Inflammation

Inflammation:
Is part of our bodies complex biological response of tissues to harmful stimuli, such as damaged cells, or irritants like food/chemicals.

The classical signs of acute inflammation are pain, heat, redness, swelling, and loss of function. Inflammation is a protective attempt by our bodies to remove the harm and to initiate the healing process. 

Chronic inflammation can lead to a lot of complications, including:

• Hay Fever
• Arthritis
• Cancer
• Heart complications
• Skin issues
• Weight gain
• Digestive issues
• Alzheimer's
• Lupus

Food sensitivities, intolerance and allergies are a huge part of the American struggle with inflammation.  Eating a low-inflammatory diet will help the above complications of chronic inflammation. 

Anti-Inflammatory foods:

• Avocado
• Olive oil
• Omega 3 and flax seed
• Pumpkin seeds
• Fruits - especially berries
• Vegetables
• Poultry
• Seafood
• Water
• Spices - Garlic, ginger and cinnamon 
• Fresh foods in general

If you feel you might be suffering from inflammation, here are some foods to avoid:

• Junk foods
• Processed foods
• Trans fats
• Bread 
• Pasta
• Soda
• Candy
• Cereal
• Pastries

Weight loss has also been shown to reduce inflammation.  The above recommendations will aide in weight loss.  If you are looking for more tips on weight loss check out my previous posts on weight loss!

Weight Loss Part 1

Weight Loss Part 2

Weight Loss Part 3

Think these cause some inflammation?

How important is sleep

How important is our precious sleep at night?  I have a feeling that some think its right up there with gold, while others could care less how much they get.

Sleep can be very underestimated until it is something you find yourself struggling to get.  There can be many reasons someone is not sleeping:
-New baby, or kids in general
-New job, or work in general
-Stress
-Caffeine intake
-New puppy
-Neighbors making noise
-Spouse making noise
-And the list can go on and on

So, you miss a night or 2 or 3 or week of a good night sleep.

What can really happen?

• Increased risk of car accidents
• The National Sleep Foundation claims that sleep related accidents kill more than 1,500 people each year.
• Weight gain


• Lack of sleep increases your appetite.  Ghrelin stimulates hunger and leptin signals satiety to the brain and suppresses appetite.  Shortened sleep time is associated with decreases in leptin and elevations in ghrelin.
• Decreased attention span
• The extra cortisol in our bodies make it hard to concentrate.
• Decreased learning capacity
• It is hard to pay attention when you are struggling to stay awake.
• Low sex drive
• As our hormones get thrown off with the lack of sleep it lowers our endorphins which tend to make us feel good and confident.
• Depression
• Insomnia is typically the first sign of depression.
• Aged skin
• The less we sleep to more or bodies release cortisol which can break down skin collagen.
• Forgetfulness
• Not only will it be hard to stay awake but hard to concentrate on our daily life.
• Poor judgment
• Its harder to make wise decisions when we cant concentrate because of low sleep.
• Increased risk of sickness
• When our bodies are not going through the full sleep cycle and repairing ourselves we are more apt to get sick.
• Anxiety
• Since we cannot concentrate properly we tend to be over anxious.
• Mood swings
• Since our endorphins (feel good hormones) are lower we are not as happy.
• Sleep apnea
• Since our body is not recovering at night it starts to shut down and the typical increase in weight lack of sleep causes.
• Narcolepsy 
• Since your chronically fatigued your body will want to sleep when it needs it.
• Higher risk of many chronic diseases
• diabetes
• heart disease
• heart attack
• stroke
• heart failure
• irregular heart beat
• high blood pressure
• and possibly death

I guess its time for me to get to bed!

Other resources to read up on sleep:
My previous post on the sleep cycle
Sleep and weight gain
Sleep and your memory
Sleep disorders

Have a great night!

Running shoes

As temperature warms up and summer becomes near we find ourselves migrating out side for fun and for fitness.

While you are getting ready for those outdoor runs, shoes and types come to mind.  There are so many shoes, types, brands and prices.  It can all be very overwhelming when you get down to it.  Here is some advice I have on your next pair of running shoes.

Running Shoe Types:
Road - Neutral, Stability, Control
Trail
Minimal


Here is a nice breakdown as to what type might be best for you, if you cant do the foot type test:

Foot Type Test:

You can go a long way toward discovering what you need in a running shoe by looking at your feet. There are three basic foot types, each based on the height of your arches. The quickest and easiest way to determine your foot type is by taking the "wet test," below.

1) Pour a thin layer of water into a shallow pan

2) Wet the sole of your foot.

3) Step onto a shopping bag or a blank piece of heavy paper.

4) Step off and look down

Observe the shape of your foot and match it with one of the foot types at the bottom of the page. Although other variables (such as your weight, bio mechanics  weekly mileage, and fit preferences) come into play, knowing your foot type is the first step toward finding the right shoe for you.

Normal (medium) Arch If you see about half of your arch, you have the most common foot type and are considered a normal pronator. Contrary to popular belief, pronation is a good thing. When the arch collapses inward, this "pronation" absorbs shock. As a normal pronator, you can wear just about any shoe, but may be best suited to a stability shoe that provides moderate arch support (or medial stability). Lightweight runners with normal arches may prefer neutral-cushioned shoes without any added support, or even a performance-training shoe that offers some support but less heft, for a faster feel.

Flat (low) Arch If you see almost your entire footprint, you have a flat foot, which means you're probably an overpronator. That is, a micro-second after footstrike, your arch collapses inward too much, resulting in excessive foot motion and increasing your risk of injuries. You need either stability shoes, which employ devices such as dual-density midsoles and supportive "posts" to reduce pronation and are best for mild to moderate overpronators, or motion-control shoes, which have firmer support devices and are best for severe overpronators, as well as tall, heavy (over 165 pounds), or bow-legged runners.

High Arch If you see just your heel, the ball of your foot, and a thin line on the outside of your foot, you have a high arch, the least common foot type. This means you're likely an underpronator, or supinator, which can result in too much shock traveling up your legs, since your arch doesn't collapse enough to absorb it. Underpronators are best suited to neutral-cushioned shoes because they need a softer midsole to encourage pronation. It's vital that an underpronator's shoes have no added stability devices to reduce or control pronation, the way a stability or motion-control shoe would. Minimal Shoes? Merrel, New Balance, Innov8, Vibram, Nike, Sketchers and others are all trying to be the next big thing when it comes to minimal shoes.  The point of minimal shoes are to utilize the muscles in your lower leg and foot more while minimizing the stress on your lower body joints and back. When you are considering a minimal shoe for running it is important that you are already comfortable running in a regular shoe.  You can then start small distances with a mid-minimal (Nike Free 7.0/5.0) and gradually work your way into a true minimal shoe. When you are running in minimal shoes it is common for your calves to tighten and Achilles tendon to shorten, which makes you more prone to lower leg injury. Make sure to stretch and foam roll you calves and foot, especially when putting in more miles or just beginning with your minimal shoe. There is a breakdown on the different types of shoes and the "why" behind different ones.  Places like TC Running in Eden Prairie, MN even have a treadmill there for you to try out the shoe before you purchase it. Good luck putting in your miles this spring/summer!

Good Food

Have you made some good food this week?  Are you looking for some ideas for recipes?

Here are some good recipe ideas for you to try this week or next!

Cheeseburger bacon roll

Green Chili omelet

Black bean burgers


Good luck with them and let me know if you have any to share!

Bike Fit and Seattle

Happy snow day to you all.  Hopefully you didn't have to spend all day in your car or shoveling this snow.

I was fortunate enough to spend this last Weekend in Seattle and attend a certification for Bike Fitting.  Adam and I explored the city in between my classes with my cousin Kate as well, which was a blast!

Here are some pictures from the trip.

While I was going to the certification I learned so much about the human body, biking and the body on a bike.  It was a great learning and made me change the way I look at biking now and how to bike to minimize injury.

Do you bike?  Have you been fitted properly for your frame, spindle, seat, handle bars, hoods, pedal and cleat?  A lot of fitters and equipment just focus on frame and seat.  The foot/pedal/cleat is SO important.  Your foot is the one thing that never gets a break while you are biking.  Because most bikers are not symmetrical and are riding symmetrical bikes around that can become an issue.

If you bike you need to have a proper bike fit.  Let me know if your interested because I will be doing some free ones as I work on making my process faster.  This is a fit some charge $250-$500!

Paul Swift www.bikefit.com Founder and president, posing for a picture with OSR Physical Therapy owner Rusty and I.