My Macro Journey to Fitness – Part 2

Feed me, Julia!

But how?

Prescription Food

In the Fall of 2009, I started my program in Massage Therapy at The Swedish Institute. Along with foundational coursework like Anatomy & Physiology, I was given an education in Eastern medicine. In my introductory class, we discussed the 5 Element theory to diagnosing and treating imbalances in the body. It broke down the acupressure point meridians and the paired organs that represented diagnostic elements. Dysfunction in these paired organs manifested physically and emotionally in the body. Treatments included bodywork, acupuncture, herbs and nutrition. There were foods to avoid and foods to promote the function of these pairs depending on the diagnosis given. Each element itself was associated with certain tastes and manners of eating.

My mind was officially blown!

Food as a healing prescription instead of an anxiety inducing activity resonated with me. I wasn’t at the point yet where I even liked to eat. All I knew was that I had to eat.

Maybe those cravings for lamb burgers were more than just cravings!

I soon learned that eating disorders like my Anorexia stemmed from imbalances in the paired organ relationship of Stomach and Spleen. Makes sense, right? Food goes into the Stomach and then is transformed and assimilated as energy or Qi that gets stored in the Spleen. Depleting my body of nutrients meant I had very little stored energy. People with Stomach and Spleen deficiencies experience a loss of appetite, digestive issues, difficulty putting on muscle, general weakness and lack of tone in their limbs, metabolic imbalances and irregular menstrual cycles. The emotional/spiritual manifestation of their imbalance is anxiety, worry, excessive thinking, pensiveness, obsessiveness, remorse, regret, obsessions, and self-doubt.

Pretty much summed me up.

I bought and borrowed every book I could find on TCM (i.e. Traditional Chinese Medicine) and Eastern theory. One of my class exercises was to create a 3 Day menu for an element of our choice. You know which one I chose. I ended up implementing this menu in my own life. In the first few months of 2010, I started to see muscle definition and an increase in my strength. My program was a mostly strength based workout with my trainer 2x per week and 2 days of some kind of cardio endurance training on my own.

But by March, I found myself overcome with a strange new craving after my cardio workouts and it scared the crap out of me.

SUGAR!

Not your optimal post workout nutrition

Even though it was scary, this powerful urge for sweet made a lot of sense. Metabolically, I was depleting my energy reserves with the duration of my cardio activities. It was my brain telling my body you need the quickest form of energy available or you’ll crash. This energy is glucose. We derive glucose from consuming carbohydrates. The sugars in carbs are broken down to synthesize glucose which goes directly into the blood stream, also known as our “blood sugar.” From these same carbs, we also manufacture glycogen, a more complex sugar which is stored in our muscles and the liver. When blood sugar is depleted, a chemical messenger gets released that signals the glycogen stores to be broken down to glucose, which then gets sent into the blood stream to replenish our levels.

My, then, boyfriend was all too happy to entertain this new craving and together we indulged it. Maybe I felt safer to consume sweets in his presence because it took the edge off of the guilt I felt. Sugar in any form was something I avoided and restricted. It caused me to have anxiety and made me moody. My periods were more painful. And the worst result of all was an increase in my body fat percentage by the year’s end because I wasn’t careful with my portions.

This habit could not continue.

I clearly had to change the way I was working out on my own and what I was consuming afterward. I didn’t want all my hard work to be for nought.

The science of snacking, post workout

I looked into the chapters on nutrition in a few different Exercise Science textbooks. Many of them spoke about consuming a high glycemic index carb within a half hour to an hour of endurance workouts in order to replenish blood sugar levels and prevent the muscles from being targeted for glycogen breakdown. Muscles need that energy to repair themselves, not to keep you from fainting after your workout. Also recommended for muscle repair and recovery was a protein, preferably from the 8 essential aminos family and especially high lucein in nature, along with a source of Omega 3 fatty acid. The above macro-nutrients were recommended to be eaten within 90 mins post workout. If I could create a snack that encompassed all the macros I needed, I would not only be doing my body good, but would also be shutting the sugar cravings down for good.

Box Jumps – an advanced exercise in this High Intensity Interval Training routine

I discovered High Intensity Interval Training or HIIT while watching a documentary on obesity in the UK in 2011. I learned that 20 minutes of intense activity done in short intervals using 90% of my max energy level with even shorter rests in between accomplished more than any of my 90 min cardio benders.

This was a more efficient way of getting my cardio in no matter what my schedule was like. I started with beginner level intervals and within a year, made it to more advanced routines. I already had a good cardio base to work with and I was careful not to do movements where I felt my form was anything short of perfect.

MAJOR NOTE: HIIT is something to work up to. You cannot go from a sedentary lifestyle right into this kind of exercise. You need a strong cardio vascular system and a keen understanding of form before going “balls to the wall” – seek out a trainer that can get you there!

It may have taken almost 7 years, but I had finally found the fitness formula that worked best for me – a combination of strength training and HIIT along with proper nutrition to support my activity levels.

And an amazing thing happened. I started to like eating.

My Macro Go To’s

I make my own post workout snacks on the days where I was not running to work after training. I’m not anal about measuring out the exact proportions of high glycemic carb, protein and fat, but I more or less estimate a portion size that my body responds well to (i.e. no cramping, stitches or bloating after eating)

One of my favorite post workout snacks is a cup of full fat Greek yogurt, with 3 Medjool dates, a tsp of Greek honey and 2 tsps of tahini.

I also created a shake recipe that tastes a lot like lemon cake batter. I blend 1 cup of Kefir (a fermented milk drink similar to yogurt that is a great source of probiotic strains for your GI), 1 frozen banana, 10 blueberries, 1 tsp almond butter and 2 tsps ProOmega D-Xtra liquid from Nordic Naturals (a great source of Omega 3 fatty acid).

Lemon flavored source of Vitamin D3 and Omega 3 fatty acid

Lastly, when I’m in need of a snack on the go between clients, I prefer the  Go Macro macro-nutrient bar along with some kind of fruit. My favorite combo to date is the cashew butter macrobar “sweet rejuvenation” (pictured below) with a medium sized ripe apricot.

 

ADDITIONAL SOURCES and READING:

Journal of Applied Physiology – http://jap.physiology.org/content/89/5/1845.full

Muscle Glycogen Synthesis Before and After Exercise – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2011684

Haff, Gregory G and Triplett, Travis N. “Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, 4th Edition” (NSCA, USA)

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E tu, Iliopsoas?

What your Iliacus and Psoas look like – separate, but together…

Iliopsoas is a term used for the combo platter of muscles that is Iliacus and Psoas Major. These muscles call the posterior abdominal wall home, where they attach the lumbar spine and pelvis to the hip. This trajectory makes iliopsoas not only an important postural muscle (you need it for standing and walking) but also a strong flexor of the hip joint. Sprinting and running with high knees (i.e. hips and knees are flexed above a 90 degree angle) really recruits this muscle complex along with the usual suspects of Quads, TFL and Sartorius. Also, a wonderful calisthenic exercise known as the Mountain Climber is good for strengthening this muscle for the same reason that it flexes the hip beyond 90 degrees. We need our iliopsoas to be strong in order to keep that back straight and supported through all our daily activities outside of just exercise. Too much sitting shortens and weakens this muscle complex, causing an exaggerated curve in the lower back known as lordosis, which in turn tightens the muscles of the lumbar spine causing pain and instability. Another cause of weakness is inefficient recruitment, like say, if you were a long distance runner. Iliopsoas just goes along for the ride when your knees and hips stay below 90 degrees because you are running at a slower, more methodical pace. Even though you are maintaining a good level of fitness, overtime iliopsoas will weaken because it is not really being strengthened. Add old age to the equation, which naturally reduces muscle strength and viability, and you have all the factors that directly affect this muscular unit. Well, almost. What else is located in the deep recesses of your belly? Your guts.

Your guts and Iliopsoas have a “tight” relationship – pun intentional.

Aside from your abs, the iliopsoas (specifically psoas major) keeps that lower abdomen flat, preventing the intestines from pushing forward as it creates a kind of long shelf for them to rest in. In times of elevated stress and emotional issues, your psoas major tightens and is less efficient at keeping your guts at bay. Primordially tied into our “fight or flight” nervous system, the psoas is our true “gut” muscle, stabilizing and destabilizing at the will of our environment. Digestion and other non-essential activities cease when we are on high alert leading to a buildup of toxins, inflammation and other muscular disturbances. And speaking of said disturbances, also located in the lower right corner of your abdomen in the region of iliopsoas is a valve known as the ileocaecal valve (IVC). It is where digested food passes from the small intestine into the large intestine, so that water and vitamin absorption can occur and toxins can be eliminated. This valve is designed to open for the above function and then close to prevent back-up. Any number of factors including stress, diet, parasites and irritation of the nerves that power the valve can cause it to stay in either a closed or open position. This leads to a buildup of toxins where they do not belong. The body responds with fluid retention and a host of symptoms such as joint and muscular aches/pains, circulatory problems, pinched nerves or even whole body arthritis. How does this affect iliopsoas? One of the most common symptoms is low back pain that comes on suddenly and with no explained cause. Picture yourself sitting one minute, then getting a sharp, stabbing pain in your lower back upon getting up. This low back pain is due to the close relationship iliacus has with the valve. Any dysfunction refers to this muscle, which in turn destabilizes the lumbar spine and affects the surrounding musculature in the back and hip. Chiropractors, Massage Therapists who specialize in Applied Kinesiology and Naturopaths can all address this issue effectively through  a variety of changes to one’s diet, exercise and with soft tissue manipulation to name a few techniques. Do not underestimate the importance of this muscle complex. Its betrayal by either pathological and/or other causes can have severe repercussions in the whole body. Keep your guts and back in perfect alignment and they will take care of you.

Additional information and SOURCES:

http://blog.corewalking.com/psoas-major-and-rectus-abdominis-a-strained-alliance/

http://digestiveawareness.drupalgardens.com/content/ileocecal-valve-preventing-backflow

Trigger Points – the baggage our muscles hide!

Is this your back?

If the above image gives you the impression that a group of assassins  are ready to fire on you, stay with that feeling.  No one is immune. They hide in your muscles and sinews waiting for something or someone to activate them. Some gather in groups while others migrate to new territory, but more often than not they refer their pain elsewhere to trick you. They are trigger points.

A trigger point is defined as a hyper irritable spot within a taut band of skeletal muscle that elicits pain locally when compressed, but can also refer it elsewhere or be accompanied by muscle spasm. When touched, these spots can feel like hard nodules ( i.e. the “knots” we so often refer to in our backs and other body parts). It was Dr. Janet Travel, physician to the late president John F. Kennedy, that first came up with the term when she noticed that these points of pain tended to happen in predictable patterns that could be mapped out on the body. Her maps can be found in the 2 Volume book she wrote with David G. Simons, “Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: The Trigger Point Manual.”

How do you know if you have one or more of these bad boys lurking in your tissues? There are a few characteristic symptoms which include sensitivity to pressure in a muscle, stiffness accompanied sometimes with a pulling sensation emanating from a particular point in the muscle, pain that refers from the point compressed to another area of the body and pain that has a dull, aching or burning quality to it.  Other symptoms sometimes experienced are various autonomic phenomena like dizziness, sweating and fever as well as headaches, numbness, loss of range of motion and dysfunction of the muscle involved. While the cause of trigger points remains a much disputed medical topic, it is safe to say that they most commonly occur when muscles are chronically overloaded, as in the case with occupational and exercise overuse, injury and poor posture. Also, chilling of a muscle (i.e. catching a draft or having an air-conditioner blow on you) and the position in which you sleep can also create these points. Sometimes these points are even triggered by emotional and stress related events.

Any qualified massage therapist (ME!) possesses the skills needed to deactivate these points and treat the surrounding tissues. In my opinion, your first course of action should be massage therapy. Thereafter, if the points do not resolve within a few treatment sessions, you should be referred to a chiropractor, osteopath or physical therapist, all of whom employ more aggressive treatment measures. The protocol used to address trigger points via massage is a combination of sustained compression of the point followed by cross fiber friction and deep strokes in the direction of the muscle fibers to clear out metabolic wastes and encourage the flow of blood into the affected area. I am a huge fan of a myofascial technique known as skin rolling. It literally involves me picking up your skin and rolling it along different angles between my fingers, almost like cookie dough. This is an important diagnostic tool for me to find these stuck points, especially if a client is unsure of the location of their discomfort. The sustained compression of these points temporarily stops the pain signal coming from the brain and the flow of blood to the area, so that when it is released, blood literally floods the point and washes wastes away. The first compression is always the worst because the pain level will be greatest then. It is super important to breathe through the 8-10 second count, as the point is held. On a scale of 1 to 10, the pain/discomfort should be around an 8. With each subsequent sustained compression (about 4 in total) the pain level will dissipate while the force of compression stays about the same. During these compressions, many clients will break into a sweat or become hyperemic (flushed) in the area of the trigger point. Sometimes there are twitches in the muscle or surrounding tissues near the point being worked on. Even stranger, the point can move while I am compressing and I literally have to chase it through its migratory path until I shut it down. Once the compressions are finished, the point is rubbed vigorously in a cross fiber pattern between 1 to 5 minutes and then all the fibers of the muscle get treated to a nice and slow, deep rub down. I like to then apply a bit of heat in the form of a heated dry towel (no more than 10-15 mins on) or a topical irritant like Tiger Balm.

Best case scenario, trigger points will get resolved in one intense session, but more often than not, multiple sessions are needed to deactivate years of evil. It’s extremely important to assess what is going on or has happened in your life, both physically and emotionally that, although your brain might have dismissed, your muscles and tissues beg you to notice. This awareness will help you focus your attention back onto yourself and deal with the baggage at hand because trust me, your muscles have better, more productive things to do than carry the weight of the world in their nooks and crannies.

Additional reference available at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trigger_point

NOTE **Read personal trainer, running coach and kayak instructor, Jeanne Andrus’s post about her experience with Trigger Points. I think it to be a helpful read:

Trigger Points