Lynbrook | New Hyde Park | NY

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 Weight Loss and Joint Health

The joints of the body are junctions that connect bones. Their main functions allow us to bear weight, and give us the ability to move. Because of these functions, joints are constantly under stress and eventually begin to deteriorate; and for those who are obese or even slightly overweight, the stress on joints is even greater which can accelerate joint deterioration.

The joints that take the brunt of the effects are the weight-bearing joints, like our hips and our knees. The more weight we carry, the more stress that goes through these joints, therefore incurring more damage. For each pound of excess weight, there is about 4 pounds of pressure exerted on the knees. So an individual who is 20 pounds overweight, has about 80 pounds of extra pressure going through their knees! If you then factor in all the steps you take, and stairs you climb etc., you can imagine the amount of stress those weight-bearing joints are receiving.

If you are already suffering from severe joint damage (osteoarthritis), and are at the point where you need or recently had joint replacement surgery, it is still important to monitor your body weight! Losing weight before surgery can lessen the chance of complications during the operation, as well as help cut down recovery time after the surgery is complete. Losing weight after the operation can also aid in a quicker recovery and also reduce the risk of damage to the artificial joint.

So how do we save our joints?

Start today by making healthy choices to reduce body weight. Proper nutrition in conjunction with exercise can aid in weight loss and reduce stress on joints. Weight training will strengthen the muscles and bones around those weight- bearing joints. The better the ability of our muscles to control our weight through movement, the less stress our joints will have to endure.

 

By David McCalla

Keeping BBQ Season Alive

One of the best parts about summer is having the leisure of walking outside and easily throwing some meat and vegetables on the grill. The perfect way to meal prep ahead of time and have yourself food for the next week. BBQ-ing is a very healthy way to prepare your food and it requires minimal effort. When you are cooking for the family, it is a great way to have a big variety of food and make everyone happy.

September means it’s back to school time and we often tend to fall off the nutritional wagon. As our schedules become busy with activities, stress levels start to get higher and nutrition becomes a second priority. We want to avoid falling into take out and fast food trap in order to maintain the progress you made over the summer. Unfortunately, the last thing you want to do when you come home from work or school is cook a full meal and follow that up with a sink full of dishes. Look no further than your BBQ for the answer! One great way to give yourself food for the week is to BBQ in bulk, throw a couple packages of chicken breast on the grill and your family will have food for the next four days. Tired of chicken breast? Shrimp, burgers, steak, salmon, etc. are all great options to serve as lean protein with each meal. Try also grilling vegetables as a nice alternative to steaming, boiling, or sautéing. Having these ready to go will alleviate stress by not having to worry about cooking and help to avoid grabbing something “quick & easy.” Preparation is key when it comes to weight loss and if you have the tools already at your disposal then it only makes sense to use it for as long as possible. Keep BBQ season alive and utilize it until it’s too cold to step outside…then throw on a jacket and BBQ some more!

 

By Tyler Palmquist

Recipe of the Week: Mediterranean Pizza *GF

Makes: 4 servings
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 10 min

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), trimmed and broken into small florets
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 large regular lemon
  • 6 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped
  • ? cup green or black olives, pitted and sliced
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • Freshly ground pepper to taste
  • ¼ cup slivered fresh basil

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a pizza pan or rimless baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Place cauliflower in a food processor and pulse until reduced to rice-size crumbles. Transfer to a large nonstick skillet and add 1 tablespoon oil and salt. Heat over medium-high, stirring frequently, until the cauliflower begins to soften slightly (but don’t let it brown), 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl to cool for at least 10 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, with a sharp knife, remove the skin and white pith from the lemon and discard. Working over a small bowl, cut the segments from the membranes, letting the segments drop into the bowl (remove seeds). Drain the juice from the segments (save for another use). Add tomatoes and olives to the lemon segments; toss to combine.
  4. Add egg, cheese and oregano to the cooled cauliflower; stir to combine. Spread the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet, shaping into an even 10-inch round. Drizzle the remaining 1 teaspoon oil over the top.
  5. Bake the pizza until the top begins to brown, 10 to 14 minutes. Scatter the lemon- olive mixture over the top, season with pepper, and continue to bake until nicely browned all over, 8 to 14 minutes more. Scatter basil over the top. Cut into wedges and serve.

 

Original recipe from Eating Well. You can find it here along with a quick how-to video of this recipe!

 

Physical Activity for Type 2 Diabetes

Over 1 million American people have Type 2 diabetes and over 90% of that population is considered overweight. The top 3 major lifestyle risk factors associated with chronic disease, cancer and stroke are 1) tobacco use 2) lack of physical activity, and 3) poor dietary habits. Dietary habits and physical activity go hand in hand when it comes to reducing your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. While there are many approaches to losing weight, 1/3 of Americans are on weight loss diets which claim to provide a “quick fix.”  There are over 150,000 books related to weight loss on Amazon.com; however, creating a lifestyle change is the key to long term success.  There is so much information out there between books and the internet- let’s establish some facts and focus on how physical activity impacts Type 2 diabetes and promotes weight loss.

Physical activity accounts for about 25-30% of the body’s total energy expenditure in a given day. (Physical activity includes walking around the office, climbing stairs at home, or standing up from a chair v. exercise which is regimented.) Before starting an exercise program, finding out your basal metabolism (BMR) will tell you how many calories your body is burning in a day. BMR is the energy expended to sustain basic life functions such as respiration, heart beat, nerve function and muscle tone. BMR accounts for about 50-70% of total energy expenditure. Once your BMR is calculated, we can then better understand and properly prescribe how intense your exercise program should be with consideration of your BMR.

Maintaining healthy body weight by balancing caloric intake with energy expenditure is typically the most challenging part of weight loss.  Too much exercise with too little nutrient dense foods can cause you to lose vital fluids and micronutrients.  Too little exercise with too much food can lead to weight gain.  Remember 2 things: 1) healthy weight loss is 1-2 lbs per week and 2) you must expend and extra 3,500 calories to lose 1lb.  For example, decrease your caloric intake by 500 calories a day without any exercise you will lose at 1 pound over the course of seven days. Walking 1 mile is about 100 calories expended. An extra 100 calories burned a few times each week paired with a 500 calorie deficit and you will reach your goal of 1-2 pounds a week.  The key is setting reasonable goals and starting with small changes to make big differences.

It’s important not to just focus on weight loss but overall health. Physical activity of at least 30 minutes a day can lower blood pressure, lipid levels, and blood glucose. The main focus is creating sustainable lifestyle changes. Focus less on the weight loss and more on overall improvements in fitness levels. Remember, fit people are healthier than unfit people of the same body composition. Being active much is healthier than being sedentary.

 

Adding Variation & Increasing the Fun

If you’ve ever spoken to a physiologist about an exercise routine, you know the #1 rule is to make it fun. Find a workout or activity that you enjoy doing, and you’ll never have to force yourself to do it. It may be hard to believe, but banging weights around in a gym can get boring for people from time to time. When that happens, try to change up the workout to something different and new to keep the fire alive! Find a new route on your walk/run, try a new exercise or routine to avoid that horrible “Oh great, THIS again” feeling. The term most health professionals would use for this is “The Variation Principle.”

Here are a couple of routines you can try to help vary your workouts!

Beach Day Cardio:

Now, cardio workouts may seem more challenging, but with a change of scenery and giving yourself some variation, you can get it done with a smile on! The lifeguard stands down in Long Beach are about 500 feet apart, depending on crowds. 5 stands out and 5 stands back is about a mile!

  1. Run between a set of stands, then jog between a set of stands for a great interval cardio session! Modify by alternating between jogging and walking. Up the intensity by switching between sprinting and jogging.
  2. Try moving through the soft sand for a set, and then to the packed sand for a set (tougher than it sounds).

Fun in the Sun Circuits

Looking for a great total body workout that won’t kill your beach time? These total body circuits don’t require any equipment at all, only your body!

#1

  • Plank for 20 seconds
  • Jumping Jack or Jog for 15 seconds
  • Bodyweight Squat for 12 reps
  • Pushup for 10 reps

Repeat 4 times!

#2

  • Shoulder Circles 20 fwd, 20 backward
  • Walking Lunge 8 each leg
  • Flutter Kicks for 20 seconds
  • Mountain climber 20 seconds

Repeat 4 times!

 

By Matt Rhodes

Sun Safety for Outdoor Workouts

The summer is here and people are enjoying being outside. Whether it is soaking up the sun at the park, the beach, the pool, a backyard BBQ, or even heading out for your workout. In general, we tend to spend more time outside over the summer. The fresh air of being outside is a great change of pace from your regular gym routine.

Being outside more also means protecting yourself from the sun; one of the first things to do every morning is make you apply sun block on your face. Especially if you plan on being outside for a long period of time, apply sun block to you exposed skin. A plain white t-shirt has an SPF of about 7. SPF measures the sunscreen’s protection from UVB rays not UVA rays. UVB rays are the kind that cause sunburn and contribute to skin cancer. SPF does not measure how well a sunscreen will protect from UVA, rays, which are also damaging and dangerous. Dermatologists recommend using a SPF 15 or SPF 30 sunscreen. Higher SPF sunscreens may not provide much more protection. That being said, it is important to reapply sun block and give your skin a break from the sun every so often.

If you are planning an outdoor workout, here are a few tips to make sure you’re keeping your skin safe!

  • Make sure your hydrated before the workout even starts
  • Before leaving the house, apply sun block to allow it to soak in- it is very easy to get distracted once you step outside to the beautiful weather
  • As you sweat, you may wipe away your sweat which will also wipe off your sun block. Try using a “Sport” sunscreen to help minimize this
  • Post-workout, try to cool down by staying in the shade. Remember to reapply if you plan on staying out in the sun

Outdoor workouts are great as long as you are practicing safe sun! Remember that your skin is the largest organ you have and it is important to protect it.

 

By Corynne Duprey

An Introduction to Nutritional Supplements

The human body requires a certain amount of fuel to carry out day to day activities and what we eat provides the fuel needed to power our bodies. This is not only for the activities we perform or the exercise we do, what is happening on a cellular level within our bodies. Often times our diets are not enough to keep up with the nutritional demands of our bodies. In these cases, individuals may benefit from nutritional supplementation.

What are supplements and what is nutritional supplementation?

Nutritional supplements are products that are added to a regular diet in order to meet an individual’s dietary requirements. These requirements are based on age, gender, level of physical activity, etc. And because these factors are different for each person, supplementation can be implemented in a variety of different ways in order to provide the necessary macronutrients (carbohydratess, proteins, and fats), fiber, vitamins, minerals, etc.

Micronutrients

A lot of these supplements are found in pill and powder form. Multivitamis, fish oil pills, soluble fiber mixes (i.e. Benefiber). A multitude of other micronutrients-filled pills/powders are also available to supplement any dietary deficiencies. These supplements, although very important, work on smaller scale in order to improve bodily functions such as joint health, heart health, digestion, skin/hair care, vision, among other things.

Macronutrients

Throughout a normal day our bodies rely on carbohydrates, fats, and proteins as our energy and rebuilding sources. Adding exercise further depletes these macronutrients, so it is important to try replace what we have used with the meals we eat. For those who do not receive enough from their regular nutrition, energy bars, protein bars, or protein powders are good forms of macronutrient supplementation. This ensures your body has enough of the macronutrients needed to both perform it’s regular functions and build/repair tissue post-exercise.

 With regards to exercise:

  • Energy bars, before or after exercise, provide a great source of carbohydrates to either fuel a workout or replace what is lost after one.
  • Protein bar/ powders are usually taken after a workout in order to aid in muscle building and recovery.
  • *When trying to lose weight,* it is important to maintain protein intake while decreasing total caloric intake. Supplementing with shakes and bars is one way to get the necessary amount of protein without also increasing fat/carbohydrate intake.

 

By David McCalla

Muscle Madness: Triceps Brachii

The Exercise Physiologists at Peak Performance know all the muscles in the body, but which ones are our favorite?! Every week we will feature a different muscle- so you guys get an anatomy lesson and learn how to work that muscle!

Louise, what’s your favorite muscle?

My favorite muscle is the triceps brachii.

Where is this muscle located?

Triceps are commonly pointed out as the “back of the upper arm.”  The triceps actually have 3 heads which originate from different spots; the long head from the infraglenoid tubercle of the scapula, the lateral head from above the radial sulcus, and the medial head from below the radial sulcus. All three heads converge into a tendon which inserts on the olecranon process of the ulna a.k.a your “funny bone.”

What does this muscle do?

The primary function of the triceps brachii is to extend (straighten) the elbow. This is especially important for compound movements such as push-ups, chest press, and shoulder press.

What is a good exercise to strengthen this muscle?

Many of my clients ask for exercises to strengthen this area and there are so many! My personal favorite are “skull crushers,” partially because of their tough name. For this exercise, lay on your back with dumbbells in hand or holding a medicine ball or a barbell. With your arms straight in the air, start to bend the elbow lowering the weight towards your head. Keep those elbows pointed towards the ceiling then press the weight back up to the starting position.