Friday, April 24, 2015

Heart Part 3 - Inflammation

In recent years inflammation in the body has been receiving more attention as to one of the major causes of illness in America. While some inflammation is good, like the burning, red and puffy skin you get around a cut or bruise that denotes the body is healing itself; other forms of inflammation can be deadly.
Dr. Barry Sears describes this low grade dangerous inflammation as silent inflammation as it is usually not painful and thus not easily detected.  Dr. Sears states that silent inflammation harms the body in a number of ways. Studies have shown that it destabilizes cholesterol deposits on coronary arteries, leading to heart attacks and possibly strokes.
It also drives insulin resistance that is a major factor in diabetes and weight gain and also attacks nerve cells in the brains of those predisposed to Alzheimer’s and triggers rapid cell division, causing healthy cells to turn into cancerous ones.
In his book The Anti-Inflammation Zone, Dr. Sears explains that silent inflammation is the first sign that your body is out of balance and you are no longer well. You can’t feel it, but its damaging your immune system, heart and brain.  There are three underlying hormonal changes that are linked to silent inflammation.  These conditions set the stage for chronic disease and include the hormones Pro-inflammatory eicosanoids, Insulin and Cortisol.
Each of these hormones contributes to silent inflammation when overproduced by the body.  Fortunately each can be brought back into balance following a correct diet, exercise and use of high grade Omega 3 fish oil. Anti-inflammatory eicosanoids (the good ones) come from eating a diet rich in long-chain omega 3 fatty acids found in fish while limiting omega-6 fatty acids found in vegetable oils.
Insulin is the storage hormone that drives nutrients to the cells.  It is vital for your survival since it allows cells to either store nutrients or immediately use them for energy.  If we eat a diet rich in omega 6- fatty acids, simple carbs and sugars with no or minimal exercise, our cells are full and the insulin turns those sources to fat.  Excess insulin is also a major cause for increasing silent inflammation.  Controlling insulin is essential if you want to reverse silent inflammation and move toward a state of wellness.
Cortisol is the third hormone that affects silent inflammation.  When your body is in a constant state of silent inflammation, it reacts by having your adrenal glands pump out high amounts of cortisol, the primary anti-inflammatory hormone you have to slow down excel inflammation.
While there are various tests you can take that will test your level of silent inflammation, Dr. Sears’s notes that your triglycerides (TG) divided by your good (HDL) cholesterol is the ratio to use.  The TG/HDL ratio will tell you if you have what is called metabolic syndrome, which is caused by insulin resistance.  Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of chronic conditions (obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension) that are related to insulin levels caused by insulin resistance.

The higher the TG/HDL ratio, the higher your insulin levels and the more silent inflammation you may be generating.  A ratio greater than 2, however, does indicate you have high inflammation. The lower your TG/HDL ratio is, the greater your protection against heart disease.
This protection comes from having a high percentage of nonatherogenic (friendly) LD particles in the bloodstream.  Silent inflammation causes the arteries to become rough and when you have predominately small LDL particles they can easily become oxidized and stick to the artery walls, thus a major cause of heart disease.
Next week I will look at ways to reduce silent inflammation and reduce your risk for chronic diseases.

 HERE’S TO BEING FIT FOR LIFE! Chris is a Certified Personal Trainer, USA Triathlon Level 1 Coach, Group Exercise Instructor, exercise and endurance enthusiast.  He competes yearly in numerous running races, marathons, ultra marathons, triathlons and other endurance events.  He is a member of the 2015 QT2 Systems Advanced Team.

Friday, April 17, 2015

The Heart Part Two - The Most Important Pump On Earth

An ironic paradox today is the fact that heart disease is the number one killer in the United States and while it is a vital organ we need it to live a productive life and experience longevity.  What’s even more disturbing is the majority of cases of heart disease and related deaths are self-induced by poor diet and exercise practices.
Check out these amazing facts about your heart and circulatory system provided by The Cleveland Clinic:
The heart beats about 100,000 times each day

In a 70-year lifetime, the average human heart beats more than 2.5 billion times
Your system of blood vessels -- arteries, veins and capillaries -- is over 60,000 miles long. That's long enough to go around the world more than twice!
The adult heart pumps about 5 quarts of blood each minute - approximately 2,000 gallons of blood each day - throughout the body.
Blood is about 78 percent water.
Blood takes about 20 seconds to circulate throughout the entire vascular system

So what causes heart disease? There is no one right answer to that question but in recent year’s cholesterol has been tagged as the major cause of heart disease.  According to Dr. Barry Sears in The Anti-Inflammation Zone, many cases of heart disease are rooted in what he calls chronic “silent” inflammation that can negatively affect the entire body without the individual being aware. 
One of the great physicians of the nineteenth century was Rudolf Virchow.  Nearly 150 years ago he stated that atherosclerosis in an inflammatory disease based on his observations of autopsies of the very rare number of people who actually died from heart disease.
At the turn of the century, according to Dr, Sears, the greatest physician in America was Sir William Osler.  Osler was the author of a classic textbook on medicine and when asked why he didn't include a chapter on heart disease, he replied that the disease is so rare that most physicians would never see it! Today it’s the number one killer in America.
So why the increase in heart disease related illness?  According to Sears, while cholesterol plays a role in heart disease, it is not the catalyst.  His view is the major issue with most research is cause vs. correlation. While you may have correlation between something in the blood and heart disease, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the same clinical marker is the actual cause of heart disease.
This is analogous to a correlation by being struck by lightning and the phase of the moon. However this does not mean that the phase of the moon caused you to get struck by lightning.
Dr. Sears’s states there are over 200 risk factors that are associated with heart disease.  His assertion is that silent inflammation in the body and circulatory system in particular is a major factor in heat disease. Next week I will share Dr. Sears’s thoughts on how silent inflammation negatively affects many aspects of our health including heart disease.


HERE’S TO BEING FIT FOR LIFE! Chris is a Certified Personal Trainer, USA Triathlon Level 1 Coach, Group Exercise Instructor, exercise and endurance enthusiast.  He competes yearly in numerous running races, marathons, ultra marathons, triathlons and other endurance events.  He is a member of the 2015 QT2 Systems Advanced Team.

Thursday, April 9, 2015

Heart Part 1

Someone once said life is not about how many breaths you take but about how many times your breath is taken away!  While this comment was encapsulated in a conversation about living life to its fullest, it can have a more literal meaning as well.
While having your breath taken away can be a good thing, it can certainly be a bad thing if you have poor health and die prematurely from living a life that may be fun, but void of good health and longevity. I recently had a “breathless” experience of my own, one I won’t soon forget.
My father died suddenly of heart attack at age 47.  He was not in great shape having gained 40 pounds and diagnosed with high cholesterol. Dad was never one to exercise but did work on his diet, unfortunately not soon enough. 
Having just turned 49 and having a beautiful family I adore, I wanted to take even better control of my health so I decided it was time to see a cardiologist. Being an endurance athlete I get plenty of exercise and my diet is good, I still wanted to get a “check-up” on my heart health and make sure the plan I am on will provide me the best opportunity for good health and longevity.  With the appointment set, I was on my way to meet my cardiologist.
One never knows for sure what to expect when going to a doctor’s office for the first time and I certainly wasn't prepared mentally for what I experienced.  The waiting area had over 100 patients, all of whom were experiencing some severe level of ill health from heart disease.
While I certainly wasn't the oldest, I wasn't the youngest either and the picture of ill health shook me to my core! It was frightening and sad to see so many people suffering from some form of heart disease and confirmed my resolve to make sure I keep to a plan that would keep me as far away from the cardiologist’s office as possible.
According to the Center for Disease Control, the number one cause of death in the United States is heart disease.  Approximately 610,000 people die of heart disease in the United Stated every year which is 1 in every 4 deaths. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women and every year over 735,000 Americans have a heart attack.
Add the rapid increase in adult onset Type 2 diabetes, the health of the American population has dramatically worsened in the last 100 years, making us one of the “sickest” nations on the planet. In 1900 heart disease was only the number four killer and a few years prior to that it was not in the top ten causes of death. So why the large increase in deaths associated with heart disease?
In my next column I will discuss the history of the rise in heart disease in America.



HERE’S TO BEING FIT FOR LIFE! Chris is a Certified Personal Trainer, USA Triathlon Level 1 Coach, Group Exercise Instructor, exercise and endurance enthusiast.  He competes yearly in numerous running races, marathons, ultra marathons, triathlons and other endurance events.  He is a member of the 2015 QT2 Systems Advanced Team.

Friday, April 3, 2015

Breathless

To perform at the highest potential in your sport, the majority of your time needs to be spent practicing that sport.  If you want to be a 3:30 marathon runner, then the majority of your time needs to be spent practicing the specifics of running. In the case of training for a marathon you would include a series of long runs, short runs, fast runs, speed work and so forth.
For triathletes this dynamic changes a bit in that there are three sports that one has to practice in the swim, bike and run.  Keeping to the concept of specificity, the largest part of a triathlon is the bike, followed by the run and the swim.  Thus the majority of triathlon training will be focused on the bike followed by the run then the swim.
One of the benefits of triathlon training is the natural cross-training that is the product of training for three sports.  Getting in several swim, bike and run sessions each week can be a challenge. At the same time the change of pace and benefits of utilizing the muscular and cardio systems differently will have a positive impact on performance and recovery while voiding mental staleness.
When I work with athletes that are training for one specific sport such as endurance running or bicycle racing, I often encourage them to consider a cross-training program to supplement their base training.  The body responds differently to different stimuli with the end result making one more effective and efficient in their sport of choice.
One of the best cross-training activities I recommend is swimming.  Swimming has minimal impact on joints and muscles and can be added as a second workout to most days and serve as an excellent recovery activity.  Another benefit is the excellent cardio workout it provides if done correctly.  I have found that when I work on speed in the pool, the rhythmic nature of the breathing required has dramatically helped improve my running and cycling fitness.
One area that most people struggle with in swimming is establishing quick hand turn over to generate enough speed to experience cardio fitness. Water is relaxing and it’s easy to fall into a nice and easy swim stroke that is comfortable but not taxing the system.
One of the best workouts to improve arm turnover and learn to be comfortable pushing the pace in the water is the Hypoxic Drill Set. The set is 2000 yards in total taking one breath every two strokes per 100 yards, then one breath every 4 strokes per 100 yards escalating to a ten to one ratio.  The improvement in arm turn over comes from the need to get a breath.  Do this 1800 yard set with no resting, ending your session with a 200 yard cool down of your choice.


HERE’S TO BEING FIT FOR LIFE! Chris is a Certified Personal Trainer, USA Triathlon Level 1 Coach, Group Exercise Instructor, exercise and endurance enthusiast.  He competes yearly in numerous running races, marathons, ultra marathons, triathlons and other endurance events.  He is a member of the 2015 QT2 Systems Advanced Team.