Nov

Give Me That Competitive Love

Could the future of athletic sports performance be judged by Oxytocin production? Imagine NFL drafts based around hormone production and neuropeptide activity in the brain.

We felt it yesterday afternoon. That urge to high five the guy sitting next to you as the Bears defeated the Vikings. That chemical reaction in our brain–that Oxytocin surge–is responsible for feeling the bond between teammates, players and even fans. Now imagine a draft pick based on Oxytocin production–a team with higher production levels is going to be a better performing team…?

Oxytocin is a unique chemical produced by our pituitary and released in our brain. It evokes feelings of contentment, reductions in anxiety, and feelings of calmness and security around the mate.^[23] Many studies have already shown a correlation of oxytocin with human bonding, increases in trust, and decreases in fear. It is no wonder that more and more health professionals have begun to acknowledge the correlation between Oxytocin production and performance in athletes.

Recently a study in The Scientific World Journal

Nov

Mild Concussion=Permanent Damage?

Action Points

*Mild traumatic brain injury disrupts the brain’s “default mode” in a way that shows up on functional MRI and correlates with symptoms.
*Note that the abnormalities in default-mode network connectivity were associated with cognitive dysfunction, depression, anxiety, fatigue, and post-concussion syndrome.

In a small study published in Radioloy mild brain trauma was found to have long term symptoms in default brain functions like memory encoding, consolidation, and environmental monitoring. Also affected was the medial prefrontal cortex associated with self relevance, rapid error identification and social functions. Problems with this network have been seen in Alzheimer’s disease, autism, and schizophrenia.

Nov

Trending: Platlet-Rich Plasma Treatments

Athletes are the #trendsters of rehab. They utilize all the newest therapies in order to rehab in record time so they can be ready for that next game.

Today, CoreFit examines platlet rich plasma–or P.R.P. The treatment, involves centrifuging a person

Nov

BMI VS. LDL

The Cardiovascular Showdown

Swiss researchers found that BMI calculations are a better predictor for cardiovascular disease than cholesterol levels. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. In the past, many doctors have relied on blood work to view LDL and HDL levels. BMI calculations are based on simple division of the individual’s body mass by the square of his or her height.

Q: What is the significance of a BMI calculation being a better predictor for cardiovascular disease than actual cholesterol levels?

A: Beyond the obvious cut of cost in blood work and the increased sample size for future research, I think this also gives us another clue as to how obesity and fat levels are correlated with overall disease within the body. As BMI moves upward, can we use it as a better predictor for disease in general?

4688 days ago Short URL Comments

BMI/Cholesterol/Health/Heart

BMI/body mass index/cardiovascular disease/cholesterol/fat levels/HDL/LDL/leading cause of death/obesity related disease/shayna robinson

Nov

Soda for Fat Burning?!?

You’ve heard of everything diet, but a soda that can actually help you drop weight?! This week Pepsi is introducing it’s new product to Japan: Pepsi Special. With a fat blocking substance called Dextrin, Pepsi promises us a new way to look at soda. Here’s everything you need to know about Dextrin–the so called magic bullet.

What is Dextrin?
Marketed in the U.S., Dextrin is sold as a supplement called

4689 days ago Short URL Comments

Diet Secrets/{Nutrition}

Benefiber/corefit chicago/corefitchicago/Dextrin/fat burning soda/Pepsi Special/shayna robinson

Nov

Movember: Sex, Food, Exercise

Sex. When I write about sex, I get 25k hits. So you can imagine that I’m all for Movember–the month we focus on Men’s Health–mostly because we get to talk about sex and your prostate.But I’m also here to share the top 3 ways you can reduce your risk. Yes, we’ll talk about sex first…..

1) Ejaculation. Research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests ejaculation, through sexual intercourse or masturbation, can reduce your risk of prostate cancer and can keep your prostate in check. But not just any kind of sex or masturbation;

Nov

Compression for Recovery and Performance

You’ve probably seen it on professional athletes–those tell-tale tights; They are actually compression garmets.

Q) What do compression garmets actually do?

A) They compress the affected area creating a higher pressure of blood flow. Blood flow is really important as an aid for recuperation, but it can also be a good tool for preventing your muscles from fatigue.

Q) When can I wear compression garmets?

A) You can wear compression garmets as a tool during competition, activity or post exercise for a quicker recovery.

Nov

Trending: CycloCross

It’s not just the rush of full threshold, no holds barred racing that makes CycloCross the hottest trend this season. CycloCross is a sport–part racing, part mountain biking, dismounting, carrying your bike over obstacles–that proves to be tough on even the most serious athlete.

Because you push yourself to 80-90% of your max, it gives you a tough workout in minimal time. And more and more athletes are moving towards sprint workouts; that is, sprinting through multiple types of exercises to get the full body workout you need. This preps your body to do pretty much anything.

CycloCross bikes, or Cross bikes are made like a racing bike--light weight with the ability to maintain high speeds--but with an off terrain tire, made for mud, climbing and high intensity maneuvers.

Enter your own personal CoreFitCross workout plan:

Get on your bike and push yourself to your lactate threshold–the threshold where your muscles start to burn. Hold it there for 30 seconds and then push to your max for 15sec. Drop it back down to your threshold for 30sec and drop down to 30% of your max for 3 minutes. Repeat this 6 times. You can try it going up a hill–it perfectly replicates what CycloCross is all about.

Nov

Clock Work: The Perfect Fit Day

If you spend an hour a day at the gym and 23 hours dedicated to undoing all that good, you haven’t really made any leeway in the general direction of health. Consider this, the more you indulge your body in the little healthy maneuvers, the easier it will be at the gym. Check out The Perfect Fit Day and try your hand at a little clock work.

8am: Get 8 hours of sleep! Seriously. No I am not kidding. Sleep is one of the most under-utilized methods in training, mostly because you think you are some kind of robot that doesn’t need it. But guess what? Sleep is integral to reducing stress, losing weight and recuperating from the beating you gave your bod the day before.

8:30am: Have breakfast! A big one. Your diet should actually flow the opposite way you are probably used to; biggest meal is brekkie, lunch is second, dinner should be an afterthought. It preps your body for optimal calorie expenditure. Along with breakfast have a cup of coffee–the caffeine jolt amps up your metabolism.

9am: Don’t hang out by the coffee maker chatting, head over to the H20. Ideally you should be drinking half your body weight in ounces of water. Water flushes your system of toxins and hydrates you so you have more energy and as a bonus, you’ll feel more full.

11am: Get up and stretch for a minute. Stretching increases circulation in your body, allowing it to repair itself. Also, drink more H20!

12pm: Lunch! Make sure it’s healthy–something full of good fats (grilled salmon) and antioxidants (spinach). Your midday meal is when you should be taking in lots of leafy greens and bright colored veggies. And don’t wash it down with an alcoholic drink–opt for more H20.

3pm: More stretching and physical activity. Most people are the most productive during the stretch from lunch to 3pm, but this is prime time for your body to digest and utilize those cals. If you are on a roll with whatever you are doing, be a good example to those around you and make sure to get up every 30 minutes or so and stretch/move around a bit.

6pm: If you haven’t already worked out in the morning, this is your last opportunity to get a good 30-60min of physical activity in. I suggest working out in the morning is probably the best time to burn some energy, but anytime you can find the time to be physically active is the right way to judge what’s best for you. Try sprinting on the treadmill, pushups, crunches, planks, lunges, step ups, presses, and squats. These are all exercises that will keep your whole body injury-free.

Sep

Avoid Nerve Damage: Goal Line Balance

NFL trainers use sport specific exercises to strengthen stabilizers for goal line success

Ever wonder how NFL pro-athletes avoid injury? They practice sport specific training. But even those highly paid professionals have physical issues and anyone who typically practices some form of cardiovascular exercise has experienced it. One of the most prevalent issues that affect regular exercisers is the nagging numb tingly that occurs sometime in the middle of your workout. You try to shake it off and assume it’s a circulation issue, but there is another culprit at play here; nerve damage.

Nerve damage is a common sports injury that sometimes gets overlooked because it can be sporadic or only prevalent during the actual exercise and then may subside after.

Tagged with shayna robinson …

Could the future of athletic sports performance be judged by Oxytocin production? Imagine NFL drafts based around hormone production and neuropeptide activity in the brain.

Action Points

The Cardiovascular Showdown