“”
She closed the door with the intention of not looking back
But missed her step because she didn’t have a steady track
She can’t be bothered by the mistakes she’s made
But she’s forgetting that’s what guides you to the rightful path
I Love This
Statins Linked to Muscle Pain, But Evidence Is Minimal
My favorite thing about living in America is the choices we get to make everyday. We can choose to get Starbucks or Dunkin. We can choose to ride our bike or take the car. We can choose what type of job we want to work at everyday. These choices also come with responsibility to educate yourself about potential side effects in making the choices we do everyday.
Here’s a great example: “STATINS LINKED TO MUSCLE PAIN, SPRAINS” (read the headline of Reuters Health this morning)
The BREAKDOWN:
I read the article which cites the Journal of American Medical Association–a hefty and well established journal. It represents diagnosis and studies done in the past as well as peer reviews and editorials of today’s medical research.
Today Reuter’s reports that JAMA claims in a recent study that statins are linked to MUSCLE PAIN and SPRAINS/STRAINS.
Unfortunately the evidence is shaky:
For all of us not on Statins (drugs used for high cholesterol levels), 85% reported problems with muscles or joints.
For those of us on Statins, 87% reported problems.
That pretty much sums up this study: nearly everyone has muscular and/or joint pain.
This girl is now Laughing out loud. Cheers.
Apps Are So Out
I know, I know… Apps are the next “It” thing if you are in business. But I am proposing that you NOT carry your cell phone everywhere you go. And hey, especially when you are exercising. Because, if anything, exercise is your hour to yourself everyday. And it should be peaceful and quiet and you shouldn’t have emails buzzing and text messages being sent and you shouldn’t be looking at yet another florescent screen just to follow an exercise routine. No, I’m thinking all you need is your eyes, your ears, your heart, your arms and legs to carry out the most physical part of your day. Forget technology, get in touch with something even more intelligent and complex–your body.
So I’m developing a CoreFit Deck that you can take with you. Get the first of these workouts here and print out so you can just grab them and go to the gym. In fact, why not just take a few in your gym back so all you have to do is follow the pictures and do the routine. Simple. And it won’t even show up on your data usage.
Plastics Chemical Tied to Increased Blood Pressure
By Shayna Robinson, MSPT, PhD
There’s a new blood pressure trigger in town, folks.
Thought if you exercised and ate right you could prevent heart disease? Turns out research is piling up against more chemicals found in plastics. The latest study adds further credence to a growing concern that plastic chemicals not only throw off hormones and cause obesity but also cause oxidative stress internally on major organs within the body.
Researchers from New York University’s Langone Medical Center, the University of Washington, and the Penn State School of Medicine recently made a first-of-its kind connection between phthalates, a common chemical used to soften plastic, and higher blood pressure in children and teens. The study appeared in The Journal of Pediatrics.
Similarly, BPA has been shown to trigger abnormal heart rhythms.
9 Ways to Dodge Phthalates (DEHP):
Core Values
You probably already know that a strong core is key to riding better. And with the weather warming up, this is the best time to prep for your long rides. You may be surprised, but there’s more to your core than just abs and doing crunches won’t do the trick. Too many cyclists forget muscles that riding neglects–glutes, back, hips and obliques.
The workout below, targets those muscles to create a stable platform for your legs to generate real power. 
It’s About Eating Right
The Good Nutrition Reading List
The consumer market overflows with publications on nutrition, fitness and health. These are my two favorite publications representing resources covering a broad range of nutrition and health topics. They provide reliable, evidence based information in a timely manner to give you the most efficient way to practice healthy living.
Sports Nutrition: A Practice Manual for Professionals:
- Sound nutrition is essential for high-quality sport training and competition. This new edition is a joint venture between the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the Sports, Cardiovascular and Wellness Nutrition (SCAN) dietetic practice group. The book is a go-to source for specific evidenced-based information on different sports nutrition topics.
100 Questions and Answers About Sports Nutrition & Exercise:
- Provides easily accessible answers to questions that athletes, athletic trainers and coaches may have about sports nutrition. Equipped with case studies, quick tips, and testimonials, this practical guide covers topics such as: vitamins and minerals, fluids, medications and supplements, weight management, warm ups and cool downs, flexibility, and more
The Power Poses
We know our minds change our bodies. But do our bodies change our minds?
Powerful people typically are assertive, confidant, optimistic, risk takers, tend to think more abstractly. Physiologically they have more testosterone (dominance hormone) and less cortisol (stress hormone). High power alpha males in nature have high testosterone and low cortisol and powerful and effective leaders also have high testosterone and low cortisol.
Amy Cuddy describes her 2 min experiment;
“this is what we did; we decided to bring people into a blast and ronaldo experiment and these people adopted for two minutes either high-power opposes or low-power poses.”
The results
High Power Poses produced a 20% increase in testosterone (dominance hormone) and a 25% decrease in cortisol (stress hormone).
Low Power Poses produced a 10% decrease in testosterone (dominance hormone) and a 15% decrease in cortisol (stress hormone).
Simply expanding your body for two minutes produces very significant increases in your hormonal levels. These hormones are the same hormones that drive our confidence and our success in many cases. Amy Cuddy makes a strong case for the body’s ability to influence the way we think. Simply faking a motion for two minutes can convince you that you do belong, you can be successful and that you are powerful.
The Heart Loves Yoga
Yoga for Atrial Fibrillation
The first ever yoga study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found yoga to be a safe, effective and relatively cheap therapy for improving the lives of heart patients.
The study conducted by The University of Kansas Hospital found that,
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Sugar, Sugar
Think a can of Coke here and there can’t hurt you? Think again.
The American Heart Association recommends women consume no more than 6 tsp and men no more than 9 tsp.
Guess how much is in a can of Coke? 13tsp.
Check out The Center for Science in the Public Interest website for more great dietary nutritional information.
Lady Gaga’s Hip
Yes, even superstars get injured.
Doctors discovered that she suffered a labral tear in her right hip. Actually this is not an uncommon injury in athletes. Read on for preventative exercises and a lesson in hip anatomy!
What’s A Labral Tear
Symptoms include hip pain or a “catching” sensation in your hip joint. Initial treatment may include pain relievers and physical therapy (see below for exercises). Using arthroscopic techniques, surgeons can remove loose fragments from within the joint and trim or repair the hip labral tear. Surgery should only be for a worse case scenario injury as complications like scar tissue, range of motion and infection can result.
Hip Anatomy
The labrum is a strong fibrocartilage which forms a gasket around the socket of the head of the femur. It secures the femur to the pelvis. Here’s a breakdown of the anatomy:
The hip is a ball-and-socket joint. The socket is formed by the acetabulum, which is part of the large pelvis bone. The ball is the femoral head, which is the upper end of the femur (thighbone).- A slippery tissue called articular cartilage covers the surface of the ball and the socket. It creates a smooth, frictionless surface that helps the bones glide easily across each other.
- The acetabulum is ringed by strong fibrocartilage called the labrum. The labrum forms a gasket around the socket.
- The joint is surrounded by bands of tissue called ligaments. They form a capsule that holds the joint together. The undersurface of the capsule is lined by a thin membrane called the synovium. It produces synovial fluid that lubricates the hip joint.
The Exercises
Part of Lady Gaga’s issue lies in her workout routine. Obviously during performance, she is used broad range of motion, dynamic movements. To prepare for these quick broad movements, an athlete must strengthen the muscles that support the joint–specifically your pelvic girdle. These muscles prevent your pelvis from rotating forward or back, maintaining a neutral position. When your pelvis has laxity (or flexibility) this often means you may be prone to pain in your hips, back, and legs due to the incorrect position. Do these exercises to prepare for dynamic movement and stabilize the pelvis. I recommend 2x per day, 10 reps each.
