Exercises for Hip Strengthening

Posted in Random Rambles by Kat Cass

As if you guys aren’t tired of me talking about recovering from my hip injury yet (it’s been a long road and just when I have a day when I think the pain is behind me, the next day comes and proves me wrong), I did enter into physical therapy to help me get over the hurdle of being in pain while standing. Overall, the general consensus is that while I still reframe from running (I’m told I should be able to get back eventually without trouble though some days that seems doubtful), but to get there I need to strengthen my hip muscles. So today, I thought I’d share with you the exercises that my physical therapist has me doing to help strengthen my hip flexor muscles, just incase anyone else ever needs this sort of help too.

Mini Band Monster walks

Do the following exercise for 3 rounds of 30 seconds with a resistance band around ankles/calves:

Lateral Band Walks

Do the following exercise for 3 rounds of 30 seconds with a resistance band around thighs, for more hip action, band can be placed around ankles/calves:

Banded Mountain Climbers

Do the following exercise for 3 rounds of 10-15 reps on both legs:

Supine Hip Flexor March

Do the following exercise for 3 rounds of 10-15 reps on both legs, alternatively this could be done standing:

The Supine Hip Flexion march is my favorite and I feel I get a ton of benefits from that alone. You can even do that one standing with the band, but for me there was just a little too much popping when I did that so I only do it lying down for now. I hate the banded mountain climbers, but boy do those work too! I have a love hate relationship with them.

It’s important to work your way up to doing these exercises. Start with light resistance and as you get stronger and more comfortable work your way up to more resistance and more reps.

I think physical therapy is really important for injury recovery and prevention, along with regular rest and stretching. This has been such a long road and I’m hoping to see a light at the end of the tunnel soon enough!

Have you ever utilized PT? What kind of exercises did you have to do? Let me know in the comments below.

Until next time,

Kat

19Aug2021

What’s the deal with EPOC?

Posted in Healthy Habits by Kat Cass

I think any of us who workout regularly have heard a trainer claim that when we were done with a workout we were going to continue to burn massive calories throughout the day. I know I’ve heard it a bunch. Maybe you’ve heard it called EPOC, or Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption. What is EPOC? What does it do? And is it real? Do you really burn massive calories after a workout? Let’s talk about it!

What is EPOC?

EPOC is the common phrase used to describe Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption or sometimes also called the Afterburn Effect. This is in reference to an increased metabolism or caloric burn state that is induced after an exercised session due to the increased consumption of oxygen needed to restore the body to a pre-exercise state. EPOC is higher for the re-synthesise of lactate to glycogen, the re-oxygenation of myoglobin and hemoglobin, elevated heart rate, elevated hormones such as adrenaline and noradrenaline, and higher core temperature.

What exercise increases EPOC and burns more energy after?

Exercise that requires more oxygen to recovery will cause for greater EPOC. This is why a lot of trainers suggest that High Intensity Interval Training has a great effect on EPOC, meaning people will burn even more calories after consumption. High intensity requires more oxygen to recover from. Similarly circuit training and heavy resistance training with short breaks will also increase anaerobic pathways (and I mean heavy lifting here), leading to significant EPOC. Basically, if your heart rate ends up above threshold and you are getting an anaerobic effect from your workout, you are going to have more after burn.

How much does EPOC burn?

There is actually a lot left to be researched and determined about the Afterburn Effect and what impact it actually has on caloric burn, and I’m going to talk about some research on EPOC towards the end of this post. Some research has suggested that High Intensity Interval or High Intensity Strength training can add anywhere between 6-15% of total energy cost during that session. Effects are going to last anywhere between 2 and 10 hours and so you might burn around an extra 150 to 200 calories, but with it being hard to judge exact burn, it shouldn’t be calories that you completely bank on (or plan for).

The Truth About High Intensity Work

I think it’s important to note here, and it’s something I have discussed on this blog before as well, it’s really hard to get into the anaerobic threshold zone unless you are a well seasoned athlete. Getting your heartrate to spike high in a matter of seconds and going all out on an exercise is extremely difficult to do (even for me who is an avid runner and works out A LOT). A typical HIIT workout is usually medium intensity at best and you’re lucky to be able to consider it aerobic training. It’s misleading, but honestly true. So I would advise that you never bank on those extra calories from EPOC because it’s very hard to tell if they are actually coming, how much you’ll burn, and for how long.

So what do the Scientific articles say about exercise and EPOC?

Past studies have found that HIIT and resistance training has a significant raise in EPOC throughout the day comparative to steady state cardio. Some studies have suggested that this difference is fairly minimal (Pribyslavska et al., 2018). Some studies have suggested that EPOC appears in two main phases, the first lasting less than two hours and the second lasting up to 48 hours with more prolonged effects (Speakman & Selman, 2003).

As Borsheim & Bahr (2003) point out, many factors such as intensity, duration, training status, and gender may effect EPOC, making it even more difficult to monitor and measure. Trained individuals have a faster return to post-exercise metabolism and rest compared to less trained individuals. Interestingly though, other studies have found that more trained individuals have an overall increases Resting Metabolic Rate (and thus burn more calories overall) partially due to training status but also due to muscular build (muscle burns more calories after all (Speakman & Selman, 2003).

So what’s the takeaway? Plenty of studies have shown that EPOC is a real phenomenon but there is still little known about the exact mechanisms and specifics on measuring EPOC burn. There is still plenty of research to be done on the topic.

For now, I think that it’s important to keep in mind that it may be very difficult to workout and/or lift to the point where EPOC is taking place. Remember, high intensity online is often medium intensity and unless you are a training lifter, you probably aren’t dipping into anaerobic storage when you lift . But that’s okay, this should not discourage you from that type of exercise which can be very beneficial to training, endurance, and cardiovascular health. So you do you! I personally just don’t think it is worth banking on EPOC as a means to burn extra calories. (I’m also not a fan of calorie counting, but that’s just me, for some people it works).

Anyway, that’s my take on EPOC. What other topics do you want me to tackle in the future? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time,

Kat

Sources and further reading:

Borsheim, E. & Bahr, R. (2003). Effect of exercise intensity, duration, and mode on post-exercise oxygen consumption. Sports Medicine, 33(14), 1037-1060. https://doi.org/10.2016/00008256-200333140-00002

McCall, P. (2014). 7 things to know about excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). Ace Fitness. https://www.acefitness.org/education-and-resources/professional/expert-articles/5008/7-things-to-know-about-excess-post-exercise-oxygen-consumption-epoc/

Pribyslavska, V., Caputo, J.L., Coons, J.M., & Barry, V.W. (2018). Impact of EPOC adjustment on estimation of energy expenditure using activity monitors. Journal of Medical engineering & Technology. 42(4), 265-273. https://doi.org/10.1080/03091902.2018.1472823

Speakman, J.R., Selman, C. (2003). Physical activity and resting metabolic rate. The Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 62(3), 621-34. https://doi.org/10.1079/PNS2003282

18Feb2021

Signs It’s Time for a Rest Day

Posted in Healthy Habits by Kat Cass

I’ll be honest with you guys, I haven’t been great about giving myself rest days and it’s been showing. My therapist had to remind me today that sometimes you just need to take time, listen to the body, and give yourself some time to chill. So today, I want to talk about some of the signs you might be getting that let you know it’s time for a break.

Your body aches

Having body aches and pains is totally normal when you are working out. In fact, waking up a day or two after an intense workout and feeling aches in the area you worked out last is a good sign. It means the muscles are working to rebuild and grow stronger. But you know what else it is a sign of? Needing to rest that particular muscle group. There is a reason trainers say not to workout the same muscle group two days in a row (except for your abs). It’s because you have to give your muscles adequate time to repair from the damage you did to them in your workout! Working out the same muscles the next day could cause and injury and could set you back significantly.

So what if your entire body aches from a full day workout that has left you aching the second you get out of bed? It’s time for a full rest day. Sure that might mean yoga or stretching, but give your cardio and muscle training a break. After my first half-marathon I ached in muscles I didn’t even know I worked during running. So what di dI do? I took two days off to let myself fully recover. When I was ready to get back into it, I eased myself back into it to make sure that my muscles were ready to return to that activity.

I do plan to do a future blog post on the muscle recovery process after a workout, so look forward to that in a couple weeks!

You have repeated injuries or injuries that won’t heal

As I said earlier, when you overwork the muscles, you put yourself at risk for injury. Repeat training of the same muscle groups can cause for injury. Similarly, continuing to exercise an injured area of the body can delay recovery or could cause perminant damage that may result in something way worse, like the need for a surgery. When you are injured, it is best to rest that area as long as possible and when you finally feel healed, ease bak into exercise slowly to make sure that you are not going to reinjure yourself.

You’re not seeinig gains

A lot of people think that when they aren’t seeing gains it’s to the fault of the program they are doing. While that may sometimes be the case, it isn’t always the only case. Sometimes when we fail to see gains its because we are not completing a training program effectively. That might be because we are tired, our bodies are tired of exercise, and we need to rest the body to take on the next activity recovered and prepared.

It’s like trying to finish a 5k race after having completed a marathon. You are not going to perform well because you are already tired. When you go into an exercise day already tired and lagging, you aren’t going to perform as well and you aren’t going to see the gains you are aiming to.

Most exercise programs have rest days worked into them. Use them. I can tell you from experience, you should use them instead of trying to tiring yourself out for nothing. Your body will thank you, your trainer will thank you, and you will thank you!

You’re not having fun anymore

If you are dreadign your workout everyday, it’s time to evaluate why. Maybe you are doing really boring workouts that just aren’t fun. If that’s the case, you should definitely switch up your workout game (check out some of my older posts to see some of my recommendations). But if you’re like me, it probably isn’t because you don’t like the workouts you are doing, it’s more likley that you are just tired. Your body doesn’t want to do the movements anymore despite the fact you keep pushing yourself to do it, thus you aren’t having fun doing it anymore. What do you need? Take a day or two off and then see if you have a different attitude towards working out. Chances are you are going to! Chances are you are going to have missed it! Chances are, you are going to come back better!

You’re exercising for the wrong reason

This was the hot topic at therapy today. I got asked the big question of when I workout why am I working out and if I can tell when I’m doing it for the right reasons and when I’m doing it for the wrong reasons. And I realized, that when I get caught up in the negative things like my body image and how I feel in my own skin I start working out more and for the wrong reasons. I don’t do it for fun and because I’m trying to get stronger. I do it to burn calories and burn fat and my focus shifts to negative impacts and I grow even more tired and even more angry at myself.

So when it comes to working out, this is my advice. Ask yourself why you’re working out. If you are doing it because you want to increase your health, you want to get stronger, you want to have fun, or you love doing it then good! Do it! If you are working out for negative reasons and find yourself using words like “to get skinny”, “to burn calories”, or “to burn fat” take a step back from the workout and re-evaluate why you workout. If you keep finding yourself in that brain space, take a full on break from it and let yourself refocus on what the actual benefits of workout out are. Also, take the time to find programs that suite your needs. A lot of online youtube workouts use trigger words like burn fat and burn calories to pull you in, but that kind of culture can be dangerous and if you get caught up in those things, it’s best to avoid them all together (I also want to do a full blog post on this as well).

So ask yourself every day why you are exercising and if it is conducive to you in that moment. If it is, go ahead and workout, if it isn’t, give yourself a break.

Guys, it’s okay to have rest days. In fact, you should have rest days. Do some yoga. Do some stretching. Do something to benefit you. Or do nothing. Stay in bed and watch Netlix all day (but share your passwork with me because there are some shows I want to watch!!). Take it a day at a time and see what you need any given day. It doesn’t make you less of an athlete or ruin your journey. It resets the mind and body in ways you probably need more than you even know.

What is your favorite rest day activity? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time,

Kat

4Feb2021

3 Reasons I’m not going back to the gym

Posted in Healthy Habits by Kat Cass

I did it guys. I got vaccinated! (Well, I got the first dose). I’m a front line worker, in a pharmacy, so we’re now witnessing a huge roll out on COVID-19 vaccinations and life has gotten CRAZY (why this blog is late, sorry about that!) Anyway, now that I’m a little more protected, I can feel my anxiety beginnig to decrease and I feel a little more comfortable about the world around me. That being said, I don’t think I’m going to be rushing back to the gym any time soon and it’s kind of crazy for me to be typing that right now because I always thought I needed a treadmill to get a good workout. Turns out I don’t, and I’m not even sure I’ll be returning to the gym. Today, I want to tell you guys why I think home workouts are just as great as gym workouts.

It’s way more convenient

I was NEVER a morning workout person. That was until I started doing home workouts and my gym became a place right across from my bedroom. Now, I wake up at 6am almost every day and get my workout in first thing in the morning before doing anything else. Why? It’s just so convienent. I don’t have to pack a gym bag, I don’t have to drive anywhere, I just roll out of bed, get dressed, and get it done right then and there. It’s made working out every day easy and convneient and I think that has become a large motivator in getting things done.

I learned in psychology that one of the best things to do to motivate people to workout is make their ability to do so easy, put equipment in an easy to see/access area, and make it so there are less excuses. Having my gym in my office is just what I needed to motivate myself to get it done.

I’ve Learned about Variety

If you look back on the contents of this blog in years past you’ll notice that almost all my workout content had to do with running. And running is great and I still love it as my first passion, but I’ve also learned that there is a lot more variety out there and I don’t need a treadmill to get that variety. I have learned to love biking, cardio kickboxing, and even weight lifting now that I haven’t been to the gym. And for now, I am able to happily do all those things from home. I’ve slowly been adding to the weights and equipment I have at home (and honestly it’s more cost effective to do that than pay for a gym membership).

Plus, I get to try new things all the time. With there being so many different trainers on youtube, I am always trying something new to see if it’s something I like or something that gives me a good workout. And I get to report back here with my findings, which is always so much fun! Variety works out the body and the mind and so far, I’m really getting to mix it up.

There are no people!

If you guys don’t know this about me, I don’t like people. Especially when I am trying to workout. When I’m running or working out, I’m there to get in my head space, maybe watch a movie if I’m running, and just get it done. I HATE WHEN PEOPLE TRY TO TALK TO ME AT THE GYM. I just want to get it done and do the thing in my quiet space. Plus, it ruins my flow if you interupt me. So not having people around is great.

Plus, not having guys around to watch me workout (for whatever reason they do it) is so much more comfortable than having to be aware that they are there. There’s nothing worse than that.

And of course, it let’s you focus on you and you alone. I know when I was running, I used to try to run faster and longer than the person nearest me and it really got to me after awhile. I was working out to show off more than I was working out for me. It became toxic and I don’t really want to rush back into that.

All in all, I think this working out from home thing has really made me fall back in love with working out for the sake of improving myself and myself alone and to be fair, I’m not ready to jump back into a potentially toxic environment again. I like what I have going on here and while it is working for me, I think I am going to continue to work with it. The only reason I might go back to the gym is to start putting long miles back in for half marathon training, but spring is right around the corner, so I might not even need to!

What do you guys like about home workouts? Have you been back to the gym? Are you excited to get back to the gym? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Thanks for you patience on this week’s late blog. School and work have both been insane this term and I’m having a hard time keeping track of time!

Until next time,

Kat

8Oct2020

What’s the Deal with Active Recovery

Posted in Healthy Habits by Kat Cass

Ever since this “quarantine” started (I keep calling it quarantine despite the fact that A. I’ve been working this entire time and B. we’ve all been generally back to average lately), I’ve actually been hitting it pretty hard on the workout routine lately. I do some sort of physical activity every day of the week and some days I even do two work outs depending on how much energy I have to spare by the end of the night. I used to be a really big fan of rest days, but lately, that just hasn’t seemed as important to me. Instead, I’ve been making use of active rest days, where I usually do yoga as a way to stretch my body.

So that sheds the questions: what is active rest, how does it work, and is it useful? Today, we’re going to look into if you should be making sure to add active rest days into your schedule.

What is active recovery

Recovery days usually mean resting the body after an intense workout load. Some people choose to do nothing on those days, others decide to use an active recovery workout. An active recovery workout is a low-intensity exercise that allows the body to keep the blood flowing and help muscles recover and rebuild.

Yoga, tai chi, easy bike rides, walks, or easy hikes all count as great active recovery activities. Depending on the amount you lift, weight lifting can also often be considered an active recovery activity (so long as it isn’t a muscle hypertrophy with heavy weights and repetition).

The main difference between active recovery and a full blown workout is that at the end of an active recovery period, you should feel refreshed, energized, and ready to get back to your regular workout routine the next time you train.

What are some benefits of active recovery?

Active recovery is more beneficial than just sitting around and watching Netflix on your day off. In fact, active recovery workouts are said to help reduce lactic acid buildup by keeping the muscles moving, eliminate toxins, increase muscle flexibility, reduce soreness from intense workouts, and increase blood flow.

Certain activities such as stretching and yoga can even increase your overall flexibility, helping you to perform other tasks, such as running, better. Plus you can easily target problem areas, such as leg, hip, or back pain, giving you a little extra benefit from your workout.

When should I use active recovery?

There are many different types of active recovery and each has a time and a place.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

As a rest day. The day after an intense bout of exercise (say running 13 or more miles) your body may be sore and you may be feeling physically drained. This would be a great day for stretching or a long walk as active recovery. This would be similar if you did an intense HIIT workout the day before that left you feeling sluggish.

Between intervals. Research also suggests that active recovery between exercise intervals improves performance on the next interval compared to passive recovery where you just stand and wait for the next interval to being. This is due to the removal of lactate from the body which hinders performance when you begin again. Remember when I reviewed the Body Boss guide and said that between intervals I felt it was more beneficial to do some form of dance cardio routine? This would be the perfect example of using a form of active recovery between intervals, especially because I chose low intensity videos to do.

After a workout. At the end of a workout, active recovery is very important. I ran a 5k once and at the end was in a ton of pain. A very nice gentleman who was running besides me pulled me aside and reminded me that it was very important I take a walk instead of sitting down even though I was tired. I felt a ton better after getting that walk in and it was the perfect reminder that I needed the cool down. Why? Active recovery after a workout lowers the intensity of the body, reduces the acidity and levels of lactate in the body, and helps stretch out the muscles while increasing blood flow and dropping blood pressure. Essentially, it helps the body return to normal.

Do you utilize active recovery? What is your favorite thing to do? Let me know in the comments below. Personally, as you know, I like to do yoga once a week. I love getting to stretch out my muscles and prepare myself for a weekend of a lot of running.

How’s your workout routine going? I hope that this new normal is keeping you busy and active!

Until next time,

Kat

Does exercise actually increase your immunity?

Posted in Healthy Habits by Kat Cass

I’m not going to talk too much about why the topic of immunity is so popular right now, mainly because I don’t think it’s a good idea to spread the fear, but it’s important to talk about ways to limit disease risk and boost immunity. I probably don’t need to give you the lecture on why you should wash your hands and cover your mouth when you cough, especially now, but I did want to talk about ways we think we can increase our immunity.

I think a lot of people out there will tell you that they feel like they are their healthiest when they are living very active lifestyles, but is it true that working out can actually increase your immunity? Or is it all just a myth that’s been made up in order to get us to the gym more often? Today, I want to dive into some current research that will shed some light on exercise and immunity.

Short term Exercise and immunity

If you’re feeling sick, does getting a quick work out in actually help to boost your immunity? Studies show that acute vigorous exercise actually results in a temporary decline in immune competency for several hours after the event. While your body responds to this decline in response, you are more susceptible to viral and bacterial infection. So if you are starting to feel the symptoms of a cold or the flu coming on, you might want to get home and get some rest instead of hit the gym thinking you are going to sweat it out (Campbell & Turner, 2018).

Regular Exercise and immunity

On the other hand, other studies have found that exercise can reduce the incidence of infection. In fact some of these studies have found that number of training hours a year are inversely correlated with sick days. Ultramarathon runners report fewer days of work missed due to illness compared to the average population. Studies also showed that athletes undertaking large training loads become less ill than athletes with lighter training loads. This may have to do with the fact elite athletes are more adapted to the demand of their training routine (Campbell & Turner, 2018).

Daily, or near-daily, acute exercise (less than 60 minutes at moderate to vigorous intensity) has been shown to stimulate the exchange of immune cells between the circulation and tissues. Research suggests that each bout of exercise improves the activity of tissues and enhances immunoglobulins, anti-inflammatory cytokines, T-cells, and other important immune responses (Nieman & Wentz, 2019).

Intense Exercise and immunity

Some small scale studies have actually found that upper respiratory infection symptoms are higher in elite athletes with fast face times and greater training volumes. This is potentially due to over-training which tires the body and increases the risk for infection due to psychological stress and nutritional deficiencies. Researchers also believe that events such as marathons increase the risk of acquiring infectious pathogens due to a mass gathering of people (Campbell & Turner, 2018). All in all, High exercise training workloads affect physiological, metabolic, and psychological stress and can cause immune disturbances, inflammation, and oxidative stress, leading to increased risk of disease (Nieman & Wentz, 2019).

So what’s best?

Does this mean that you should stop training hard for that marathon or stop working so hard towards your goals? Absolutely not! Just because you put a lot of hours in at the gym doesn’t mean you are going to get sick. Psychological responses, external factors, and lifestyle strategies all play into how our bodies react to viral and bacterial infections, meaning that what works well for one person, may not work well for another. Everyone responds differently. The best we can do is have a regular exercise routine, a healthy nutrition plan, and good hygiene (plus vaccinations and regular sleep). If you feel good about your training schedule and how intense your exercise is, keep at it. You’ll know your body and you’ll know when you need to take a break! Isn’t understanding our bodies what we athletes pride ourselves on? So much goes into the immune function that it’s nearly impossible to put all your eggs in one exercise-related basket. Don’t sweat it. Just get to the gym and sweat that!

Keep in mind that this is an area of study that is very well researched and because it is so well looked into and studied there are a lot of contradictory studies out there. I only reviewed two recent ones today, but there are a ton more out there always going on. Again, everyone’s systems are different and so many factors play into immunity that this is an area of research that will be going on for a long time!

So in the meantime, I say you do you. Wash your hands and cover your mouth when you cough, and do us all a favor and get your annual flu shot. But I won’t rant on and on about that.

Anyway, do you guys feel you get less sick when you have a regular workout routine? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time,

Kat

Sources and further reading:

Campbell, J. P., & Turner, J. E. (2018). Debunking the Myth of Exercise-Induced Immune Suppression: Redefining the Impact of Exercise on Immunological Health Across the Lifespan. Frontiers in immunology, 9, 648. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2018.00648

Nieman, D.C., Wentz, L.M. (2019). The compelling link between physical activity and the body’s defense system. Journal of Sport and Health Sciences. 8(3), 201-2017. Doi: 10.1016/j.jshs.2018.09.009

13Feb2020

3 Mile 300 rep tread and sculpt challenge

Posted in Lifestyle Lessons by Kat Cass

So I have still loved the tread and sculpting workouts that mix cardio up with strength training, and I had a new format presented to me recently that I really loved. This is sort of an intense workout completely inspired by the ladies over at Siss_Ft. (Seriously please go check them out on Instagram. They post amazing workouts and run amazing fitness challenges). These ladies have completely changed the way I work out. In fact, their program Accelerate (which I paid for with my own money and will soon be doing a review on) completely changed my running game.

Anyway, back to the workout. This work out mixes up quick, hard jogs, with declining reps of strength exercises, then goes in reverse! It’s super fun and is a great way to test how fast you can complete it each time!

3 mile 300 reps

I will not lie to you guys, this is pretty intense, which is why the run starts off easy and also why I made the jump on the burpees optional. You can, of course, modify this as you need to. You want to be tired out by the end though that’s the plan!

Let me know if you guys try this workout and if you like it!

Should I keep doing more posts like this? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time,

Kat

19Dec2019

Is strength Training Important?

Posted in Healthy Habits by Kat Cass

Recently, I took to this blog to talk about how much I’ve been loving getting into strength training lately. I used to be a cardio only type of girl because I thought it was the most effective way to burn calories, condition my body, and get in shape. Boy was I wrong! Recently, I’ve learned the importance of strength training, and along with changing up the mundane workout routine, how important it actually is for your body!

So today, I want to share with you guys some of the reasons you NEED to be hitting up those weights at least a couple times a week!

What is Strength Training?

Strength, or resistance training, is a type of exercise that causes the muscles to contract against a resistant force exerted on them. Muscles are caused to slightly tear, and as they regenerate and repair they grow stronger. This muscle breakdown is called catabolism with the regrowth called anabolism. This exercising causes an increase in strength, tone, and mass within these muscles. Resistance training can vary between self-body weight, rubber exercise bands, or actual weights. Resistance training can vary from weight lifting to Pilates depending on what your preferences are.

Why Resistance Train?

There are a lot of reasons to start resistance training, especially as you grow older. In fact, it is important to begin resistance training while you are young as we being to lose muscle mass around the age of 30. From there, we lose 3 to 8 percent of muscle mass every 10 years. So, building muscles at a younger age will help reduce this mass loss and help retain strength while aging. This also helps to preserve bone density, which also begins to decline during the mid-twenties.

Strength training is important for disease management and studies have linked strength training to management of conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease linked with obesity and heart disease. Strength training is also linked to decreased depression.

Compared to Cardio

Cardio can also help manage weight and disease, so it’s easy to decide to opt for more cardio versus weight training. But, research also shows that strength training can jump-start your metabolism and help you burn more calories. Especially if you’re new to weight training, this can be extremely beneficial. As your body gets used to the same old routine, it is important to mix it up and add something new. This helps you avoid plateau and continue on your journey to health and wellness.

How to get started

Getting started can be super intimidating, especially if you go to a gym with a lot of bulky guys who are always using the free weights. There are a lot of ways that you can start getting involved in more strength training.

Take a class! If your gym offers pilates or strength classes, sign up for a class. There’s a huge chance you won’t be the only new person and it’s a great way to start to learn some basics.
Find a friend. If you have a friend who does free weights often you can always ask them to show you some exercises and some moves and maybe even create some basic work out routines for you
Use machines. While I personally am not a huge fan of the machines anymore, I do find them very useful when you want to get started in weight training but have no idea what to do. They tell you exactly what to do and how to position yourself and they’re usually always free. The only thing I don’t like is that it doesn’t help with me with how many reps or how to do a proper full body work out.
Find a program online. I personally follow the Instagram page SISSfit and every Tuesday they post a new toning program that is easy to follow and really helpful in getting me started with weight training. They show you how to do each exercise and how many to do and the work out is easily accessible. And the great thing is, there are hundreds of Instagram accounts like that! You can find the perfect work out for you just by scrolling through your social media.

Are you a fan of full-body circuits? How about pilates? Yoga? Let me know in the comments below what your favorite strength training is! I can’t wait to see how you guys incorporate it into your workouts. For me, I like to add circuits in between running sprints! Did you check out my recent post showing you guys an example? If not make sure to check it out!

Until next time,

Kat

Sources and further reading:

Michigan State University. The importance of strength training. https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/the_importance_of_strength_training

The Mayo Clinic Staff. Strength training: get stronger, leaner, healthier. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/strength-training/art-20046670

Weil, R. Resistance training. Emedicine Health. https://www.emedicinehealth.com/strength_training/article_em.htm#facts_you_should_know_about_resistance_training

4Jul2019

Can vitamin C increase your recovery after a workout?

Posted in Nutrition Now by Kat Cass

This past week, a peer of mine who works as a fitness trainer mentioned that athletes use vitamin C as a supplement as a boost to their recovery after a heavy workout. I had never heard of this before, but then again, I’m still new to the athletic supplement world, as I don’t do any sort of added boosts for my workouts. Curiously, I did some digging on the topic. If there’s one thing that I’ve learned so far in school, it’s that supplements aren’t always what they seem to be, so I always want to do some added research before recommending anything to anyone.

So today, I want to talk about vitamin C and how it’s used as a supplement in athletes. Is it a good idea to take vitamin C? Does it actually help recovery? What’s the real deal here?

What is Vitamin C?

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble vitamin found in many fruits and vegetables such as green peppers, strawberries, papaya, oranges, kiwifruit, grapefruit, banana, avocado, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts among many other sources.

Vitamin D functions as an antioxidant through the ability to donate electrons and act as a reducing agent in metabolism. This means vitamin C can help in the prevention of colds along with helping with decreasing the risk of cardiovascular disease, helping to decrease the risk of some cancers, and diminishing risk for macular degeneration and cataracts. However, there are many studies currently suggest other possible reasons for the importance of vitamin D.

Why do athletes take Vitamin D?

During heavy exercise, agents (such as ROS) that cause cell damage, known as oxidative stress, are produced in greater quantities. Oxidative stress can restrict muscle contractions and cause force, compromising overall performance. Therefore, vitamin C supplementation has become widely popular among athletes as it is thought to protect cells by reducing the negative impact of reactive oxygen species, reducing muscle damage, immune dysfunction, and fatigue while limiting oxidative stress during resistance and anaerobic training. Antioxidants specifically, available through vitamin C and vitamin E, are reducing factors that can help limit oxidative stress and, in return, reduce inflammation (Evans, Zhang, & Omaye, 2017; Nieman et al., 2002).

Does this actually work though?

Despite the popularity of vitamin C as an exercise supplementation, the research supporting such benefits is contradictory. One study conducted by Evans, Zhang, & Omaye (2017) found that a 28-day regimen of 250 mg of vitamin C supplementation every 12 hours reduced oxidative stress in people new to resistance training. Similarly, in a study by, Zoppi et al. (2006), professional soccer players were split into two groups and one was given vitamin C and E supplements. The results showed that vitamin C prevented fatigue in isolated muscle fibers.

However, Nieman et al. (2002) reported multiple studies in long-distance runners that showed no changes in oxidative stress and immune support. One study of 12 marathoners running two and a half hours showed no decrease in hormonal or immune measures after a vitamin C regime. Another study of 20 male runners also saw no changes after a 14-day course of 500 mg vitamin C and 400 mg vitamin E before running compared to the placebo group.

So is vitamin C supplementation necessary?

Current research suggests that the body relies on several ROS-mediated signaling pathways to adapt to exercise stressors and improve overall conditioning and functioning. In fact, moderate ROS production increases mitochondrial growth factors, decreases muscle degeneration and cell surviving proteins, and amplifies immune function (Braakhuis, 2012). Some research demonstrates that excessive vitamin C may inhibit these essential adaptations (McLeay, et al. 2017). What does that mean? Some oxidative stress is good for you. Your body naturally adapts to these stressors and acts appropriately.

So while vitamin C supplementation may be marketed towards athletes as helpful, a diet in which 0.2 grams of vitamin C is obtained from five servings of fruits and vegetables is considered the most balanced way to achieve bodily homeostasis (Braakhuis, 2012). So stick with consuming your fruits and veggies throughout the day, and worry less about if you need to head to the store to buy some vitamin C to make yourself stronger. You don’t need it.

Have you guys ever heard of vitamin C aiding in recovery after a workout? Have any of you guys tried it? Let me know in the comments below.

For me personally, I think I’ll stick to just eating my fruits and vegetables. I’ll save the extra vitamin C for when I think I’m getting sick!

If you want me to write a post about vitamin C as an immune booster for colds, let me know in the comments below as well!

Until next time,

Kat

Sources and further reading:

Braakhuis, A. (2012). Effect of vitamin C supplements on physical performance. Current sports medicine reports, 11(4), 180-184. Doi:10.1246/JSR.0b013e31825e19cd

Evans, L.W., Zhang, F., Omaye, S.T. (2017). Vitamin C Supplementation Reduces Exercise-Induced Oxidative Stress and Increases Peak Muscular Force. Food and Nutrition Science. 8(8), 812-822. Doi: 10.4236/fns.2017.88058

Gropper, S. S., Smith, J. L., & Carr, T. P. (2018). Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

McLeay, Y., Stannard, S., Houltham, S., & Starck, C. (2017). Dietary thiols in exercise: oxidative stress defense, exercise performance, and adaptation. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 14(12). Doi:10.1186/s12970-017-0168-9.

Nieman, D.C., Henson, D.A., McAnulty, S.R., McAnutly, L., Swick, N.S., Utter, A.C., Vinci, D.M., Opiela, S.J., Morrow, J.D. (2002). Influence of vitamin C supplementation on oxidative and immune changes after an ultramarathon. Journal of Applied Physiology. 92, 1970-1977. Doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00961.2001

Zoppi, C., Hohl, R., Silva, F., Lazarim, F., Neto, J., Stancanneli, M., Macedo, D. (2006). Vitamin C and E Supplementation Effects in Professional Soccer Players Under Regular Training, Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. doi.org/10.1186/1550-2783-3-2-37

7Mar2019

10 Weeks to Learn to run a 5k

Posted in Healthy Habits by Kat Cass

Spring is almost here! Despite the fact that it’s hailing while I write this post, I can almost feel the spring weather coming around the corner, at least it better be. And what’s’ more exciting about spring coming than running season coming right along with it? I’m definitely planning for a very exciting running season this year, including hopefully 18 runs (I already have one accomplished, so only 17 to go).

And while I talk about running a lot, I haven’t always been a runner. It took me a long time to become comfortable as a runner. I didn’t just wake up one morning running 5k. I had to work my way up to it very slowly.

Recently, I sat down at with some help from a few couch to 5k apps (which are super helpful if you want to learn to run), created a running program for a friend of mine who needs to learn how to run distance. So I figured that while I was sharing this 10 week running plan with him, I would post it here as well, just in case any of you guys out there are interested in learning how to run and want to accomplish your first 5k this year.

So here it is, my guide to learning how to run a 5k in 10 weeks. This is based on 3 runs per week minimum at a pace that you choose.

Week 1