Food for Thought

"So long as you have food in your mouth, you have solved all your questions for the time being"

- Frank Kafka

This past weekend I had the pleasure of running the Reach the Beach NH Relay with 5 other runners sponsored by Performance Physical Therapy.  Our team of six covered over 200 miles from Cannon Mt., NH to Hampton Beach, NH in about 27 hours.  I mention this because it really posed a challenge to balance the number of calories taken in with the number of calories burned (around 5000 calories each).  Our team managed to maintain our nutritional needs by eating PB and J's, bananas, almond butter, popcorn, hummus, pesto, apples, chocolate milk, the occasional Skittle, carrots, etc.  Maybe our teams food selection was not ideal for all runners, but here are a 10 foods runners should have in their shopping carts.

1)  Whole Grain Bread

Whole grain bread is a great way to get your daily carbs.  It is recommended that runners get 3-6 oz. of whole grain each day.

2)  Almonds

Almonds provide antioxidants, particularly vitamin E.  They also can help reduce your LDL cholesterol levels ("bad cholesterol").

3) Bananas

Bananas contain potassium which helps to regulate one's blood pressure.

4) Low Fat Yogurt

Yogurt is high in protein to assist with muscle building and calcium to assist with bone building.

5) Salmon

Salmon contains omega-3 fats which help with heart health.

6)  Black Beans

Black Beans have it all.  They are a great source of protein, fiber, and anti-oxidants.

7) Leafy Greens

Leafy greens are a great alternative to traditional iceberg lettuce.  Mixed greens contain phytonutrients which have been shown to help ward off cancer and Alzheimer's Disease.

8) Tomatoes

Tomatoes contain lycopene an antioxidant shown to lower cancer rates.

9) Whole Grain Pasta

Whole Grain Pasta is an easily digestible carb that can help you both store up glycogen pre-run and restore glycogen post-run.

10)  Dark Chocolate

Dark chocolate has been shown to contain flavonols which is an antioxidant shown to improve heart health.

Cheers,

Brian

Are You Stable? #13

"True stability results when presumed order and presumed disorder are balanced.  A truly stable system expects the unexpected, is prepared to be disrupted, waits to be transformed."
-Tom Robbins

In today's world of infomercials and daily SPAM e-mails, it seems the only constant in the exercise world is change.  The good news is there is one common theme among all the old and new exercise information we receive.  That common theme is that quality matters.  Meaning that the way we perform an exercise needs to be precise and controlled in order to make the exercise safe and effective.

That control comes from balance in our "core".  When referring to an individual's "core" we are frequently referring to a combination of their back, abdomen, and obliques.  If you want a healthy spine, if you want to have better posture, if you want to be a better athlete you need to have a strong and balanced core.

We can debate endlessly about the different ideas of how to train it.  However, there are two very common themes when discussing the core.

1)  Proper Muscle Balance is Necessary

 http://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/banzai 

      It is critical to maintain a proper balance between the anterior, posterior, right lateral, and left lateral musculature.  All the muscle forces must be working to counterbalance each other in order keep the trunk stable.  The more stable the trunk is the more effectively and efficiently the extremities can function.

2)  Quality Matters
      When performing trunk stability exercises, attention to detail is crucial.  Focus on technique and form.  If you feel like you are losing the proper form that repetition is over.



For some basic exercises for the core checkout:
http://www.performanceptri.com/_fileCabinet/coretennis.pdf

For some more advanced exercises for the core checkout::
http://www.ericcressey.com/core-stability-exercises-strength-and-conditioning-programs-1

If you want to be a better runner, a better athlete, or have a healthier spine start training your core!

Cheers,
Brian