Awesome Read: sharing this article/review on hydration

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Waterlogged: The Serious Problem of Overhydration in Endurance Sports [Review]

June 19, 2012 | Filed under: Reviews | 2 Comments
Tagged with: gatorade, hydration. drinking, hyponatremia, running, timothy noakes, waterlogged

Are you looking for a light and fluffy beach/pool read for the summer?
Well… this probably isn’t it.
Waterlogged: The Serious Problem of Overhydration in Endurance Sports
by Tim Noakes, MD, DSc
This book is intense. It’s 429 pages of science. But it’s also incredibly informative and the information contained within could potentially shake up the sports world as we know.  If enough people could be convinced to read the thing, because like I said… it’s pretty intense. It’s not something to curl up with and absorb in an afternoon.  It’s “pick up a highlighter and study” reading. Which is exactly what I did.*
Right off the bat a comment in the book caught my eye because it rang so true with me.

Some physicians and exercise scientists have been taught to view every exercising human as a catastrophe about to happen.

It seems like every athlete that gets injured will inevitably end up at a doctor who tells them to “just stop” what they’re doing and seeking out medical help that approves of our sport can be daunting. The statement in the book is made in regard to the fact that these professionals seem to think that every single person is equally at risk for developing various exercise-induced ailments such as heatstroke, cramping, hyponatremia and many others. This just isn’t the case, the author discusses later on how certain individuals seem to be pre-disposed to these issues yet the masses are being instructed on ways to avoid these as if they are susceptible to the same level.
Did you know that for a long, long, long time endurance athletes either didn’t drink at all or they drank very little? Of course there is the fact that we hadn’t experienced the running boom and the majority of these competitors could run a marathon in the 3:30 range or under and now we have larger crowds and skill levels participating. But these people who are slower than the 3:30 crowd (That’s me!) are being instructed to guzzle, guzzle, guzzle.

"... new generation of runners were not told to train more... they were advised to drink more..."

The book discusses the emergence of the sports drink industry. We all know the story that Gatorade had its start at the University of Florida in the 60′s, right? Well before the drink was tested in an actual game, the players were given it without knowing what it was and told that it was “a glucose and electrolyte mixture. If you drink it… you’ll be stronger and feel better…” And since many players chose not to partake of the drink that day, there is the chance that it could have been a powerful placebo effect.
If you drink this magic potion, you’ll be awesome!
The initial studies on Gatorade that deemed it successful were done on just about 21 athletes, all football players on the team. But they had a winning season (a 7-4 record) so word started to spread and other schools NEEDED this potion, which then spread to the NFL.
Plus, early tests done on the absorption of sodium were done by adding the electrolyte test solution directly to the small intestines… not through the normal route of the mouth, throat, stomach that it is consumed.
People were told over and over that they couldn’t trust their instincts or bodies and that they had to start pre-hydrating in excess before events.

"If at any time a healthy athlete does not sense thirst, the athlete is not dehydrated."

Noakes’ research did show that carbohydrate ingestion during exercise does help, more than the electrolyte consumption. However, this benefit mainly comes to those who already eat a carb-rich diet. He hasn’t nailed it down completely, but he suspects that those who don’t consume as many carbs don’t benefit.
So what are we to do? The basic summary is that we drink to our thirst, when our bodies tell us to do so.

Where do I stand? Well… I’m not entirely sure. Like I said (and like the book acknowledges) all of this information contradicts everything that the sports industry tells us.  But then again, the paragraph about how much of this information is coming from companies that do not care about our individual health as much as they care about their bottom-line speaks volumes to me. And I’m a firm believer in that we’re supposed to trust our bodies, yet so much in the world tries to tell us we’re stupid and shouldn’t listen to that voice. So after reading this book… I’m a little more perplexed but a little more committed to the approach that I had been planning to take while coming back to distance running after pregnancy: drink water when I need it and eat pure honey for carbs/energy.
And one really good thing I took away from the book… in the early chapters it is talking about how human beings are physically adapted to be good long distance runners. One of the reasons was:

"being endowed with prominent rounded buttocks is the unique privilege of humans"

When I was younger a neighborhood girl called me “bubble butt” and that has haunted me my whole life. I’ve always hated my curvier backside and felt that it was a problem. Well… take that! It just makes me more suited to run. In fact, running uses the glutes more than walking on level ground of standing does. So it turns out that finally becoming a runner was a logical choice for me and my gluteus maximus!
Legalese: This book was provided to me for free for purpose of review. The review is all my own though.
*I had a hard time finding a highlighter that worked… it’s been a long time since I was in college!


Go here to see the actual article!!! 

Metabolism: Fact vs. Fiction

What is metabolism? Exercise professionals and educated exercise professional have posed numerous theories, facts, and understandings of what metabolism is. We can look/read  any magazine, website, or blog related to fitness and weight loss and find information pertaining to "facts" about metabolism. And although they all share commonalities, how specific, reliable, and most importantly valid are these '"facts".  To truly understand, let us define metabolism based on what I call "pop exercise" literature. According to numerous sites...... (Which will remain nameless....hint Google metabolism), metabolism is "the rate in which your body burns calories".....Clearly it’s that simple folks. Surprisingly, if you ask any fitness professional you will get this answer, but who cares right? If you can promise them weight loss, the client/individual does not need to know anything but that. Well readers, that is crap.  How are we supposed to promise achievement of goals if we do not understand or just do not know what the internal processes entail? And what about these things we read all over the place and in all form of media promoting programs to "kickstart" metabolism, or even hear from fitness professionals that certain diets will "increase metabolic rate(s)".....news flash, there is no such thing. 
So let's start truly understanding what metabolism is.  First and foremost, we need to stop referring to metabolism as a singular entity, but instead an amalgamation of processes that occur during ANY type of activity (Rowe, P. (2012)).  For example, your sleep cycle, resting (basal), anabolic/catabolic functions, cardiac, pulmonary, etc. Metabolic output, regardless of individual size, weight, height, age are the SAME (Hamidi, T., Algül, H., Cano, C., Sandi, Et al, 2012).  Ultimately the end result of all metabolic processes is the same. The changes only occur during each individual metabolic component; the efficiency of each system (Hamdi, M., & Mutungi, G. 2011).  For example the cardiac metabolic efficiency of a 250lb man may be different than that of a 150 lb man, thus the cardiac metabolic efficiency is greater with the 150lbs man. But regardless, the different components of the metabolism will equate the end result via utilization of other systems (Kravchenko, L., Aksenov, et al 2012).
Let’s focus on more specific metabolic processes. It’s interesting that when metabolism is brought into conversation, calories are automatically related….well first of all, what is a calorie? Calories are the amount of energy necessary to heat 1 gram of water to 1 degree Celsius……so why is a unit of energy the focus? These units of energy are utilized regardless of activity, it’s the conversion of each unit to fat that becomes an issue, but if you are exercising, you should not have a problem. So why is a unit of energy a focus…the simple answer is that it should not be. Although it is an important component, why should it be the priority? According to Kravchenko, L., Aksenov, et al 2012, metabolism instead is a function of O2 uptake efficiency.  Metabolic functions, regardless of the fuel are highly dependent on the utilization of O2. To simply put, the increased efficiency of metabolic function has a direct relationship with exercise performance and metabolic efficiency. The better you breathe, the more efficient your body becomes.
Now what is this nonsense about thermogenics and metabolism? Does increasing internal temperature create a better “burn”? When you workout hard and you start sweating, that means that my metabolism is working hard right?.......well folks that’s CRAP……for the most part.  Let me clarify this for all you readers through logical, valid, reliable, and scholarly literature.  Your body goes through a series of metabolic efficiency and deficiency know as catabolic and anabolic functions (Dixon, L., Berk, M., Thapaliya, S., et al 2012). During anabolic efficiency, your body is rebuilding…..it is in a state of repair. When you are working out….your body goes through a process called catabolism.  This is when your body is breaking down and using those units of energy called calories. Heat is produced during the anabolic phase….the phase of repair. Ultimately your internal core temp increases at rest. So your temperature (internal) has no bearing on how much you expend!!!  And why would you want to chemically increase your internal temperature in the first place? During anabolism, your body utilizes your synthesized proteins…..the funny thing about proteins; they denature and become useless after X degrees. You just wasted your workout. 
As educated professionals, we need to stop using the word metabolism, and replace it with efficiency. We need to become more educated in all aspects of exercise physiology and not have this constant tunnel vision on one modality of exercise.  Understanding mechanics and proper form is great, but to truly program a person for success, we need to have an understanding of why we are prescribing programming and why we are giving specific advice; not only superficially, but deeper and more specific. WHICH BRINGS ME TO MY NEXT TOPIC……H20….

TUNE IN NEXT WEEK, AND HAPPY EXERCISING!!!

Citations:

Rowe, P. (2012). Regulation of bone-renal mineral and energy metabolism: the PHEX, FGF23, DMP1, MEPE ASARM pathway. Critical Reviews In Eukaryotic Gene Expression, 22(1), 61-86.

Dixon, L., Berk, M., Thapaliya, S., Papouchado, B., & Feldstein, A. (2012). Caspase-1-mediated regulation of fibrogenesis in diet-induced steatohepatitis. Laboratory Investigation; A Journal Of Technical Methods And Pathology, 92(5), 713-723. doi:10.1038/labinvest.2012.45

Zhang, Y., Babcock, S., Hu, N., Maris, J., Wang, H., & Ren, J. (2012). Mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2) protects against streptozotocin-induced diabetic cardiomyopathy: role of GSK3β and mitochondrial function. BMC Medicine, 1040. 

Hamdi, M., & Mutungi, G. (2011). Dihydrotestosterone stimulates amino acid uptake and the expression of LAT2 in mouse skeletal muscle fibres through an ERK1/2-dependent mechanism. The Journal Of Physiology, 589(Pt 14), 3623-3640.

Kravchenko, L., Aksenov, I., Trusov, N., Guseva, G., & Avren'eva, L. (2012). [Effects of dietary fat level on the xenobiotic metabolism enzymes activity and antioxidant enzymes in rats]. Voprosy Pitaniia, 81(1), 24-29. 

Hamidi, T., Algül, H., Cano, C., Sandi, M., Molejon, M., Riemann, M., & ... Iovanna, J. (2012). Nuclear protein 1 promotes pancreatic cancer development and protects cells from stress by inhibiting apoptosis. The Journal Of Clinical Investigation, 122(6), 2092-2103. doi:10.1172/JCI60144

Ghosh, A., Wang, B., Pozniak, C., Chen, M., Watts, R., & Lewcock, J. (2011). DLK induces developmental neuronal degeneration via selective regulation of proapoptotic JNK activity. The Journal Of Cell Biology, 194(5), 751-764. 

Wang, A., Dorso, C., Kopcho, L., Locke, G., Langish, R., Harstad, E., & ... Kirby, M. (2012). Potency, selectivity and prolonged binding of saxagliptin to DPP4: maintenance of DPP4 inhibition by saxagliptin in vitro and ex vivo when compared to a rapidly-dissociating DPP4 inhibitor. BMC Pharmacology, 122.

Strutyns'kyĭ, R., Kotsiuruba, A., Neshcheret, O., Rovenets', R., & Moĭbenko, O. (2012). [The changes of metabolism in myocardium at ischemia-reperfusion and activating of the ATP-sensitive potassium channels]. Fiziolohichnyĭ Zhurnal (Kiev, Ukraine: 1994), 58(1), 13-26. 

8 steps to stress-proof your day

1. REINTERPRET A NEGATIVE EXPERIENCE:
-Say you leave your head-phones in the car when you go to the gym. Interpret the return trip to the car not as an irritant but as a chance to warm up before you even climb on the treadmill.

2. GIVE TO SOMEONE ELSE:
-Doing something nice for others can make you happier and calmer

3. JOT DOWN ATTAINABLE GOALS:
-For the week, aim to achieve one thing everyday. This is a great way to track what's going right.

4. BUILD SOCIAL SUPPORT:
-Brain scans show that the same circuitry fires up when we feel emotional pain as when we feel physical pain. But that circuitry is slower to react in those with greater social support in their daily lives.

5. NOTICE AT LEAST ONE GOOD THING:
-You experience each day. then make it "real" by telling someone about it or writing it down. The even can be as small as getting out of bed on time.

6. MEDITATE:
-Meditation can actually alter our brains, increasing gray matter in regions associated with emotion regulation and dampening activity in the fear-responsive amygdala.

7.GET ENOUGH SLEEP:
-Sleep deprivation is one of the greatest angst inducers-it causes stress hormones to soar and spark other imbalances.

8. EXERCISE REGULARLY:
-Exercise works as a mild or good reducer. One hundred and fifty minutes of moderate exercise a week is linked with both reduced stress levels and increased growth of new brain cells.




References:

1. Kabat-Zinn J. Full catastrophe living: using the wisdom of your body and mind to face stress, pain and illness. New York: Delacorte; 1990;
2. Speca M, Carlson LE, Goodey E, Angen M. A randomized, wait-list controlled clinical trial: the effect of a mindfulness meditation-based stress reduction program on mood and symptoms of stress in cancer outpatients. Psychosom Med. 2000;62:613–622
3. Teasdale JD, Segal ZV, Williams JMG, Ridgeway VA, Soulsby JM, Lau MA. Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2000;68:615–623

Proprioception

Proprioception: Introduction

Proprioception is the sense of self in relation to time and space (Wilmore, Costill, Kenney, 2008). To achieve this sense of self, the body uses its proprioceptive sensors to gather information based on the foundations of joint angle, muscular tension, and muscular length. The brain constantly engages in a process designed to position our bodies based upon the information it receives from our senses(Hrysomallis, 2011). This ability is made possible because of the existence of proprioceptive processes. Proprioception can be explained as the awareness of movement and body position. Sometimes proprioception is defined as the body’s joint positioning system (Hrysomallis, 2011) .

Effective proprioceptive processes are dependent upon the ability of the brain to integrate information from all of the sensory systems (Wilmore, Costill, Kenney, 2008). These systems are crucial for the individual’s spatial awareness and reactivity to environmental stimuli. Such said systems include feedback from muscles, joints, vision, the tactile sense (touch/pressure) and the sense of balance or vestibular system (Peixoto, Dias & Dias et al, 2011).

Joint stabilization is the ability of muscles that have been appropriately activated to stabilize a joint (Hrysomallis, 2011). The process of joint stabilization/joint positioning is critical to athletic performance and injury prevention. In the article by Paillard, Margness, et al (2011), performance such as balance and neuromuscular control was observed with athletic surfers, who participated in proprioception development exercises. The better spatial control resulted in an increase in athletic skill level. This was also observed in the throwing accuracy in athletes. According to Wassinger, Meyers et al (2007), due to the new muscular recruitment and stability based on proprioceptive development, throwing athletes showed an increase in throwing performance, as oppose to those who did not participate in proprioceptive developing exercises.

Often times an athlete or individual who has suffered multiple knee injuries will assume that he or she has ‘weak’ or “deconditioned” knees. This may not be the case. One may consider the fact that the athlete or individual is probably in excellent physical shape. The more likely scenario that one should consider or investigate is that the joint positioning systems (proprioceptive foundations, systems, and processes) that the brain uses are not positioning the joint properly or effectively in the midst of athletic movements. Over time, this poor joint positioning will lead to decreased sport performance or limited movement, which will ultimately lead to injury (Fischer-Rasmussen & Jenson, 2000). According to Berdthart & Anderson (2005), one way to artificially remedy this is to use prophylactic braces to help improve proprioception. Another solution to this is the more popular method, which according to Walsh & Gandevia (2011), is by improving the brain’s ability to integrate all the information being received from the various senses and formulate appropriate movement responses the chances of poor joint positioning and injury are reduced, by proprioception developing based exercises.

Balance activities such as single leg exercises or multi-planar movements that integrate the visual, auditory, kinesthetic, tactile, and vestibular senses have the effect of improving the proprioceptive processes that help to reduce injuries and improve performance (Fatma, Kaya, et al, 2010). These improvements can be realized because sensory integration activities increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the neural processes in the brain (Sandrey, Bulger, & Wilder 2009). As neural capability and efficiency increases, a variety of other benefits are realized. Timing improves, vision improves, sense of balance improves, mental processing improves, reaction time improves, and proprioception improves (Fonseca, Ocarino et al, 2005). In short, athletic performance improves.

Works Cited

Bernhardt, T., & Anderson, G. S. (2005). INFLUENCE OF MODERATE PROPHYLACTIC COMPRESSION ON SPORT PERFORMANCE. Journal Of Strength & Conditioning Research (Allen Press Publishing Services Inc.), 19(2), 292-297.

Fatma, A., Kaya, M., Baltaci, G., Taşkin, H., & Erkmen, N. (2010). THE EFFECT OF EIGHT-WEEK PROPRIOCEPTION TRAINING PROGRAM ON DYNAMIC POSTURAL CONTROL IN TAEKWONDO ATHLETES. Ovidius University Annals, Series Physical Education & Sport/Science, Movement & Health, 10(1), 93-99.

Fischer-Rasmussen, T. T., & Jensen, P. E. (2000). Proprioceptive sensitivity and performance in anterior cruciate ligament-deficient knee joints. / Sensibilite proprioceptive et performance de l ' articulation du genou atteint d ' une deficience du ligament croise anterieur. Scandinavian Journal Of Medicine & Science In Sports, 10(2), 85-89.

Fonseca, S. T., Ocarino, J. M., Silva, P. P., Guimarães, R., Oliveira, M. T., & Lage, C. A. (2005). Proprioception in Individuals with ACL-Deficient Knee and Good Muscular and Functional Performance. Research In Sports Medicine, 13(1), 47-61.

Hrysomallis, C. (2011). Balance Ability and Athletic Performance. Sports Medicine, 41(3), 221-232.

Lust, K., Sandrey, M., Bulger, S., & Wilder, N. (2009). The effects of 6-week training programs on throwing accuracy, proprioception, and core endurance in baseball. Journal Of Sport Rehabilitation, 18(3), 407-426

Paillard, T., Margnes, E., Portet, M., & Breucq, A. (2011). Postural ability reflects the athletic skill level of surfers. European Journal Of Applied Physiology, 111(8), 1619-1623.

Peixoto, J., Dias, J., Dias, R., da Fonseca, S., & Teixeira-Salmela, L. (2011). Relationships between measures of muscular performance, proprioceptive acuity, and aging in elderly women with knee osteoarthritis. Archives Of Gerontology And Geriatrics, 53(2), e253-e257.

Walsh, L., Taylor, J., & Gandevia, S. (2011). Overestimation of force during matching of externally generated forces. The Journal Of Physiology, 589(Pt 3), 547-557.

Wassinger, C. A., Myers, J. B., Gatti, J. M., Conley, K. M., & Lephart, S. M. (2007). Proprioception and Throwing Accuracy in the Dominant Shoulder After Cryotherapy. Journal Of Athletic Training, 42(1), 84-89.

Wilmore, J., Costill, D., & Kenney, L. (2008). Physiology of sport and exercise. (4 ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Does the paleo diet work, or is it just another low carb diet fad?

In general, with only one major gripe I have, (ok, maybe two), I think the paleo diet offers some valid points and valuable insights about what we should be eating for fat loss and for good health.

In fact, if you're going to choose one of the lower carb diets, paleo is arguably one of the better choices.

The premise of paleolithic eating is that "since our genetic code has changed less than 0.02 percent in 40,000 years, this means that our bodies are still expecting to get the same foods and nutrition they were getting 40,000 years ago.

Forty thousand years ago, you had to eat nature-made food. There was no food in cans, boxes or packages was there? The packaging was a peel, a skin or a shell!

There were no TV dinners. There was no drive in fast food. There were no convenience stores.

There was no corn syrup. There was no white sugar. There were no hydrogenated oils. No chemicals. No preservatives. No artificial anything.

There was only what could be hunted and gathered: Meat, fish, nuts, seeds, plants, vegetables, fruits.

By eating what our "stone age" ancestors ate, says the paleo philosophy, we will be eating our proper evolutionary diet and we will rid ourselves of the health and obesity problems that have only recently begun to plague us as a result of modern lifestyle and processed manmade foods.

Sounds pretty good so far, right? so....

What's the Paleo Flaw?

By all means, we should be eating more unprocessed foods, similar to the way our ancestors ate. Frankly I don't think we have to dive into anthropological theory or research to draw the conclusion that hunter-gatherer diets are healthier than twinkies and Coke - that's common sense isnt it?

My only major constructive criticism is that some of these paleo programs not only recommend removal of all kinds of grains and starches (and even dairy, which is a SUPERB source of high quality muscle-building proteins), they outright condemn them as inherently bad, in an absolutist fashion.

Why? well, they claim that agriculture arrived on the scene only 10,000 or so years ago, so any foods produced as a result of the modern agricultural system should also be on the "banned" list because our bodies aren't genetically engineered to consume them.

The truth is, there are some starchy carbohydrates and grains which are very minimally processed or completely unprocessed.

Furthermore, some people can metabolically handle starches and grains just fine, while others cannot (many obese sedentary individuals are likey to have metabolic syndrome and not handle concentrated carbs very well, even natural ones).

To condemn natural foods like brown rice (a staple food for centuries in the Asian cultures, well known for being among the healthiest and longest-lived), 100% whole grains, sweet potatoes, oatmeal, legumes and so on for healthy carb-tolerant people, especially those who are highly active and already reasonably lean, doesn't make a whit of sense to me.

For one thing, I'm not sure if anyone knows EXACTLY how our ancestors ate, but I'm pretty certain that it depended a lot on the culture, climate and geography. Therefore, the amount of carbs eaten could have varied quite a bit, so I don't think there is just ONE type of paleo diet.

What all paleolithic diets would have had in common is the absence of processed and refined foods. The foods were natural; whether they were proteins, fats OR carbs.

Of course, the carb intake wouldn't be very high, since there would be no refined sugar or processed carbs. But even according to Loren Cordain, author of The Paleo Diet, a "paleo" diet could be as high as 40% in carbs, a far cry from many of the low carb diets today (which condemn all carbs to the point of even putting restrictions on fruits and veggies to meet some arbitrary carbohydrate gram limit).

Should all grains and starches be completely avoided?

There is a HUGE difference between natural starches and grains and refined starches and grains.

For example, look at white flour cereal grains versus old fashioned rolled or steel-cut unsweetened oatmeal - a body- building STAPLE. How can someone lump those together into the same category?

They are no where near the same, yet there are Paleo (and low carb) advocates who dogmatically cling to the notion that NO ONE should EVER be eating grains or natural carbs like oatmeal and brown rice.

Almost every bodybuilder I know eats oatmeal for breakfast plus lots of rice, sweet potatoes and other natural carbs. They are the leanest muscular athletes on earth, and the ones who do it naturally, like I do, are among the healthiest as well. If there's some kind of cause-effect relationship between all starches and grains and obesity, independent of calories and activity/training level, how do you explain that?

Certainly, many people need to avoid gluten and lactose, but not everyone is intolerant.

Furthermore, what about biochemical individuality? Is there really one perfect diet suited to every human being or do we vary depending on:

1. your metabolic/body type
2. your current body composition (fat or lean)
3. your genetic predispositions
4. your current state of health
5. your goals; fat loss, muscle growth, athletic performance

In particular, for endurance athletes with a high energy expenditures, eating the concentrated starchy carbs and grains is not only beneficial, it's often crucial to sustaining energy and performance.

Even bodybuilders and strength athletes can benefit from fairly generous starchy carb intakes when increasing muscle mass is the goal.

Aside from that minor quibble I have with some of these paleo programs being too strict with their no grains/starches dictum, I do think that most of the intentions behind the "paleolithic" eating concept are in the right place.

I do believe that the modern Western diet is giving many people an overdose of refined carbs and sugar (contributing to the energy imbalance that causes obesity) and that moderating intake of concentrated carbs almost always helps with fat loss, even if that's simply because you are reducing caloric density.

But I don't believe that agriculture, cooking or the modern food system and everything that came with it is inherently "evil."

Despite all the crap fast food that is manufactured today, (which we can easily avoid by choice with just a little bit of education and awareness), modern technology is a boon to society and I think today is the greatest time to be alive in all of human history.

If you really want to be 100% like a cave man, why not ditch your car and your computer too, because that will certainly get you off your butt more won't it? Heck, ditch your electricity and your refrigerator while you're at it because that would be on the same level of thinking as universally condemining all natural carbs for the sake of being more "paleo."