Stretching and Flexibility Training: Mobility Vs. Stability

The principles of stretching and flexibility, both for pre-workout warm-up and as a sole means to improve mobility have completely changed since when you and I were growing up in P.E. class.  In a nutshell, stretching can do more harm than good if not done correctly or if performed with the intent of hyper-mobility (exceeding bio-mechanical ranges).  We also now know that joint stability and strength, are more important to athletic performance and lower injury rates, than flexibility is.   Optimal range of motion is the goal, with flexibility as one tool to get there.  Hyper-mobility or maximizing joint flexibility is never the goal for an athlete!    In fact some pro-athletes do not stretch at all in a traditional since, but rather warm-up and cool-down, and loosen up occasional tight spots and trigger points with targeted stretches, foam-rolling and massage.  Strengthening exercises, massage and compression-wear have taken over many areas for today’s relevant athlete, where stretching fell short in the past.  Pre-workout stretching should be used only as a means to acclimate your body to its normal range of optimal motion, as well as loosening up any ‘tight’ spots or fascia adhesions.  Pre-workout stretching is not the time to try to improve overall flexibility or push joints or muscles past their bio-mechanical maximum range of motion.  Pre-workout stretching should only be done after you have first warmed up your core temperature and increased your heart rate with some form of mild cardio exercise, like spinning, jogging, jumping rope, or mild calisthenics.  A warm muscle is a pliable muscle.  A cold muscle is prone to high-risk of injury.  Never stretch cold muscles!  Ideally the time to work on your flexibility – if that is important to you, is after your workout when all your soft tissue are very warm and pliable.  This may also assist in removing lactic-acid and in muscle recovery.  However, while post-exercise stretching and massage may lower next day (DOMS) soreness, it may also inhibit muscle-gains by reducing inflammation and prostaglandins, which both trigger follow on muscle growth, and Growth Hormone secretion.

My primary 'stretching' goals are to simply 'loosen up', prevent fascia-adhesions, manage scar tissue and to maintain optimal mobility - not to join some sideshow circus act with hyper-mobile joints!!

The Juice-Cleanse Myth...and How You Could Be Harming your Liver!

Juice-cleanses, juicing-fasts, juice-detoxes...It is time I interject some common sense into this over-hyped, fructose-laden, crash-diet-in-disguise fad!  As usual I have done my best to sift through all the bro-science, and anecdotal, placebo-effect claims out there in internet land, and also have managed to sniff out all the false-marketing, testimonial-type, social media posts attempting to sell us cleansing kits, polluting our newsfeeds (pun intended).  ‘Cleanses’ and fasts are certainly not new as they have been around forever, and I don’t think they will ever go away.  Folks are drawn to them and always have been – beginning a cleanse is almost like a spiritual journey for many – like a baptism, and many also like the discipline and sense of accomplishment completing a cleanse can bring.  Cleanses and fasts permit us to immediately and radically start fresh, or break a downward spiral of poor diet and lifestyle choices.  They empower us and cause us to feel as if we are taking back control of our bodies and health with a tangible, simple plan.  However, they are also a means to rapid and sometimes unhealthy weight-loss, so many folks often use cleanses as way to kick start their diets, though often this sets in motion a pattern of yo-yo dieting, or fasting as a way to make-up for binging episodes.  It’s a slippery slope into diet abuse.  I’m sure you know of some folks who are cleansing every month whether they need to or not.

We can see that there are many mental and motivational positives to undertaking a cleanse or even a strategic fast.  In fact Intermittent-Fasting is even linked to improving longevity and boosting metabolism.  And of course there will be immediate accompanying weight-loss, usually temporary water and glycogen weight – but seriously, are our insides any ‘cleaner’ or less toxic as a result?  Doubtful.  And certainly the only claims of the latter I uncovered were anecdotal at best, or worse, evangelistic testimonials from folks trying to sell us cleansing-kits and products.  The bottom line is, are bodies do a fantastic and thorough job of maintaining and detoxing ourselves on a daily basis.  We have organs and systems designed just for this purpose and they never stop working for our greater good.  Liver, kidneys, sweat glands, mucus membranes, colon, lungs, lymph nodes, skin – they are all working in harmony to eliminate toxins and protect us.  All you have to do is not deliberately sabotage yourself, by leading a relatively healthy lifestyle, and you will be good to go!

Reaction-Time Training and Hand-Eye Coordination Improvement Drills

              Hand-eye coordination and reaction-time training usually go hand in hand when it comes to athletic performance and sports.  So I am going to touch on some of the most popular drills to help you improve both of them simultaneously.  The two don’t always go together of course:  Reaction-time training is all about reducing reaction time and improving quickness, while there are many relatively slow and deliberately methodical activities that still require tremendous precision and incredible hand-eye coordination, such as painting, playing a musical instrument, or brain surgery!  In sports however, hand-eye coordination usually involves speed and timing, like with ball and racket sports.  Catching, throwing, hitting, passing, shooting and driving all require tremendous amounts of hand-eye coordination, usually in a reactive, time-critical situation.  Depending on the sport, balls can be traveling at 90 miles per hour or faster, bouncing and spinning along the way.  Perhaps a better way to look at this is body-eye tracking coordination, or neuromuscular mapping and reaction.  Because in most sports, it’s not just our hands having to react, but usually our entire body.  Our feet must first transport our bodies into position to make the play with our hands or rackets!  The good news is, all this can be trained and improved with practice and very simple drills, though apparently much of the foundation is laid when we our kids.  So if you played multiple sports growing up as a kid – good for you!  Your neuromuscular connections, reactive-timing, hand-eye coordination and muscle-memory will always be there for you, albeit a little rusty if you haven’t been on the court in a while!

               Before I get to these basic drills, you should know that the most fun way to develop your hand-eye coordination and improve your reaction-time is to just go out and play the sports you love!  You’ll be much more motivated if you’re having fun and are going all out to make the play or win the game.  The adrenalin, endorphins and dopamine boost we get only through the passion of being immersed in the game will greatly improve your performance and fitness too.  Some of the best sports to improve hand-eye coordination and reaction time are certainly not the most physically demanding: Ping Pong or Table-tennis, and most racket sports require equal parts hand-eye coordination, reaction, and timing.  If you like the beach, I recommend checking out SmashBall beach tennis – another great option!  Peppering or bumping the volleyball is great too.

Above - a reaction training 'ball'

20 Super Foods! (A practical, affordable list!) - March is National Nutrition Month!

March is National Nutrition Month, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics!  No I’m serious, it really is!  Time to celebrate by eating super, nutrient-dense foods!  I have compiled a beginner’s list here for you –we all have to start somewhere.  There are many amazing foods out there that are nutrient dense and very functional.  A list like this is inherently subjective and a practical list couldn't and shouldn't contain them all.  I mean if you're aware of a particular, rare mushroom with miraculous healing powers, but it can only be located after trekking the Amazon jungle for a month, then well, that's not really going to help the rest of us 9-to-fivers is it?!   All the foods I have listed here can be found at almost any super market or whole-foods-type market.  This is a practical list for you and I.  So what makes me consider a food “Super”?  As far as this list is concerned a food will not be considered super unless it possesses healing properties above and beyond providing nutrition and energy.  “Healing properties?” you ask – why yes, along with providing energy and nutrition, food can also be Mother Nature’s most raw and powerful ‘medicine’.  Let me give you few examples of some healing and medicinal properties I’m referring to and how they are defined:

1. Anti-oxidant:  Neutralizes free-radical molecules in the body, due to oxidative metabolism, by binding to them.  Free-radicals left unchecked can wreak havoc in the body by pulling electrons from other molecules and speed up the aging process of cells.
2.  Alkalinizing:  If you’ll remember from my earlier article on pH-balancing, your body’s natural pH is slightly alkaline, and many of the refined foods, sodas, coffees, and dairy we eat are very acidic causing the body to leach calcium and other minerals from our bones and muscles to neutralize the acids.  An acidic body has a weakened immune system and does not function at its ideal.
3. Anti-inflammatory:  Some foods lower inflammation and it is now thought that chronic, systemic inflammation is directly linked to elevated CRP, atherosclerosis, insulin resistance, arthritis, Lupus, and many other problems.
4. Lower LDL-cholesterol and/or raise HDL-cholesterol: This one really needs no explaining.  Good for the heart and blood vessels.
5. Anti-biotic/anti-fungal:  Some foods naturally accomplish this role in helping the immune system eliminate harmful pathogens from the body and preventing Candida, (yeast), overrun.
6. Anti-cancer/carcinogenic: Some foods directly battle cancer cells, and bust up tumors.
7. Anti-allergenic:  Can help our immune systems grow accustom to allergens and prevent reactions.
8. Phyto-chemicals:  Micronutrients found in plant-foods including phyto-estrogens to block bad/synthetic estrogens, isoflavones, flavonols, and plant sterols.  These amazing chemicals do things like lower LDL-cholesterol, function as anti-oxidants, support hormone balance, and combat cancer.
9. Improve Insulin sensitivity/glucose tolerance:  Helps cells uptake glucose from the blood for energy using less insulin.

Valentine's Day means Healthy Indulgence! Wine & Chocolate!

I tend to be a beer drinker but hey, Valentine’s Day is this month and your gal might appreciate sharing good bottle of wine.  So go ahead and indulge, once I arm you with some nutrition facts of course, as I have done my best to cut through all the anecdotal, bro-science out there!

               Make no mistake - I am in no way a wine connoisseur, so brand selection is on you.  And if you currently don’t drink alcohol the medical experts all still say the health benefits associated with moderate wine consumption are not enough reason to start drinking.  Now that I got those two disclaimers out of the way, let’s get on with it!

               Wine

               Wine consumed in moderation, (1 glass a day for a woman and 2 glasses a day for a man), is widely accepted as good for us and linked to longevity in many cultures.  Alcohol in general, has LDL-cholesterol (‘bad’-cholesterol), lowering properties, and is a vasodilator – dilates your blood vessels, thereby lowering blood pressure – and is relaxing.  This means that alcohol in moderation is heart-healthy for a person currently in good health with no liver problems!  Wine adds in another tier of health because it is so rich in plant-polyphenols from grapes, the most noteworthy being resveratrol.  The high polyphenol content comes from the grape-skins, and since the grapes are fermented longest for red wine, not only does red wine contain more resveratrol content, but it is also lower in sugar.  (Remember, alcohol is NOT sugar.)  All polyphenols are also antioxidants as well, which mean they bind to free-radicals and repair oxidation damage.  Oxidation is a normal metabolic process of all oxygen breathing mammals, and it’s free-radical byproducts are also normal.  In fact, our bodies are very much equipped to handle all oxidative damage and repair, if we just get out of own way, and actually, consuming too many anti-oxidant supplements will actually prohibit proper post-workout repair and adaptation.  Also, the jury is still out in the efficacy of consuming resveratrol in supplement form, so for now you’re better off obtaining it through whole-foods, grapes and wine.  You can also drink grape juice, but your Valentine might not be as stoked if you show up with a bottle of grape juice instead of a nice Merlot.  Plus, grape juice has way more sugar content than wine does, per serving – just sayin!

This article was originally written by me for Four EL magazine, FEB 14 issue

              

How to Train for a Sprint-Distance Triathlon: A Beginner's Guide to Complete a Triathlon!

Welcome to the sprint-distance triathlon, which is more appropriate for first-timers, and I actually have completed about 6 sprint-distance triathlons, mostly trail events, so I know a thing or two about preparing for them.  A sprint-distance is an introduction to triathlons, yet very much so the full experience.  It is shortest in distance, less than both Olympic distance and The Ironman.

New Year Resolutions Love Races

What better way to kick off your New Year’s fitness plan than by signing up for a race?  Signing up for a race accomplishes something that most other weight-loss programs don’t:  It provides a looming deadline and the accountability that comes along with it, especially if you post that you registered on social media – now you have to do it or you will look like a scared, flake!  Completing a race also provides a huge feeling of accomplishment and pride, because you passed a mental & physical challenge the moment you step across that finish line.  You just can’t get that feeling from your ‘Weigh-Watcher’ or ‘biggest-loser’ group.  What’s important is not necessarily what type of race or event you choose, but sticking to the specific training plan and completing it.  It can become addicting – in a good way!  Almost all diet-plans focus on calorie reduction and food elimination, which just plan sucks.  When you are preparing for a race, you are focusing on the training, and food becomes fuel instead of your enemy.

Photo by Patrick Giardino

A quick update for the New Year so far! Guest on Wellness Warrior Radio & Interviewed by Project Mayhem Bodies

     I was a guest on Wellness Warrior Radio with host Diane Kazer and her producer Darren McDuffie.  It is long interview actually, but they had some very good questions and had done their research, so it was an easy and fun interview for me.  Diane Kazer is a certified nutritionist with a holistic-approach, an athlete (soccer), and a former figure competitor who is based out of Orange County, CA.  Diane definitely places health above aesthetics, but believes you can achieve both!  We actually have a lot in common:)  They mostly asked holistic-health related questions, travel-fitness questions, (since I'm also an airline pilot), and a few modeling questions.  You can listen to the podcast here by clicking on this link:

http://wellnesswarriorradio.com/fitness-model-diet/fitness-model-diet-health-longevity/

     I also was interviewed by Project Mayhem Bodies and as their newest contributor.  You can check out the interview here at this link:

http://projectmayhembodies.com/interview-with-a-fitness-guru-max-wettstein/

     In other news, I'm glad we all survived another crazy month of holiday madness and are on the other side of it all.  I've been flying the jet, writing for Four EL magazine, training, but no modeling yet during 2014.  I've also been training with my oldest daughter Bryce quite a bit, who just took 3rd place Amateur in the Vans Girls Combi Classic 2014 bowl skating contest, and needless to say our whole family is super proud of her as not only does she work hard for it, but our whole family does.  Also the surf has finally been up!

Max catching a few...