Water: The Essence of Life

Hello!

I am often asked "how much water should I be drinking"?  Well, truth be told long are the days of the old "8 glasses a day"when it comes to establishing a benchmark of a total amount.  True, one does needs to drink a sufficient amount of water on a daily basis, but it may help to understand what water actually does in the body and why it is such an important component of life. Let's take a look at it's function in the body and help determine how much water you should be getting a day.

Water, or H2O as we all like to call it, is made up of one oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms held together by covalent bonds.  It makes up about 70% of Earth and 80% of the population lives near some sort of body of water. Water is present in three states of matter; solid (ice), liquid (duh) and gas (vapor).  Water contains no calories and zero nutrients, unless added during the bottling process.  Water is also known as the "universal solvent" due to it's polar properties, as it dissolves more substances than any other chemical.

In America, we are lucky to have laws and guidelines in the handling and distribution of water to maximize purification and safety.  Although we have the ease of access to tap water, many people around the world do not have such luxury as fresh water is scarce and the dangers of unsterilized water leads to millions of deaths each year. I find it strange that such a marvelous substance is so under appreciated in this country and the amount of waste and pollution we bestow onto it everyday.  In the novel Dune, the natives of the desert planet understand how valuable and scare water is, they wear "stillsuits" that re-filter all fluids in the body so they may re-use them to stay hydrated.

Water has many functions in the human body. It regulates body temperature, lubricates joints, filters and aids in the extraction of waste, carries oxygen throughout the body and helps prevent constipation.  It's no surprise that water has so many functions as it makes up an argued 60-65% of the human body.  We could discuss the benefits and uses of water all day as we hear about it so much, but I'd rather give a little insight on what happens when we do not get enough water, of course I mean dehydration. We lose water constantly through  respiration, sweat, urine and bowel movements and saliva so constant re-hydration is necessary.

Water tends to be a missing piece of most people's overall healthy puzzle.

It is true that you can die from an over consumption of water by hypoatremia (see water intoxication), but dehydration is far more common and is often overlooked how quickly it's onset can be.  Since our bodies' make up is largely water based, it would make sense that just a small amount of water loss renders us incomplete in the sense of a whole unit.  At 3% water loss, which sounds like a small amount, we see a significant decrease in performance varying from daily functions to exercise and sports. At 5-6% fatigue sets in and vomiting and headaches often occur.  At 10-15% loss of vision and delirium sets in and usually any further loss leads to death.  Dehydration is not just a term for someone on the brink of death, it refers to any stage of significant water loss, regardless of how you feel.  Often a person can be experiencing dehydration, but may not be feeling negative side effects, but that doesn't mean they are not at some risk.  The bottom line is dehydration at any level is bad.

Urine Analysis Chart

So the big question remains: How much water should we be drinking? For years, I have always told people to watch their urine and notice how thirsty they are to determine if they are getting adequate water.  If more than not your urine color is number 1, 2 or perhaps 3 on the chart and you notice you are not constantly experiencing dry mouth and thirst, chances are you are properly hydrated.  If you are in the 4 through 6 range, just from the color alone you know you are in the early to moderate stages of  dehydration, not a threat to life, but again not at optimal performance and should start drinking more water.  If you are higher, immediate hydration is required and you should seek medical attention at once!  Finally, the Mayo clinic seems to back my preaching and looks to agree with this principle. I knew I should have published an article five years ago! (Mayo Clinic Water Facts) Listen to your body and pay attention to the signs it gives you to help determine if you need to get more water. Although, if you think you might need more water chances are you do, not too mention more water on a daily basis can't hurt in general(moderately of course).

Say goodbye to the classic eight glasses a day rule and just keep a bottle of water handy, drinking periodically and monitoring the signs to catch dehydration before it begins or if you're properly hydrated.  Everybody is different and your daily activities will dictate how much water you need, but we shouldn't neglect such a amazing aspect of life, especially with the abundance and ease of access we have to it.  We get water through  our beverages and foods, as well as our body's natural production of it (you want a huge post, this process and it's properties would be an adventure to write), but nothing can beat getting it from the pure source, so grab your bottles and stay hydrated.

Thanks for reading!

An abundance of information of water and water related subjects

“Without change, something sleeps inside us, and seldom awakens. The sleeper must awaken" -Duke Leto Atreides "Dune"


*I am not a registered nutritionist or dietitian. The information presented is for education purposes only.

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What is the Core?

Greetings!

One of the biggest and most misunderstood concepts I hear people refer to when it comes to exercise is none other than the concept of core.  People are always saying that "you need to strengthen your core" or "I have a pretty nice core".  When you ask one of these individuals to describe what the core is I generally hear  a few muscles get tossed out; abs, obliques, low back and perhaps the occasional transverse abdominis(TVA). Although those muscles are indeed a part of the core, it goes far beyond just what you read about in a magazine or the common conception of what the core really is all about.

The core is actually a common word we trainers use to describe a massive collection of muscles, joints, spinal vertebrae and even fascia(connective tissue that covers muscle).  This collection is called the Lumbo-Pelvic-Hip complex (LPHC).  This complex has an argued 29 plus muscles in addition to the lumbar spine, and the pelvic girdle

The core is a lot more complex then what you usually see here.

Ever hear the term center of gravity? Well this core or LPHC is exactly where all that occurs and is responsible for the origin of movement itself, not too mention balance and proper movement of the kinetic chain (or fluid body movement in simple terms, this will have to wait for it's own post).  The core offers spinal and postural stability as well as acting as a buffer of sorts between the relationship of force in the upper and lower body and finally, of course, offers proper movement of both upper and lower body functions. As I have discussed before, the body is a functional team that works at it's most efficient when all the muscles, joints and so on are activating properly.  Though they work well as a team, they all have different jobs and different functions and you can imagine with so many muscles in this LPH complex there is a lot that can go wrong if one or more are not working properly.

A lot more makes up the LPHC than you might think

When we experience low back/hip tightness and/or pain or perhaps tightness in the hamstrings and even upper back this can be an early sign that one or more components of the LPHC is not functioning at it's most efficient. When trainers perform assessments on an individual, they are looking for misalignments and imbalances that can help us distinguish which area of the LPHC needs the most attention in order to "put you back together" if you will.  The importance of core training goes far beyond having a tight midsection or hard abs, it's very existence can either aid or hinder the most basic movements in our day and a lot can go wrong in a short period of time. Integrating multi-planer (although the core almost always activates in multiple planes in the process of stabilization and functional motions) movements is a great way to keep this complex running full steam ahead and although the occasional crunch isn't the worst idea from time to time, keeping the LPHC active during a workout is always a great idea. Performing exercises for each individual muscle in the core would take a long time and as I said, it's not a bad idea to do such from time to time on the larger muscles, you must also perform other actions to either; strengthen a particular muscle group or perhaps decrease the amount a particular muscle activates during movements to allow the others in the LPHC to function properly.  So the next time you hear the term "core" be sure to take a moment and appreciate the complexity of it and how important it is for more than just great looking abs and balance.

Below I have listed the majority of the muscles in the LPHC, which should have a separate post, but this is not a college course so the information is here because I love to give it and hope you will learn a little more. Now do you think a crunch and an oblique twist will work the complete core?

Transverse Abdominis
Internal Oblique
External Oblique
Rectus Abdominis
Diaphragm 
Multifidus
Quadratus Lumborum
Psoas Major
Gluteus Medius
Adductor Longus
Adductor Magnus
Adductor Brevis
Gracilis
Pectineus
Latissimus Dorsi
Quadriceps
Hamstrings

Groups of muscles in which contain some from the list above, but I didn't want to list every little one of them so I put them in their respected groups.

Hip Flexors
Pelvic Floor Muscles

These muscles have been argued to be a part of the LPHC, although some organizations do not recognize them.  I see the argument for their involvement and support them to a degree.

Erector Spinae
Iliotibial Band (IT band)
Gluteus Maximus
Gluteus Minimus
Gastrocnemius
Soleus
Sartorius
Internal Intercostal
External Intercostal
Thoracolumbar Fascia


Thanks for reading !

"No one really knows why they are alive until they know what they'd die for" - Martin Luther King Jr.


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On a Personal Note

Hello!

I generally try to make my posts about an informative subject that has article links and data tables, but sometimes I feel a post about real life experiences are needed. I am not just talking about testimonials from the people I've worked with or their results, but rather stories of how our work together has transformed aspects of their lives, using the philosophies I try and install when I take on a new client.  I am always trying to preach that the exercise we work with in the studio should somehow apply to the real world in order to justify actually performing them.

Last week, a client of mine returned from a vacation from California (lucky bum), but came home to find a driveway full of snow and a layer of ice under it to boot.  This person, had a history of back, hip and shoulder problems when we first met, but we've worked very hard over our time together and to hear their story of how they dealt with their situation was exciting. They told me how shoveling all that snow was nothing more than a chore, and that at no time did they suffer from the usual pain shoveling would usually cause.  That was nice to hear, but it was how they used their training and carried it over from our work at the studio to the real world that was that most gratifying part. "I thought about the squat form you taught me and kept my core engaged while using my legs and arms to lift the snow all while using my core to twist and turn" was the statement they gave me in a nutshell.  To hear that they consciously used their training and applied it to the real world is a great way to see the results and know they our work together has been a success.

Another person I've worked with for some time now had a hip replacement in May.  Hip replacement is never a fun experience, but long before the hip bones became a problem we spent a lot of time working on improving their overall daily needs to try and avoid a situation like a hip replacement.  Unfortunately the damage to the hip socket over the years forced this person to go through with the surgery, but with a combination of their previous conditioning and a month of specific pre-surgery exercises, they were in the 95th percentile of recovery after the first month and were able to begin rehab shortly after.  As you can imagine this person's recovery process was greatly improved and expedited and we are again back to work with each other performing balancing squats on the Bosu ball, working on the TRX and all the other challenges we used to work on beforehand . Not bad for 76 as I like to kid, but to hear the results from the doctor about having excellent bone density and great muscular strength, all of which led to the quick rehab process was the icing on the cake for me, not too mention seeing them back to a point where you would never know they had a replacement.

Finally, on New Year's day, I received a text from a former client of mine who, when we worked back in 2011, we were preparing for an NFL scouting day.  The process was a very long and hard experience and we accomplished a lot in the time frame we were given.  After a little time in the CFL (Canadian football league) he has moved back to the states and joined the UIFL (Ultimate Indoor Football League) I was impressed to hear that he was the rookie of the year in that league, not that I would expect any less, but it was great to hear how our experiences together have helped him and his success over the past year. Here is a highlight reel of a guy who may or may not be the person in question, but I can't say....

Stories such as these are not only uplifting, but are also a reminder as to why I entered this field.  Seven years ago I wouldn't have been able to tell you a reason other than to help people reach their goals or to train athletes, but after these and many other similar experiences I know why I do this for a living.  I may not be curing cancer or saving lives, but in my own way I feel special that I am able to help people get through their daily lives with ease and lower the risk of injury or play at another level of success.  I don't always like to brag, but when I hear enough spontaneous testimonials in a week's span I feel it's in the cards.

As always I would like to thank those who I currently work with, but also anyone in the past as well.  If not for the chance to apply these techniques and philosophies I wouldn't be where I am today so Thank You!


"A perfect Earth doesn't need a Superman" Kal-El(that would be superman to you non-nerds lol) from "Infinite Crisis"

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Pumpkin Poll Results

Not going to make an excuse here, I just flat out forgot to post the results after Thanksgiving.  The answer to the poll was 1.1 billion pounds.  Pumpkin Facts  The average poundage is compiled from just the major pumpkin growing states, which is staggering since that is only four or five states.  That is a lot of jack-o-lanterns and pies to go around.  Thanks for participating.

Happy New Year!

Greetings!

It has been a long month with the holiday and a new year is now upon us.  I hope everyone had a wonderful time with their families and friends.  As for myself, my family just went back home to Houston giving me the much needed time to finish a few posts that I have been working on before the holiday and the fam rolled into town.

I was watching a football game with the guys a while back and a few of my buddies were arguing about a players' injury and what type he had.  This conversation stuck with me not only because they were both wrong about who and how that player was injured, but I also was surprised with the fact that they did not know the difference between say a tendon and a ligament.  I then realized that this confusion is more common than I had thought so I thought it would be a good idea to make a post about some of the basic components that let the body move the way it dose and identify the differences between them.

BONE

Example of Bone Structure 

When we are infants we have some 270 bones, but as we grow certain bones fuse together and during our growth into adulthood we end up with 206.  There are four main types of bone; long, short, flat and sesamoid.   Bone not only provides the structural foundation to keep our bodies upright, it is also is responsible for the tapestry of joints, tendons and ligaments throughout the body.  Bone structure and function could easily have it's own post due to it's complex nature, but for the sake of simplicity, we will stick to the very basics.

MUSCLE

When people see this chart in my studio they can't help but take a moment and appreciate the complexity of their own body.  There is an argued upon 640-650 muscles in the body.  This is debated because when you get into the tiny muscles, it's hard to decide where one muscle ends and the next begins, in a sense. (some argue that there are even more muscles, due to origins and insertions and a true distinction of a separate muscle). Muscles provide contractions, which lead to force and locomotion for our bodies.  They're important for posture and of course body formation. Just as the bone, the muscle is so complex this post could not do it justice, but you should know that not all muscles are alike.

Skeletal Muscle

There are three muscle types: Skeletal, Smooth and Cardiac.  Skeletal are the muscles you normally think of like biceps and abs and such. Skeletal muscles are made up of many components that can be broken down like those little Russian dolls that fit into each other over and over again. (Take a look above as to how complex they are, and that is only the surface of muscle physiology) Since we can manipulate these muscles' actions they are deemed voluntary. Smooth muscle is found in the walls of organs and are involuntary because we cannot manually control them, but make no mistake they are very vital.  Finally, as you would suspect, cardiac muscle is found in the heart and is also involuntary.

JOINTS

A joint is the point where two bones meet each other with contact and provide movement. As you can see from the picture above there are many types or joints all of which have a particular movement pattern.  The major joints such as ball and socket joints in the shoulder and hips provide multiple planer movements.  Less complex joints such as hinge joints found in the elbow and knee and have fewer planer movements. Pivot joints such as in the neck allow for rotational movements. There are others as you can see above, but the three I've mentioned are the typical joints you hear about in everyday conversations.  Please note that this classification of joints is an simple method to identify them with ease as joints are also classified as; fibrous, cartilaginous and synovial.

LIGAMENT

Ligaments connect bone to other bones.  As you can imagine there are many bones in the body so there must be many ligaments as well.  The common ligaments that you hear about are those found in the knee, ACL being the most popular.

TENDON

Tendons connect muscle to bones. Tendons are like little elastic springs, which help with stability during movements and help generate force.  The Achilles tendon is probably the most common tendon you hear about.

I cannot even begin to explain how fascinating and complex the human body truly is.  As you can see each of the components discussed have a very unique and important job for everyday functions.  Although each component has it's own task, they all work as a team to provide optimal functions for the body. When one of these become injured, such as the football player I spoke of earlier, the body has a hard time completing a simple task not just because a certain tendon or ligament is damaged, but all the other components in the area are now affected because the team effort of these components has become disrupted.  The purpose of this post was to help identify the bare basics of these commonly confused structures of the body so hopefully the next time one of these structures comes up in a conversation, you will be able to discern between the classification of them.  Thanks for reading!

"Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower"- Steve Jobs

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