Why Grains Inflame

Would you like to be fat and unhealthy?  If yes, then eat this

Up to this point on my blog I've mainly discussed exercise and keeping the body physically healthy.  Well today I'm going to venture into the diet.  There is so much mis-information and inaccurate beliefs regarding nutrition that I thought I'd throw my two cents out there.  The number one concept that was made clear to me in grad school that doesn't seem to have widespread awareness is this:  

To check out more visit www.Mobility-4Life.com

All Wheat and Grains are bad for you!!!!

I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it's true. And here's why (be careful, we're going slightly scientific for a sec): 

1. Lectins - these are proteins in grain products that can't be absorbed through the gut.  Therefore they hang out in the lining on the stomach (making absorptions of good vitamins and minerals harder) and increasing the systemic inflammation of the body.

2.  Gluten - we all get that gluten is bad right?  A good percentage of the population is allergic to this and it's not good for any of us.  Another indigestible protein.

3. Phytates - this is how phosphorus stores in wheat and grain products.  However itis indigestible like the others but worse is that is actually binds to other nutrients in the body (like calcium, zinc, iron, magnesium) and makes them in-absorbable.  It literally saps you of the nutrients that you did consume.  We call these 'anti-nutrients'.  Other examples would be excess sodium and alcohol.

For a much more thorough description of this, check out this blog post.  It's actually pretty good:

Why Grains are unhealthy (don't get thrown off when he mentions "cereal" grains-in this context it just means that they are edible grains)

So what I'm saying is that all wheat and grain products are bad for you.  This includes whole grain bread, this includes couscous, oatmeal, rice, and whole wheat pasta.  I know this is difficult to deal with.  I mean my favorite food is still pizza.  I used to love going to the Olive Garden.  But it just doesn't work for my body.  The quickest way to look and feel the way you want is probably to take fish oil, a probiotic and stop eating wheat and grain products.  

Like always if you'd like to reach me please dial my office at 561.997.8898 or email me at drschotthoar@gmail.com.

Healthy Hips are the key

Doesn't this lady on the right remind you of your grandmother?

I consider it my job to be an expert in how people move.  Addressing that gives you the ability to reduce the stress on your body that ends up as pain, injuries, medication, surgery, canes, wheelchairs, etc......and it improves performance for athletes.  The number one issue I see on a daily basis is people's inability to use their hips!

This post is relevant to a number of people.  It might be you if:

1) Your knees ever hurt?
2) Your back ever hurts?
3) When playing sports, you want more power or strength?

The number one way that the body creates force is to move the hips from hip flexion to hip extension.  Think of a bridging exercise while lying on your back.  Check out the picture to the right.

That movement is utilized in so many movements when we're creating large forces.  Exercising, the golf swing, the baseball swing and throw, tennis, olympic lifting and the list goes on...

He starts with a bend at the hips, then ends without any.  That's the hips going from flexion to extension.

When performing any movement that puts a lot of stress on the body, it's important to keep the spine neutral.  That's why during a movement like deadlifting, you should notice a lot of hip flexion at the bottom of the movement, but no spinal flexion(bending forward).

This is the best picture I could find.  He's really doing more of a deadlift than a squat, but no matter.  Imagine starting in the standing positing, the descending into the position of the left.  Notice how far back the butt travels.  That's what we call a hip hinge.  It's keeping the spine neutral and safe, while keeping the knee from traveling too far forward beyond the toes.

To test if you have adequate hip movement, grab a broomstrick.  Align it behind your back with one hand behind your neck, and one hand in the small of your back.  Maintain contact with the broomstick at the back of your head, the middle of your back, and your butt.  Are you able to push your butt back until your spine is at approximately 45 degrees WITHOUT locking out your knees?

If you can't do this it's likely that you are hurting your knees and your low back, and decreasing your exercising and sporting potential.

To get your own person evaluation on your hip movement and how to address those concerns, dial my office at 561.997.8898 or email me at drscotthoar@gmail.com. To check out more visit www.Mobility-4Life.com

Form and Footwear

I was all excited this week because I ordered a pair of Reebok Nano 2.0 shoes.  The ultimate Crossfit shoe.  They finally came in yesterday and I waited in anticipation until I could make it to the gym for my first workout in them.  My excitement did not sustain...

I found it difficult to squat as low as I normally would in my other workout sneakers, Babolat tennis shoes.   At the bottom of my squat I was off balanced, fighting not to fall down.  This brings me to my first point.

Raised heel shoes make it easier to squat lower.

Have you ever noticed this?  Ladies, if you wear high heels have you ever noticed how easy it is to descend into a full deep squat.  Then once you take the heels off how difficult it is to do so without falling down?  This happens for a number of reasons.

1) It takes the ankle flexibility out of the equation
            Some people have ankle restrictions that don't allow them to descend all the way down in their squat.  Raising up your heels during a squat changes the flexibility requirements of the ankle so it doesn't need to bend quite as much.

2) It shifts your body weight forward
            With bare feet, squat down as low as you can.....  Notice how one of two things happen...Either you fall backwards, or if you don't, your arms and upper body lean all the way forward to counterbalance you body.  Having raised heels negates the need for this to happen.

3) It reduces the length of your posterior chain

            Ok I'm starting to throw in some upper level rehab terms here, but bear with me.  The posterior chain is your calves, hamstrings, glutes and upper back.  Think of them as one long rubber band going from the middle of your back and connected to the bottom of your feet.  It's very common for flexibility problems of this posterior chain being a limitation in people's squatting and exercise technique.




So since I have tight ankles, the lower heels in the Reebok Nano 2.0 make it harder for me to maintain proper form.  So I'm going to end up returning my shoes so I can get a higher heel in my next shoe.  You'll notice people at the gym that, back in the day, would squat with 5 lb. plates under their heels, or in modern day crossfit gyms, they do things like pistols (single leg squats) with a plate under their heel.

Now i'm not suggesting you that you should just rely on raised heels at all times.  Get evaluated and see if there is anything that can be done as far as ankle and posterior chain flexibility.  The raised heel is a crutch, not an accessory.  Having raised heels makes you shift the weight bearing of your lower leg forward so you are wearing out your knees more, and using those strong hips and glutes less.  For me personally it's the right thing to do because of the uncorrectable ankle flexibility issues that I have.  That might not be the case for you.

To get your own evaluation in Boca Raton, FL, contact my office at 561.997.8898 or email any questions to 561.997.8898.  To check out more visit www.Mobility-4Life.com

Burpees

The Burpee has gotten so much press the last number of years that even though I've touched on it twice before, I think it deserves it's own post.  It's literally one of my favorite exercises out there.  Why?  You don't need any equipment and it tones, conditions, and shreds people!  Plus, I always have a tendency to like exercises that really expose people's mobility and stability shortcoming.  That's why I like Overhead deep squats too.  You have to have all regions of your body working well to do it well.  But I digress.  Burpees.

Burpees are a combination movement where you start in a standing position, jump down to a lowered pushup position (chest touching the ground), kip your feet to a full squat position, then jump up and clap your hands above your head.

I love burpees because if I have an extremely full day when I know I won't be able to get to the gym,  I know I can do 4 minutes of burpees and get a hell of workout and feel good about myself the rest of the day.

Here's the problem.

People don't do them very well.

The main issues I see that would lead to injury is that people do not come to the full deep squat position.  When they jump up they have the feet too close together, their heels are elevated, and all the stress of the movement goes straight to the knees and the quads.  When you are in a deep squat position (like you should be) the stress of the movement goes to the glutes and the hips (which can handle the load without causing injury).

If you notice that you can't get in a full squat position, then there is something wrong with either your foot, ankle, hips, or body control and you need to be evaluated by a movement professional.  If you're in the South Florida/Boca Raton area you can schedule your own personal evaluation either at 561.997.8898 or by emailing me personally at drscotthoar@gmail.com. To check out more visit www.Mobility-4Life.com