The Overtraining Drain

Are you extremely fatigued for up to 72 hours after your workout?  Just can't seem to put some 'juice' into your sporting activity?  Do you become dizzy or confused after exercise?  You might be experiencing 'workout burnout'.  Overtraining results in diminished results over the longterm.  The rest and recovery phase in the exercise cycle is crucial to your overall wellbeing.  Without proper recovery and rest, the 'Mighty Mitochondra' or your cellular batteries cannot recharge; giving you muscular energy.  Without the 'recharging' of the mitochondria of muscle cells, you will be constantly operating on a 'low battery charge'.   Signs of overtraining include:  constant fatigue, confusion, dizziness, chronic muscle fatigue and weakness, and inability to concentrate or perform your usual workout at a normal intensity.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  If you are experiencing workout burnout, take a rest between sets, maintain more than adequate nutrition and hydration, stop when you experience any type of pain, and make a workout schedule that is sensible, not insane.  Above all, come in for a few treatments to boost back your battery, ease muscle soreness, eliminate fatigue and rebuild striated muscle tissue!

Recovery Drinks Really Do Help When You're Training Hard

This is week 2 of my P90X training program.  I've had many patients and readers write in to ask me how I'm doing with the program, do I like it, how it compares to other workout programs I've done and am I taking any supplements/recovery drinks....
Today, I'll talk about recovery drinks and why, when I am training hard, I have a recovery drink after every workout.  When you train hard, you naturally lose electrolytes, vitamins, and nutrients via physical exertion.  Lactic acid is released into muscle tissue and if you do not replenish your glucose, electrolytes, vitamins and nutrients, you can become quite sore and stiff after a hard training session.  Recovery drinks are important when you're giving it your all because they contain 'simple and complex carbohydrates for optimum glycogen replenishment, a high Protein Efficiency Ratio (PER) blend to provide the critical building blocks for rapid muscle resynthesis, and vitamins, including antioxidants, to help reduce muscle soreness and assist in repair and growth' (courtesy:  P90X).  The bottom line is that these drinks will help you recover faster from your workouts without the loss of energy, muscle mass and without getting muscle soreness.  I've taken many a recovery formula in the past, and it just so happened that the P90X recovery drink was in the box with all the dvds.  So, I figured I'd give it a try.  The ingredients contain the following per serving:  220 calories, 1g of fat (no saturated fats), 43g of carbs, 38g of sugar, 10g of protein, and several other vitamins and minerals such as vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, etc. Glucose, Fructose, Whey Protein Concentrate, Maltodextrin, Citric Acid, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Lecithin, L-Arginine, D-alpha Tocopheryl Acetate, Creatine Monohydrate, L-Glutamine, Ascorbic Acid, Magnesium Oxide, Potassium Phosphate, Sodium Chloride, Carrageenan, Niacinamide, Beta Carotene, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, and Cyanocobalamin.
Sounds like a lot, but if you look at most recovery drinks, they are all more or less the same.  This one is easy to prepare....2 scoops in a water bottle, shake it up, tastes pretty good and by the time you're out of your sweaty clothes and on the way to the shower, you're done with it.  So...how do I feel?  I haven't worked out at this intensity since my last fight (sad to say) and my muscles feel like they are waking up from a 4 year coma.  That being said....I have NO muscle tightness, soreness or stiffness.  My performance this week compared to last week has improved, I'm sleeping like a baby and my food choices have naturally changed because I'm feeling stronger, lighter and faster.
 
Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  If you are engaging in a tough workout program, training for a triathlon, marathon or martial art, do a little research and see what recovery drink works for you.  You'll find out soon enough why elite athletes and amateurs who know what they are doing drink this stuff!

The War Against Cellulite

Cellulite affects both men and women alike.  Age, genetics, lifestyle, childbirth and sedentary jobs all contribute to those pockets of dimply fat that make us want to cringe in the dressing room, at the beach or poolside.  I constantly am asked if Traditional Chinese Medicine has a 'magic point' or 'magic pill' to make these fat pockets disappear.  The answer is:  no, there is no 'magic pill' but, yes, there is a technique that will reduce the appearance of the fat pockets and with regular treatment can certainly help dissipate the size of the lumps and bumps.  You have to call or email me for the details.  That being said, you need to truly step up to the plate and do 'due diligence' to fight cellulite and here's how:

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Diet, exercise and lifestyle change will win the war against cellulite.
1.  Start eating a Mediterranean diet, while reducing your daily calories.
2.  Start doing aerobic exercise 60-90 minutes daily (that means you get one day off rest).
3.  Interval training is key 2 to 3 times weekly (if you don't know what this is, hire a trainer for one or 2 sessions).
4.  Weight training is important 2 to 3 times weekly just after you've gotten off the treadmill, elliptical machine or whatever aerobic acitivity suits you.  Weight training burns fat, builds lean muscle mass (which pushes against the fat pockets giving a much smoother appearance) and helps to build strong bones.  Concentrate on the areas which have the most cellulite.
5.  Call or email for schedules cellulite reduction treatments and lifestyle modifications.