Category: Katherine Baxter

Vagus Nerve Reset

11/16/2022

I wrote before about the vagus nerve, what it is, what it does, and most importantly, it’s role in regulating the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest). When the vagus nerve is stimulated/activated, it can help induce calm, lower heart rate, increase digestion and decrease digestive issues such as irritable bowel syndrome, increase cognitive function, decrease depression and anxiety, and act as a mood booster.

Some of the ways I had listed for activating the vagus nerve (cold water, meditation, humming, etc.) may not appeal to everyone, so I wanted to introduce a more active method involving specific movements that can help activate the vagus nerve. You’ll do one side of the body at a time, then switch sides, all while seated.

1. Place your left hand on your right upper trapezius, gently pushing down and away from your neck.
2. Take your right hand to your right jaw/chin and gently push the head to look left.
3. Then push the head to look slightly up.
4. Next exhale as you rotate the torso and upper body towards the left, bringing the right elbow towards the left knee.
5. Take three deep, full inhales and exhales.
6. Slowly inhale and rotate back to center, releasing the hands.
7. Pause and notice any differences in the right side of the body versus the left, then switch and do the other side.

This technique is great to do at various times, like on your lunch break at work to help destress and reset for your afternoon, at the end of the work day and before bed, before and after those stressful holiday events that are coming up, and any time you’re feeling anxious. Anytime you need to go from fight/flight mode to rest/digest mode, this is a wonderful tool.

Best,
Katherine

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To the Point

9/2/2022

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The foot has 28 bones, 30 joints, and over 100 muscles, ligaments and tendons. Our feet are the foundation of our body, both physically and metaphorically. They support us, carry us to our destination, push us up… and where our feet are in physical space plays a role during our physical exercise. Trainers and group exercise leaders will usually give some guidance as to if you should be pointing or flexing the foot during a specific exercise, but why does it matter? Well, to put it simply, each one works a different part of the leg, and activates different muscles.

So what happens when you flex your foot? Dorsiflexion of the foot happens when we push through our heel and the toes come towards the shin much like if you were standing. During dorsiflexion, the front of the leg is engaged and active, including the shins and quads, while the back of the leg (hamstring, achilles) is lengthening. It also helps keep the foot, ankle and knee in proper alignment. When you point your toes (also called plantar flexion) the reverse happens; the front of the leg is lengthening and the back of the leg, including the hamstring and calf, is engaging.

As an experiential experiment, try laying supine (on your back) or maybe sitting on the couch with your legs out straight. Point the toes and sense into the muscle engagement in the legs. What comes online and what feels stretched or lengthened? Now try dorsiflexing the foot, pushing through the heel and pulling the toes towards your shins. Again, notice what changes happen in the muscles. Next, try a single leg lift, once with a dorsiflexed foot and once with a pointed, or plantar flexed, foot. How do they compare? Another example to try is hip raises, or bridge pose in yoga terms. Try raising the hips with the feet flat on the ground, pushing into the ground with the heels. Then, try pointing the feet, being on “tippy toes,” and notice the difference in which muscles are in charge of the movement.

But which one, dorsiflexion or plantar flexion should you do during exercise? Well, as a prior college professor loved to answer, it depends! It depends on a number of factors, including what muscle group(s) you are focusing on, what specific exercise you are doing, and let’s not forget that each individual is different in the anatomical makeup and health of their foot and ankle which can play a part in determining this. If either of these, dorsiflexion or plantar flexion, is difficult due to tightness, tension, pain, muscle weakness, etc., focusing on foot mobility can help strengthen the foot muscles, improve flexibility, and ease pain. Medical News Today has a good listing of foot exercises that can be done easily at home in just a few minutes, making them great daily practices!

Best,
Katherine

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Envisioning Movement

8/2/2022

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What does it mean to move mindfully through space? In a lot of cases, people move as though the body is a singular unit, rather than as a makeup of hundreds of smaller independent components. The degree to which these components are able to move independently is a direct correlation to the degree of freedom a body has to move. Thus, in order to move mindfully, we have to first recognize the independent components of our body. Take the spine and pelvis for example. When tension and tightness are present in the body, we tend to move as though this central column is a singular piece where bending is difficult, and turning the upper body results in the lower body turning with it, rather than each vertebrae moving freely and independently of the pelvis.

Perhaps the proper way to dissect the individual components is to first determine where your body is in space. Sensing the spacial occupation of the body helps to first connect the mind and body together and prepare the body for movement. When the mind is prepped for the movement the body will make, we can better move in proper alignment and mechanics. Sitting in a chair and without looking (or even close your eyes) or making any adjustments, sense into where the limbs are. Are they close to the body or further away? What is the relationship between the feet and the ground? Where is the spine in relation to the pelvis? Are the sitz bones connecting to the seat, or is the weight distributed more forward or back on the tailbone? Is the head stacked on top of the spine or is it shifted forward? Is the chest and lower ribs scrunched together or is there ample space between the ribs?

As you continue to scan the body and sense into where the components of the body are in relation to each other, you are re-connecting the brain with the physical body. This is a great grounding technique, too! When we re-link the brain and body, we are able to begin reprogramming the neural pathways of the brain, and begin to re-learn a new way (a proper way) of movement.

Now that you’ve identified where the body components are, gently make any adjustments needed: feet under the knees, weight grounded on the sitz bones, spine stacked with the head on top, shoulders back and down, etc. Once here, keep the eyes closed, and envision the movement of standing up. What is required in the body to happen in order to accomplish this movement? Envision the entire process: weight shifting forward as you hinge at the hips, thighs and glutes engaging, core engaging, pelvic floor coming online, exhaling as you lift the hips off the seat, maybe you bring in the assistance of the arms to push up slightly, unhinging at the hips to raise up as the legs straighten.

Now that you’ve run through the process in your mind’s eye, do it! How does it feel in the body when the mind has prepped the nervous system for the movement to come? You can test this out during normal daily activities, and during exercise. Try a movement like normal, then try envisioning the movement before doing it and notice the differences.

This envisioning exercise goes both ways in that it can help and hinder us. The mind is the powerhouse of the body and holds supreme influence, so much so that envisioning things like jumping, running, or throwing a ball tell the nervous system to begin prepping. The muscles will actually contract and certain chemicals and hormones in the body begin releasing—the body is experiencing the act prior to it happening! This is how consistent exposure to a mental fear state negatively impacts the body and keeps it in a fight or flight state. So if envisioning is powerful enough to help us use our biomechanics to their best ability during exercise, being mindful of what we envision the rest of the day is just as important. If someone’s mental capacity is mainly being used to think of negative things, the body is constantly prepping for this event that the brain keeps telling it will happen.

Mindful movement is a mental exercise just as much as it is physical. We can re-wire the brain towards healthier movement habits the more we provide it the opportunity to do so. When you can, take a deep breath and run through what the optimal movement or action you’re about to take would look like and notice the changes that happen over time!

Best,
Katherine

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You Are a Three-dimensional Being—So Why Not Move Like It?!

7/1/2022

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A large majority of our daily activity consists of moving in a very limited manner. For instance, we sit most of the time, drive a lot, walk… all these things keep our limbs relatively close to the midline of the body, and any movement is usually done in a repetitive, single planer way. But the body exists and has the capability to move in three dimensions or planes: sagittal, frontal, and transverse.

We move forwards or backwards, such as walking, running, or biking, along the sagittal plane. This plane is responsible for flexion, extension, dorsiflexion, and plantarflexion.
The frontal plane is responsible for adduction, abduction, inversion, eversion, and movement occurs in this plane when we move towards and away from midline of the body. For this one, I like to think of when I was a kid making snow angels—this movement of the limbs is happening in the frontal plane.
The third plane, transverse plane, consists of rotation, such as spinal twists or making circles with the wrists, and generally occur in the larger joints of the body.

The body is astonishing in its ability to move, and keeping that mobility becomes more pressing as we age. Prioritizing mobility can help in a lot of aspects of life’s journey, such as being able to pick up an item that was dropped on the floor, playing with kids/grandkids, being able to do the yard work or gardening, getting in and out of the car, looking behind you, or reaching for a glass in the cupboard. All of these things, and many more, may seem very mundane, but get increasingly difficult when mobility practices are neglected.

So what does the three planes of movement have to do with this?

When we only move the body in one plane, we limit the strength and flexibility of the muscles. Muscles grow stronger only in the range of motion we use them in, so if we are consistently just running, lunging, doing bicep curls, and pushups then we are only building up the body in the sagittal plane. In doing so, we can probably push/pull things really well, but motions like pivoting, turning around, etc., become challenging as time goes on due to the lack of motion in the other planes.

A noticeable one for a lot of bodies is that most of us can stretch our arms out front like zombie arms fairly well since our society tends to work and live in the sagittal plane, but bring the arms back down to the sides and then lift them up straight out to the sides like a bird and the shoulders tend to lift up to the ears, making it difficult to keep the proper shoulder alignment due to lack of strength building and movement in the frontal plane. Balance is another great example of a movement that can be affected when we limit our movement.

Intentionally moving the body through each plane helps increase strength and flexibility throughout the full range of motion of the joints, and helps keep the body moving with less stress and pain. So building a fitness practice that incorporates all three planes of movement is a holistic way to approach the body, and honor the three-dimensional being that you are.

Best,
Katherine

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Rest Mindfully

6/8/2022

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EQUIVITA’s 5 Keys of Fitness don’t exist in a vacuum separate from each other. The keys are interconnected and when used together can create a fitness program that’s super beneficial. Last month we discussed the cardio key and some amazing topics were hit on, and this month as we explore the rest key let us take a look at how these two keys can work together to maximize your fitness goals.

As we get into the full swing of the warmer time of year, running becomes a go-to for a lot of individuals to get their cardio in. Just as we’ve discussed in the past where the method of warming up the body is important, the method of rest and cool-down periods are important as well. Rest isn’t just the time between your workouts, it’s the time during your workouts in between the act of “doing” the exercise. For example, interval running can help increase stamina and provide the body with a way to “work up to” running goals, and those seconds when not running are rest, and that rest time can be used to its fullest capacity when done with intention.

Sticking with this example, when we stop running and walk for our rest period during interval running, the muscles are warm and primed for “re-programming.” Our habitual posture tends to kick in when we are tired, and when in the walking phase of interval running, it's easy to let the body collapse back into old habits. However, if we take advantage of our body’s warmed up state and focus on proper alignment in our posture while walking/standing, we can help re-teach the contraction and release relationship of our muscles. If you tend towards collapsing in the chest with the shoulders rounding like I do, focusing on getting those shoulder blades back and down on the back and lifting the chest in those rest periods. This can put the muscles in proper alignment as they cool down, helping to keep those muscles from contracting back into the tightness that causes the pulling and collapse, and strengthen the weaker muscles to help hold the body in that proper posture.

This concept can be applied during resistance training as well, or any time there is rest in your exercise. Rest is where the change happens, and those little periods of rest create change that can be used to your advantage when done mindfully. Old habits are hard to break, and re-training the body requires attention during those important periods of change. View rest as an opportunity, not just as a passive phase.

Best,
Katherine

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What happens in Vagus...

3/9/2022

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It’s not just a clever play on words, it’s the vagus nerve; one of the largest, longest cranial nerves (the 10th cranial nerve to be exact) and it extends from the brain into the chest and abdomen. It has a huge responsibility in the body, including regulating heart rate, carrying sensory information from the internal organs back to the brain, regulating blood pressure, stimulating the gastrointestinal tract, as well as contributing a major part to the balance of hormones such as cortisol and the digestive hormone ghrelin. It is arguably one of the most important nerves, controlling a large amount of our body systems, yet the one we know the least about. What is known is that this nerve is key in the overall well-being of the body, particularly in the autonomic nervous system’s ability to appropriately switch between the sympathetic (fight or flight) nervous state, and the parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous state.

The vagus nerve holds a metaphoric map to the the body, able to influence almost every major internal organ, and is the captain of the parasympathetic state. When this nerve is activated, it responds by signaling the connected organs and systems to also relax, resulting in the heart rate slowing, respiratory rate slowing and the breath deepening, muscle contractions releasing (remember, this is where that change and repair/build function happens), decrease in inflammation, and rerouting of resources back to digestion and the immune system. It’s also been shown to have impact on “turning off” asthma attacks, epileptic seizures, and migraine or cluster headaches. Psychologically, it’s been linked to the release of stress, anxiety, nervousness, and neural calm which can aid in expression and social interaction. When activated, it can induce sensations of safety, a much needed state to build an internal infrastructure for growth on all levels.

There are various ways to activate the vagus nerve, and just like other systems in the body, the vagus nerve can be “exercised” and toned. Here are some helpful techniques to try:

Deep, slow breathing where the inhale expands deep in the belly and the exhale brings the navel towards the spine.
Humming or chanting, the vibration from which stimulates the vagus nerve.
Laughter!
Sleeping on the right side of the body stimulates the vagus nerve to release calming hormones.
Cold showers or splashing cold water on your face.
Massaging the neck, shoulders and ears.

Activating and toning the vagus nerve can help rebalance the body’s systems, regulate rest periods, and shorten the amount of time the body is in the sympathetic nervous state (that’s the fight or flight one where resources are directed away from all non-essential functions). We can't engage something we've never learned to relax, and if we're always "on", then we can't properly learn how to turn it "off" and relax. Relaxation and rest is just as much an exercise and fitness practice as is building and maintaining muscle. Our society is obsessed with productivity and the do-do-do attitude, and I for one am guilty of complying. Like Tami, I enjoy contributing to the world I'm a part of and doing my small daily part to make it a happy place to be. A deeper part of this is that relaxation and just "being" without tasking the mind with things is hard work, but necessary in our well-being.

Best,
Katherine

References
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/vagus-nerve
https://suddenrushguarana.com/blogs/news/the-vagus-nerve-is-key-to-well-being

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Fueling the body

10/16/2021

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Pre- and post-exercise nutrition, specifically high-intensity or endurance exercise, is extremely important in the recovery and longevity of the muscles. The body taps mostly into glycogen (a form of glucose) during periods of high physical exertion, using this as fuel. Every “body” will be different in how much of what nutrition is necessary, both prior to and after exercise, in order to replenish and build. A general guideline is to not have the stomach be full or digesting a big meal within two hours of exercise. If your body is one that needs a fuel boost prior to exercise, it’s better to consume something lighter such as yogurt, small amount of oatmeal, fruit, smoothie, or anything that’s easily digestible and has a good balance of carbohydrates and protein.

After intense exercise, a good rule of thumb is to replenish as soon as possible. The body begins key functions after intense exercise, including protein synthesis (process of making new proteins) and glycogenesis (assisting with insulin production). Glycogenesis aids the protein synthesis process which requires glucose or simple sugar. But just as every body is different in it’s pre-exercise nutrition, post-exercise nutrition will differ as well. Post-exercise protein benefits might not be necessary for females as estrogen has a protective effect on skeletal muscle, minimizing the damage caused during exercise. On the other hand, males might need a higher amount of post-exercise nutrition due to the damage of muscle proteins and the diversion of amino acids and energy away from the process of protein synthesis during exercise. Getting simple sugar within 30 minutes of exercise both replenishes the glycogen used, plus provides necessary glucose for muscle recovery and building during the protein synthesis function in bodies when needed.

Without key nutrients at the right time, the body can begin breaking down rather than building up, which can affect the ability to reach fitness goals. If you’re feeling like your body is taking too long to recover or having difficulty reaching goals such as strength building, re-evaluating your nutrition is a good place to start—both what you’re intaking, and when.

Best,
Katherine

References

Beck, K. L., Thomson, J. S., Swift, R. J., & Von Hurst, P. R. (2015). Role of nutrition in performance enhancement and postexercise recovery. Open access journal of sports medicine, 6, 259.
Bonci, L. J. (2011). Eating for performance: bringing science to the training table. Clinics in sports medicine, 30(3), 661.
Levenhagen, D. K., Gresham, J. D., Carlson, M. G., Maron, D. J., Borel, M. J., & Flakoll, P. J. (2001). Postexercise nutrient intake timing in humans is critical to recovery of leg glucose and protein homeostasis. American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology And Metabolism, 280(6), E982-E993.
MEAL, M., & PLAN, M. The Science Behind Eating Before/After Exercise.

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Long and Short Food-Supply Chains: Mindfulness of where your ingredients come from

5/3/2021

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Not all ingredients are made equal. Take the lettuce in a salad at a fast food restaurant versus the lettuce at a farmer’s market stand. How many exchanges does the lettuce from the fast food restaurant go through? How long does it take to reach you? And, most importantly in regard to your health, what does it take to preserve that ingredient during its journey? The longer the food supply chain, the more additives are needed to keep the item from expiring, and the more preservatives end up in your food. The shorter the food supply chain, or closer to farm-to-table, the fresher and less loaded with preservatives the ingredients are. Shorter food supply chains typically involve small, local farmers, meaning the soil isn’t over-used, keeping the ingredients rich in micronutrients. Plus, you’re helping support small, local business owners—bonus! Simply put, the shorter the food supply chain, the better it is for your health.

There are many farmer’s markets that happen in and around Columbus, which is one of the easiest ways to get a short food supply chain. For instance, this year the Clintonville Farmer’s Market is at the Ohio History Center, plus they have an online shopping option. Check out the information here: https://www.clintonvillefarmersmarket.org.

Best,
Katherine

References

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0959652620332522
https://blog.arkieva.com/supply-chain-management-fast-food-industry/
Hawkes, C. (2009). Identifying innovative interventions to promote healthy eating using consumption-oriented food supply chain analysis. Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition, 4(3-4), 336-356.
Renting, H., Marsden, T. K., & Banks, J. (2003). Understanding alternative food networks: exploring the role of short food supply chains in rural development. Environment and planning A, 35(3), 393-411.
Santulli, G., Pascale, V., Finelli, R., Visco, V., Giannotti, R., Massari, A., ... & Coscioni, E. (2019). We are what we eat: impact of food from short supply chain on metabolic syndrome. Journal of clinical medicine, 8(12), 2061.
Wognum, P. N., Bremmers, H., Trienekens, J. H., Van Der Vorst, J. G., & Bloemhof, J. M. (2011). Systems for sustainability and transparency of food supply chains–Current status and challenges. Advanced Engineering Informatics, 25(1), 65-76.

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Vagus Nerve Reset

To the Point

Envisioning Movement

You Are a Three-dimensional Being—So Why Not Move Like It?!

Rest Mindfully

What happens in Vagus...

Fueling the body

Long and Short Food-Supply Chains: Mindfulness of where your ingredients come from

EQUIVITA

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