Shin Splints

Shin splints are a runners' worst nightmare. The pain can be unbearable while running, and even walking around can be painful if you let them get out of hand.

Shin splints are usually caused by running on hard surfaces, uneven ground, or excessive uphill or downhill running. These surfaces cause a lot of stress on the muscles and tendons around the shin and when they become overloaded, shin splints or lower leg pain will often develop.

Treatment:
The best treatment for shin splints is to take a rest. Let the muscles and tendons heal for a few weeks. If you refuse to lay off the weight bearing and high-impact exercises, the shin splints are likely to get worse and could even lead to a stress fracture. While you are taking your rest period, make sure you are icing the shin area at least a few times a day. A good way to ice shin splints is to fill up a paper cup about half-way, freeze it, then peel off the bottom half of the cup to expose the ice. That way you can hold on to the upper end of the cup without freezing your hand off. Once your lower leg is feeling better, make sure you start slowly again and try to find a surface that is more forgiving.

Prevention:
Now, for prevention. Many shin splints are caused because the muscles over and around the tibia and fibula (the muscles around your shin) are weaker than your calf muscles (the muscles in the back of your lower leg). To strengthen the front muscles, do toe raises (You can do these standing up or sitting down with your legs at a 90 degree angle. Lift up your toes as high as you can, keeping your heels on the ground.) The best part about this exercise is that you can do them anytime you are sitting. A few toe raises throughout the day can really help to strengthen those muscles. (*Warning: As with any exercise, be careful not to overdo -- the point is to strengthen, not cause more pain).

Good running shoes are absolutely essential if you are doing a lot of running. Don't skimp -- trust me, you'll regret it. The best way to make sure you are getting a shoe suitable for your particular foot-strike pattern is to visit a trusted running store that employs experts that watch your running pattern and can recommend the right shoe.

Lastly, make sure you get a good warm-up before a long run or race. This will make sure the lower leg muscles are ready to go, blood is flowing, and they will be less likely to strain or over-stretch.

If you have an event coming up and you really feel like you want to run, despite lower leg pain, you can use athletic tape for extra support. Find an athletic trainer or physical therapist that will do it for you and have them test it out a few days before your event. (Sometimes the tape job won't help at all or it will drive you crazy, so a test run is recommended). Taping will not cure all the pain, but in the athletes that I've worked with, it helps somewhat.

*One more website that offers helpful information about shin splints: http://www.watfxc.com/TF/TF%20Education/shin_splints.htm

Write it out

You've probably heard it a million times, but one of the keys to successful weight-loss is self-awareness. Instead of mindless eating and thinking that you just worked out, "like, yesterday, or was it Sunday...," really examine your habits and figure out your patterns.

I recommend to all my clients that they keep a "health diary." My version of a health diary is a little bit different than the traditional food diary, where you write down what you eat and the calorie counts for each. In a health diary, I've found it's easier to stick to better eating and exercise habits if you have a plan in place. Before your week starts, write down a week's worth of meals and snacks. Consult your schedule for the week and make sure you are planning your meals to accommodate that schedule. (If you know you'll be traveling all day on Thursday, plan meals and foods that will be conducive to travel.) In addition to meal-planning, write down appointments (yes, appointments) for exercise and what you'll be doing during each session.

As you write down your plans, fold your paper in half length-wise (the hot-dog way) and keep your plans on one side of the paper running down the paper instead of across. The reason for this is that next to it, you can write down what you actually ate. This will help you review your week with your plan and your actual eating habits side by side. (If you like to keep your information electronic, use columns to split the "plan" and "actual" columns.)

Keep track of your actual food consumption as you go along if you can. This will not only make sure you don't forget to write down that afternoon snack, but it will also help you see how your day is shaping up. If you feel like you've overindulged at lunch, you know that dinner should be a little lighter.

Lastly I recommend, mostly to my female clients, that they keep track of their emotions throughout the week. If you have some trouble with emotional eating, whether it is when you are bored, lonely, sad, stressed, etc.; writing down how you were feeling when you ate an enormous piece of cake, will help you target what triggers an unhealthy overindulgence or binge. You can make a third column for this, or just write it just next to the "actual" food entry.

This truthful look into your eating habits, exercise habits and a look at how you deal with your emotions, can really help you put your healthy intentions to action. I've seen tremendous success with people when they've really embraced self-awareness. As we review their "health diary" we can see patterns and can address areas of weakness.

Once you are aware of whether or not your emotions are sabotaging your healthy eating, you can decide whether or not to continue the "emotion" column. Pre-planning is key though. You'll eat much better if you have it written down and know you have the groceries to support your plan. It will also help with the age-old question, "What's for dinner tonight?"

Survive a vacation without packing on the pounds

I've found that the excuse, "I'm on vacation," has been uttered about 151 times this last week. This excuse has been used to eat loads of fat-laden and high-calorie foods at nearly every meal, hit the snooze button instead of going for a morning run and used as an excuse to go to bed at an unearthly hour each night. Why is it that when our schedule or routine is shattered, even with something as fun as a vacation, our healthy habits get conveniently discarded? I'm going to nail it down to poor-planning. You don't have to gain 5-10 pounds every time you go on vacation if you spend a little time beforehand exploring your options. Think of it as part of the research and packing process.

Before you go: 

1) Find out if you'll have workout facilities available to you. Does the hotel you are staying at have a gym or pool? Are there walking/jogging paths nearby? Is there a park where you could do some outdoor exercises? (If you are planning to exercise outdoors, make sure you do some research and find some helpful exercise routines so you don't just wander around wasting your vacation time.)

2) Try to plan some heart-pumping activities during your vacation. Is there a nice mountain hike you could take? A scuba or snorkeling class? Could you rent some bikes and sight-see that way? Get creative, you'll be surprised how much your vacation could be enhanced by adding these activities in. The calorie-burning effects will just be an added bonus.

3) Don't forget to pack your exercise clothes! Make sure you bring all the necessary equipment that you'll need to work up a good sweat. Don't let this become your new excuse!

While on your vacation:

1) You don't need to get drinks, appetizers, a huge fatty entree and dessert at every meal. Of course there will be local cuisine that will be worth the calorie-splurge, but try to eat sensibly during the rest of your meals. 

2) Try to find some local produce or a farmer's market and stock up on some healthy snacks. Not only will the local food be healthier, but it will taste so much better than groceries that have been shipped from across the country.

3) Plan out your workouts. Usually early mornings work out best for me during a vacation (while the rest of my family sleeps in), but look over your schedule and make a plan. Write it down and keep these appointments as you would any other.

4) Have fun, but remember to keep your health in mind. Not only will you feel better and have more energy to enjoy your time away, but you won't get back with an extra five pounds as a souvenir.

Get your rest

This month has been extremely stressful for various reasons. I started to feel my body getting run-down and the stress of everything beginning to build up exponentially, despite my efforts to try and relax. It is easy for someone on the outside to say the words "manage your stress," but wow, when you are actually in the situation, it's not quite that easy. I have been trying to get very regular exercise and to eat well, but unfortunately it wasn't helping as much as usual. I was still tired and unfortunately for my husband, irritable. I knew what I was missing: my sleep. With the latest "adventures" being thrown at us, I was going to bed significantly later than normal, sleeping fitfully and waking up still exhausted.
Sleep is very nearly always the first thing to suffer when times get stressful and schedules get hectic, but in all actuality, it can be the very thing that will help the most. Sleep allows your body to recover, recuperate, and recharge. When that rest isn't happening, our bodies really take a toll and we wind up even more stressed, on-edge and yes, irritable. Not fun for anybody. Sleep helps with moodiness, energy, concentration, and your immune system. In order for the body to fight off disease and bacteria, it has to have rest. This explains why often when you are stressed and not sleeping well, you manage to get sick on top of it all.
Sleep deprivation can also affect weight and metabolism. Sleep releases a natural appetite suppressant called Leptin in our bodies, which can help keep your eating habits normal. When you aren't getting your rest, body processes and hormones can be altered, which can attribute to weight gain. Also, when your energy levels are lowered, it can be much, much harder to talk yourself into getting some decent exercise.
So, when you find yourself fending off stressful situations, make sure you are taking care of yourself. Eat healthy, unprocessed foods, get some exercise and most of all, make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get some healthy hours of rest. Sleep tight!

Lying Helps Lose Weight?

I came across an interesting article today. Several universities have been experimenting with psychology and food cravings and desires. Researchers have used "false memories" to discover whether "psychological lies" could create changes in behavior. When test subjects were told they had gotten ill after eating egg salad or peach yogurt when they were younger, about one-third of the subjects avoided the foods and continued to avoid them even months later.

Here's a portion of the article from Psychology Today:

Researchers at the University of St. Andrews in the United Kingdom and at the University of Windsor in Canada each found that subjects who were told that a particular food had made them sick years earlier not only believed the made-up events but also stopped craving the food. Researchers already knew that generating false memories can alter a person's beliefs, but these studies are the first to show that the practice can change behavior as well.

"Although it's not ethical to create false memories in people, making an association between eating a fattening food and getting ill may be beneficial," says Elke Geraerts, a psychologist from St. Andrews and lead author on one of the studies. "People may avoid those foods in the future."

It may sound implausible that a mere suggestion could alter recollections or create a new (untrue) memory, but it's not so far-fetched. "False memories are a well-established phenomenon. This is because all memories are re-creations, not recordings," says Douglas Fields, a neurobiologist at the National Institutes of Health who was not involved in the studies.

In the two studies, participants filled out questionnaires about their food history and preferences. Afterward, the researchers fibbed that they had created computer-generated personal profiles detailing the subjects' experiences with food during childhood. In Geraerts' study, the researchers told participants that, as kids, they disliked Brussels sprouts and liked pizza (most children do). The researchers also told half the subjects that they got sick after eating egg salad.

After the suggestion, one-third of the subjects, who were lied to, retained the untrue egg salad memory. And when presented with sandwich choices one week later, those participants left the egg sandwiches virtually untouched while devouring those made with ham, cheese, tuna, and chicken. Even four months later, the made-up memory remained intact, and the subjects continued to avoid egg salad.

Researchers from the University of Windsor also lied to some study participants, saying that they had become quite ill as children after eating peach yogurt contaminated with E. coli. After planting this bogus belief, the researchers found that participants rated peach yogurt less appealing than other foods and ate about half as much yogurt as those not given the false notion.

Researchers from Duke University found regions in the brain that may explain how false memories could slip by as real ones. Using brain scans, the researchers saw that when participants believed a memory was true, they exhibited more activity in part of the brain that processes feelings about an event. However, when subjects thought a false memory was true, they showed less activity in another part of the brain that checks memory for facts.

So what do you think? Do you think this type of negative association with a particular food would work for you? What do you think of this study? Is it ethical?

Start today

I'm a procrastinator. I openly admit it. I'm not quite sure why I put my huge deadlines off until the last minute -- I mean, I hate having that stress and apprehension hanging over my head -- but it seems like time after time, I put it off until I can't start any later. In college, I'd wait until the night before to even brainstorm an IDEA for my project, but somehow, I seemed to pull it off. Which of course, enabled the cycle to continue because I knew from experience that somehow I would be able to do whatever it took to get everything done.

Weight loss and fitness goals however, are different. They can't be accomplished overnight and it takes a lot of hard work and planning to make strides in that department. Trust me, I know. I've had times where I've really wanted to look fabulous for a special event or reunion and of course, I didn't start kicking my exercise routine into high gear until the week before. Those are times that I keenly remember my procrastination habit biting me in the butt. 

I've started to work on this bad habit of mine and I've really been making a constant effort to not rely on "tomorrow" to bail me out. Especially with my fitness goals, "tomorrow" never seems to come. 

Start your healthy fitness and eating habits TODAY! Why not? Why do you have to wait until Monday? Why do you have to start "tomorrow." Start at dinner tonight by adding some vegetables to that plate. Take a walk around the block after dinner.

Also, give yourself time to reach your goals and be realistic! The kind of weight loss you see on reality TV shows is most likely not going to happen (Did you see Biggest Loser last night??? 30 lbs. in one week! It's incredible!). Like I said, not realistic. Be kind to yourself and don't set yourself up for failure. Start today and be content with slow and steady progress. That's the best way to make sure the healthy changes you are making are going to stick.

So, let's conquer our procrastination monsters together and get started on the things we need to do TODAY.

"Procrastination is opportunity's assassin." ~Victor Kiam

Make Wishes Become Goals

Ahhh, New Years and all that comes with it. Resolution time, new beginning time -- whatever you want to call it. I've had discussions with people who despise New Year's resolutions and those who faithfully make them every year. Those that feel like it's too much pressure to make a list of "improvements" and those that feel like the beginning of the year is the perfect time to sit down and write out some goals.
Me? I fit in the second category. I actually enjoy sitting down and evaluating how I'm doing and what I'd like to work on in the coming year. In some ways it is like the last year has been wiped clean and I can forget about the past and my shortcomings and start over fresh. I tend to beat myself up about my faults and bad habits, so at the beginning of the new year, I feel like I can put it all behind me and start over.
I used to sit down and write a huge list of everything I wanted to do, change, be, etc. But, as I've gotten older and hopefully, wiser, I've realized that those kind of lists did nothing but make me feel overwhelmed and discouraged. I didn't have a focus or a plan. Goals don't accomplish themselves, so if you write down a few things arbitrarily, with no idea as to how you are going to work on them, they are only "wishes." Trust me, I've had a lot of "wishes" and they've stayed that way unless I've laid out a plan. So if you're the list-making kind, here are a few steps that have helped me make my wishes become goals:
1) Break it down by category

I like to fit my goals into a few categories which usually include: Physical, Emotional, Spiritual, Financial, etc.  You can also break it up into roles: Home, Work, Community, etc. I've found that breaking it up into a few categories -- remember, not too many -- helps me to flesh out the different areas in my life that need attention and I can go from there.

2) Start writing down things in each category -- as many as you would like

 I usually write everything down that I can thing of in each category that I would like to change, improve, quit, etc. Don't worry about the number right now because the next step is:

3) Go through the list and whittle down the most important/ most realistic

Again, you don't want to overwhelm yourself, so find the couple of things that you are really committed to working on this year. The number is up to you -- I've had a couple years that I only had one or two things on my final list -- but be realistic about how much time you'll have this coming year and if you can devote some of that precious time to these goals.

4) Make a plan

This is probably the most important step of all. You need to figure out how you are going to accomplish these goals. Writing down "start a resistance training program" is not going to be effective unless you can be specific and write a game-plan. If you've never lifted a weight before, you can decide to hire a personal trainer for a while. You could buy an exercise video that incorporates resistance training. You could enlist the help of a friend or family member that is savvy in that area. It doesn't matter what the specific steps are, just find what will work for you.

5) Make your goal measurable

If one of your goals is to start a resistance training program, quantify it. Be specific about how you're going to accomplish it, but also how many times a week would you like to lift weights? Once, twice? If you put a number to it, you can look back and know whether you are on the right track or not. Measurable goals are far more likely to be accomplished than those that are just words on a page with no way to really see if you've made any progress. Instead of "start running" you could say "Run a 5K on May 14th" -- then SIGN UP for the race! Then you have a deadline and a measurable goal.

6) Evaluate more than once a year

If you wait until December 31st to review your New Year's resolutions, you'll probably be disappointed with the results. As you make your goals also write down a time a few months down the line to reevaluate how they're coming along. If you need to make changes, make them and move on.

As you make these goals, you don't have to do it exactly this way. I'm just putting this out there because this has worked for me. I need to see which goals are important to me, I need to have a way to measure them and usually I need a deadline. I guess I work better under the pressure. Do whatever works best for you and focus on those things that are the most important and worth the commitment. 

Good luck and let me know how it goes!