Forte FitNews - Build Strong Bones

Building strong bones is a key to living a long life, maintaining a high quality of life, and keeping one’s body functional.  Contrary to popular opinion, eating dairy is not necessary to building strong bones.  In China and Japan osteoporosis rates are lower than in the west without significant dairy consumption. Here are 6 keys to building strong bones.  

1.       Eat your grapefruit!  This may come as a surprise but grapefruit enhances bone mineral deposits.  

2.        A Spanish study found that the Mediterranean diet enriched with extra-virgin olive oil causes the body to circulate more osteocalcin which is a marker for healthy bone density.

3.       Sardines!  Give them a try.  They are arguably the most nutrient dense fish.  Because of their small size there is not a concern for mercury, and they have high levels of omega-3 fatty acids.  Sardines are high in calcium and vitamin D.  A can of sardines has more calcium and naturally occurring vitamin D than a glass of milk.  Try them with some whole wheat crackers and hot sauce!

4.        Nut-butters! Try some almond butter, cashew butter, walnut butter or use nuts in pesto recipes.  The oils in nut-butters decrease the rate of bone breakdown.  This helps to create a positive balance in terms of bone building.

5.       Green vegetables!  Greens are possibly the most bio-available source of calcium.  This means that the calcium is absorbed by bones as it is delivered by the blood stream.  As a bonus greens are the most nutrient dense foods on the planet.

6.       Weight bearing exercise builds bone density.  At the very least, begin doing body weight exercises: push-ups, lunges, and squats... but even better is to include weight lifting in your exercise routine 2 days per week.  Make sure to do full body workouts.  

Four Preventive Health Screenings for Men

Colorectal Screening – At age 50 men should get a colonoscopy to screen for colon cancer.  The testing allows doctors to check for precancerous polyps.  If one has a family history of colorectal cancer, testing may need to begin earlier.  Check with your general practioner if that is the case.  

Cholesterol Screening – At age 35 and every 5 years thereafter, men should have their cholesterol levels checked.  Treating high cholesterol can reduce the risk of heart disease.  If one is a smoker, obese, diabetic, or has high blood pressure one should begin cholesterol screenings at age 20. 

Prostate Screening – At age 50 discuss with your doctor whether you need a prostate screening.  If so, ask for a PSA test.  If you have a family history of prostate cancer discuss with your doctor whether you should begin testing earlier.  Men without symptoms who have probably less than 10 years to live do not need the screening.

Diabetes Screening – If one has blood pressure higher than 135/80, a fasting plasma glucose test can determine whether one has diabetes. 

Make Your Discipline Count

Certainly more Americans need to make exercise a regular part of their lives.  However, for those who do exercise regularly there are some issues you should consider.  Many people who do have the discipline to exercise regularly simply do the same things the same way over and over.  Not only does this get a redundant, but it may lead to overuse injuries.  

It is important to consider the following.  What does one’s body need be able to do for a lifetime?  What activities does one enjoy?  Your exercise routines should address these two questions.  The body must be able to bend at the ankles, knees, hips, and lower back – this is true flexibility.  The body must have balance.  To build a body that is truly functional the exercises must approach the choice of exercises to develop all three links of the chain – upper body, middle, and lower. 

Upper body exercises should involve pushing and pulling.  The best upper body pushing exercise is the push up.  It is safe, and it addresses building strength in the chest, shoulders and triceps.  The best pulling exercises are variations of pull ups and rowing movements that create scapular retraction.  

Lower body exercises should include lunges, squats, deadlifts and variations of these exercises.  The most important of these exercises is the ability to lunge free handed through a full range of motion for at least 10-15 repetitions per leg.  

The best exercise to develop the middle of the body or what is often referred to as the core is the plank; however, all the previous exercises mentioned will build proper core strength through the abdominals, obliques, and spinal erectors.  Often people focus on crunches and sit ups.  I am not saying that one should not include those exercises, but they are not as important as the plank and plank variations.  The reason is the crunch / sit up develop flexion.  In our sedentary modern lives we sit in flexion all day long.  We need to develop extension and the plank will do it.  

Do the exercises you enjoy, but definitely include the one’s you may be missing.  All these exercises may be modified for almost all populations.  For those who may not know where to start, need help to modify the exercises, or to make sure the exercises are being performed safely, a personal trainer for at least a short period of time can be very helpful.  Make your discipline count and build a body that works. 

Build Strong Bones

Building strong bones is a key to living a long life, maintaining a high quality of life, and keeping one’s body functional.  Contrary to popular opinion, eating dairy is not necessary to building strong bones.  In China and Japan osteoporosis rates are lower than in the west without significant dairy consumption. Here are 6 keys to building strong bones.  

1.       Eat your grapefruit!  This may come as a surprise but grapefruit enhances bone mineral deposits.  

2.        A Spanish study found that the Mediterranean diet enriched with extra-virgin olive oil causes the body to circulate more osteocalcin which is a marker for healthy bone density.

3.       Sardines!  Give them a try.  They are arguably the most nutrient dense fish.  Because of their small size there is not a concern for mercury, and they have high levels of omega-3 fatty acids.  Sardines are high in calcium and vitamin D.  A can of sardines has more calcium and naturally occurring vitamin D than a glass of milk.  Try them with some whole wheat crackers and hot sauce!

4.        Nut-butters! Try some almond butter, cashew butter, walnut butter or use nuts in pesto recipes.  The oils in nut-butters decrease the rate of bone breakdown.  This helps to create a positive balance in terms of bone building.

5.       Green vegetables!  Greens are possibly the most bioavailable source of calcium.  This means that the calcium is absorbed by bones as it is delivered by the blood stream.  Greens are a more bioavailable source of calcium than milk and the most nutrient dense foods on the planet.

6.       Weight bearing exercise builds bone density.  At the very least, begin doing body weight exercises: push-ups, lunges, and squats... but even better is to include weight lifting in your exercise routine 2 days per week.  Make sure to do full body workouts.  

Just A Reminder...Four Steps to Reducing the Risk of Heart Disease

The leading cause of death in the United States is heart disease.  According to the CDC over 600,000 people a year die from heart disease; yet, it is almost entirely preventable.  We will die.  But we don’t have to die of heart disease.  The following are eight choices you control.

1.       Don’t Smoke!!! If you are, you need to quit.  Research smoking cessation programs, and start down the road to saving your heart.

2.       Don’t forget to take your medicine!!!  You might be thinking “what???” The best medicine for your heart is exercise and a healthy diet.  Exercise 30 minutes each day.  A walk counts, but you need to do a bit more.  Include cardio on a treadmill, bike, elliptical, and / or rowing machine.  Include some body weight strengthening lunges, squats, push-ups, and planks.  What is a healthy diet?  Keep it simple.  Avoid refined and processed foods. Eat a diet mainly consisting of vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans, seeds, and whole grains.  Check out Dr. Colin Campbell’s website at nutritionstudies.org.  People who have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, or are overweight increase their risk for heart disease considerably; however, the cure-all medicine is exercise and a healthy diet. 

3.       Limit alcohol.  Men who drink more than 2 drinks per day and women who drink more than 1 drink per day have an increased risk for heart disease.  If you don’t drink on a daily basis but binge occasionally, you are at even a higher risk.  

4.       Manage your stress.  Forgive and accept forgiveness.  Find activities that you enjoy.  Those who have strong family units, strong friendships, and hobbies limit their stress.  Work hard but build breaks into your day, don’t skip meals, take vacation time, and take a nap. 

 Give it a try! 

Find Some Fun & Supplement Your Exercise Program

A couple of years ago my bride bought me the best gift – a mountain bike!  After playing sports all my life, the only exercise I was getting was the regimented gym workout which I enjoyed but lacked the adrenaline of sports.  Honestly, I rarely had anything fun to do that was active.  I had fallen victim like so many of us to the busyness of adult life as a provider and supporter of all the children’s activities.  My kids still have activities, but they are getting to the age where they don’t want to play with me very often and the mountain bike has been awesome.  I feel like a kid again!  There are so many trails in Chattanooga.  They range from a nice hike to feeling like you are racing on a motorcycle dirt bike. 

There are so many different ways to exercise and one of the best ways is to find something that is fun for you!  It is not just healthy physical exercise but is healthy for your whole being!  In Chattanooga we have a wealth of opportunities – so - try something new!

www.outdoorchattanooga

At this site you can find any outdoor activity under then sun and where to do it in Chattanooga whether it is on land, water or in the air!

www.rootsrated.com

Find the trail you are looking for in Chattanooga or anywere! 

Yoga

www.hotyogaplus.com

www.yogalanding.net

www.clearspringyoga.com

www.thisisbalance.com

Pilates

www.pilateschattanooga.com

www.pilatestonic.com

YMCA

www.ymcachattanooga.org

At the Y you can find group training, dance classes and adult sports leagues.

Flexibility

What is flexibility? In an introductory course in exercise one learns that flexibility is one of the five components of health related fitness.  Flexibility is defined as the ability to move a joint through its full range of movement.  

In elementary school many of us performed the sit and reach test as a marker of flexibility.  The sit and reach test is a legitimate method for measuring low back and hamstring flexibility; however, the best way to think about flexibility is in terms of being able to move the body in the planes of movement consistent to normal human activity and specific to one’s individual activity preferences.  

How can one develop the flexibility needed for every decade of life and for the specific activities one enjoys?  Stretching is a piece of the puzzle but not the whole answer.  First of all it is important to understand that more flexibility is not always best.  Too much flexibility or too little flexibility will make one injury prone.  Therefore, the key to healthy flexibility comes back to being able to move the body in planes of movement common to normal human activity and specific to individual activity preferences.  This is achieved primarily through the following two avenues: core strength and muscular balance.

Core strength refers to the “core of the body” or abdominals, internal/external obliques, and spinal erectors.  The body is a chain of three links: upper body, core (middle body), and lower body.  If a chain of three links is compromised at its middle link, then all links are compromised.  The core of the body is the key to creating the freedom to move in all planes of movement.  Therefore the first step to developing flexibility is to develop core strength.  The best exercises to develop core strength do not isolate the abdominal, oblique and low back but actually incorporate the whole body.  The best core exercises are deadlifts, squats, lunges, push-ups, pull ups, planks and variations of these exercises.  

Muscular balance is the other key.  Muscular balance refers to protagonist and antagonist muscles being in balance.  Each muscle has an opposing muscle, for example, the triceps and bicep or quadriceps and hamstring.  When opposing muscle groups are strong and proportionately in balance, flexibility and range of movement are achieved.  For example, if the quadricep muscle is too strong then it will pull on the hamstring.  Balance is needed; however, balance is not always a 1:1 ratio.  Balance with the quadriceps and hamstring is a 3:2 ratio.   If one lacks core strength and balance in opposing muscle groups, one could stretch all day long and not improve one’s flexibility and range of movement. 

Some people are naturally very flexible and others are not.  There are genetic set points; however, all people can improve their flexibility and make their body more functional in terms of its ability to move in different planes of movement.  A personal trainer can be very helpful in developing a properly balanced exercise prescription and providing manual assisted stretching. 

Radical...

I am saddened when I hear of people suffering from all kinds of ailments headaches, migraines, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, autoimmune disease and on and on.  It is sad to know people are hurting and suffering to varying degrees.  Modern medicine has clearly aided in lengthening the human life span and lessening many debilitating conditions.  

Ironically, at a time when we have the most access to great health care we also have more people than ever in world history who are sick in one form or another simply due to a lack of exercise and unhealthy eating habits.  

If we get a headache we take a pill.  If we have high blood pressure we take a pill.  If we have high cholesterol we take a pill.  If we have heart disease we take a pill.  If we have diabetes we take insulin.  Etc, etc, etc. 

I am not advocating against medicine.  I am asking that we just stop and think for a minute about how radical it is to rely on pills to fix our health concerns.  Often we simply exchange one issue for another potentially negative one.  If you watch TV for 30 minutes or an hour, undoubtedly you will see commercial(s) selling a pill to cure a modern illness.  The people in the commercial are always beautiful, financially secure, appear healthy, and full of life, BUT then we hear the list of side effects.  Some commercials are even scarier describing a former pill that is no longer on the market because of the negative side effects.  

I don’t want to judge anyone who is suffering but to offer hope that is far too often taboo.  Our doctors just won’t communicate as firmly as I am about to.  Maybe the doctors don’t believe you can make the changes, maybe they are in too much of a hurry to see patients, maybe the pharmaceutical companies are to some degree too influential in the decisions and choices of our health care system.  

Think about how radical it is to have open heart surgery, or bariatric surgery, or take insulin every day, or fill our bodies with pills that we may come to find out have very serious negative consequences.  

What would happen if we began to exercise properly and develop a lifestyle of eating healthfully with a diet based on whole foods mainly sourced from plants?  How often do you meet someone who exercises regularly and eats healthfully who is ravaged with disease?   When we do meet people who exercise and eat healthfully, how often do they seem vibrant and full of energy?  I am not saying exercise and eating right is a formula that works 100% of the time.  It doesn’t, and people are quick to point out the exceptions, for example, the regular runner who dies of a heart attack.  But this is not the norm.  Exercise and eating healthfully does work really well the vast majority of the time.  Our bodies were designed for and have evolved to move and consume a diet rich in a diversity plants.  

Give exercise and healthy eating a try!!!  It has no negative side effects.  There will never be a commercial sharing the negative side effects of eating broccoli.  It will increase the chances of your living a long life and having one richer in quality as well!  

The Question...To Crossfit or not to Crossfit?

I am often asked what I think about Crossfit.  The Crossfit craze has certainly swept our country by storm and is moving across the world.  With ESPN coverage of the Crossfit games and a Reebok sponsorship it has developed the strongest brand in the fitness industry.  I love Crossfit.  I think it is so cool.  It started as a garage gym and the same garage gym feel still exists in its “boxes”.  Crossfit develops a community for those who truly want to push themselves with others.  It is challenging, competitive, extreme and fun.  But, you must understand the “why” behind your motivation to exercise.  

It would be unfair to characterize all Crossfit gyms in this manner but here are some of the pitfalls one should be aware of before joining a Crossfit box.  Crossfit takes movements that are safe and functional and makes them extreme, turning safe movements into a high performance sport and / or competition. If you read the Crossfit website it is clear that one should and can adjust the scale of the WOD (Workout of the Day) making it more intense or less intense.   Let’s say you show up at a Crossfit box and the WOD of the day is 21,15,9 of Deadlift, Burpees and Pull Ups for time.  The deadlift weight for males is posted as 225 and for females 155.  Is this safe for you?

The deadlift, burpee and pull up are great exercises.  They are very functional movements.  However, there are several factors to consider.  Is your conditioning level at a point that it would be safe for you to deadlift?  Can you deadlift with correct technique?  Do you have any contraindications to exercise that would make the deadlift unsafe for you?  Maybe you are fit to deadlift and have good technique but is 225 the right weight for you?  Is doing 21 reps of deadlift wise?  Are you able to do burpees?  Can you do a pull up, much less 21 or a total of 45 for the 3 rounds?  And this workout is set for time which means you must complete this as fast as you can.  What happens to your technique as you push yourself to finish as fast as you can?  What happens when the group is pushing through and you feel a pain that concerns you?  Do you keep pushing because of the peer pressure of the group and possibly get hurt?  If all the men in your group are going with the 225 on deadlift or even scaling up to more weight and you know you should do less, do you scale down or give it a try and possibly get hurt? You can see the potential problems.  Can one become a Crossfitter?  Yes.  Should everyone become a Crossfitter?  Probably not.  

Too much volume and overtraining cause injuries.  Twenty-one reps is too many for most people.  Reps between 5-12 is much more safe, but it also depends on the type of exercise.  Rhabdomyolysis, although very rare, can kill you and occurs typically after performing very high volume of repetitions and pushing oneself to an extreme.  How will you know what is safe for you?  How old are you?  One’s age is a real factor.  Crossfit can be done at any age but without proper technique and scaling, it is an injury waiting to happen. 

If you are young and very fit and want to see how hard you can push yourself in a variety of weightlifting, powerlifting, cardio, sprints, plyometric and gymnastic movements and enjoy doing this in a community / team atmosphere, by all means jump in and find a box.  If you don’t fit this description it doesn’t mean Crossfit can’t be for you, but you better be very thoughtful about what you are doing and the quality of coaches at the box you decide to join.

As we age I would encourage you to see exercise as a means to maintain or improve one’s quality of life.  You don’t have to be able to complete 21,15,9 of Thrusters and Pull Ups in less than 3 minutes to be healthy and fit.  The goal should be about building a functional body that will stand the test of time, allow you to continue doing the activities you enjoy and allow you to try new ones.  The goal should be about developing proper cardiovascular health.  The goal should be about learning and developing healthy eating habits as a lifestyle.  

As we age and if we have been relatively sedentary it makes more sense, for at least a period of time, to use a personal trainer who can develop an exercise prescription specific to your true health needs and functional weaknesses. Someone who can provide accountability, encouragement and training that is safe and effective specifically for you.   

Are you Stuck???

Do you exercise regularly but don’t get the results you are looking for?  Are you inconsistent with your exercise habits and therefore don’t achieve the health related results you are seeking?  Were you active as a younger person, but the busyness of life has slowly stolen your health?  Maybe you are the person whose life experiences with sports, movement and exercise have been negative so you avoid it, but you know you need it?  You have a child that is struggling and needs a safe and positive environment to begin the habits of exercise?

There are a lot of ways that people find that they are stuck. 

At Forte Fitness we have served so many people that fit into one of the narratives above.  If you find yourself there or someone you care for fits one of these descriptions, we would be honored to have you or them in for a complimentary session to share with you how we can help.  It is what we do! 

If you are exercising regularly but are not getting results we can help pinpoint the reason or reasons.  It could be you are doing the same exercises the same way over and over, and your body has simply adapted and you don’t know how to get out of your rut.  We can analyze your workouts and nutrition and develop a plan that will work! 

If you are inconsistent we can provide the accountability you need.  At Forte we don’t sell memberships and draft accounts and then hope nobody shows up.  We build relationships with our clients and are with you the whole way!

There are 168 hours in a week.  We can help you set two appointments a week.  Two hours!  You will still have 166 left.  We will take those two hours a week and make a difference in your health and how functional your body is.  No matter how busy you are at some point you have to make your health your priority.  Often people don’t make their health a priority in the busyness of life because they are caring for everyone else.  But, you have to keep your tank full to keep caring for your loved ones, and they don’t want to see your health suffer.  Give us a try!

At Forte we provide a safe place, privacy so that you can be comfortable.  There are no crowds, no one to stare at you, and no waiting on equipment – just you and your trainer who is 100% focused on your success!

Many children struggle during recess and PE.  It is not their natural playing field and in a time where children are more sedentary than ever with so much screen time, personal training can make a big difference for a child.  Our trainers have hearts for children and can help your child begin to enjoy his or her body that is designed to move.  They can begin to develop some confidence in their own skin.  They can begin to develop habits that deliver a lifetime of health! 

Are you stuck?

If you are or someone you care for is … then check out our website … check out our success stories and if you are curious just email or call us.  We would be honored to have you in simply to explore whether or not Forte is the right fit.  We offer a complimentary session which includes a tour of the studio, a medical screening, a goal setting consultation, and a full training session.  At the end of your session we will let you know what a good plan would be.  All you have to do is decide if Forte is the right fit for you.