Are your kids safe?

Before I get too far into this I felt it is important to give you a little background. Most of you know I was a former decathlete who competed both collegiately and internationally for nearly a decade. Over the last several years I have helped dozens (maybe over a hundred) of athletes in their quest to become the very best they can be – whether that is to make the varsity team or the ranked #1 in the US. I mention this because most of my training as an athlete, as well as most of the training in our sport, is done during some of the hottest months of the year.   Special consideration needs to be given to the conditions as they change daily.   More importantly, special attention has to be given to the athlete, in particular, what energy system are we training and how well is the athlete recovering from this particular training session. Keep in mind, when training athletes, this process can be very complicated and requires constant observation and adjusting.

Below is an article about a coach I know in Oregon. While I don’t know all of the specifics, I can’t help but to think how many of our kids are exposed to this type of mentality on a regular basis. Who is training our kids, what are they asking these under-developed athletes to do and more importantly, who is watching over these programs to ensure something like this doesn’t happen here?

Please read the article below and give me your thoughts. Do you have a child that participates in a program that either requires them to practice/compete in excessive heat conditions (considered to be mid 90′s or above)? Are you concerned about the training your child is receiving or do you think that this is an isolated case and even though we live in a state with several 100+ degree days our coaches know what they are doing?

19 McMinnville High School football players treated at hospital

The Associated Press
August 23, 2010

McMINNVILLE — School officials, parents and players remained puzzled Sunday about what caused 19 members of a high school football team in to suffer muscle damage — three of whom required surgery — after a fall camp.

The 19 McMinnville High School players all had elevated levels of the enzyme creatine kinase, or CK, which is released by muscles when they’re injured, said Dr. Craig Winkler of Willamette Valley Medical Center. High CK levels can lead to kidney failure if not properly treated. Winkler called the epidemic “weird,” saying: “To have this number of athletes in one single community in one environment is very unusual.”

Three of the players also were diagnosed with a rare soft-tissue condition called “compartment syndrome,” which caused soreness and swelling in their triceps. They had surgery to relieve the pressure, Winkler said. Five of the athletes were treated in the emergency room and sent home. The other 11 were admitted to the hospital and given intravenous fluids to maintain adequate hydration and prevent kidney failure, he said.  Ten boys remained hospitalized Sunday, but they were in good condition and were expected to be released today.

Officials said the epidemic’s cause is still a mystery, but high CK levels can result from vigorous exercise or the use of certain medications or food supplements. Before their symptoms started this past week, the players were at an immersion camp organized by first-year coach Jeff Kearin. Winkler said the players worked out last Sunday at the high school’s wrestling room, where temperatures reached 115 degrees. He said the high temperature and dehydration may have played a role. He also said officials will look at water sources and what the students had to drink, including power mixes.

Winkler said blood test results expected Tuesday could show whether the athletes ingested creatine, which is found in legal high-powered protein supplements. He added officials are not testing for steroids because it would be unlikely for that many students to have access, and “creatine makes way more sense.” Two players said Sunday they weren’t sure what caused their injuries but supplements were not a factor.

Fullback and linebacker Jacob Montgomery, 17, one of the 10 still hospitalized, said he first experienced a tightness in his triceps and forearms Tuesday. “They swelled to the verge of popping,” he said in a telephone interview. “I thought it was just swelling from an intense workout.” Montgomery said he went to get checked out Wednesday after learning another player was taken to the hospital. He and fellow senior Josh Nice said neither they nor any of the other players have taken any supplements or performance enhancers. “They don’t know what’s behind this whole thing,” said Nice, a wide receiver hospitalized since Friday. He added he hopes to return to practice as soon as possible.

Winkler said the hospital and school began screening players for CK after the first few were brought to the hospital early last week. The normal range for CK is 35 to 232 units per liter, but some students showed levels as high as 42,000, putting them at risk of kidney injury, Winkler said. Those with levels in the 3,000 range were treated in the hospital’s emergency room and released, while those with levels above 10,000 were admitted. Superintendent Maryalice Russell told The Oregonian newspaper she doesn’t believe Kearin’s workout was excessive. She also said she has no evidence steroids or supplements were involved. “I don’t have any information at this time that would indicate that’s the case,” she said. “I’m continuing to look at additional information as it may come my way.”

Tom Welter, Oregon School Activities Association executive director, said the organization’s medical committee will investigate and make recommendations to the executive board after its next meeting in September. The OSAA oversees school sports in the state. “It’s a really bizarre situation,” said Nice’s mother, Margaret Nice, whose son Daniel also remains hospitalized. “But we’re all trying to hang in here and hope and pray that they can come up with the answer to what caused this.” Practices for all fall sports start today. “We just want our boys to get better, and they’re all anxious to get out on the field,” Margaret Nice said.

http://www.StatesmanJournal.com

How Knowing your Resting Metabolic Rate will help your weight loss.

Resting metabolic rate that is measured accounts for approximately 60-70 percent of your total metabolic rate (total daily calories burned). Most of your resting metabolic rate is beyond your control and is dictated by age, height, sex, weight, genetics, organ function and hormones. The only aspect of your resting metabolic rate that you really have control over, unless you have a hormonal or medication problem, is your muscle mass. The remainder of your total metabolic rate is composed of exercise, which accounts for about 20-25 percent depending on how active you are, and eating (also called the thermic effect of feeding), which accounts for about 10 percent of your total daily calories burned.

When you test your resting metabolic rate, you must then multiply that number by an activity factor that usually ranges from 1.3 to 1.9, depending on how physically active you are every day in your job and also during exercise. Resting metabolic rate can also be estimated using a mathematical equation and can be calculated by some of the more sophisticated body fat scales that measure age, height, sex, weight, fat mass and lean body mass to come up with a fairly accurate estimate.

If you think you would find it helpful to know more precisely how many calories you should be consuming daily, you might want to consider testing your resting metabolic rate or getting a body composition analysis. Once you know this number, it is critical to pay close attention to the number of calories you consume to lose weight, since most people who are overweight underestimate caloric intake by up to 30 percent.
If you would like to know more or are interesting in finding out what your Resting Metabolic Rate is, schedule an appointment at the Hit Center to have yourself tested!!

Just Another Day @ The HIT Center

Tired of jogging on a treadmill, come check out the HIT Center in Mesa, Arizona for more than a twist on the typical cardio!

Click here:Brandon does crazy obstacle course

Working out to Music

You’ve probably experienced it already and you don’t even know it. You are doing your cardio, running outside at your usual pace when it happens. Your song. You love it. You can’t help but run to it. The beat just has a way of hypnotizing you and you are mesmerized by it. And when the song finishes, you notice that you are a little more out of breath, a little more intense than before your song played. Researchers have now shown that an easy way to pick up the intensity in your workouts is to increase the tempo of the music you listen to. People who listened to the same songs at different tempos worked harder and enjoyed their workouts more than people listening to the music at the normal tempo or a slowed tempo. So if you are looking for a little jolt to your normal cardio routine, just speed the music up. You might find yourself running faster, farther, and even enjoying it a little more. So rock out. Literally.

Is Sugar that bad?

So we know sugar causes obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, bad skin, and dental decay. But it gets worse…. Refined sugar also helps pathogenic bacteria grow exponentially in the human body and will literally poison you over time. The thriving bacteria do this by releasing free radicals into your bloodstream. These free radicals can eat away at veins, artery walls, your heart, your joints, your liver, your pancreas and even your intestines and mouth. So basically, the more sugar you eat the faster your entire body breaks down. Between that and the fact that it’s the fastest way to lose weight, is that soda or candy bar really worth it?

VO2 Tested and Approved

Brandon willingly allowed us to test our newest equipment at the HIT Center. The test gave us not only a fitness score in relationship to Brandon’s demographic, but also some heart rate zones to use…just to make sure he is getting a hard enough workout

Finally reach your goals!

Almost everyone out there has a long term weight loss goal… normally something like “My goal is to lose 20 pounds.”

That’s a great place to start, but now you need to set some short term goals that will help you reach your long term goal.

First, decide on how many pounds you want to lose each week. I would say one pound per week is a great place to start.

Now you need to set down how you are going to lose that pound per week.

Some examples: not eating after dinner, exercising for 30 minutes every other day, eating only fruit for snacks or even just drinking more water throughout the day.

The key is to make realistic goals that you can stick with! Start with some smaller goals and once you start losing weight that will motivate you to challenge yourself with more goals.

Small changes make a big difference so start thinking about what you can easily change in your lifestyle… and don’t keep putting it off… just do it

Schools Proposed Program for Obese Children

According to a recent report a Medway Massachusetts School District will be the first to implement a program in which elementary students will be weighed and measured to determine their fat level.  Results will be posted on their report card

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,597183,00.html

How do you feel about this?  Are the schools overstepping their bounds?  Should body fat levels be part of students official record or stay should this type of thing be between the Dr. and the family?  We would love to hear your comments – just post them below.

Weight Loss

I recently had a member of my family lose 15 pounds in the past 4 months by cutting back his carbonated beverage intake. Since congratulations were in order, I asked my father if he had started exercising more than his once a week basketball league. He responded that he had thought about it. Which is a big step for my dad. But since he and I had that conversation, I thought I would highlight something very important. Exercise is beneficial on many more levels than simply aiding weight loss. The most important benefits are that your cardiovascular system becomes far more healthy. Your total cholesterol is lowered, your high density (the good kind) cholesterol increases, your triglycerides decrease, and many other markers are changed in a positive way. Remember to encourage those loved ones in your lives to not be concerned only with weight loss, but to exercise so they will be around and healthy for a longer time.

Running on a daily basis (Installment #2)

Installment #1 of Running on a Daily Basis looked at the health benefits of running regularly; this week we’ll look at how running can improve mental health, decrease stress, and improve sleep quality. The aerobic activity of running was selected because of its many excellent benefits as a cardiovascular and body weight-bearing exercise; however, any aerobic activity (such as biking, swimming, walking, etc) will help improve overall health as well.

1.) Running can help prevent and/or ease depression. As you run, your body releases neurotransmitters called endorphins, which are released from the pituitary gland and hypothalamus during exercise, and act as pain killers and mood enhancers during and immediately following exercise. Regular and consistent running can help people increase their overall mood because of the natural mood boost that occurs with exercise. In addition to releasing brain chemicals that help increase mood, running can reduce immune system chemicals which have been shown to worsen depression. Stick to a regular running and exercise routine to stay heart and mind healthy!

2.) Running can help decrease stress if done on a regular basis. Just 20 minutes of daily running can keep stress levels at bay. Running increases blood flow through the body, bringing increased oxygen to vital organs such as the brain and heart. Prolonged stress can increase the intensity of neuron functioning which can increase toxic waste product buildup in your body. By running you increase your oxygen intake and blood flow which can help remove bad toxins from your body as a result of stress. (Stress Management, n.d.)

3.) The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that persons having trouble sleeping increase their daily physical activity. A recent study by Stanford University Medical Center revealed that after a 16 week program adults who exercised at least four times a week for 30-40 minutes saw sleep quality improve. Participants were able to fall asleep faster and sleep up to 45 minutes longer. Factors such as total time asleep, number of times waking up during the night, and how long it takes to fall asleep were examined. Results showed that exercise improved overall quality and length of sleep (Sobel, n.d.). The ACSM suggests exercising outdoors (a good reason to go for a long run outside!) since light exposure has sleep-promoting effects. Both the research study and the ACSM suggest exercising at least a few hours prior to bedtime, since exercise increases blood flow and heart rate, making it difficult to fall asleep soon after exercising. (ACSM, 2003).

This next benefit comes from walking, not running, but is a useful bit of information to know!

4.) Studies have shown that walking increases oxygen to your brain, helping to improve mental health. Walking requires little glucose uptake in the muscles unlike other aerobic activities do. The glucose that is already stored in your body is circulated more effectively during walking without the need for your body to increase glucose uptake by much. As increased oxygen and glucose circulation occurs, more blood is brought to the brain. Increased blood flow combined with an increased heart rate during exercise helps enhance energy production, cerebral blood vessel growth, and oxygen circulation in the brain. Regular walking (at least 20 minutes daily) has shown to increase memory, concentration, and abstract learning and decrease stroke risk by 57%! Now there are some good reasons to put on those walking shoes and go out for a long walk! (Franklin Institute, 2004).

References:

American College of Sports Medicine; ACSM. (2003). Trouble sleeping? a little exercise may help. Retrieved August 11, 2010. http://www.acsm.org/Content/ContentFolders/NewsReleases/2003/TROUBLE_SLEEPING__A_LITTLE_EXERCISE_MIGHT_HELP.htm

Franklin Institute (2004). The human brain – exercise. Retrieved August 11, 2010 http://www.fi.edu/learn/brain/exercise.html#physicalexercise

Sobel, D. (n.d.). Exercise improves sleep. Retrieved August 11, 2010. http://www.healthy.net/scr/article.aspx?Id=424

Stress Management. (n.d.). Managing stress with regular exercise. Retrieved August 11, 2010. http://www.mindtools.com/stress/Defenses/Exercise.htm

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