Tag: fitness

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The spectacular benefits of “Most Of The Time’

Tim Irvine

When it comes to overall health, one particular theme continues to present itself to me. Do the right things ‘most of the time’. We spend so much time trying to ‘get it right’ or be ‘perfect’ and it’s just not realistic. Too many of us end up feeling excess pressure that can lead to giving up or getting disappointed in ourselves because we have not achieved the ideal. I say screw the ideal and give yourself some flexibility to do some things that you know aren’t perfect. 

I first noticed this with physical capabilities. Anyone who is consistent with their training retains their base even when they take a break from it. Yes, they become somewhat deconditioned, but their capacity to ‘get back in shape’ is there and makes the process quite efficient. Taking years or decades away from activity converts their system to an inactive one, and they lose their ability to rebound efficiently. 

I’ve observed the same phenomenon with people and their diets. Those that have consistently poor dietary habits generally have poorer health. Surprise, surprise. Overweight, high blood pressure, joint pain, less happiness, etc. not surprising. Those that have good dietary habits most of the time usually have good, general health. 

In the past several years, I’ve also noticed those that spending an ample amount of time outdoors has more positive health outcomes. Particularly psychologically. The plus is most people tend to be doing something physical when outside so their physical health benefits as well. This also applies to people who work in an office environment. If they get some weekly outdoor enjoyment most of the time, it seems to work as an antidote to their desk time. 

I know I’m simplifying ‘good health’ with this concept, but that’s the point. Let’s make it easier for ourselves instead of harder. The point of ‘most of the time’ is that it’s not rigid. I like sweets, and some beer and wine, but most of the time I eat well and don’t drink to much alcohol. 

Pursuing perfection in any health habit can have its drawbacks psychologically and that is what I see as a roadblock to getting started or continuing with any positive habit. To reiterate my earlier point, allow yourself to be imperfect. You are not a robot, nor should you aspire to be one. Just be yourself and do the right thing most of the time. Better health and happiness are sure to follow.

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RunSmart!

Are you or someone you know hitting the pavement or trails this spring? If so, we have two awesome resources for you.

RunSmart Workshop

We are hosting a RunSmart workshop on May 10th, 6pm at our King location. Our running physio, Victoria Lavinskas, and our running nutritionist, Tara Postnikoff, will help you…

  • Run Faster
  • Run farther
  • Stay injury free
  • Nutrition, technique, resistance work, and more

There is no cost to the workshop, but all attendees will receive 15% off a massage. Sign up here. 

RunSmart Immersive

If you are looking for the latest and most comprehensive look at running performance from all angles, we have you covered. Whether you are just getting started with running or you are experienced and looking for an edge, this program is a great match.

  • 20+ videos
  • Nutrition advice
  • Warmups
  • Injury prevention
  • 5k and 10k programs
  • Direct access to our professionals

Find out more or sign up here.

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Easily Add Some Cross-Training To Your Outdoor Excursions

Tim Irvine

It won’t surprise you that our society is forward-focused. This is also true with how we move our bodies.

Typically, we move forward in a straight line for our activity. Walking, running, and cycling are good examples of this. While any movement is positive, as we get back to outdoor activity after a long winter there is an opportunity to move differently as well. Mixing up directions of movement to keep your body guessing and promote cross-training is a good example.

Let’s focus on walking/hiking and running. This article by Alex Hutchinson shows how rough trail running requires greater energy use than smooth trail running. This isn’t entirely surprising, but the reason this happens is related to the amount of side-to-side movement necessary to avoid some of the ground covers on a rough trail, including rocks and tree roots. The idea of making your run harder may not be particularly appealing but the benefits for your body are substantial. Sideways steps, small jumps, the landing of those small jumps, long steps, etc. All this extra motion takes more energy, but it also requires your body to move in different ways. This ‘cross training’ helps you be a better mover overall.

Here are some ways you can accomplish these bonus movements in your regular routine:

  1. Walking/running
    1. Typical – paved or cement trail
    2. Cross Training – dirt, grass, or gravel trails; incorporate sideways or backwards steps (safely)
  2. Hiking
    1. Typical – smooth, low incline trails
    2. Cross Training – higher incline trails; rough trails; a combination of these two
  3. Biking
    1. Typical – road riding on paved trails
    2. Cross Training – dirt, grass, or gravel trails; mountain biking

As a bonus, you can also stop on your outdoor adventure and do some step-ups onto a tree stump, push-ups against a low branch or rock, and more.

As with anything that has higher levels of difficulty, proper safety approaches are important. Some considerations include proper footwear, avoiding wet or slippery surfaces, making sure there is adequate light, bringing along a friend, etc.

This spring and summer, get outside and enjoy the world around you a bit differently. Your body and brain will thank you.

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Secrets To Living Long

Written by: Tim Irvine

The picture you are looking at is that of Arthur Kennedy Sr. He’s one of my heroes and a shining example of how to live life. You can learn from him, so read on to find out how.

Arthur is 90 years old and took this picture a few weeks before writing this article. His trip to the Grand Canyon was part of his 90th birthday celebration. I’ve only known him for the last ten years, but in that time, he’s travelled to many exotic locales in the world, usually multiple times a year. Herein lies the important message.

Arthur isn’t managing his health to the nth degree; he’s just enjoying life doing things he loves to do.

Sure, he pays attention to what he eats, but not religiously. He loves a great meal and a nice bottle of wine.

He exercises regularly but does so to continue to do the things he loves, with travel being at or near the top of the list. It helps to keep him young.

He has family that he spends a lot of meaningful time with, including some of his travel.

Regardless of a person’s age, there are many lessons to be learned from Arthur. There is, however, one thing that he has just nailed:  He fills his life with experiences and people that he loves, and supports it with behaviours that allow him to do it whenever he wants. That’s the secret sauce that brings him happiness. It is also the same sauce that brings the rest of us happiness.

It’s worth thinking about how you might be able to adapt to this simple overarching approach. On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the highest, give yourself a score on how well you are doing but exclude 7 altogether. If you are 8 or higher, you are already doing a great job. If your score is 6 or lower, you may want to consider adjusting some things to have a bit more joy in your life. Pick just one thing you would like more of and take any size of steps towards it. You will get there one way or another.

To adapt a slogan from Nike, forget about ‘Be like Mike’, be like Arthur instead!

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Are You Embracing ‘Micro’?

Tim Irvine

I was reading this article on micro vacations and it reminded me how my thoughts on ‘workouts’ have evolved over the years.

Back when I was a part of a national championship university football team (I had to get that in there 😊), my workouts were much, much different than they are today. High performance sports, full control of my own schedule, lots of free time, etc. I could have worked out for 3 hours at a time and it wouldn’t have made much of a difference to the rest of my schedule.

Today, I run a business with five locations, an amazing team,  and have three children who are all involved in sports. Needless to say, my life as an athlete was much different than mine is as a parent and business owner.

That’s where ‘micro’ concept comes in. 

As a whole, I think we spend too much time pursuing the optimal way of doing things. We look at examples on social media, elite athletics, or people that we know who seem to ‘have it right’. A different approach is necessary to take into consideration the rest of us. 

I encourage you to drop the notion of doing things perfectly or optimally, and instead, take a micro approach to all things wellness and do what you can.

Don’t have 10min to put that salad together? Then crunch on a carrot.

Finding the time to get to the gym in short supply? Go through a body weight routine at home.

Can’t get away for that 10-day vacation? Make it a weekend within a couple of hours of where you live.

The point is, a little is better than none. It can be less stressful and sometimes more enjoyable than the full version. Remember, even small steps get you somewhere.

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Do your workouts make you feel this good?

Dr. Stacy Irvine, DC

Why We Care So Much About What We Do……

An important part of working in the Health and Fitness industry, includes staying on top of the latest research along with developing an awareness of what is being presented to your clients and patients through a wide variety of media sources.  The normal scenario is when a completely bonkers fad diet is being promoted by a well-known celebrity, or a risky new type of workout is all over Instagram. We need to be prepared to explain what is happening and why is it probably not the best answer or solution any of us are looking for.

Rarely an article comes along that reflects a GREAT story of why we do what we do, and how our hard work and efforts can pay off. That happened with the article below from 56-year-old Nicole Haggerty.  In this well written, First-Person account, she eloquently explains what weightlifting has done for her, and how it has changed her life….

My favourite quote from this article is as follows:

“The past five months have unfolded as the most empowering journey I have every been on – and that includes getting a PhD. Every other accomplishment has been centered in my head……..But on reflection, I wasn’t paying much attention to my body.”

Please take a moment to read the full article. If you are an avid weightlifter, or just starting out on your weightlifting journey, we are sure you will find some extra motivation in these words.  

In the event the link above does not work, here is the article in full.

Nicole Haggerty

Published in The Globe and Mail, February 27, 2022

Red-faced, sweating and gasping, my brain tries to focus on what my trainer just said. I’ve just set down a 130 lbs hex frame and stepped off the platform to gulp water.

“Describe that to me,” asked Rob. He is looking for an answer that requires me to do something I’m just learning to do – connect my brain to my body.

Yes, I know. My brain is connected to my body – that slowly and inexorably expanding thing, below my neck that has been carrying my head around for the last 56 years. Since completing my undergraduate degree, work life has increasingly immobilized me. Sitting stationary at a desk, staring at a screen – it’s mostly through my fingers that I connect to my brain. I am an academic working at a business school – so they work feverishly to keep up as I pour out my thinking onto the screen, into the memo, e-mail, journal article … whatever the work is.

“It felt great,” I reply. “I could feel the work down my whole posterior chain.” (Who says that? – oh ya, I do!) “But my breathing and bracing weren’t great and I think I let my knees fall inward a couple of times.” Rob is quick to correct, encourage and set up more weight. Then cheerfully he’ll say, “Okay, next set.”

The last five months have unfolded as the most empowering journey I have ever been on – and that includes getting a PhD. Every other accomplishment in my life has been centred in my head – grades, degrees, promotions, published papers, even teaching. I’ve had a few close calls with fitness before – short triathlons, spin class, jogging. But on reflection, I wasn’t paying much attention to my body. These were instead, great opportunities to think my deep thoughts or focus on the world around me while I drowned out my panting breaths with the throbbing 80s music of my youth.

Weightlifting is different. Rob, my guide, has patiently walked me through a whole new world of specific functional movements, made possible by specific muscles moving in particular ways with increasing weights. He is a trainer and manager at my local gym and I was seeking someone who would help me with a single goal – get strong. I was tired of obsessing about steps and macros, and infinitely weary of the “eat less, move more” advice.

Getting strong (“not toned, not thin, not ready for a 5k”) seemed simple if a little embarrassing at my age. But Rob immediately took me seriously. It started with a humbling assessment of my strength and mobility.

Despite my age, size and beginner status, Rob has made me feel safe. Through his knowledge, patient demonstrations and encouragement, he has induced this body to squat, hinge, press and squeeze its way to all kinds of personal bests (which frankly is a low bar when you start from nothing but still – they keep coming). He’s taught me a new language – hypertrophy, eccentric, isometric … and more. He’s there when I falter, ready to ensure I don’t hurt myself even as he grins and asks for three more torturous reps.

The first weeks, I did everything he asked (glad for the mask mandate since it hid my ‘ugly lifting face’ though not my groaning). And always, he was there, clipboard in hand, a watchful gaze and posing questions like “Where did you feel that?” or the more general request, “Describe that for me.”

Early on I took these as rote pleasantries. Over time I realized he wanted more than rote answers. They were part of what needed to be trained. Having shown me how to do an exercise, Rob would explain where I should feel it and he encouraged me to think about the muscle or chain of muscles as they moved, stretched and strained. The questions were a test of that connection. Gradually, I started thinking my way back into my body. Not my body as an undifferentiated whole but as individual, electric connections to newly identified places – my traps, my quads, my delts, my glutes, my triceps and much more. Intentionally. Specifically. Magically. It’s surprisingly difficult and often funny. Like my recent five-second pause, struggling to repeat a lunge move that Rob had demonstrated because my disconnected brain couldn’t fathom what my legs were supposed to be doing. It’s hard work and relentless – every rep, every set, every time. Unnatural and unfamiliar. Yet infinitely natural and amazingly powerful. Rob has led me on a journey of discovery that I didn’t know could be so sacred and so glorious.

I am five months into a new way of living with this 56-year-old body. It talks to me in a totally different way now. A year ago, the simple act of standing up would provoke a cascade of little pains in my knees and hips, and a unique sort of unbending, wobbling walk as I unfolded myself. Today, my body still aches when I stand up – but the pains I feel now don’t scare me with their portending impairments. They are my quads, glutes, pecs and more – I’m still getting to know them all. Now they remind me of their capabilities, they call to me for movement, they demand to be challenged. And I long to continue this dialogue with them and represent their needs and experiences so I’m ready the next time Rob says:

“Describe that to me.”

Nicole Haggerty lives in London, Ont.

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HOW MOVEMENT STRENGTHENS IMMUNITY 

Tamara Kung, ND

With all this talk about protecting ourselves from viral infections, many of us are seeking the best ways to support our immune system.


Our immune system is a potent world of strong, frontline defenses, and highly specialized backup troops. 

While we have many drugs that are effective at stopping bacterial infections (antibiotics), drugs for the more prevalent viral infections, are lacking. Why? Because bacteria are easier to target. They look very different from our own cells. Viruses, however, are sneaky, and they infect our cells and effectively turn our own cells against us. So having medicine that targets viruses, means they target us too, making antiviral drugs riskier, and something we deploy only after careful consideration once we factor in the serious side effects that result. This is where your medical professional comes in.

So how do we effectively fight against viral infections without the elevated risk? A strong immune system. One of the best ways we can enhance our own immune system’s effectiveness is through movement. Why is this seemingly boring, and redundant answer an untapped and often unrecognized immune enhancer?

The answer relates to a parallel system that runs throughout our body that is like our circulatory system. Instead of blood, this track is used by immune cells, and it is critical for full force activation of your immune defenses! It is called the lymphatic system. While the circulatory system has the heart to pump fluid, movement is what helps those immune cells get to where they need to be.

The lymphatic system is like a superhighway where your immune cells communicate with each other to keep updated on what’s happening. If it’s flowing well, and there are no traffic jams, information can be relayed quickly, which is what we need. Especially if our body gets breached with a harmful virus. We don’t want any delays here as this will give the virus lots of time to replicate and cause more serious damage. This is why regular movement is so important, and any kind of movement matters. Typical gym workouts, running, sports, but also stretching, rolling your head from side to side, getting up for a glass of water, taking stairs, brushing your teeth, and doing air squats. Any activity that stretches and squishes your muscles and organs acts as a pump and is an effective way to improve the movement of lymphatic fluid

As an example, here is what happens when an immune cell notices a viral infection in your lungs. Initially, the immune cell swallows up the virus, destroys it into small pieces, and carries the remnants of the virus as proof. It travels along the lymphatic system superhighway where it will be able to alert your immune system’s big guns (B & T cells) and tells them to wake up and get over to the lungs. These highly effective immune cells then travel to the battlefield. If we can pump this fluid at a greater rate, then we get faster communication, activation, and response.

The second key to the lymphatic system are lymph nodes. We often notice these as annoying lumps swelling up under our jawline or neck when we’re sick. Your lymph nodes are like megacities, where immune cells congregate after their highway journey. It’s where they meet each other and sit down to communicate what’s happening and alert your B & T cells to gather up their troops and move to battle.

Much of our lymph nodes are situated in our neck, shoulders, elbows, abdomen, hips, and knees. Your body’s clever way of maximizing the impact of movement (like doing squats, or something that feels as good a head roll, or shoulder stretch) as it keeps the immune cities flowing and prevents congestion. 

So keep those highways open and flowing by pumping your body. You will be helping to activate and “boost” your immune system’s efficiency and effectiveness on a daily basis!


Reference:
Immune: A journey into the mysterious system that keeps you alive. Philipp Dettmer.

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What’s really driving your habits?

By: Tim Irvine

A couple of days ago, I talked with a friend of mine about their food choices over the last while. It ended up being a deep, hour-long conversation about what drives habits in general. I have to say; it was very illuminating.

To provide context, this friend has quite a bit of knowledge around health, wellness, and, specifically, nutrition. They are not professionals in the area but have worked with professionals enough to know what works for them and what doesn’t.

Our recent conversation began with their contemplation of seeing a nutrition professional as they can’t seem to get on track with their eating. Why were they looking to see someone when they already knew what works? There was one specific example of a meal they prepared for themselves. They were going to make something that they enjoyed and was healthy, but instead chose unhealthy yet still enjoyable. It was a conscious decision to go with the unhealthy option, after which they felt disappointed in themselves.

This cycle may be familiar to you either because you identify with it personally or apply to someone you know. It is common and, I would argue, happens to all of us somehow. If not with food, then with drinks, TV, social media, etc.

In my conversation, two essential elements surfaced. The desire to make a choice that we know is not ideal is often driven by emotion rather than logic. Something is going on in our lives that day/week/month/year upsetting us. Sometimes we are aware of it; sometimes, we are not. We can also be aware but underestimate how much it is impacting us. In these situations, we make emotional decisions to provide ourselves comfort. With food as an example, we know the bag of chips isn’t ideal for us, but we feel like we’ve had a bad day, so we’re going to treat ourselves. We support ourselves through these acts, and they can become habitual over time. A lousy day equals a bag of chips.

We can even be disappointed in ourselves because we have ‘failed,’ are ‘weak,’ or made a ‘bad decision.’ I acknowledge what it feels like, but I don’t think it’s an accurate description of what has happened. Believe these are simply mechanisms we use to try and ‘treat’ ourselves when we feel down. T’s human nature, and of course, we all want to feel supported and have our spirits buoyed.

The second element is closely related to the first. T is the ‘why’ behind the emotion. Sing me as an example; I can manage a fair amount of stress well. The problem is, if I have enough of it, I’m blind to the fact it is affecting me. Get more irritable, and those around me notice it. I’m lucky because those close to me call me on it. This has helped me understand I need to be more aware of the stress I’m under. I think some version of this is valid for most people. The result is not typical or ideal behaviour for us compared to less stressful periods. Like picking a food we know is a treat when we know better or that glass of wine or cocktail after a hard day.

The bottom line is our decisions are not simply a product of a ‘do’ or ‘don’t’ mechanism. It’s often much more complex, with other factors driving our choices. It’s good to reflect on the stresses in our lives to help better understand the root of some of these decisions.

*It’s important to note that I am not a psychologist, and these are my observations over many years of seeing clients. Please take it as such and not as professional advice. I’m hopeful psychologists would agree that being more self-aware in positing.

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Think You Are In Pretty Good Shape? So Did This Guy.

By, Tim Irvine

I was recently talking with a friend of mine about a hiking trip he was planning and it reminded me of this article I read several years ago. If you want to read about an objective, physical transformation, give yourself five minutes to do just that and be amazed at what a consistent, sustained approach to physical activity can do for you.

The author, and subject, is Kyle Boelte, and he is a self-described active person, who also, at the time the article was written, happened to have a job where he sat at a computer for eight hours daily.

In the eyes of society, Kyle was in good shape and lead an active life. This allowed him the physical capability of planning and completing a 29-day hike of the Colorado Trail. This is no small feet (486 miles), but the compelling part was how he measured himself before and after. He took several different physical measurements and was completely blown away by the changes. So was I.

From my perspective, the most remarkable changes were his cortisol and testosterone levels. He was at the high end of normal cortisol before he started (17.8 ug/dL) and this dropped 40% by the time the hike was over. What surprised me much more was his testosterone which more than doubled. Incredible!

So what does this have to do with us ‘normal people’? The main messages are twofold.

One, even though we do some daily physical activity, if we sit all day for our work, our body will respond appropriately. We just won’t be in as good of shape as we think we should be. This can be helped by mini-breaks during the day where you literally move through a five to ten-minute movement routine to make sure you counteract the sitting. This needs to be done multiple times daily.

Secondly, consistent, sustained movement will make a big difference over the long term. For some, this might be three times weekly. For others, it might be 30-60 min every day. It’s the consistency piece that is the most important that your body will get the most positive impact from. The point is, make this your own so you start where you are at. That’s the only thing that really matters. Progress will come with consistency.

Of course, if you want to do a 30-day hike, by all means, go for it. Just make sure you prepare yourself properly beforehand. It is clear that it can be a game-changer.

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Something You Probably Didn’t Know About Grip Strength

By Tim Irvine

Grip strength is not usually part of the conversation when it comes to cardiovascular health or mortality for that matter. We only notice it when we encounter someone with a very firm handshake, or when we have a stubborn jar to open. It turns out, grip strength is a fantastic predictor of both mortality and cardiovascular disease. The following research summaries show us why.

Study #1

The results, published in the Lancet, show that grip strength is an even stronger predictor of death than systolic blood pressure. After adjustment for other factors, every 5-kg decrease in grip strength was linked to a 16% increase in death overall, a 17% increase in both cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular mortality, a 7% increase in the risk of myocardial infarction, and a 9% increase in the risk of stroke. The findings were broadly consistent across different countries and economic levels.

An unexpected finding was that grip strength was a more powerful predictor of cardiovascular mortality than cardiovascular disease. This, the authors write, “suggests that low grip strength is associated with increased susceptibility to cardiovascular death in people who do develop cardiovascular disease.”

Study #2

Grip strength was an independent predictor of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular diseases in community-dwelling populations. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28549705

  1. In line with previous studies, weaker grip strength was associated with increased rates of all-cause mortality and mortality due to cardiovascular disease (CVD) and respiratory diseases.
  2. One study has reported weaker grip strength in adolescence to be associated with increased rates of death from suicide among men, but this study is the first to report an association of grip strength with mortality due to a broader range of external causes in both sexes across different age groups.
  3. A much weaker association was observed for cancer-related deaths than for all-cause and CVD mortality.
  4. These associations were similar in both genders and across age groups, which supports the hypothesis that grip strength might be a biomarker of ageing over the lifespan.

That is some compelling proof. Why would this be the case? Movement! Think about a farmer. They are moving, lifting, twisting, multiple times daily. This movement is a huge benefit to their overall health. The office worker has a computer at their fingertips, but they don’t do much for grip strength. However, if that office worker enjoys gardening, woodworking, or working out with heavier weights, they will also have better health overall, including higher grip strength.

The message is clear. Developing grip strength improves your overall health and will prolong life.

https://jech.bmj.com/sites/default/files/highwire/jech/70/12.cover-source.jpgThe association of grip strength from midlife onwards with all-cause and cause-specific mortality over 17 years of follow-up in the Tromsø Study | Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health – jech.bmj.com
Association of Grip Strength With Risk of All-Cause Mortality, Cardiovascular Diseases, and Cancer in Community-Dwelling Populations: A Meta-analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies. – National Center for Biotechnology Information