The Lactic Acid Myth

DOMS or Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness is a term that describes the muscle soreness experienced 36-48 hours after any significant increase in effort, range or duration of effort. According to Lloyd Mills it is a multi dimensional problem. The Four Main causes for DOMS: 1st Hyaluronic acid built becomes a tissue and joint irritant and stays in the joint until the joint is compressed and moved again. 2nd Metabolic Creatinine build up. It takes 72 hours for Creatinine to be urinated out and during this time the body has lessenergy or ATP deficiency to repair tissue, causing a nutritional deficiency. 3rdProprioception adaptation of the nervous system from low intensity to high intensity. We tell the body to do an intense activity and it resets the intentions of the nervous system preparing the body to do the activity again in the future. When the muscles don't get the same stimulus the muscles begin to get less stimulus and is unable to repair and organize or create homeostasis of the tissue 4th MicroTrauma- Overuse of muscle fibers can damage contractile fibers. This stimulates repair process that tells the cells to have a little inflammatory process, irritating nerves even more.

How to Avoid DOMS: 1st Do a good warm-up and ROM every 3-4 hours for 72 hours after an intense workout. 2nd Make sure there are no nutritional issues that relate to poor circulations, blood sugar levels, medication side effects or mineral deficits.

Clean Your Sinuses!

Those that live in an arid climate like Boulder, Colorado are especially prone to developing sinus infections. The functioning of the mucus membranes of the sinuses are severely compromised in a dry climate. Meaning they are less efficient at clearing out irritants and maintaing a barrier of mucous to protect the body from getting an infection.

Most sinus infections or “colds/allergies” can be avoided if proper integrity of the nasal passage is maintained.

To avoid a trip to your doctor and using harmful antibiotics and other medications that have a host of negative effects on the body, use nasal irrigation. Many more up-to-date doctors are recommending cleaning the nasal passages as a number one way to defend against colds, allergies, and sinus infections.

There are several types of nasal cleaning devices available. I would recommend a syringe type system because it can get into the higher nasal passages and it is easier to use. I bought mine at Pharmaca in Boulder but most grocery pharmacies carry a nasal cleaning product.

Hydration with water and electrolytes/salts and a low sugar and low inflammatory diet can also help you to avoid sinus problems.

What Are Electrolytes

So, you just bought a $2.50 bottle of electrolyte water or rather salt water. Yes Electrolytes are salts. Salts are one of the most important nutrients to maintain proper body functions. Lack of salts can create a vicious cycle of malnourishment. I know many people trying to stay hydrated and often they are trying to hard.

If your urine is clear, your are loosing more water than you gain. Urine is a waste product and should have waste products in it. Studies have show that those people that add a pinch of micro-nutrient salts like Himalayan salt or Celtic sea salt have a better recovery with less fatigue. Why because salts are used in almost all chemical processes of the body.

Träger and Mentastics by Harry Dalford and Julie Kingston-part of a larger article

.........I then give a very simple analogy of how muscles can be likened to a sponge. If you hold a sponge under a running tap, water will percolate through it. So the major blood vessels are the pipes feeding the tap. If you squeeze a wet sponge you will remove most of the water and if you let the sponge go it will suck the water back in.

In a muscle, blood and fluids are carrying oxygen and nutrients (amongst other things). In the process of working, the muscle uses this fuel and produces waste products that the circulation system removes to the 'waste processing plant' (kidneys / liver / skin etc). However by holding the 'Bicep' one is squeezing the 'Sponge', making it do the work, but not allowing the 'suck' part of the cycle to replace the fuel and remove the waste produce.

The longer the muscle is held in the squeeze part of the cycle the more 'waste' is produced until there is no more fuel to use. Now, the waste is a very important part of the process because it is a chemical, (essentially acidic), which acts as an irritant to the cells and nervous system receptors in the muscles and connective tissues in joints. This chemistry, for example lactic acid, is the stuff that makes your muscles feel tired and achy if they have been over worked. This is a clever design feature in the form of a bio/electrical/chemical safety valve which sends information to the brain which then sends other information to the muscles telling them to release the workload or create movement thereby allowing the "suck" part of the cycle to take the waste products away so that they are not irritating / stimulating / eroding the muscle / connective tissues / nervous system receptors.

By allowing the muscle to go though its complete design process it works efficiently and is comfortable and movement can actually be pleasurable.

The Living Matrix of Bones

Lloyd Mills Lecture Notes -3/16/12
by Wendy Woods

Quite literally cell growth, regulation and maintenance will not occur in your bones unless they are stimulated or are physically stressed. But bones are not just a separate system in the body that are isolated and functioning independently. Bones are not something that we only have to look at later to avoid osteoporosis. Bones are a living matrix woven into the very foundation of our health.

Bones effect all functions in the body from blood cell production to immune cell production, energy storage, maintaining mineral/electrolyte balances and most importantly communication. Bones communicate through force. With each impact, twist, pull, the bone produces tiny electrical signals to communicate to the bones cells to either build, breakdown, or maintain. This communication is key in the bodies ability to support activity or recover from a surgery. The skeletal system effects all other body systems and regulate itself independently of the brain. Your bone health will have a high impact on your overall well being.

Weight training and regular physical activity is the most common advice that a Doctor will give you to support your health.

So make the choice of health.

The Number One Form of Self Care

We can change our posture and health simply by changing the way we breath.

How to identify if you are using the right muscles when you breath:

-Locate the diaphragm by placing your hands lightly around the lower rib cage.
-Now take a big inhale

If you notice that you initiate your breath from your shoulders and they move up, more than your ribs expand out or you find that it is difficult to take a deep breath without initiating from your shoulders, then you are likely using secondary breathing muscles and your diaphragm could use some training and reeducation.

Other common symptoms of poor breathing pattern include but are not limited to head aches, tight neck and chest muscles, anxiety, depression, fatigue, sleep disorders and digestive problems.

Breathing is the foundation of all movement and functions of the body. When we are not breathing well, we are not living well. The breath goes through many adaptations a day. Some times the breath gets stuck and does not return to normal function. This is common when responsibilities pile up and the mind races, through repetitive activities or when we don’t let go of an emotional experience and stressful states. Because we have voluntary control of respiration, we can use it as a tool in our health care program to help restore healthy respiration. Different types of breathing styles facilitate different functions and activities.

Types of Breath Techniques and Applications:

1. Holding the Breath, is good for heavy load baring activities like lifting weights or quick movements because it creates a back pressure that supports the integrity of the spine. Holding a deep breath will also increase lung capacity and is used to train deep sea divers.

2. Directing the inhale or exhale, deliberately trains the capacity of the lungs and stretches and strengthens the diaphragm. This is commonly used in cardio training, child birth, lifting weight, regulating extreme emotions and pain control. It focuses the mind with a goal. Often this directed breathing is performed with a set count like 5 seconds of inhalation and 5 seconds for exhalation. The number seconds will vary based on needs, ability and practice.

3. Passive breathing, is the ability to allow the breath to move uninhibited and without directly trying to change it. This is the breath that we should use all day as well as for creating states of relaxation. It involves the ability to deepen the breath by moving out of the way and trying to release tension in the body so that the breath can fill the lungs fully with very little effort. The motto for this style is make the breath ‘long, smooth, slow, deep and even.

In the beginning brining attention to the breath is usually easier to practice in a comfortable quiet place or where you can focus easily. As you get more accustomed to breathing, practice it throughout the day. For example in the car at a stop light, in the grocery line, just before bed, during exercise. The more you practice the more you will restore your natural respiration and support a happy life.

Learning How to Relax

How much challenge is too much? How much emotional, physical or psychological stress can one handle?

The question is not how much challenge can we handle but how well can we recover and return to homeostasis after we have been challenged? One of the first questions I ask my clients is how do you relax. Most are taken back by the question because in the fitness industry, it is only recently that the value of relaxation has been recognized by medical health professionals to be directly related to our ability to have a healthy and happy life.

The ability to relax and recovery from a sympathetic nervous system stimulation varies from person to person and is influenced by a host of factors including but not limited to history, temperament, and type of challenge. What is stressful for one person may be difficult for another person to assimilate. Knowing what challenges you and tracking your reaction is key. Do this by listening to how your biology responds. Does your heart rate increase, can you sense tension in your body, is your breathing restricted?

Exercise: Practice a full body scan. Begin in a comfortable place where you can focus on your body like in your bed, chair, or lying on the floor. Start by tensing the muscle in your feet, then while maintaing the tension in your feet began to tense your entire leg. Then both legs are tense. Continue to systematically tensing the muscles in your body until your entire body is tense. Once every muscle is tightened, hold a few seconds, then all at once relax everything. Let go of all the tension more and more, breathing freely and deeply. Repeat the exercise until you feel a deep sense of release on the letting go phase of the exercise.

This exercise will help you to learn what tension feels like and what relaxation feels like. Practice checking in on your state of relaxation throughout your day. This is a good beginning in learning how to sense your body, feeling the contrast between contraction and release.