What’s With The Funny Shoes?

So this week Nancy and I started sporting some new footwear – Vibram Five Fingers –  and they have generated a lot of interesting conversation this week.

Those of you who have been in a Get Fit NH Bootcamp class with Dr. Dave have seen them before, and we credit him for the discovery. Dave runs in them, and turned us on to the book “Born To Run”, written by Christopher McDougall.  I can’t describe this book any better than Amazon.com does: “Full of incredible characters, amazing athletic achievements, cutting-edge science, and, most of all, pure inspiration, Born to Run is an epic adventure that began with one simple question: Why does my foot hurt? In search of an answer, Christopher McDougall sets off to find a tribe of the world’s greatest distance runners and learn their secrets, and in the process shows us that everything we thought we knew about running is wrong.”

Now if you know anything about me, you know that I have no love for running, on many levels. However if you insist on beating the snot out of your joints in this way (just kidding – sort of) do yourself a favor and pick up this book.

So if I am not going to run in them, you may be asking yourself, what’s the point?

It has everything to do with joint health and proper exercise mechanics. For those of you who are, ummm, mature enough, you probably remember “Chuck Taylor” basketball sneakers. They were (and maybe still are) popular again not all that long ago. Well “Chucks” are the preferred shoe for many powerlifters and strength athletes, particularly when squatting and deadlifting, as they have a flat sole and encourage proper lifting mechanics. The challenge with them is that they aren’t really good in a cross-training environment like bootcamp for the same reasons.

You see when we wear those fancy shoes that support our feet and arches in 900 different ways we can actually do more harm than good. Your body was designed in a very logical manner, joint by joint. As you move up the kinetic chain, each joint is designed to alternate between MOBILITY and STABILITY.

The ankle is designed to be MOBILE.

The knee is designed to be STABLE.

The hip is designed to be MOBILE.

The lumbar spine STABLE.

The thoracic spine MOBILE, etc…all the way up the chain.

So when we over-stabilize the first joint, the ankle, the next joint wants to “make up” that lack of mobility. Unfortunately that next joint is the knee, and stiff ankles often leads to sore and injured knees, which are now moving in a way they were not designed. This can also happen when the hips have less than the optimum mobility. By “freeing” the ankle joint to work properly, you very well may find your knees feel better! The same principle can apply to your lower back. Get the hips working optimally can help relieve low back pain. Pretty cool.

So what’s the solution? GO BAREFOOT! In fact when we opened the Epsom facility we discussed it being a barefoot gym. We decided for a few reasons not to go that route.

And then comes Dr. Dave and his Vibram Five Fingers. Perfect solution! When I heard Joe Kings in Concord started carrying them, we were all over it. (No, I don’t a make a penny from Joe Kings or Vibram)

So how’s it going after a week? I can tell you they take some getting used to; just getting them on takes awhile at first. The first two days my feet were sore – it was pretty apparent that my foot muscles were weak. Today is day five, and I hardly notice I am wearing them. They actually feel really good! I am already squatting better and lower than I was – which is pretty exciting for me.

Some of you have already joined us by training barefoot, and some of you already were. I would urge you to pick up a copy of “Born To Run”  and do a little research into this craziness yourself. One precaution – ease yourself into the barefoot thing. Running right away will cause you nothing but pain. Your foot needs to strengthen before you go nuts.

My biggest problem now? Nancy discovered they sell pink Vibrams – looks like she may have TWO pairs!

Make It Happen!

Dean

Chicken Salad with Yogurt Ranch Dressing

Thank-you to superstar client Becky for sharing her take on this tasty recipe with us. Make sure you check out her notes at the bottom!

Serves 4

Chicken Salad:
1 rotisserie chicken, skin and bones discarded and meat shredded OR
1 lb. cold cooked chicken, shredded or diced
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
1/3 seedless cucumber, chopped
2 ribs celery from the heart, thinly sliced on an angle
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced

Yogurt Dressing:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
1 cup. reduced-fat or fat-free Greek yogurt
Small handful dill, parsley, and chives; finely chopped
Three dashes hot sauce or to taste

In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, and vinegar; season with salt and pepper.  Stir in the yogurt, herbs, and hot sauce.  Add the chicken, bell pepper, onion, cucumber, and celery; season with salt and pepper. Top the salad with the tomatoes.

Notes from Becky:
I used white vinegar (instead of the white wine vinegar) as that is what I had.
I used Vidalia onion since I think that is sweeter than the red (and I don’t really  care for raw red onion).
I mixed the tomatoes in to the salad rather than putting them on the top.
This makes a large amount. We got at least 6 servings—I guess it depends on
how large of a serving you have! ?

And just to give credit where credit is due–I got the original recipe from the magazine “Every Day with Rachel Ray” August 2010 issue, pg. 103.

Frozen Watermelon Pops

Your kids (and you) will love these cool summer treats, with no added sugar!

It’s so easy, even Dean can do it! 🙂

I’m Fit, Right?

What does it mean to “Be Fit”?

To assess “being fit” we view overall health as three legs of the same stool; Health Markers, Fitness Performance Markers and Body Composition Markers. Without each of those being taken into consideration, overall health and fitness is compromised. Two legged stools are pretty hard to sit on!

For instance we have seen members in the first responder community who can pass a base line fitness test which is all about numbers, but who are overweight, have high blood pressure and cholesterol levels out the roof. They could hardly be considered fit. Not picking on first responders, as many of us are in the same boat. Just saying there is more to it than “passing the test”.

At Get Fit NH Bootcamp we also perform a physical fitness test, but this is not a test you can fail. During a one minute time frame each client will do a certain exercise to the best of their ability. We do this with five different exercises in order to get a good judge of overall physical fitness abilities. (Some might be great at squats but have a difficult time with push ups, so one exercise will not be an overall judge) We repeat this test every four to six weeks, with the goal being to see improvement.

This improvement might come in way of the amount of the exercises being done or how they are done. But in real life most will not give two hoots how many pushups and situps they can do or how fast they can run, but they will care that they are improving.

We use these tests to demonstrate the efficacy of the program as well as show our members how much their hard work is paying off. If you have a women who could do no pushups the first time around but 8 weeks later can do 5 rock solid pushups, that is more important than being able to push an arbitrary number just to pass a test. We can then set goals for the next phase of training.

But fitness tests are just one leg of the stool. We also need to consider health markers such as blood pressure and cholesterol. It is more critical from a health standpoint for these numbers to be in line, as they are predictors of health challenges such as diabetes and heart disease.

Here are the baselines we use.

Blood Pressure: <120/80

Cholesterol:
Recommended Total: <200 mg/dl
Recommended LDL: <100 mg/dl
Recommended HDL: >50 mg/dl
Fasting Blood Glucose: <100 mg/dl

Triglycerides: Recommended: <150 mg/dl

Finally Body Composition Markers. We need to know a bit about how our body is put together- The ratio of our lean body mass to fat percentage. An easy way you can do this at home is with a quick trip around our middle.

Waist Circumference:
Women: <35″
Men: <40″

So don’t just look at one set of numbers. When we are looking for accurate predictors of overall health, all these factors should be considered. 

So what do you think now? Do you know all your “numbers”?

Do they tell you that you are “Fit”?

To your overall health,
Nancy and Dean

Nancy Dishes On Food Prep

Busy mom, fitness pro and food prep expert Nancy Carlson chats with our Your Metabolism Makeover class on planning, preparation and persistence.

Here’s your chance to listen in to her great tips and tricks for getting it all done.

Click the link below to listen in!

Nancy Dishes on Food Prep

Sundae Surprise!

As a light and refreshing dessert or a summertime snack for the kids, this easy to make, delicious and nutritious recipe is sure to please!

Fran-tastic Retires!

6:00pm Epsom had a little retirement party in honor of the awesome Fran Lufkin, who seemed quite content to leave her nursing job at the state prison behind. Who can blame her?

If you haven’t met Fran – you are missing a treat! Our kids love playing ball with her before class and running the hills with her!

Now that you’ve grown up Fran, what are ya gonna do with your life? 🙂

Keep Making It Happen!

Action Plan + Daily Habits + Supportive Activies = Reaching Your Goal

It’s not what you know…

…it’s what you do.

Knowledge is *not* power.

Applied knowledge is.

There are plenty of people that buy every diet book going, read every blog and grab the latest copies of fitness mags the minute they hit the shelves…

…and never lose a pound.

Plenty of people buying every new internet marketing product as soon as they’re launched…

…and have yet to put up a site of their own.

The truth is this: it’s rarely a lack of ideas, opportunity or knowledge that prevent people from accomplishing big things.

It’s a lack of action.

It doesn’t take a world class plan to be successful.

It doesn’t take an MBA to run a business.

It takes getting up and doing something – every day.

Figuring out what you need to improve upon along the way.

Then doing even more.

It’s not rocket science, but it will set you apart from the crowd

because when it’s all said and done – more is said than done 😉

To your success,

Coach Nancy

Roasted Red Pepper Chicken and Avocado Salad

Looking for a cool salad to fill you up this summer? Here’s a delicious recipe from my partners over at Prograde Nutrition for you.

Roasted Red Pepper Chicken and Avocado Salad

1 medium ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 bag (10 oz.) torn romaine lettuce (about 10 cups)
2 cups  shredded cooked chicken
1 medium tomato, cut into wedges
1 small  cucumber, sliced
¼ of a medium Vidalia or Walla Walla onion, chopped
½ cup Red Pepper
½ cup  Light or Fat-free Italian Dressing
¼ cup Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

Toss avocados with lemon juice in large salad bowl.
Add lettuce, chicken, tomatoes, cucumbers and onions; mix lightly.
Add dressing; toss to coat.
Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
Serve immediately.

If you like this one they’ve got 196 more! Seriously, Prograde has a really cool 197 Healthy and Delicious Fat Burning Recipes ebook for just $4.95!

Check it out here: http://getfitnhbootcamp.getprograde.com/prograderecipebook.html

Make It Happen,

Nancy

PS – If you’ve been on the lookout for simple and nutritious meals then look no further than http://getfitnhbootcamp.getprograde.com/prograderecipebook.html

Is Your Thyroid To Blame?

Hypothyroidism: Is a Sluggish Thyroid Affecting your Weight and Energy?

by Dr. Laura Riley Jones, Naturopathic Doctor

Hypothyroidism is the result of inadequate cellular thyroid hormone production to meet the needs of the tissues in the body.  The most common symptoms of Hypothyroidism include fatigue, weight gain, depression, constipation, cold extremities, muscle aches, headaches, decreased libido, weakness, cold intolerance, water retention, premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and dry skin.  Though controversial amongst medical practitioners, the diagnosis of Hypothyroidism is often missed by standard thyroid testing which typically looks solely at Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) levels.

Known as the most sensitive marker of peripheral tissue thyroid levels, it is often assumed that a normal TSH is a clear indication that a patient’s tissue thyroid levels are adequate (symptoms are not due to Hypothyroidism). A closer look at thyroid physiology demonstrates that the widely held belief that the TSH is an accurate marker of the body’s overall thyroid status is clearly erroneous.  Most Endocrinology texts clearly state that the diagnosis of Hypothyroidism should be made based on clinical symptoms and lab values should be used to only support, not dictate this diagnosis.

TSH is synthesized and secreted by your pituitary gland.  It acts as a mes¬sen¬ger sent to knock on the door of the thyroid. It’s purpose is to tell the thyroid to produce more or less T4, the inactive thyroid hormone.  T4 is sent out to the peripheral tissues where, in a healthy individual, it is converted to active, working thyroid hormone.  This active form of thyroid hormone is called T3.

In a patient with Hypothyroidism, the thyroid gland becomes diseased or fails to produce enough T4.   As a result, the TSH knocks and knocks on the door, and theoretically, the TSH lab will show a high number. Or, if the thyroid gland overproduces thyroid hormones (called hyperthyroid), the TSH lab will theoretically go low to show that the TSH signal to slow down thyroid hormone production is not working adequately.

It has been my experience, that to clearly rule out the diagnosis of Hypothyroidism in a patient with multiple corresponding symptoms, a full thyroid panel must be ordered.  This includes a TSH, Free T3, Free T4, Reverse T3 and at times, T3 uptake.  It is important to understand that many patients experience Hypothyroid related symptoms even though their TSH and Free T4 levels look perfect.  Unfortunately, their bodies may have a problem converting inactive thyroid hormone, T4, to active thyroid hormone, T3.  If only the TSH was examined on laboratory study, then the diagnosis could be missed as T4 levels (not T3 levels) dictate TSH.  For this reason, it is important to take symptoms into consideration at all times, recognizing that “normal” TSH, T4 and T3 levels as indicated by laboratories may not be “normal” for every individual.  Not all of us fit into the one size fits all approach to thyroid hormone levels. This is why so many patients are walking around with symptoms related to poor thyroid health, not being treated with the appropriate medical care.

A well-rounded approach to both thyroid diagnosis and Hypothyroidism treatment is critical.  Often times, thyroid hormone replacement therapy is a necessary part of treatment for Hypothyroidism.  Of course, an appropriate exercise routine and a proper diet has the power to make a profound positive impact on thyroid function.  A Naturopathic approach to thyroid disease involves both of the above, along with the potential addition of hormone replacement, and/or clinically studied mineral or herbal medicine recommendations to support healthy thyroid function.

Dr. Riley-Jones can be reached at at (603) 369-4626 or visit her online at http://www.naturalmedicinenh.com