Stretching for Dummies: The Science and the Obvious.

Static Stretching

First off, NEVER do static stretching before you workout, it can restrict blood-flow to the muscles and turn off the central nervous response making you more susceptible to injury. This is meant to be post-workout to improve recovery and flexibility. It is a myth that you should do this before workouts, and is no longer accepted by those who do their research. The first 7-10 seconds that you stretch a muscle to tension you are not actually stretching anything. The muscle you brings to tension has a neurological response to contract for the first few seconds. In order to get an actual stretch you need to hold it to tension the first 7-10 seconds, at which point the central nervous system basically turns off for that area, and then breath in deeply and stretch it further as you exhale. Hold it to this new point of tension for 15-60 secs to achieve flexibility benefits. Research does not yet show too much difference between holding it 15 or 60 secs after you shut the central nervous system off, so it is up to you. However, research does show you need to repeat this at least 4 reps. 

Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (P.N.F.)

This is better than static stretching, but requires another person to do some stretches, or at least something to provide tension. For this you pull the muscle you are targeting to tension for 7-10 secs, again to shut off the central nervous system response, then push against the stretch with about a 5-6 out of 10 effort for 6-15 secs. (Ex: have someone push your knee into your chest while you push it back towards them, or you can use a belt) After the 6-15 secs stop resisting and you will be able to breath out and stretch further to a new point of tension. You can hold it at this new point of tension and repeat the process as many times as you see improvement. This is also typically meant for post-workout to improve recovery and flexibility.

Dynamic Movement

This is really a movement, not a stretch, and is meant to be done before you workout to warm up the muscles and turn on the central nervous system to the appropriate areas. Some people call it Dynamic stretching or ballistic stretching however. Ballistic is a more explosive form of dynamic movements, and is intended for those who are at an excellent fitness level. Dynamic movements are for those who have a decent fitness, and are more controlled and slower paced movements that mimic those you will be using in the activity you are about to perform. So if you are going to be running, maybe do some trunk twists and lunges. If you are going to be playing basketball then maybe do some jump rope and some arm circles. You want to think of what movements you will be making and mimic movements that will activate the central nervous system in those areas and get blood flowing there.

Micro Fascial Release

Your body has a thin layer of what is kind of like a shrink wrap over your entire body. It is one connected piece, and if it is tight in one area it can pull the micro fascia from another area tight as well and cause tightness, knots, or pain. Research is showing that these knots that we typically thought were in the muscle are actually in this micro fascia layer, where the it has been "knotted" up. By using something like a foam roller or other available tools to roll over these areas, you release them back to their normal shape and essentially can remove tight spots, reduce pain and soreness, and most importantly prevent injury. To do this you simply roll a foam roller or hard ball like a trigger point ball over the areas you find sore for 30-45 secs with a 3-6" movement. This is more important than people realize and can help solve many problems if done on a regular basis. It will help with recovery, relief muscle soreness, improve flexibility, and help prevent injury. Yoga is good at helping to stretch out the micro fascia to gain some of these benefits also. 

Conclusion

Stretching is extremely important, and there are certain types required for certain times and for specific fitness levels. If you do not stretch you will naturally not gain better flexibility, and you will actually lose what you have now. It is the simple principle of use it or lose it. If you sit in a chair 12 hours a day and don't even stretch your hip muscles will shorten and you will develop bad skeletal posture and a whole host of other problems. Stretching is an important part of any fitness routine, so integrate these different techniques into your program and you will see great benefits.

Burning Legs and Vomit

If you ever wondered why your muscles begin to burn when you workout hard, today is the day you find out! When you exercise your body gets the energy from carbs by breaking the chemical bonds of glucose molecules. The result of breaking these bonds is energy as well as free floating hydrogen ions left over. These hydrogen ions build up in your muscle, and so something needs to remove them so you don't have a build up of lactic acid and get that burning or tingling sensation. The hydrogen ions attach to pyruvate and are then pulled into the blood to buy your muscles some time. Lactic acid is not garbage however, it can be converted back to glucose and used as a source of energy for your body. Your blood can only handle so much, so when it is full and can't keep up with the amount of free hydrogen ions you are releasing into the muscle, you get the burning sensation. This is also why you may vomit when you work out hard. Your blood can only handle taking in so much of this lactic acid, and then your body reacts by inducing vomiting. In order to improve your ability to manage lactic acid you have to train your body to take in more oxygen to your muscles and blood - you need to increase your VO2 max. You do this through cardio training. You focus on your aerobic system, not your anaerobic system. Now you know why your legs burn and you just vomited!

Ronald McDonald Up Your Asses

I'm tired of people having one defense when McDonalds is attacked for providing fat kids with a safe haven and parent's a gag for their children. It is always, "But they have the Ronald McDonald House, so they care". Really? So if I sell guns to criminals is it justified if I also open an emergency room? Wow, that logic is impeccable, I guess you win you naive, ignorant citizen. Besides, the Ronald McDonald foundation doesn't exist because they care so much. If they cared they would have stopped loading everything on their menu with sugar and fat, providing toys and happy meals to make children scream until their parents would give in, and be the first food establishment to build playgrounds. Why the hell do you need a playground at a fast food joint? They are driven by profit motive, and I guarantee you the big boss sitting up top is more worried about the profits for the year than how many children developed cancer and diabetes due to his food. The Ronald McDonald foundation is a tax free operation that essentially gives McDonalds the ability to choose where there taxes go. The foundation allows McDonalds to write off their expenses. Kudos for spending it on repairing the problem you help create McDonalds, I'm not buying it. They started the foundation BECAUSE it is a write off and they have to pay the money through taxes if they didn't start the foundation, their out of pocket expenses are minimal compared to the income they receive - not to mention the income boost they get specifically from the press of starting the foundation, showing fat, naive Americans everywhere how much they care about fixing the problem they perpetuate. Get a new defense, and just admit it - McDonalds targets children because they know the parents are busy and too damn weak to say no to their children. Hook the kids and the parents follow suit, funny how those roles get reversed sometimes. So stop making your kids fat parents, it is ALL YOUR FAULT, you choose what your kids can eat for at least the first 13 years of their life. Stop taking them to McDonalds and then being embarrassed they are fat and blaming it on them, you drove them there.

Iron Intake and Anemia

Iron intake is important in producing red blood cells, found in hemoglobin and myoglobin. Hemoglobin carries oxygen you breath through the blood for energy and to tissue. Myoglobin hold and stores oxygen for muscles during exercise. You lose iron through dying skin cells, urine, sweat, and menstruating. Iron deficiency can cause dizziness , sporadic body temperature, low energy, and lethargy. Women who are on their period or pregnant must be careful to make sure Iron levels are within the recommended threshold. Also, endurance athletes must pay special attention to Iron deficiency and especially if they are vegetarians. Iron is abundant in animal protein, more so in dark meat than light. There are plenty of vegetable sources for Iron for those who do not eat meat, but they can be inhibited or helped in their absorption rate. Vitamin C is a great inhibitor for the absorption rate of Iron. So a glass of O.J. with grains and cereals at breakfast, a broccoli and tofu stir-fry, or beans with a tomato based sauce are great ways to intake Iron on a vegetarian diet. Some inhibitors are tea, coffee, cocoa, soy, egg, milk, and others. These should typically be consumed between meals to avoid inhibiting Iron intake. Some foods are great sources because they have significant amounts of Iron and Vitamin C; asparagus, broccoli, cantaloupe, kiwi, green and red peppers, and more. It is not necessary to take an Iron supplement, even if vegetarian, if one eats a variety of foods and does not strictly control energy intake.  If an Iron supplement is taken, do not take at the same time as a calcium supplement as the two can inhibit one another.

Basics on How Energy Works in Your Body

Crash Course Thermodynamics: Your body releases energy stored within the chemical bonds of foods you intake, and temporarily traps it within the chemical bonds of special molecules known as ATP and creatine phosphate (PCr). The energy  stored in these special bonds is ultimately used to fuel muscle activity when needed, with the help of oxygen, and produces heat energy.

Carbohydrates (the best source of energy) can be stored in skeletal muscle and the liver in a starchlike substance called glycogen. Glycogen can become depleted after about 60 minutes of intense physical activity. Fatigue occurs about the same time that glycogen stores become low, for basic reasons; Active muscle that have now been depleted of their carbohydrate stores are forced to now rely on fat for fuel. Fat is not able to be “burned” as fast and efficiently as carbohydrates, so your body runs out of fuel. Also, the liver is depleted of its glycogen stores and is no longer able to store blood sugar, therefor it must struggle to maintain blood sugar levels by converting protein (from amino acids) sources to blood sugar. This process is slow and can not keep up with the pace at which muscle takes up sugar in the body. This can cause low blood sugar and result in lightheadedness and fatigue.

Some New Tips

- If you are going to run don’t overdo it. Long distance running will start to tear down muscle. If you want to maintain muscle and burn fat, then do high intensity interval training (H.I.I.T.). Run as fast as you can for 30 seconds, then slowly jog or walk for 30-60 secs. Repeat this for about 30 minutes. You can increase the time you run and decrease the time you rest as you get better. Typically it is a good idea to keep both within 30-60 seconds at a time. This will boost your metabolism for a long time after you run, and will burn more fat overall than just running a steady pace for an hour or more. You will still get great cardio as with regular running, but you will active your muscles and they will not adapt as easily to the repetitive movement of running at a steady pace. H.I.I.T. is like weight lifting for your heart, you exert a force on your cardio system, then allow it to recover. Same as when you are lifting weights.

- Don’t lift too slowly. When you are lifting weights your movement should be explosive. Lift the weights very fast and lower them slowly. This will activate more fast twitch muscles on the way up, and give you more action on the way down. This will help lead to more muscle growth, and get more out of your workouts.’

- Don’t pace yourself. Some studies have shown that those who exerts 100% in the beginning of their workout and then slow down later have better results and gains than those who pace themselves at 75-85% the entire workout. So go for it all in the beginning, and do your best to finish the tail end of your workout.

-Recover.  Two things after a workout, stretch and a recovery drink. Even if you are not trying to gain muscle you still need to replace your energy stores. Your body will begin to tear down lean muscle mass, which everyone needs, if you do not give it what it needs after a workout. You also must stretch, flexibility is an important element of fitness. You need to have long, strong muscles or you will develop increased soreness, less mobility, cramps, and back pain. So recover and stretch.

Why Atkins Diet Fails !!

First off their are lawsuits against it at this moment for the damage it has done to people. Atkins himself was very overweight when died and died from cardiovascular issues. Carbs are our bodies main source of energy when we function, and a high protein diet often yields high saturated fats, because saturated fats (bad) are found in most animal meats.

Low carb diets are not a panacea as is typically claimed but the extreme aspects of the Atkins diet are even more problematic. The diet may yield modest weight loss in the short term but long term studies show negative consequences.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has been working to counter the pro-Atkins media and slow the hype about the Atkins diet.

Side Effects of Atkins Diet

If have kidney issues, high protein diets can accentuate problems due to excess nitrogen production

Long term- Increased urinary calcium loss can weaken bones, leading to increased risk for fractures and osteoporosis.

If associated with high saturated fat, can increase LDL levels.