dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol. Egg yolks are great for you. Eggs are the worlds most perfect food. Heart disease is often due to the lack of dietary fats. Humans are not genetically built to process a diet high in grains. And it wasn't just this book. I also read The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth by Jonny Bowden (best nutrition reference guide in my opinion), The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston A. Price (wicked dorky), and Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes. I started to understand the importance of food quality. Not only are we what we eat, we are what we eat eats.
   
7. That brings me to my current diet. In the morning I now have some organic berries with three organic, free range eggs, and some organic whole milk yogurt in a smoothy. For snack I have some more organic whole milk yogurt with some raw sunflower seeds, raw pumkin seeds, peanuts, organic avocado, organic berries, and flax seed. Lunch is generally a piece free range and vegetarian fed chicken with sweet potato and other organic veggies. afternoon snack is some more seeds and nuts with organic steel cut oats, dried unsulfured and unsweetened fruit, and more yogurt. Dinner is grass fed beef and more veggies. Before bed is some fresh fruit (kiwi, grapefruit) with some quinoa and maybe a hard boiled egg. That's it. Not perfect. I'm still experimenting. I haven't been sick sick since at least April so that's a good run. I have tons of energy to keep me coaching from 6 AM to 7 PM.
   

So what's the point of this rambling rant? The secret to optimal health is really no secret at all. Eat as much lean meat (properly raised and fed), organic fruit and veggies. Having said that don't expect to go from eating a horrible diet to eating a perfect diet in one day or one week or even one month. It takes time. Don't let perfect get in the way of better. Start with eating breakfast. Then take your three meals and turn it into 6 smaller meals. Experiment with food combinations and recipes. Prepare your food on the weekend so you always have something healthful ready for you when you get home late and are most likely to grap some crap from a window. Strive to make one food quality upgrade per month. I would love to hear what changes people are making to their own diets and the strides you have made. Please post below in the comments section if you have any tips to share. Also use that space to post any questions. If you have lasted this long reading this I appreciate your time and hope this was helpful. Good luck in your quest for a great and healthful diet!

Mike

PS...here's yet another reason why I LOVE the fitness industry...

YouTube Channel, Breakfast Cereals, AND Movie Review

1. I received a FlipVideo for Christmas (thanks Dad!) Yesterday I started compiling my video library of exercises. So, introducing....Mike Belanger: The YouTube Channel! Check it out. I currently have a bunch of videos of Foam Rolling, Stretching, and Mobility.
2. This great blog post about Cereal was found by sis. There really isn't any healthy cereal...even Cheerios.
   
3. Avatar was AWESOME!
   

Low Back Prehab, Pt. 3

Well, the holidays are over and it's back to the grind. I always had a hard time getting back into the flow the first full week after the holiday. Hopefully I don't conk out come Thursday. Anyway, I figured I'd begin the New Year with a continuation of the low back prehab exercises from the last couple weeks. Check Part 1 and Part 2 if you missed those. Today's exercise is the Hip Lift. Because we spend so much time sitting down (at work, at the dinner table, in the car, on the coach) our glute muscles don't work as well as they are designed to work. Often times our hamstrings or low back does the work that the glutes should be doing. This is a great first progression to add to your warm-up for glute activation.

• Start lying down on your back with knees bent and toes up off the floor
• Squeeze your glutes. Think holding a dollar bill between your butt cheeks.
• Lift your hips until you have a flat board from your shoulders to your knees.
• Hold for 10 seconds. Repeat for the desired reps ( 4 - 8 reps is plenty.)

This is a perfect exercise to add to your warm-up, especially if you suffer from low back pain.

Today's Stupid Human Trick video comes from sis. She saw this commercial on television. Please please please don't be the one to fall for this.