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10 Minutes to work out? What to do? The Turkish Get-Up

Recently at our clinic we have been asked quite a few questions regarding what type of workouts to do on a busy day, when time or space is limited.  Or most recently the question asked, “Doc, if you had 10 minutes to work out, and could only pick one exercise, what would you do?  The answer, without hesitation was the Turkish get up.

The reason why I like the get-up is because it is a functional movement that requires many of the muscles of the body working together in order to accomplish the task of standing up with the kettle bell pressed overhead.  Not only does the get-up require proper coordination and balance but strength and stability as well.  Movements like the get-up will not only get your heart beating and working but it promotes joint stability, healthy posture, keeps primitive movement patterns fine tuned and gives you a great metabolic blast.  This is an exercise that no matter where I am, the gym, at home or on the road I try to incorporate it in some way.  There are too many benefits to not have this movement as part of your fitness regime.

As I recommend to most of our patients, ditch the leg press, leg extension and arm curls.  Exercises like the turkish get-up, single leg dead lift, push press, kneeling chop, etc. are more beneficial not only for athletic performance but training a balanced and functional body.

Mike Robertson has a great sequence and blog regarding the progressions of the exercise.  I have attached the link here so you can have an example on how to begin, I hope you enjoy: http://robertsontrainingsystems.com/blog/turkish-get-ups-step-by-step/

For further information about the kettlebell and to refine the movement take a look at “Kettlebells from the Ground up” with Brett Jones and Gray Cook.  The DVD and manual can be purchased at dragondoor.com

 

David Crosson DC, CSCS is the owner/clinic director of Chirofit: Chiropractic and Physical Therapy in Barrington, IL. www.chirofit.info

 

 

Recipe of the week

Borrowed from Dr. Loren Cordain, Ph.D. and “The Paleodiet Cookbook.” This is a little twist if you like melon’s.

Melon Blankets
1 Cantaloupe or melon, chilled
8 pieces of thinly sliced turkey breast, about one ounce or so each
Ground black pepper

Wrap one slice of turkey around each piece of melon. Use a toothpick to hold in place. Pepper to taste.

Quick, simple but a variation to the turkey/lettuce wraps we posted a few months back. Enjoy!

A common misconception in training – David Crosson D.C.

Every year we coordinate a 30 day weight loss challenge at our office. It is not only designed to help mold proper dietary habits for the upcoming year but to also educate on how to organize your exercise regimen to achieve fitness and weight loss goals. Inevitably every lecture I get the question, “Dr. Dave I do 100 sit ups a day and yet I’m not seeing any fat loss around my waist, am I not doing enough sit ups?” Or I see the people in the gym trying to train their thigh muscles to reduce fat in their legs. I have to remind them, this is not how the body works.
Research has shown you cannot lose weight in a specific place on the body (abs, thighs, etc.) by training that location. Some people call it ‘spot reduction’ but the guy doing crunches to lose abdominal fat and the lady completing hundreds of reps on ‘Suzanne Sommer’s Thigh Master’ are pretty much wasting their time and energy. Doing sit ups and Russian twists every day to reduce your gut are not the answer. There are much more efficient ways to get the fat loss you’re looking for. Not to say core training is not needed, that is not what I’m implying. Core training is a very important part of spinal stability and should be a part of any rehab or exercise plan, it’s just not the best way to burn fat.
Our patients are taught that proper diet, interval training and whole body movements will do far more in stimulating fat loss than open chain, isolated muscle moves. To see the best results with fat loss get with your chiropractor, trainer, therapist, etc. and have them go over an interval cardio plan and some functional whole body movements for you to use at the gym. Not only by assessing your movement faults will your body feel better but by incorporating the functional exercises to help correct the problem you will get a better metabolic blast to help with your fat loss. Incorporate the paleo diet we talk about (paleoplan.com or thepaleodiet.com) and you will see significant improvements in your weight loss and overall health.

This parent has the right idea

This is an interesting article I came across regarding the food in schools today.  Many parents that come into our office and ascribe to some of our dietary recommendations mention that it is difficult to keep their kids eating healthy while at school.  The article is attached in the link below: http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/08/22/an-elementary-school-snack-list-–-nut-free/ 

 

As always, we love to get feedback! Have a great day.

Stopping snack attacks at work: Part II

We continue with our discussion regarding ‘proper’ snacking at work. We talked about ditching the junk food and having a plan in part 1. Part 2 will focus on scheduling time for meals and eating healthy snacks.

We recommend to our patients that within 30-45 minutes of waking up eat a meal with ‘good’ carbs, protein and ‘good’ fats. Eating when you wake up will not only boost your metabolism but it will help keep blood sugar levels steady thus reducing the urge to snack throughout the day. Block off 30 minutes at lunch for a healthy meal. If you can get out of the office or away from your desk that is recommended as well. Make it a habit to schedule your snack time at break time, this will help you get 5-6 meals in from when you wake up until its time to go to bed. A great way to keep that metabolism going is to have 5-6 small meals or snacks throughout the day.

The last recommendation we make is to plan for healthy snacks throughout the day. When you go a long period of time between meals or snacks you blood sugar decreases. This can happen when you have deadlines, meetings, conferences, etc. As your blood sugar level continues to decrease your body will naturally crave carb-rich foods to help bring it back to normal levels. Almonds, apples, walnuts and oranges are great snacks to have at your desk to take with you when you are on the go.

Dr. Dave Crosson – Stopping Snack attacks at work

A common conversation I have with my patients is how to stop snacking at work. Quite a few people will tell me, “Doc, I do great at home but at work I have a difficult time staying on track.” The truth of the matter is that stress is a major contributor to food cravings. You can see it happen at a party when people are nervous or anxious they tend to eat or snack more, thus taking up some of that nervous energy.

Grehlin, a hormone that stimulates hunger, drives the neurologic response to want to eat. Sometimes you may even not be hungry but have cravings. Stress at work is going to happen but if we can learn to snack appropriately our bodies will be much better off in the long run. Its actually extremely healthy to have multiple small meals throughout the day. Having a nutritious snack will boost metabolism and hold you over until you have a larger portion size. In this post we want to focus on cutting out the bad snacks and adding some good ones.

First you will want to stop snacking on ‘empty’ calories. That means all the sugary, processed foods like chips, candy, crackers etc. Surround yourself with foods that are high in fiber and nutrients which will help you feel full longer, thus reducing cravings. We tend to recommend, walnuts, raisins, almonds, apples, berries, cauliflower, sliced green/red peppers or trail mix. Most fruits, vegetables and raw unsalted nuts will work.

Second, something we do during our “30 Day weight loss challenge,” is make sure you are eating breakfast 20-30 minutes after waking up. This will not only help you fight the urge to snack but it will also boost your metabolism as well. A tall glass of water plus a small meal of carbs, protein and good fats will get you off on the right foot. We always recommend a glass of water because you have just slept for 6+ hours without any hydration, water as we know is extremely important.

Start with these two things and stay tuned for two more ways to stop the snack attacks. Have a great day at work!

Eating healthy…what about dessert? by David Crosson D.C.

We have a lot of patients in the office that are trying to change their eating habits.  Many of whom have started following a “Paleo” type diet which consists of lean meats, fish, fruits, vegetables and raw nuts.  This type of diet is great not only for weight loss but for decreasing the amount of inflammation in the body.  Please see some of our previous posts for more details or go to www.thepaleodiet.com.

Some common questions I get are always regarding what to eat for dessert.  For a snack that can satisfy your sweet tooth cravings the recipe below is taken from one of our in office classes and its been modified from Dr. Loren Cordain’s book, “The Paleodiet for Athletes.”  There are many other recipes that use fruit and honey as a means for making an enjoyable dessert, this is just one of them.   Enjoy

Pecan-crusted strawberries:

Fresh strawberries cut lengthwise, honey, diced pecans, lemon juice.

Cut the strawberries lengthwise and in a small bowl mix the lemon juice and honey in equal parts.  Dip the strawberries in the mixutre and then roll or sprinkle the pecans on top.  Place on a serving dish and you are ready to go!