How to Feed a Ninja: January 2011

My 30 days: A clean plate

Winter is a tough time in the New England area. This winter being on of the worst on record so far. I just want to crawl under the blanket and eat my cookies, please and thank you. But having the job I do and talking to people often about health and wellness, I feel it only right to live to the best of my abilities and encourage other to do the same. Recently I've been feeling sluggish and drained. More then once my boss and friends have asked if I'm alright. I am, I'm just run down and grumpy and sleepy and bashful and dopey... wait... what...

I'm undertaking a "challenge" for the next 30 day to eat clean and healthy. I've done it before with great results but have found myself completely off that beaten path for the last few months. So here I sit. My Whole 30 Success Guide fully read and outlined. My meals set (well mostly) for the next few weeks. So I'm going to use my sisters wedding in March as motivators to do a strict 30 days of clean eating. I think I'm ready for this...

But what does that mean? Clean eating to me means no processed foods, no added sugars, no alcohol, no grains, no dairy, no excuses! I'll be writing one entry a day for the month to track what I'm eating/drinking, doing and feeling. They will be short and I promise not to post pics of what I'm eating/drinking (unless it looks really good). I'm going to be really honest and post my starting weight and measurements and at the end of the 30 days post them again. I'm not going to weigh myself during the 30 days. I'll also be tracking my moods. I have many and it should be interesting to see what ones come out when.

So check in from time to time and see what happens.
Or join me and share your story

Heat vs. Ice: When to use what...

We've talked about heat and ice here a few times. How to make ice casts and heat socks. Fun projects to help when you feel sore or swollen. But yesterday I was asked "How do I know if I should be using heat or ice?". The basic answer for me is, if it feels squishy firm it up with ice, if it feels solid melt it down with heat. There question answered! ;) But lets look into this a bit more and see where the science comes into play.

Ice Therapy:
When injured, muscles respond by going into protective mode and swelling in the area of the injury. However, sometimes the body doesn't know when to stop swelling. This is where ice comes in. Ice is a vaso-constrictor (it causes the blood vessels to narrow) and it limits internal swelling at the injury site. Most commonly used for acute injuries, ice is great if you have a recent injury (within the last 48 hours) where swelling is a problem. Ice acts as an analgesic by decreasing swelling around the injury, that can help to control the pain. Ice can also be used for chronic conditions, such as overuse injuries. In these cases it's important to remember to ice the injured area after the activity to help control inflammation. Never ice a chronic injury before activity. Do not apply ice for longer than 20 minutes at a time. Too much ice can do harm, more ice does not mean more relief. Allow the skin temperature to return to normal before icing a second or third time. You can ice an acute injury several times a day for up to three days. The best method of recovery after a minor muscle or ligament injury is the famous RICE method -- rest, ice, compression, and elevation. If this method doesn't help and you experience persistent pain or swelling, it's time to consult a physician.

So the break down of how ice helps:

Slows the inflammation and swelling that occurs after injury.
Helps to relieve the pain by numbing sore tissues (like a local anesthetic).
Slows the nerve impulses in the area, which interrupts the pain-spasm reaction in the nerves.

Heat Therapy:
Heat is generally used for chronic injuries or injuries that have no inflammation or swelling. Sore, stiff muscle or joint pain is best treated with heat therapy. Heat is a vaso-dilation. By applying heat to sore and tight muscles increases blood flow to the area. With increased blood flow also comes more oxygen. As more "new" blood flow in, more "old" blood flow out. With the increased flow of blood, toxins in the blood which cause chronic muscle soreness and stiffness are removed. The nutrients and oxygen in the "new" blood help the healing process of injured muscles. Heat can also help to reduce pain, and increase flexibility. Use heat before activities that irritate chronic injuries such as muscle strains. Athletes with chronic pain or injuries may use heat therapy before exercise to increase the elasticity of joint connective tissues and to stimulate blood flow. Heat can also help relax tight muscles or muscle spasms. Moist heat is best, so you could try using a hot wet towel. It's not necessary to keep heat on for more than about 20 minutes at a time and use enough layers between your skin and the heating source to prevent burns. Never apply heat while sleeping. Because heat increases circulation and raises skin temperature, you should not apply heat to acute injuries or injuries that show signs of inflammation. If this method doesn't help and you experience persistent pain or swelling, it's time to consult a physician.

So the break down of how heat helps:

Heat can help loosen tissues and relax injured areas.
Increases blood flow to speed up muscle recovery
Great for chronic muscle soreness

Guest Spot: Rebecca Kraemer from Innovative Bodywork

A great Body Worker and friend of mine, Rebecca Kraemer, made some wonderful videos that talk about the importance of self care for the forearms, wrists and hands. Check out the whole series and her site.

http://www.innovativebodywork.com/

Part one: Research

Part two: Reset

Part three: Relax

This gets 5 puffy <3's for Rebecca's insight and informative, uhm information

How to Make an Epsom Salts Compress

I normally tell people to use Epsom salt in their bath add a little natural lavender oil and just let the day fade. I use to use it from time to time. Then about 4 years ago we moved into a great apartment, with a crappy tub. I just can't use it. It barely holds a person and the water leaks out. Goodbye dear baths, I miss you so.

Thankfully I held on to my hopes and dreams

Until someone suggested to me an Epsom compress. An Epsom salt compress is a great way to help out your tired muscles. As the salt is absorbed into the skin, toxins are drawn from the cells. Muscles relax. BRILLIANT! So now for all you who live without the luxury of a tub that can actually hold a person and water, here's how you make an Epsom compress. Use it after a long day or before a long day to set the mood.

Things you'll need:
2 cups hot water
2 cups Epsom salt
3-4 drops scented oil (optional)
Bowl
Towel

Things you'll do:
Step 1)Pour the water into a bowl.
Step 2)Add the Epsom salt (and oil) and mix together. Let the Epsom salt to dissolve.
Step 3)Place a towel in the bowl and let it soak up the mixture.
Step 4)Wring the towel out and place it over any sore muscles.
Step 5)Re-wet the compress every 10 minutes and reapply.

What is: D.O.M.S

What is D.O.M.S.:
D.O.M.S. (delayed-onset muscle soreness) also called muscle fever, is characterized by dull, aching pain and moderate to severe tenderness in the affected muscle. It can involve loss of strength and range of motion. Normally starting 8 to 24 hours after extreme exercises, peaking withing the following 24-72 hours and subsiding over the next 5-7 days. Some research shows D.O.M.S. to be an inflammatory-repair response to actual muscle cell damage and an elevated release of various metabolites into the tissue. This can lead to the swelling and soreness that is felt a day or two after the event. D.O.M.S. can effect all individuals regardless of fitness levels.

D.O.M.S. - Not a major award

What Causes D.O.M.S.:
Coined in 1902 by Theodore Hough, he referred to D.O.M.S. as "fundamentally the result of ruptures within the muscle". The type of muscle contraction appears to be a key factor in the development of D.O.M.S. It is caused by eccentric exercise, lengthening contractions. The muscle is actively contracting, attempting to shorten its length, but it is failing. Isometric (static) exercise causes much less D.O.M.S, and concentric (shortening) exercise causes none.

WARNING CRAZY SCIENCE AHEAD!!
Acute structural damage to muscle tissues initiates the occurrence of D.O.M.S. This causes an increase in hydrogen ions and edema to build up fluid in the tissues. White blood cell count has been shown to increase following strenuous activity. The white blood cells are believed to cause an inflammatory response in the muscles, causing damage to the muscle cell membrane. This inflammatory response leads to the formation of metabolic waste products, which act as a chemical stimulus to the nerve endings that directly cause a sensation of pain. These metabolic waste products also increase vascular permeability and attract neutrophils, a type of white blood cell, to the site of injury. Once at the site of injury, neutrophils generate free radicals, molecules with unshared electrons, which can further damage the cell membrane. The sarcolemma, cell membrane, may be ruptured allowing the contents of the cell to seep between other muscle fibers. Other factors, which play a role in D.O.M.S, are muscle stiffness, contraction velocity, fatigue, and angle of contraction. My head hurts...

Symptoms of D.O.M.S.:
Typical symptoms associated with D.O.M.S include strength loss, pain, muscle tenderness, stiffness, and swelling. Loss of strength usually peaks within the first 48 hours after exercise, pain and tenderness peak within 1-3 days after exercise and typically subside within 7 days. Stiffness and swelling can peak 3-4 days after exercise and will usually resolve within 10 days. It is important to note that these symptoms are not dependant on one another and do not always present at the same time.

D.O.M.S. vs Muscle Strain:
When dealing with D.O.M.S it is important to differentiate it from muscle strains, recognizing that continued exercise is still possible with D.O.M.S, but not with muscle strain. With D.O.M.S, the pain is felt only when the muscle is stretched, contracted or put under pressure, not when it is at rest. This difference is important because with muscle strain vigorous exercise, particularly eccentric exercise, it can severely worsen the injury.

Muscle Strain Symptoms:

Swelling

Bruising, redness or open cuts as a consequence of the injury

Pain at rest

Pain when the specific muscle or the joint in relation to that muscle is used

Weakness of the muscle or tendons

Inability to use the muscle at all

Lactic Acid?:
Many people believe D.O.M.S has been attributed to the buildup of lactate in the muscles after an intense workout. Recent studies have shown this to not be the case at all. It has been shown that lactic acid is removed from the muscle within an hour of intense exercise. D.O.M.S normally begins about a day later. Studies have also shown blood lactate returns to resting levels within one hour of exercise. Also concentric exercise, which does not case D.O.M.S, produces two-thirds more lactate than eccentric exercise. So there!

Repeated-bout effect:
After eccentric exercise and feeling severe D.O.M.S, the muscle rapidly adapts to prevent further damage from the same exercise. This is called the "repeated-bout effect". It’s a progressive adaptation to eccentric exercise. Becase of the repeated-bout effect your body can do the same exercise with a faster recovery of strength and range of motion and increase resistance to damage. The effect lasts for at least several weeks.

There are three parts to the repeated-bout effect:

neural adaptations - improved use and control of the muscle by the nervous system

mechanical adaptations - increased muscle stiffness or muscle support tissue

cellular adaptations - adaptation to inflammatory response and increased protein synthesis

Treatment and Prevention:
No one treatment has proved dominant in consistently preventing or treating D.O.M.S.
Here’s a breakdown of pros and cons of different treatments people have tried in the past.

NSAIDs
PROS - reduce muscle soreness
CONS - may slow the ability of the muscle to repair the damage, gastrointestinal distress, and hypertensive effects.

STRETCHING
PROS - warms up the muscles
CONS - found not to prevent D.O.M.S, overstretching can cause D.O.M.S

VITAMIN C and E
PROS - reduce the proliferation of free radicals
CONS - has not been shown to effectively treat D.O.M.S, and may even worsen symptoms, too much is harmful

PRE-EXECISE WARM-UP
PROS- shown to be effective in reducing symptoms of D.O.M.S, increase muscle temperature, leading to greater muscle elasticity, an increased resistance of muscle tissue to tearing, more relaxed muscles, an increased extensibility of connective tissues within muscle, and decreased muscle viscosity
CONS - ?

MASSAGE
PROS - increase blood flow, effective in reducing both soreness and tenderness,
CONS - no effects on muscular strength or function

CONTINUED EXERCISE (exercise-induced analgesia)
PROS - increases pain thresholds and pain tolerance, temporarily suppress D.O.M.S
CONS - ?

ICE BATH
PROS - Constrict blood vessels and flush waste products out of the affected tissues, decrease metabolic activity, slow down physiological processes, reduce swelling and tissue breakdown
CONS - not shown to affect D.O.M.S, IT”S F’IN COLD!!

In conclusion D.O.M.S hurts, but it seems the best way to deal with it is to just keep getting better at what you’re doing and allow your body to recover. It will go away in a few days. Do some stretches (but not too many) get a massage if you feel like it and keep working out.

Office Stretches: Chair bound but not confined

Hello Monday, it's not that we hate you, we really don't. It's just that, well, Saturday and Sunday are so much more fun. Yet here we sit with you at the office (or in my case converted dinning room) knowing full well there is work to be done. Head hanging just a bit lower then it was on Friday, as we don't want to look at the clock in the corner. Our backs a bit hunched since the coffee hasn't kicked in yet. We try our best not to curl into that ball we were in just a few hours ago. The commute was no better. We got jostled and pushed and couldn't get a seat, or gave it up for the nice old lady who was just out to enjoy the morning (I mean really, where was she going?)

SNAP OUT OF IT!!

seems about right?

I wrote once about the 50/10 rule. For every 50min of work take a 10min break away from your computer. I use to do this often but in reverse, might be why I don't work in an office anymore. But if you work in a place that isn't as receptive of people walking around or feel it would be better to stay in our cube of office, here are some quick and easy chair stretches you can do. Coffee can do a lot of things, but you'll want to sleep at some point.

Stretching is huge for your overall health it can:

Reduced muscle tension
(say from waiting for a powerpoint to show up)
Increased range of movement in the joints
(meaning not so stiff when getting up for those meetings)
Enhanced muscular coordination
(thrown around less on the train/bus, mad dash to the cake in the break room)
Increased circulation of the blood to various parts of the body (it's like a mini workout for your body without the whole sweating thing)
Increased energy levels
(no 3:30 feel later... can I get in trouble for saying that?)

Now I did not make these. I found them on the interwebs. I was going to film myself teaching these to someone in an office chair. But it's been done so many times I figured why not recycle, right? Notice how each one is about a minute and a half. I'm pretty sure you can find those 10min and just stretch it out. So I hope you enjoy them and check out their sites as well :)

Stretches for the neck

Stretches for the feet and toes

Stretches for Posture

Stretches for your calves

Stretches for your forearms

Stretches for your ankles

Stretches for your deltoids

Spine Twist Stretch

Stretches for your chest and shoulders

Stretches for your wrists

Stretches for your hips and glutes

Stretches for your hamstrings

Stretches for your spine

Stretches for your side

Stretches for your fingers

So that's about all of you.

Make sure you take the time to break for the emails and thanks for stopping by :)

DYI Friday: Ice Cast for Massage Therapist

This is for anyone really, I work 6 days a week as a Massage Therapist. So to make sure I can have a career that last longer then the life span of my lotions, I need to take care of myself. I have my foam roller, my trigger point ball, my sock heating pad, but I lacked ice. I never liked to do ice. It's cold. And as with the heating pad I couldn't do anything when I had it on. I'd have to sit there with ice on my arms getting caught up on Lie to Me. All the while thinking "god this is cold!" Till one day after making the sock heating pad, I was goofing around with the tops left over and making them into gloves. Light dawn on marble head! Could I use these to make an ice pack holder thing? Yes I could and here's what I did :)

Step 1) Taking your left over sock tops cut a small thumb slit on the top on one of them.

Step 2) Fill a ziplock bag with about 1/3 cup tap water. Push all the air out and zip it up.

Step 3) I found a glass that was roughly the same size as my wrist and put the sock with the slit on top of it.

Step 4) Lay the sock glass flat and place the ziplock bag on top. Roll the bag down so it fit the area of the glass.

Step 5) Place the second sock on top of the ziplock bag and tuck in any parts sticking out.

Step 6) Place the whole thing, glass and all, in the freezer for a few hours. Take it out and remove it from the glass. You should be able to slide your arm into the space created by the glass and now ice. Use the thumb hole the make sure the bottom sock doesn't turn.

Step 7) Continue about your day. As you feel one area becoming too cold simply side the ice and top sock to a new area.

What is: A knot, an adhesion, that thing in my shoulder?

We feel them every day. Ever time we reach up or down, bend to pick up something, a little pull or pinch. A tightness in an area of our body. A knot.

My left shoulder, or is this my right?

What is a knot?
A knot is actually called myofascial trigger point. It's a muscle that had gone into a spasm either due to injury, overuse, or a sedentary lifestyle. With such activities as weight lifting, running, typing, or any type of exercise the muscle goes through a series of off and on cycles. When a knot develops the muscle remains "stuck" in that on, or tense state. It all means that something triggers a muscle and it never relaxes. Studies have shown connections to an abnormal build up of protein after a release of lactic acid. But other studies suggest that lactic acid has little do due with the development of trigger points. The most common cause of these muscle knots is a sedentary lifestyle containing short bursts of activity.

The bumpies are the ouchies :)

How can you heal a knot?
Potassium and calcium help to prevent muscle knots, and remaining hydrated can work wonders. (see post massage nutrition post) Because they are caused by inflammation in the muscle, taking a NSAID drug like ibuprofen will help with the pain. Ice can sometimes help with the inflammation. If you have only a few knots, the very best way to encourage them to go away is to massage them. I often take a trigger point ball , or lacrosse ball and roll it between my knot and a wall. You'll want to try and stay inside the "good pain range". It should feel like your doing some deep work not damage. Massage over a period of days can help reduce inflammation and retrain your muscles to be able to turn on and off again. If you have numerous or very painful muscle knots, the best thing you can do is see a licensed massage therapist.

How to make a foam roller and should you?

I've been meaning to do this for a while. I love foam rolling. To be honest I don't do it as often as I should. For some reason I've always wanted to make my own foam roller. So this seemed as good a time as any. But in the age of the internet and so many sports stores carrying rollers, is it worth it to make our own? Well here's what I found out. If you can find a good one for under $20, it's worth it to just buy it. But can you find one?

Yup here you go...

That being said, there are places that don't have rollers and maybe you can get to the stores that do. Maybe you're just like me and like to make something to learn more about it, or you just have a drizzly Sunday with nothing else to do.

So here's how you make a foam roller:

Step 1) Get your stuff together. You'll need:
PVC pipe ~$6
yoga mat ~$8
ruler
scissors
marker
athletic tape ~$3

Step 2) Measure twice, cut once. Measure how much of your yoga mat you will need by rolling the PVC pipe so that it's covered in one layer of the mat. Mark the mat with the marker and cut it to fit.

Step 3) Tape both ends of the mat and the middle together around the PVC pipe using the athletic tape.

Step 4) Starting from the center work your way up each end taping the mat closed. You might have to un-tape the end pieces once you get to them. Just make sure the mat touches and covers the PVC pipe the whole way around.

Step 5) Tape, tape, tape! Cover the PVC pipe in athletic tape and secure the mat. Once you feel it's secure, you're done. Now go work out those sore muscles ;)