by Drew Lizon, Transitional Fitness Trainer

When it comes to creating a plan and following that plan, it can sometimes be quite difficult to stay on track. Something gets in the way and alters the course of the plan, often putting the plan on hold (temporarily, we tell ourselves) and end up changing the parameters of the plan. It’s almost like everything and everyone around us are sabotaging us…like nobody wants us to succeed! Frustrating! But a lot of times, I find that if we look ourselves in the mirror, we’ll find the biggest culprit of all. We can be our own worst enemy. What’s holding us back is often times in our own control, and what we end up doing is make excuses for ourselves to cover the guilt, or redirect the blame for not staying on course.
 
Of course it’s difficult. No one ever said that it’s easy or that it gets much easier (people say it gets easier, but more on that in a bit) when it comes to following a fitness or dietary plan. It can be a rollercoaster ride of emotions, actually. You’ll have your ups, you’ll have your downs, you’ll have that point where you just want to hop off mid-ride because you just can’t take it anymore. But when you do quit, what makes you think it’ll be different the next time around? I hear from people all the time say something like, “oh, when I start back up, it’ll be different and I’ll do much better!” Ok, that’s great! But what makes you think you’ll do any differently than before? What has changed? There are still 24 hours in a day and you’re still busy as ever, so really nothing has changed except for your excitement for change. When you start a fitness program, a lot of times you’ll feel excited and motivated to change, but we all know that doesn’t last. Exercise and you can be a very difficult relationship. It starts off great, but the love and attention that it deserves starts falling behind and the next thing you know the two of you are “taking a break.” Sad.
 
I do hear people tell others that it gets easier and you just need to, “get in a routine and it becomes just part of your schedule.” Getting into a routine gives the illusion that it’s easier, but it isn’t necessarily easier. You’re still grinding the 9-5 and tired as ever at the end of the day, aren’t you? We all know that it’s much easier to plop down in front of the TV after work, or head out with coworkers to happy hour than to drive to the gym, whether exercise is on your schedule or not. Oh, you’ve been good lately so you’ll just skip the gym today and make up for it later? You’ll skip tomorrow, too? You have been good lately, haven’t you? Skipping a day or two is great. Mental and physical breaks are necessary, but once you get a taste of skipping your exercise, you have to make sure that it doesn’t derail your plans. You made a promise to yourself to go the following day, so make sure you do because it can easily fall apart from there.
 
Keeping the motivation is hard. Sticking to a plan is hard. As a fitness trainer, it’s assumed that we know all the answers to stay motivated and to make sure things don’t fall apart. But we have a hard time as well. We’re only human. So, I’d love to hear what some of you use to stay motivated and to keep kicking butt! It can be small things that you see or hear that tempts you to keep pushing on. I remember waking up one weekend with the sun shining on my face and thinking, “man, what a beautiful day! I’m going to get my run in early so I can enjoy the day!” Kind of cheesy, I know, but just seeing the sunlight got me motivated to do my cardio. So let’s hear ‘em, folks. Your ideas for motivation, big or small, just may help others who are struggling to find the light. Let’s help each other stay on course! Ready…go!

- Drew

by Tami Wise, Transitional Fitness Trainer

Welcome to the article-shorts, a vehicle to share little segments of big systems, in hopes that they make sense and perhaps provide a new or better understanding of the topic they cover.  Whether it be the American electoral process, a car engine, algebra, the energy efficiency of my old home, or the metabolism of the human body, I like to understand how the smaller systems work together to influence the greater network these systems support. Perhaps this is why I am a Transitional Fitness Trainer at EQUIVITA.  As a TFT at EQUIVITA, we consistently work to first understand the parts of the skeletal muscle system(tone, flexibility, awareness, posture, endurance, nutritional needs) and then once we have some data on a person’s individual expressions of this stuff, we start to design a program to influence that body system.(Sound intense?  Maybe, but the delivery system is so cool:  EQUIVITA Initial Fitness Review--roughly 2 hr appointment that breaks down your systems, and folds them back together to make a workout plan for you.)

The whole human body, and what to do with the damn thing, fascinates me.   
Currently, I fancy hormones and behavior:  behavioral endocrinology, IS the scientific study of the interaction between hormones and behavior. This interaction is bidirectional: hormones can influence behavior, and behavior can sometimes influence hormone concentrations(MEATY...YOU HAVE MY ATTENTION!).

Choose Growth?
Let’s grow!  Let’s learn a little bit about growth hormone(GH).   This wee bijou,  growth hormone, has some very big ‘hot buttons!’  A quick internet search on growth hormone will pull studies showing that increased growth hormone can decrease body fat, while it increases muscle mass and bone density. Or peruse articles that discuss the impact of GH on raised energy levels, and improved tone and texture of our skin. Tied for other-first-place in the ‘growth hormone  popularity contest’ this hormone has been used by sports competitors since the 1970s and has now been banned by the International Olympic Committee and National College Athletic Association--interesting, it’s NOT entirely clear why...but we will investigate it!

WHAT GROWTH HORMONE IS...is a peptide hormone in our endocrine system(the other system working, with the nervous system, to regulate the synchrony of the human body networks, and their harmony with the external environment).  Growth hormone is created and secreted in the pituitary gland(pea sized gland at the base of the brain).  It is a major participant in the control of several complex physiologic processes, growth and metabolism.  In ‘growth,’ growth hormone stimulates the body, indirectly, by traveling to the liver to trigger the production of insulin-like growth factor-1(IGF-1)(enough mainstream articles are using this term--otherwise we might not go this in-depth) which triggers growth in bone tissues and protein synthesis in muscle and other tissues.  In metabolism, growth hormone interacts with how our bodies synthesize protein, break down fat, and assists other hormones in carb metabolism.  Growth hormone, is a team player in the game of maintaining our blood glucose within a normal range--glucose is the human body's key source of energy, found in the breakdown of carbs.
​
HOW GROWTH HORMONE MAKES US GROW.  Wait are we talking about METABOLISM, FINALLY?! Almost, we just need to understand how growth hormone works so we can understand how to BOOST IT!  Growth hormone is controlled by two hormones released from the hypothalamus, called somatocrinin or Growth-hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH), and somatostatin or Growth-hormone-inhibiting hormone (GHIH).  The unique thing about GH is how it’s released–in a “pulsatile” manner, which just means that your body will release it in bursts.  Throughout a 24-hour period, there will be times when your body is pouring out GH at very high doses, and then other times when it drops and almost none is released, a kind of peaks and valleys pattern.  Increasing GH is a matter of making the “peaks” larger and longer lasting, while minimizing the “valleys”.  

PEAKS AND VALLEYS...now we are talking about how to influence your metabolism, via your new or updated understanding of growth hormone.  WAIT! I’m experiencing a major valley!  I need to take some melatonin, and surely stop to grab a couple hours in ‘deep sleep’ since the largest pulse of GH, in both men and women, is released during the first deep sleep cycle of rest.  When Behave Yourself! returns we will learn how you can boost your metabolism through rest.  

by Adam Milligan, President EQUIVITA


"All generalizations are false, including this one." -Mark Twain
 
Each body has unique patterns and structures which must be taken into consideration when determining the most beneficial movement for the goal desired. I realize that the idea of structural differences like alignment of tissue, angle of tendon insertion or tendon length may seem too vague and not quite as easy to grasp as something like eye color, so let's do a simple test.
 
Bend your elbow at 90 degrees and flex your bicep. With your other hand, place a finger in the space between your bicep muscle and the crook of your elbow. Can you place more than one finger? If so, you probably cannot be a bodybuilder. This doesn't mean that you cannot lift and get larger muscles. It just means that your tendon is too long to achieve the appearance necessary for the bodybuilding look - the look where the muscles fill the space along the length of a bone usually requires less length of the tendon.
 
While you may not be interested in bodybuilding, this simple test should help to exemplify that there are physical differences in the structure of each of our bodies and those differences are the starting point for how our body will find easier ways to work as well as how the same exercises can yield very different results. Where tendon length might make a difference with appearance, the position where the tendon meets the bone can make a huge difference in the functional strength of the muscle. Just like levers, the position of the force (muscle) you apply relative to the fulcrum (joint) can drastically alter the amount of weight (dumbbell) you can move.
 
This is not new information (I think Mary Shelley even wrote about it), but since we are consistently fed the notion that we are all the same we tend to forget that we have differences. And in addition to things like tendon length and insertion angle, sometimes there are variances in the tissues themselves. An example of these differences, common differences that are not anomalies, is the psoas minor - a muscle which is estimated to be in about 50% of people. The specifics of this muscle are not relevant here, I am simply using it as an example that will hopefully disrupt some of the sameness thinking.
 
Certainly there are many similarities from one body to another, but the differences can be the reason why one person can get results from an exercise that another should not do. And why there are times when an exercise will actually work against your goal. The ideal care for a body is unique because every body is unique.

For many years the model has been to identify the ideal care for every body. The thinking seems to follow with the notion that we are all the same and as such we should be treated the same. This is simply not true. And now, finally, there is research that is being done that demonstrates that different people need different things. From diet and exercise to the care of your total health, that which is right for you is only right for you. I am not suggesting that norms and comparisons cannot provide a baseline. Our modern day ability to accumulate vast amounts of data can provide valuable insights, but it is just far too easy to give them greater value than they have.
 
Keeping an open mind and paying attention to your body's response is not easy, but it is the best way that I know to find what is best for you.
As always, let me know how I can help.
 
Adam

by Cheryl Harris, Master Licensed Massage Therapist

Today the sun was shining and it was actually nice outside for an Ohio day in the middle of winter. I have seen so many folks out and about walking, running and sometimes biking lately-it's great! I also have some clients and friends who have made some goals for themselves for the coming months to be more active, and get stuff done-myself included! With these goals comes more movement, more stress to your body, more sore and tight muscles, but also more success, feeling better and conquering some of those small goals that perhaps you've been striving to meet for a long time. This is all wonderful, however, there are some things we should think about when it comes to more movement, and one of those is your shoes. Why should we worry about our shoes? Why is a Massage Therapist telling me about shoes? Well, I can share with you my experience of shoes through the different careers I have pursued and the things I have learned from some shoe professionals as well. 

I have had many jobs over the years, from a restaurant to a hospital, all of which required me being on my feet for long periods of time. Doing this for several days a week was enjoyable for me as I loved what I was doing, but it also took my feet having pain for me to take another look at what I was wearing on my feet. What did I do? Well, my husband is a runner, and one day we ventured to a specialty store for shoes for him. I got to thinking about folks who run marathons and are on their feet for hours at a time and thought, "Couldn't some of these shoes work for me, too?" So, I explained to the folks working there what I did, and what I was looking for and here came the shoes!!! I probably tried on 5 or 6 pairs and eventually picked one that I thought worked and felt the best. These worked for a while, but when they started to wear out, I was ready for another pair. This time we went to a different specialty running and walking shoe store. I have to say, my experience here was much better and they were more detailed and thorough than the first place. Why? Well, they took time to ask me questions, what I wanted, what I was doing, and they watched me walk! They watched how my foot was moving with my body and from that, they were able to determine what kind of shoe would work best for me. I tend to roll my ankles out and walk on the outer part of my foot, so this meant that I needed a shoe with more support on the outside of the foot, so I wouldn't roll quite as much. Hooray! Finding out this information was kind of cool to me, if only because I had never thought of it. I look at people's bodies all the time, and even though I knew my feet did this, I had never had the idea to seek out a shoe specific to this need. ​

Why does this make a difference for us? Well, for starters, it can put us into a more biomechanically sound position. Why is this good? If we are moving in a better position, it can help us not have quite as many aches and pains. This isn't always true and each body is different-in the way they move and respond to changes that we make with them, so each case is going to be different. What is my point? The support we get from either a new pair of shoes, or those that are fitted to us, and what our feet and body need, can make a difference, especially when we want to be more active. Increased activity is a good thing, for sure, but being smart in it, is even more important. Most folks couldn't go out tomorrow and run a marathon without having serious side effects-some being their shoes and some being their body. Some folks are going to need shoes more often than others - myself being one of them. Some of us carry more weight than others, have heavier steps, or move slower; there are SO many factors that affect how your shoes wear and how fast they wear. I bet if you take off your shoe right now, and look at the bottom, you might get an idea of how your foot is moving, simply by looking at the wear on the shoe. Suppose you didn't have any cushion in your shoe, but went out for a 5 mile walk. How would this affect you and your body? Your feet would probably hurt, and perhaps your low back and hips would have some pain in them. Buying shoes that fit your feet for what you want to do can help this. If you want to walk or run longer distances, you will probably want shoes that have more cushion. If you want to be fast and go for a personal record, or simply be speedy at shorter distances, you might want a thinner, lighter shoe that may not have as much cushion. There are so many varieties of shoes out there for people who want to do just about anything. 

Not only do the shoes make a difference, but we can also help make a difference with massage. In being more active, with our new shoes of course, we get aches and pains, and soreness in places we didn't even know we had! I noticed when I changed the type of shoe I was wearing, that my legs felt different. I felt a little bit of tightness in my calves that I had not noticed before, and the next few massages I received were a bit more painful. Again, this isn't true for everyone, but there are subtle changes that can happen in our bodies when we get new things and adjust to them. Just like some folks getting new glasses and being able to see more clearly, the shoes and massage can help our body see more clearly in our activity. Working on the new aches, pains and tightness with massage can help immensely when moving into more activity levels and I highly encourage it! 

I'm happy to answer questions if you have them, so feel free to send me a note at
​charris@equivita.com