there is no finish line...enjoy the ride...

It's OK to be OVERWEIGHT, just don't be a little too THIN

I watched the finale of the reality show, “The Biggest Loser” a few days ago.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with this program; the basis of the show is to select approximately a dozen participants who are morbidly obese and submit them to an intense program that involves diet and extreme workouts coached by celebrity trainers that yell and scream , often bringing the participants to tears when these extremely overweight individuals stuggle through their workouts (I guess it's good for ratings).  After each week, the person with the lowest weekly weight loss is kicked off the show.

This blog post isn’t to discuss the program’s training methods that most professional trainers find to be highly questionable, but the reaction directed towards the young women that won the $250,000 and the title of being the “Biggest Loser”.  Rachel Frederickson who used to be a national class swimmer started the show, (which runs over a number of months), at an extremely unhealthy 260lbs and finished at an incredible 105lbs, an astonishing weight loss of 60% of her original body weight! 

As I mention above, the extreme methods employed by the show’s trainers to get these people to lose this incredible amount of weight in such a short period is highly questionable.  That being said, the social media network lit up like a Christmas tree immediately after Rachel lost the highest percentage of her original weight (which, let’s not forget is the objective of the show), and was severely critical of the 24 year old for being too thin and appearing unhealthy.  I find this criticism is a direct reflection of how “health illiterate” North Americans have become. 

When Rachel first weighed in at the beginning of the show’s season, she was 116lbs overweight with a morbidly obese BMI of 44.6!  When she finished, she had a BMI of 18.0, which is 0.5 underweight, or 3lbs for her 5'4" height.  Currently in North America (Canadians and Americans), there are 245,000,000 citizens that are either overweight or obese.  I found the outrage over this young women’s final weight disturbing.  When was the last time you saw this kind of outrage directed towards anyone that is just 3lbs overweight?  NEVER!

I find there’s a double standard when it comes to weight.  I coached a guy who was an obese 245lbs by changing his diet and trained him to compete in the grueling 200km Etape de Tour bike race in France. After 10 months of healthy eating and a daily structured cycling program, he successfully completed the race and weighed a healthy 165lbs (a loss of 80 pounds of fat). His only complaint is how many of his friends and family feel compelled to tell him how unhealthy he looks, even though he’s the healthiest and fittest he’s ever been.  And that no one ever told him he looked unhealthy when he was obese.

Before

After

It seems thin people are open game and criticized for being thin, even though they sport a healthy weight.  I also experienced this phenomenon last year when I was in training for Haute Route (7 day stage race from Geneva to Nice through the French Alps).  I monitored my weight, body fat and lean muscle mass regularly to ensure I never jeopardized my health.  But that didn’t stop people from telling me that I looked unhealthy, even though I was in the best condition of my life.  By comparison, it’s socially unacceptable to show concern and point out that someone is overweight or obese.

The health consequences associated with the overweight and obesity epidemic are well documented and understood, and it's cripling our healthcare system.  If only we had a general population consisting of people that were only 3lbs underweight; we wouldn’t have many of the health problems and costs associated with Type 2 Diabetes, Heart Disease, Joint Degeneration, Workplace Productivity, Cancer and many more health issues.   In fact, studies have indicated that people that are slightly underweight live longer and healthier lives when compared to their normal weight, overweight and obese counterparts.

I think this unwarranted criticism of Ms. Frederickson is the result of a general population that can no longer recognize what healthy looks like, and when they see a person that’s healthy thin, they immediately associate them with some kind of unhealthy eating disorder.  Instead of ostracizing this young woman for being 3lbs underweight, I’d like to see people with weight issues focus their attention and energy on themselves byeating a healthy diet and being more active.

Enjoy the Ride….Rob

What's your "BHAG" that will keep you active?

I have to be honest; I’m having a little trouble finding my motivation this year as I switch from off season maintenance training to hard core preparation for the upcoming cycling season.  The problem is I don’t have a BHAG (I’ll explain that in a minute).  Sure, I still work out every day; this will never change, but something is missing.  I even have a new bike with a power meter that’s introducing me to a whole new way of training that I’m sure will improve my performance.  But I’m having trouble “amp-ing” up the emotional side of my training.  Unlike last year I don’t have the same “fire-in-the-belly” kind of motivation, because I don’t have what Jim Collins, the author of “Built to Last”, calls a “Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG)”.  This time last year I was well into training and preparing for the world’s hardest amateur bike race, Haute Route.  Just thinking about Haute Route scared the hell out of me and there’s nothing like a little fear to motivate a person, or in my case, a lot of fear.

In his book, Mr Collins defines a BHAG,as, “a strategic goal which is created to focus an organization (or individual) on a single medium-long term goal which is audacious, likely to be externally questionable, but not internally regarded as impossible”.  In the world of amateur cycling, I can’t think of anything that can focus one’s attention more than the thought of competing against 600 of the world’s best amateur cyclists, over 800 km+ in 7 days through the French Alps, with over 20,000 meters (70,000 feet) of climbing.  Haute Route surely qualified as my BHAG for 2013 and short of doing it again this year; there’s a big void to fill.

I often suggest to people that are new to exercise or adopting new lifelong healthy habits, that in the absence of tangible, measurable goals that align with a larger purpose, they’re more likely to quit and fall back into their old habits.  And goals that are beyond a person’s reach today, but achievable if they really apply themselves are even better.  For example, I signed up to my first Ironman when I could barely swim.  Again, FEAR of failure is a great motivator. 

I coached a guy a few years ago who was 75lbs overweight.  Instead of setting a goal to lose this excess weight like they do on the popular TV reality show the “Biggest Loser”, we focused on 9 months of preparing for the Chicago Marathon.  His diet and training supported a tangible and measurable goal that wasn’t rooted in vanity.  The inevitable, “set-in-stone” start date of the Chicago Marathon wasn’t going to change; it didn’t care what he weighed, or how he looked, it only cares that he focus on the right stuff in preparation, because if he didn’t, it would chew him up and spit him out.  I also suggested that he tell as many of his friends and family about his audacious goal and Facebook was great vehicle for this.  Not only did it make it impossible to back out, especially after telling so many people, but he also received amazing support.  He shared his 9 month journey from obesity to good health with regular updates and I’m sure he inspired a few people along the way.  Not only did he successfully complete the marathon, he dropped his weight from 245lbs to 168lbs and more importantly, he sets an annual BHAG to keep him committed to his health.

Only 8% of people stick to their health related New Year’s Resolutions and I myself fall into this small category.  In 1979, I decided to lose the extra 35lbs I gained while living a sedentary lifestyle during my time at college and the first couple years of working.  I didn’t exercise at all, and my diet consisted primarily of pizza and McDonalds.  It was also at this time that my mother was dying of cancer, so I made a New Year’s Resolution to make my health a lifelong priority and my first BHAG was to run the Toronto Eaton’s 10K road race in May of that year (only 5 months away), in under 40 minutes.  I hadn’t run a single step since my high school track days, so to just finish a 10k race was a stretch.  Instead of setting a goal of simply losing the extra fat I packed on over those years, I set a tangible target that required planning, training and commitment.  The muscle soreness and fatigue I felt after running my first mile of training on January 1st was probably my greatest motivator.  The more I ran, the better I felt and the better my diet became, as I realized how interconnected exercise and diet were.  And even though I wasn’t focused on my weight, it seemed to just take care of itself, as I went from 195lbs to 150lbs in 5 months.  So by the time May rolled around, I not only lost 45lbs, but I also ran the 10K race in 36:45 and placed 51^st out of 10,000+ participants.  Ever since then, I’ve been setting annual goals (like riding from Toronto to Ft Lauderdale Florida in 1982) that supported my lifelong commitment to health (my purpose).

Motivation comes from many places, for example, I love reading about, or meeting people that set BHAG’s for themselves and it’s all the more impressive when these people are in their 80’s, 90’s or older, and are engaged in activities generally considered unnatural for their peer group.  In this blog, I often speak about my own father, who’s run the equivalent of 2.5 times around the planet since he started running at the age of 59, and now in his 89^th year he still does his daily 5km - 10km walk/jog; or 86 year old Link Lindquisty who I met this past summer in the South of France, who’s the oldest human to cycled up and down all three sides of the infamous Mt. Ventoux in a single day, and he has his sights set on running the Western States 100 mile race when he turns 100 (how’s that for setting a huge BHAG).

But the star of motivation has to be Frenchman, Robert Marchand who two years ago set the world 1 hour cycling record (24.251 km) and 100km (4h 17m) for a human over 100.  And if that wasn’t enough, Mr Marchand is at it again in an attempt to break his own world record at the amazing age of 102!  (Read his amazing full story below).

So find whatever motivates you to get your ass off the couch and live a healthy and active lifestyle and the following 4 tips will help get going and keep you going:

1. Set a goal that’s measurable and is aligned with a greater purpose (it’s too easy to quit without purpose)
2. Set goals that scare you a little, (or even a lot).  Plan to do something you’ve never done before, or is above your present level requireing preparation, commitment and resolve,
3. Tell everyone you know, or meet about your goal and be an inspiration for someone else; positive energy is contagious,
4. And most of all…..Enjoy the Ride

Rob  

Marchand to make new hour record attempt at 102 years of age

Frenchman continues to inspire and to astound scientists

 

After previously setting marks for the hour record and 100 kilometres at over 100 years of age, French inspiration Robert Marchand is at it again; now almost 102 years old, he is planning to once again extend his hour record mark.

On February 17th of last year he travelled to the World Cycling Centre is Aigle, Switzerland, and rode 24.251 kilometres in an hour. He had been instructed beforehand by doctors not to exceed 110 beats per minute, and so rode within himself to go at that speed.

“I’m not playing at being a champion,” he said then. “I just wanted to do something for my 100th birthday.”

On September 28th he was at it again, heading to the Parc de la Tête d’Or Velodrome in Lyon and riding 300 laps. He covered the 100 kilometre distance in four hours 17 minutes 27 seconds, again setting a new standard.

Once again, he showed modesty about the achievement. “I feel like a guy who is a hundred years old, I feel good. I’m an ordinary guy,” he said then. “I rode a bike for 52 years, it is not new today.”

Now he wants to try the hour record once more, with INSERM [Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, or National Institute of Health and Medical Research – ed.] professor Véronique Billat announcing the bid today.

“We prepare Robert Marchand for the world record of an hour above 25 km/h in January he will be 102 yrs old,” she wrote on Twitter. “He improved his VO2max (35) and his maximal power by 10% by the strength component, especially 2.65 w/kg of full body mass with 13% fat mass.”

Marchand’s birthday takes place this month and he’s continuing to push the limits for his age.

He trains regularly, lives alone, is self-sufficient and continues to drive. He is just five feet tall (1m52), but is in superb health.

Born in 1911, Marchand started cycling at 14 years of age, then later left France and lived in Canada and Venezuela. He worked as a fireman, market gardener, show salesman and wine dealer, and competed as an amateur boxer. He returned to cycling in 1978 at 67 years of age, building up the distances and training with riders who were far younger than he was.

He finally retired from work at 89 years of age and around that time rode the Bordeaux-Paris event. He covered the 600 kilometres in 36 hours. More recently, he’s limited the distance, although he still does a considerable amount. “For the last five years I have decided not to go for rides of more than 100km,” he said in February of last year, when he lay down an age-related hour record of 24.251 kilometres.

“There is no point going overboard. I want to keep cycling for some time yet.”

Prior to setting his 100 kilometre age record last September, he was asked if he would use any performance-enhancing substances during his attempt. “The only doping for me is water with a spoonful of honey that I put in my canteen [water bottle] - that's it,” he answered then, before joking, “if I was doping, though, maybe I could hit 35 km/h.”

He explained his key to life, and fitness. “I am lucky that I haven’t had any major health problems. My advice to anyone, young or old, is to keep moving. I do ‘physical culture’ every day. It works out my whole body and keeps me supple.

“Some people when they reach 80 years old, start playing cards and they stay immobile. Not me. I’ve never been able to keep still…”

Marchand’s extraordinary physical shape has captivated the attention of many, not least the scientists at the Inserm public research institute. They study him every three months, and are impressed by what they see.

“They told me I had the constitution of a 55-year-old man, they think it's genetic,” he told Reuters last year. “I have never deprived myself of anything: not wine, not food, not women, but always with moderation.”

 

Random Thoughts…for a Boxing Day

After enjoying a great Christmas with our daughter Nicole and her boyfriend Michael who both travelled from London England this year to be with us in Calgary for the Holiday Season, I just thought I’d share a few random thoughts on this Boxing Day that I often speak to when asked about health and fitness.  So here goes, in no particular order, enjoy:

• It's really about being fit for life. Think about your body like a car. Once you park a car for a while, it may be harder to start, or maybe it will never start again. But if you just keep driving it, it'll probably keep going. Your body likes to be driven.  My father who’s 88, walk/jogs every morning because he says as long as he’s moving, he’s living.  And my friend Link Lindquisty, who’s the oldest person to climb all three sides of Mt Ventoux in one day (at the age of 85), plans on running the Western States 100 mile race when he turns 100!  He only has 15 years to go, and every day he asks himself if what he does on that day will contribute to his goal.

• You want fitness that you can actually use. Why do any exercise without a purpose?  People that hit the gym with no purpose usually give up on their program, especially at this time of year when the “New Year’s Resolution” group shows up.  If you’re going to commit to an exercise program, do it with purpose.  For example, when I’m in my gym, the purpose is to do exercises that improve my cycling.  So if you’re going to get fit, have a reason why you’re making such a commitment and do it in support of something you love.  Chances are you’ll stick to your program.

• You are what you eat.  If you eat and drink garbage, don’t be surprised if you perform like garbage.
• Vacations aren’t a time to break from your good habits.  It’s an opportunity to get into an even better routine. During my personal time off this year, I raced two Gran Fondos, competed in the toughest amateur cycling event in the world, rode up Mt Ventoux 3 times in 4 days and still enjoyed the South of France with my wife.  This may be considered extreme by many, but so often I see people neglect, or in some cases abuse their bodies as soon as they go on vacation.  Refer to point #1.

• How to rest.  This is something I'm still trying to do better. Going full steam all the time is not always the most productive approach to achieve or maintain good fitness because you're always trying to catch-up with recovery.
• You have to do different stuff.  When you reach a certain level in any sport, you become so efficient the effort level really diminishes. Your body has adapted.  For example, I recently introduced Rebounding into my exercise program as it helps my power output and core development for cycling, in addition to maintaining healthy bone density because it provides a non-impact, load-bearing activity.
• Above everything, sleep. I’ve made this a New Year’s Resolution three times in the past five years and I still get too little.  It’s on my list again for this year.  We all need around 8 hours, ‘nuff said.
• I know people that eat healthier than me, and if they don't get their sprouted bread, they nearly go into a seizure.  By comparison, I can eat “Pulled Pork and Sweet Potato Fries” at my local pub once in a while and it won't put me into toxic shock. It's like if a car is too high-performance, like a Bugatti Veyron that can only operate on 100 Octane.  I’d rather be the BMW, because if you fill it with regular gas once in a while, it may cough and burp a little, but it's still gonna keep running.
• Chew your food more. That'll probably do more for your ability to absorb nutrients from your food than just about anything.
• It's always more enjoyable to train with other people. It's more stimulating, and it will also push you because you have accountability.  My step-brother, Gerry Patterson and I competed in Haute Route last summer and although we never said it directly to each other, we had our own little battle going on, where we pushed each other harder than if we were riding by ourselves.  You don’t want to be the guy that said, “This hurts too much, so I’m just going to take it easy now”.

• Fear is an unbelievable motivator.  Once you understand as a motivator, you can use fear to your benefit.  Nothing struck more fear into me this year than making the commitment to compete in Haute Route.  Its reputation for being the hardest amateur cycling event in the world motivated every participant to train with a heightened sense of purpose and commitment.  Find a goal that scares the hell out of you and watch how focused you become.

• And if you aren't able to be scared, you’ve probably never pushed yourself past what you thought was possible.

• We are our own greatest inhibitors. People don't want to do new things if they think there’s a chance that they’re not going to be good or someone is going to laugh at them. You have to be willing to subject yourself to failure, (fall off the bike and get back on), and try stuff that you've never done in order to be the best you can be.
• Schedule your training, you owe it to yourself.  If your health and fitness is a life-long priority you’ll make it happen, otherwise, you’ll just make excuses.   
• And finally, if you're still doing it, you’ve won already!

Enjoy the Ride….Rob

10 Ways to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

Ok, I have to come clean here and tell you that I have the world’s sweatest tooth and it’s at this time of year all my will power flies out the window and I really struggle with avoiding all my favorite Christmas treats my wife makes.  Thank goodness I never give up my training program and I make exercise a high priority at this time of year.

I’m not sure why it happens; it could be that we get caught up in the sparkling lights, the pretty snow, the shopping frenzy and the fun of the holiday season. But, suddenly you may find that managing your weight and sticking to your exercise program easily slides down to the bottom of your priorities. After all, sampling sweet treats and browsing for the perfect gift can easily distract you from the treadmill.

With a little bit of planning, you can move more in December and keep those extra pounds for Santa. So watch the ball drop on December 31 and know you don’t have to spend the rest of the year undoing the damage you did this month...with these tips.

Be careful of liquid calories - Holidays are notorious for tempting us with drinks we wouldn’t normally consume. Alcohol is a poison to the human body and offers no nutrients, just empty calories! Eggnog coffee drinks with whipped cream, hot toddies, and spiced rum can have as many calories as a personal pan pizza! Opt instead for sparkling water with a splash of fruit juice of your choice.

Focus on socializing, not food and alcohol - Go to the party to socialize, not just eat and drink. Use your energy making memorable conversation rather than focusing on food and drink. 'Tis the season for friends and family after all, and conversation is calorie free!

Get moving - Food isn’t the only enemy, lack of activity is also the problem. Remember calories in versus calories out. I’ll watch some of my holiday favorite TV shows while riding my bike on the indoor trainer instead of sitting for hours on my butt. Also, instead of looking for the perfect parking spot near the front door, park farther away at the mall and take the stairs with your packages. Better yet, get your workout done in the morning instead of being derailed by evening holiday hoopla.

Select healthy first - Really stick to consuming your eight fruits and vegetables each day—keeping nourished with healthy food helps avoid those excess sugar highs and energy lows that can make you tired and depressed.

Try the one-a-day program - Limit yourself to one indulgence per day. Don’t deprive yourself of all sugar for three days so you can pig out at the company holiday party. Be moderate in your thought process: one cookie, one candy, one eggnog, not one of everything all at once.

Control the risk for temptation - Don’t walk through the break room at work 10 times a day when you know it’s filled with treats and candies brought in by fellow workers. My wife sets all her Christmas treats on the coffee table just staring at me. Don’t place treats on your kitchen counter or on the coffee table where the temptation is too great. Know yourself and your weaknesses so you can more easily avoid them.  Because if you’re anything like me, you can’t just eat one.

Never go to a party hungry - One of the worst things you can do is starve yourself before a holiday party in a misguided effort to save up your calories. The hungrier you are, the less capable you are of staying in control. Avoid the grazing mentality at parties: take a plate and fill it only once with appetizers. Don’t keep going back for seconds and thirds.

Exercise in small bursts - Break up your exercise throughout the day to reach a minimum of 60 minutes per day. Try two 15-minute walks with a 30-minute shopping outing with some extra lifts of those packages you're carrying.

Escape the couch - Step away from the living room, and invite family and friends to get active. Choose gifts that encourage venturing outdoors, such as sleds, skates, or snowshoes. Get out and power walk to see the neighborhood holiday lights. If you must sit to watch a favorite show, get the whole family to do something active during each commercial break like jogging on the spot, or jumping jacks.  Do something that will elevate your heart rate without breaking into a full-on sweat.

Set your own limits - Many times we eat foods or have seconds just to please the hostess or cook. Politely say “No thank you. Everything looks delicious, but I think I’ve reached my limit!”

I’m the first to admit that this time of year is tough to manage because of all the unhealthy temptations that surround us, but remember, if you like most people, ½ of the weight your gain over this holiday season, will be with you for the rest of your life. Enjoy your family and friends while giving the cold shoulder to the unhealthy temptations.  Trust me; they have no feelings to offend.

Enjoy the Holidays….and Enjoy the Ride…..Rob

 

Are the nurtition "experts" confusing you?

I just returned from close to a month in France.  The first part of my trip was to participate in the grueling Haute Route bike race.  This is a 7 day stage race from Geneva to Nice France, covering over 800km through the French Alps, climbing over 21,000 meters or 70,000 feet of grueling mountains passes every day at my maximum race pace effort. It was undeniably the hardest endurance event I’ve ever competed in and it certainly lived up to its reputation as being, “the Highest and Hardest” cycling sportive in the world.

Approximately 600 participants competed in Haute Route and for one week I lived in a “cycling bubble”.  Imagine if you will an environment where every person is keenly aware of their personal health and fitness level (I was even comfortable wearing compression socks in public). This obviously contrasts to the everyday world we live in, where the typical North American’s personal health and wellness is not a priority, that is unless they have an illness or disease.

Outside the Haute Route cycling bubble, which consists of very thin cyclists that take their health and fitness to a scientific level, was the everyday person who cheered alone the roadside as 600 of us passed through their villages or towns.  It’s these people that caught my attention, because they represent the general population by which I can draw comparisons to what I observe here in North America. 

After finishing Haute Route, my wife and I spent the next few weeks in the Provence region of France, starting in Nice where we observed and enjoyed a very different lifestyle compared to what we’re accustomed to in Calgary, or our other home in Arizona. 

It seemed we could find any number of close-by markets where fresh locally grown food was always available. 

We also spent two wonderful days with a good cycling friend and his family and were treated to meals that were fresh, healthy, sourced locally, and very typical of the French lifestyle. 

By contrast, when I returned home, I found myself steering my oversized grocery cart through my local supersized grocery store, selecting produce that was probably aged artifically under ultraviolet lights, while  surrounded by oversized people stuffing their oversized carts for what appeared to be a month’s worth of processed junk food and supersized soft drinks. 

My general observation is that, “North Americans are obsessed with size and equate ‘more’ with better value”.  This thinking manifests itself in our supermarkets, restaurants, home appliances, highways, real estate etc. We drive oversized minivans and sport utility vehicles; we rip into potato chips bags the size of garbage bags, we drink soft drinks from bathtub-sized containers and wedge our steroid fed Thanksgiving turkeys into oversized refrigerators that have more room than most European cars.

The fact that we weigh too much because we eat too much on a regular basis may be obvious to some, but I’m starting to see a disturbing trend of pseudo-science that’s distracting us from the real causes behind our unhealthy size.  Study after study are looking at fringe reasons why over 65% of us are either overweight or obese and are focusing on the edges of the problem instead of the flabby core.  It seems like we’re focusing on the less daunting issues that distract us from the one that’s most difficult to change, which is the sheer volume of food our “larger is better” culture accepts and now believes is normal.

In the past two weeks since returning from France, I’ve read stories or blog posts that describe research exploring the effects of a proper breakfast on weight loss; the implications of gut bacteria on a person’s tendency to be fat; the impact that sleep deprivation on dietary cravings; the possibility of strenuous exercise as an appetite suppressant (I can attest this isn’t true after observing how much food we ate after strenuous daily racing during Haute Route); and the unhealthy food choices a person will make when their favorite sport team loses the game.  I even read an article that experts have now drawn a parallel between air-conditioning and obesity. 

Like the trillion dollar business seeking a cure for cancer, obesity has become full-time employment for scientists, physicians, nutritionists, and professors, who are funded to look for every obscure reason why we’re so fat. What’s upsetting is that these experts have done little in the way of providing clarity; in fact they have done more to confuse the general public than help. We’ve been told that snacking is good for us and that it’s not; that fruits and veggies will save the day and that they won’t; that more exercise means fewer pounds and that it makes little to no difference. Their approach to the weight issue is like a doctor stitching a cut finger on a severed arm; they're focusing on the cursory problems when the larger issue is staring them in the face.  There’s no one standing at my door offering a million dollar research grant, but what I’ve advised the people I’ve coached has yielded positive and lasting results more consistent than anything the experts are advising and it’s largely because I keep it simple and focus on the obvious problem.  

Back to Europe for a moment. I’ve been there a number of times over the past few years and from my observation, I know they’re generally thinner and healthier than North Americas.  I also know they walk more, and they eat more locally grown foods, but these factors alone don’t make the difference in body size or health when compared to North Americas.  The reason for the difference is because they don’t celebrate huge portions the way we do.  They can’t comprehend the sheer volume of food we eat over here. For example, my friend in France said the French don’t understand the concept of the “Doggie-Bag” (you know, for that time when we just can’t shovel anymore food in our faces, so we take whatever’s leftover home and eat it later).  He said it would be very difficult to move his family back to the United States, where he's originally from, largely because of the lifestyle differences, which includes the unhealthy eating practices of North Americans. Note the healthy portion size on "Mrs. No-Finish-Line's" plate (Eggplant, Rice and Pork Tenderloin, served with a wonderful bottle of local rosé wine).

When the typical North American thinks of value; 7-11’s Super Big Gulp, Coca Cola’s economy pack, KFC’s party size, Papa John’s two-for-one pizza, the Whopper, the Double Whopper, the Triple Whopper, Costco in all its bloated grandeur all come to mind. With restaurants that serve obscene volumes of food and are celebrated on shows like “Man vs. Food”, we’ve been taught that quantity, not quality, equals good value and it’s established a dangerous baseline for what we consider to be a sane and acceptable amount of food. 

While preparing for Haute Route, part of my training objective was to reach and maintain an optimal race weight.  I often think cyclists are more pre-occupied with weight than international super models.  Although for a cyclist, carrying an unnecessary 5 to 10 lbs over 70,000 feet of mountain climbs, as I did in Haute Route can be the difference between racing well and just surviving.  For me, this meant I had to lose around 10lbs to 15lbs, which doesn’t sound like much, but when you’re already thin, losing 10 to 15 pounds requires extra attention to not only what I ate, but how much of it I consumed.  During the 7 months leading up to Haute Route, I dropped my weight from 167lbs to 153lbs.  Actually, I gained 4lbs of muscle during this time and lost 18lbs of body fat for a net weight loss of 14 pounds (6.36 kg) and still managed to maintain a very healthy 7.8% bodyfat.  I achieved this simply by paying particular attention to my food portions in addition to my food quality.  After getting over my habit of eating more than I really needed, I was surprised how easy it was to eat smaller, healthier portions and still not feel hungry.  And the surprising and unexpected benefit was how much more I enjoyed the food I ate. 

So my advice if you’re seeking a healthy body size is to ignore the cursory pseudo-science that’s confusing our lifestyle choices, especially when it comes to food and simply learn what a healthy portion is and eat accordingly.  Remember, when it comes to food, “less is more”.   

Enjoy the Ride....Rob

 

Are you a Tony Soprano?

When I speak with people about the risks of an unhealthy lifestyle, quite often I’m presented with the argument that their uncle weighs 250lbs, drinks 4 shots of bourbon and smoke a pack of unfiltered cigarettes a day....and he’s 95 years old and still kicking up a storm.  We’ve all heard this story.  So, their uncle or aunt that is the exception to the evidence is what they hang their future health outcome on.  The exception to all clinical and scientific research is their excuse for being obese and living an unhealthy lifestyle. 

It was with sadness on a couple levels when I heard of the premature death of James Gandolfini.  First, I was sad because I really liked him as an actor, especially as his character, Tony Soprano. He will be missed on both the big and small screens.  And second, I was sad that he ignored all the research and science that indicated his lifestyle was directing him to an early grave.  Gandolfini was obese at a weight of 300lbs when he died at the age of 51and even though this is considered a young age these days, it didn’t surprise me that he died of heart attack.

And just like the person that hangs onto someone they know that lives a long life in spite of their poor lifestyle choices as how they model their own lifestyle, let’s remember that James Gandolfini represents the vast majority; those hundreds of thousands of people that die every year of heart disease, or some other chronic disease.  Dr. Oz was on CNN the other evening and was asked to comment on the death of Mr. Gandolfini and he said, “1/3 may have been genetics, but for sure, 2/3 or more, of what contributed to his death was of his own doing”.

I also thought it was interesting that on the day I heard about Mr Gandolfini’s death, the American Medical Association voted to classify obesity as a disease.  So instead of saying “you’re obese”, now you can say, “I have obesity”.  I wonder if this subtle difference in classification would have benefited Mr Gandolfini and the 100’s of millions of North Americans that are obese.  In Mr Gandolfini’s case, I don’t think it would have changed much as he often said he liked the feeling of being large and didn’t like losing weight for certain roles he played.

I have little doubt the decision to classify obesity as an illness will draw more medical and public attention, which I think is positive, but was it really the right thing to do.  Like any other form of illness, the public looks to our medical community for the treatment.  And in most cases, illnesses are treated with some kind of pharmaceutical solution and never really cured. Will all the obese people now take this change in classification and simply look to their doctor for some pill to fix them up?  As with many chromic diseases brought on by poor lifestyle choices, will the overweight and obese  take even less responsibility for their condition?  It’s not like it’s a mystery how they got that way.  Just look at what large people purchase at the grocery store and you’ll see the answer.

Unlike people that are ill and suffering from cancer, diabetes, mental illness, etc.; someone who’s obese may not actually be clinically ill.  So how will being told, “You have obesity” help these people in their fight against their size and self image. Will they retreat further and become more self conscience of their condition, which would be equally destructive.

I read a while back that our medical community is ill equipped to treat obese people with only ½ of primary care physicians qualified to treat them.  The fellow I coached this year and last who started out at 245lbs and is now a very healthy 165lbs through dietary changes and cycling for exercise, told me that when he was at his heaviest, his doctor still didn’t mention he was putting himself at serious risk.  With the AMA classifying obesity as a disease, have they passed the treatment responsibility to an ill trained group of doctors?

I’m also concerned how the major stakeholders will react to this decision. If obesity is classified as a disease, the attention will be directed towards medical treatment and even less towards prevention.  The obesity epidemic that affects any nation that eats a typical North American diet has four responsible parties, with a fifth waiting in the wings;

1. Big Food – who are responsible for the unhealthy food they produce, but are wildly profitable
2. The Citizen – who choose to make unhealthy food choices for themselves and their families even when they know it will have long term health consequences
3. The Government – that subsidizes unhealthy food producers, making healthy choices significantly more expensive for many people in low income brackets.
4. The Medical Community – that will now be saddled with treating yet another man-made disease that can be prevented for the most part through healthy lifestyle choices. 
5. And a new stakeholder will play a more prominent role.  Big Pharma – who will smell significantly more $$$$ because now that obesity is a disease, it will be treated like all other diseases...through some kind of prescription medication.

I’m sure the AMA meant well by changing obesity’s classified to an illness.  To be sure, weight management is a complicated issue that employs an entire industry of medical researchers that are trying to figure it out.  But I’m equally sure this decision will have a boat load of unintended consequences.  So to avoid the consequences of this decision, don’t take the path of “Tony Soprano” and ignore obesity, regardless of its classification.  Prevention is the cure, so shape your health outcome by making good lifestyle decisions today, because let’s face it who wants to die at 51. 

Enjoy the Ride....Rob

 

Seven Steps to Spinal (Pelvis, Lumbar, Thoracic and Cervical) Stabilization

Back trouble is a health topic I’ve rarely discussed, because I’ve personally never had trouble with this area of my body; as a result I take for granted this vitally important body structure.  But if you’re someone that has back trouble you're reminded of its importance every waking moment of single every day. 

As my resident guest blogger Dr Les Davidson says below, summer is the time of year when most of us get outdoors and participate in a wide variety of physical activities requiring a healthy spinal support structure.  As with all aspects of your personal health, don’t neglect your spinal health just because you don’t have back issues today. 

The best course of action is to take proactive measures today by making your back health a priority, so you don't have to be reactive in the future when back trouble becomes an issue.

Enjoy the Ride…..Rob  

Seven Steps to Spinal (Pelvis, Lumbar, Thoracic and Cervical) Stabilization

Dr. Les Davidson

Typically, summer sparks an increased level of activity; cycling, golf, tennis, baseball, water sports, gardening…. Each summer I treat people who are injured because their bodies are not prepared for this increased level of activity. A major consideration in preparing is having a stable spine.

A healthy spine is stable as it moves, so that no harmful shifting or sliding happens within each spinal segment. Technically spinal stabilization is defined as the ability of the spinal column to survive an applied perturbation (input energy). If this energy is greater than the potential energy of the column (stored in discs, ligaments, muscles and tendons), equilibrium will not be attained increasing the vulnerability of the spine to injury.

In an ideal world, there would be no conscious thought to spinal stabilization. It would be intuitive.  By design humans are created for upright posture and ambulation. The synchronicity of the nerves, muscles, ligaments and skeletal system allow us to walk, run, jump, carry heavy loads and reach for objects. Effective use of our extremities in reaching, lifting and kicking requires tremendous central (core)strength and there is a direct correlation between being able to engage our central strength at the instant it is needed and spinal stabilization.

Unfortunately, spinal stabilization is compromised by our modern lifestyle.

Our modern lifestyle involves too much sitting and too little physical activity. Trauma incurred from contact sports and MVA (motor vehicle accidents) as well as spinal degeneration and disease compromises spinal stabilization. Finally, the stressors of life put our nervous system into a sympathetic dominated state which creates a fight or flight protective posture. This is a position of flexors being overactive, creating the commonly seen rounded shoulders and forward head posture.

Bone and ligaments can only manage a fraction of the loads our spines are subjected to on a daily basis; therefore the importance of spinal muscles becomes evident.  If the muscles are not strong enough or not properly coordinated to do their job, the loads put extra strain on the structures of the spine. This strain manifests as low back, upper back, neck pain with the associated signs and symptoms. Strengthening exercises and aerobic fitness are important components in preventing LBP (low back pain) and rehabilitating chronic low back pain. Staying active is currently the recommended, evidence-based intervention for low back pain. (Note: For acute low back pain, exercise is less effective than other conservative therapies such as manipulation and anti-inflammatory medication. Exercise therapy is not the same as activity.)

 This review identifies the concepts and exercise options that are supported by research.  This is a complex topic which is continually evolving as the intricacies of the anatomy and integration of function is better understood.

Seven Elements to Consider When Optimizing Spinal Stability

Each element should be considered sequentially and then concurrently.

1.            Basic health factors- address the systemic issues of obesity, inflammation and stress

2.            Posture

Optimally the spine is aligned straight front to back with well-balanced curves when viewed from the side. The most common postural faults are the upper-crossed syndrome with rounded shoulders and forward head carriage or the lower-crossed syndrome with a forward-tipped pelvis, increased low-back curve and a weak, forward-protruding abdomen.

3.            Joint play

 Each vertebra should be free to glide in what are known as joint-play movements. These are not active or volitional movements, but instead subtle, passive movements necessary for a joint to accommodate the active joint ranges of motion. Too much play and the joint gets worn from instability; too little play limits the function, necessary to move nutrients to joint tissue or provide input to our nervous system from stretch receptors that occurs with freedom of movement. Chiropractic adjustments are effective at restoring these joint play movements.

4.            Breathing

Of the more than 20 muscles associated with respiration, almost all of them have a postural function. The ability to maintain stability while breathing normally is important. Many people breath using the chest and not the abdomen which combined with the common forward head posture creates a shallow frequent pattern of breathing that overworks the lower neck and upper back muscles and weakens our diaphragm. This can be improved by taking conscious control of your breathing and practicing how to abdominal breathing. Also, when lifting heavy optimizing breath control may provide increased segmental control of the spine through the production of increased intra-abdominal pressure.

5.            Motor control

 Although it is generally accepted that there is a relationship between LBP and alterations in motor control of abdominal and low back musculature, the exact mechanism remains unclear. Individuals with LBP have been demonstrated to have increased activity of the large outer, superficial trunk muscles, while activity of the deep inner trunk muscles is delayed and attenuated. There is a need, therefore, to reverse motor control deficits that occur after back injury or degenerative change.  The most significant finding is that people who do not retrain their deep stabilizing muscles are 12.4 times more likely to have recurrence of back pain than those people who learned how to use the deep inner muscles properly. Learning how to identify and engage these muscles can be taught by a chiropractor, physiotherapist or personal trainer.

6.            Bracing

This is the contraction of the longer, larger outer-unit muscles to stiffen the spine. It is the ability to hold rigid the region between the lower margin of the rib cage to the top of the pelvis. These muscles are primarily phasic helping us move but also have a significant role in stabilizing our spine and pelvis. Their ability to hold our body rigid with eccentric contraction protects the small inner muscles against heavy or sudden movements. The deep inner muscles contract and preset prior to the larger outer muscles contracting. Unfortunately, if the inner muscles are not doing their job efficiently the larger outer muscles might be in a state of constant contraction and not just firing at the times needed for bracing.

7.            Sling exercises

Functional units known as myofascial slings are formed when individual muscles link via fascia. Multiple muscles working in a sequential manner, support the coordinated mobility required to create movement in the transverse, frontal, sagittal or oblique planes.

These four muscle teams act together to provide stability across the lumbar spine and pelvis. They enlist the co-ordination of all the outer unit muscles to ensure correct movement patterning, while maintaining stability. Training of these groups of muscles requires more complex resisted motions such as chopping, stepping forward or back with a rotational component. If all the muscles in the team do NOT work efficiently, other muscles are overworked which leads to early fatigue, poor performance and increased risk of injury.

In Conclusion

In his blog, Don’t Just Do It, Do It Right, Rob wrote that one of the best ways to achieve fitness goals is to organize workouts so that the exercises work together to build the body and support recovery. I agree.

Everyone has basically the same component parts but we all have significantly different levels of function. The challenge of helping patients move along this functional continuum, motivates me in my practice each day.

Hopefully, you also will be challenged to assess your existing level of functional stability, discover where you are on the functional continuum, which of the elements listed above may be compromised and then establish a corrective program so you can enjoy all your fun in the sun activities injury free.

Adding Life to Your Years....Dr Les.

Gran Fondo Preparation 101

A friend of mine is organizing the Gran Fondo Canmore being held on July 6th, 2013 in the beautiful Canadian Rockies asked if I would write a post about preparing for such an event. I hope this post contains some high level information that enhances your experience while keeping you safe.

Firstly, for those of you who are new to the term “Gran Fondo”.  A Gran Fondo, (or cyclosportive, or simply referred to as a sportive in most European countries), is a short to long distance, organized, mass-participation cycling event.  Gran Fondo is the Italian term commonly used for these events in the North America and most English-speaking countries and they're springing up all over the place.  It's been said that cycling is the new golf.  Now I don't know if this is true, but I certainly know cycling is a great form of exercise that can be enjoyed at any age.

These events are not considered cycling races and riders of all calibers participate.  For the recreation rider, finishing and sharing the outdoors with good friends and like minded participants is the primary objective, and for the more competitive cyclists, well, they give you a number and a provide you with a finishing time, so for guys like me, that's enough to be competitive.

Since the range and abilities of cyclists riding in any Gran Fondo are vastly different, I will focus this post more on the basics, as the seasoned riders will be well versed in these concepts.  I will provide basic information on:

1. Bike Setup,
2. Training,
3. Food & Drink
4. Safety  

Bike Set-up

So before we can talk about bike set up, you have to answer the following question:  

Are you more interested in cycling performance, or do you care more about comfort and enjoying the scenery? 

The answer to this question determines how you position yourself on your bike. How your friend sets up his or her bike will have little to no bearing on your setup, even if he or she has exactly the same body measurements. You know why you ride a bike and only you know what trade-offs you’re willing to make in order to achieve your purpose on a bicycle.  Below I will describe some general concepts for you to consider, but to get your bike fitted properly, especially if you’re new to cycling, while keeping the answer to the question above in mind, I suggest you visit your local bike shop for assistance.  Below are some basics to consider.

Fore/aft Position: After establishing the height of your saddle, the fore/aft position is the most important position and is based on what type of riding you prefer to do.  Are you looking for “comfort” or “power & performance”?  It’s a trade-off.  Here’s how to start.  Get comfortable while in the dropped portion of your handlebars and then take your hands off the bars and hold the position without the use of your arms holding you up.  If you require your arms to hold you up because you have to strain your torso muscles, you’re probably in the performance position, but if you can hold the position just with your torso muscles without too much effort, you’re more likely in a touring position.  I always recommend new riders to be comfortable on their bike and over time if they continue riding, they will migrate to varying degrees of the performance position. 

If you watch pro cyclists on TV, you will notice they bent way over with their backs flat in the power position to maximize their performance.  The compromise is it’s not initially comfortable as the touring posiiton and takes years of training to get used to this extreme position.  That's assuming you're even interested in this type of riding.

Regardless of whether you want to tour or race, as you ride more you will find yourself leaning further forward into the power position by extending your stem length and/or moving your saddle further back.  Note: as you move your saddle forward or rearward, you are effectively changing the saddle height relative to the cranks, since the saddle rails are not perpendicular to the seat tube. So be prepared to change the seat height as you adjust the fore-aft saddle position; lowering the saddle as you move it back to maintain the same leg extension, while raising it as you move the saddle forward, always keeping a slight bend in the knee whereby you never find yourself rocking your hips while peddling.

I find most new riders opt out for a shorter stem length with many spacers that raises their handlebar height so they’re in a that comfortable upright position.  They will also notice they don’t ride as fast as the seasoned riders that are bend over.  Besides their training, seasoned cyclists position themselves for maximum power and aerodynamics (which I’ll get to in a moment).  But it takes time to gradually move into this riding position, so if you want to enjoy your first Gran Fondo withour the sore neck and back, think comfort first.

Aerodynamics: The distance from the nose of your saddle to the middle of your handlebars is an important measurement to keep in mind.   If you stick with cycling over the years, this measurement will get larger, because you’ll be, 1) more comfortable in the power position mentioned above, and 2) be more aerodynamically efficient.  

If you look at bikes specifically built for individual speed efforts (time trials or triathlons), they are designed to maximize power and aerodynamics.  In fact, the rider is in such an extreme position; they require pads on their handlebars to rest their arms because there’s no way the torso muscles could hold them in that position for very long. Besides being in the power position, reducing wind resistance is extremely important because the coefficient of drag (wind resistance) increases by the power of 3 relative to your speed.  In simpler terms, the smaller profile you present to the wind (i.e. lower body position) will reduce your power requirements to maintain a certain speed.  New riders almost always ride more upright, thereby presenting a larger surface area to the wind thereby increasing the coefficient of drag, while also being in a position that reduces their power output.  Below is a picture of 2012 Tour de France and Olympic Time Trail Champion, Bradley Wiggins showing this principle in action, enroute to his Tour victory.

Summary: So when you set up your bike and you’re new to cycling I suggest you focus on comfort first, but be mindful of the trade-off you’re making when it comes to power and aerodynamics.  And if you’re a seasoned rider, slam that big dog stem as low as it can go and remember Rule #5 of the Velominati rules of cycling. 

Training

If this is your first Gran Fondo you have time to prepare yourself for a summer Gran Fondo event to maximize your riding experience.  Since most Gran Fondos have different distances to choose from, like the Canmore event, your training distances may vary from someone doing a shorter distance, but the concepts remain the same. 

I coach a number of people and supply them with a structured program based on their personal Anaerobic Thresholds and incorporates techniques and training loads, balanced by micro and macro rest and recovery periods.  Their training is provided in the form of a daily workout schedule to ensure they achieve peak performance on the day of their targeted event.  Since I won’t be providing that level of detail to such a wide audience, I will share with some basic concepts to get you prepared so you’ll enjoy your day of riding during the event.

If you’re just starting to get acquainted with your new bike without having done much training in the past few months (or years), your goal will be to build an endurance base tailored for cycling with the majority of your riding done at a low to moderate effort. Your weekly training plan will encompass three different workouts, each designed to tap into different energy systems required to comfortably complete such an event.  These three workouts are:

1. Base/Endurance,
2. Tempo and
3. Intervals. 

If you’re new to cycling or just cleaning the dust of your machine now, you will focus most of your training time on Base/Endurance workouts with a little Tempo riding.  And if you’ve been riding indoors throughout the winter months and already have a good base, you may want to increase your power and speed with higher intensity tempo and interval workouts as I describe below. 

Base/Endurance – The objective of this training is to ultimately prepare your body to be in the saddle for approximately the same amount of time you’ll be riding on the day of your event.  This weekly workout is your long ride (as in hours) and should be done on the same day of the week you’re race is planned.  Your body likes and adjusts to patterns, so if the event is on a Sunday, try your best to schedule your weekly long ride on a Sunday.   This ride should be done at a moderate to easy pace, which uses fat as the primary fuel source (yes, you’ll probably lose some weight riding a bike, as long as you eat sensibly). Increase your weekly riding distances so by the time you reach event day, you’re comfortable riding close to, or the actual distance you’ve selected to participate in. 

Tempo – Given most Grand Fondo events will have hills and head winds, it’s important that you train your body to ride at a harder intensity than what you do during your long endurance rides.  Just remember if you never ride hard, don’t expect to ride hard on event day.  In the absence of knowing your training zones based on your anaerobic threshold, this ride should be at an intensity whereby talking to your riding partner starts to become difficult because you’re breathing hard.  The total time for this workout should be approximately 60  to 90 minutes.  You should start and finish with 10 minutes of easy riding to warm up and cool down and the actual hard tempo component should be broken into 15 – 20 minute intervals with 5 minutes of easy riding to recover between sets.  Cycling is as much about mental endurance as it is about physical endurance and this is a very effective way to train your mind to push through periods of discomfort.

Intervals – if you want to increase your speed or ability to climb hills or simply to keep up with the group and enjoy the benefit of their draft, interval training is a must.  There are a number of ways to perform intervals, but they’re all based on the same concept of doing an all-out effort followed by a rest period, which is repeated multiple times.  For example, after you’ve done a10 minute warm-up, find a local hill and ride hard up at a pace that you would have trouble holding a conversation because you’re breathing so hard.  After a couple minutes of this hard effort, relax and recover as you take your time riding back down the hill and repeat this process for 30 – 60 minutes.  Another way is to find a stretch of flat road with minimal traffic and ride as hard as you can (preferably into the wind) for a couple of minutes, then turn around and ride very easy to the original start point and keep doing this loop for 30 - 60 minutes.  It may look strange repeating these loops, but this type of training is very effective and yields great performance results.

Rest Day(s) – On any given training week you should incorporate rest into your training plan.  A couple days of scheduled rest will increase the quality of the three key training sessions described above.  Rest days can be either a complete day off, or a day of easy spinning. It’s better to be well rested, than over trained and burned out when heading into your event.  So make sure you get plenty of rest to allow your body to recover from your high quality training sessions.

Food & Drink

It’s important to know that between your liver and muscles you only have 2 to 3 hours of energy stored in your body in the form of glycogen.  If you plan on being on your bike longer than that, you’ll have to eat some food that’s high in carbohydrates as fuel.  The rule of thumb that seems to work for most poeple is to take you weight in kilograms and eat that amount of carbs in grams per hour.  For example, I weight 155lbs (70kgs), so I eat about 70 gm of carbohydrate every hour of riding after the first hour.  That said, figuring out what to eat is a little harder and is as much an art, as it is a science.  Even after 30+ years of riding, I'm style fine tuning what I eat while riding to maximize my performance.  Some people have sensitive stomachs (like me) and have trouble with many of the over the counter products found in stores, so I generally I make my own out of real food.  I tell everyone I coach to, “eat your carbs and drink your electrolytes”. 

Besides building up your endurance, your long rides will provide you the opportunity to test what food and hydration combination what works best for you, being mindful of the balance between performance and GI issues.

I have a second home in Arizona where the temperatures can sour to 40C during any given ride and careful attention to hydration is paramount.  Hydration needs change from person to person but we’re all affected somehow by the temperature.  You should know your hydration needs long before event day so you don’t become dehydrated on your big day.  The easiest way to do this is simply weight yourself before and after your rides.  You should drink enough fluid not to lose more than 2% of your body weight, as this will negatively impact your performance.  Note that every kilo (2.2lbs) of weight loss is equal to one liter of sweat and you should adjust your fluid intake accordingly. 

What to drink is also important.  If you’re riding under a couple hours, generally water will do, but longer than that will require electrolyte replacement, particularly salt.  I personally drink a product called Skratch, which comes in a powder and can be easily added to water when I ride distances that require electrolytes.  I particularly like this product because it closely simulates the water and electrolytes lost through sweat, less all the sugars found in popular energy drinks.  And best of all, it doesn’t upset my sensitive stomach like the sugary drinks.  Click on this Skratch link as they have some good information about electrolyte loss.

SAFETY

I want to talk about, 1) safety while training by yourself, about motorists and 2) safety on the day of your event or in a group ride setting. 

Training Safety - Because you share the road with motor vehicles, you want to be aware of your surroundings at all times, using all your senses.  This includes your hearing.  You can’t hear vehicles approaching behind you if the traffic noise is drowned out by your favourite tune on your iPod.  Use common sense and NEVER listen to an iPod in a city or high traffic areas.  If you’re riding on a large paved shoulder on a lightly traveled country road, well maybe you can listen to music, but only if the volume is turned down low enough that you can hear approaching traffic.  And NEVER use iPods in an organized event or group ride regardless of how light the motor vehicle traffic is. 

About Motorists - Get comfortable with being able to glance frequently around you, including behind yourself so you’re always aware of the traffic situation.  A bicycle is a vehicle and you must obey the same rules of the road as you would if you were driving a car.  On group training rides, unless you’re riding on a wide paved shoulder, always ride a single paceline so traffic can pass safely.  Don’t give motorists more reasons to dislike cyclists than they already seem to have by riding two or three abreast.  And should you be comfronted by an angry person behind the wheel, don't escalate the situation by yelling or "flipping the bird".  You’ll never win an argument with some person driving a car or truck.  You may be right, but you can be "dead right".

Event or Group Riding - Riding close to others is very different than riding by yourself.  Not only should you be aware of traffic and your surroundings for your own good, but for the good of the group.  Also, you should be comfortable riding close to other riders that may be less than a foot behind, or in front of you. 

Below are a few pointers to keep you and everyone around you safe:

• When riding a paceline, the lead person should point out potential road hazards, like debris or potholes to the person behind them and each person relay this information through the pack. 
• Don’t be shy to verbally communicate your intentions, or if you’re uncomfortable, or if someone in the group isn’t following proper rider etiquette.  Your safety and the safety of the group take priority over hurting someone's feelings.
• Don’t simply rely on the person in front of you for your personal safety by only looking down at they’re rear wheel.  Always look up the road for yourself and communicate and react accordingly.
• Don’t overlap your front wheel with the rear wheel of the rider in front of you.  The rider in the back is always the one that goes down when wheels touch, and it happens in an instant.
•  “Hold your line” and “Hold your pace”.  No sudden moves.  If you can’t hold your pace or your line, you should practice more by yourself for the safety of the group and yourself.
• Never ride a bike with aerobars in a group ride where a paceline develops. Leave this for the pros and enjoy watching them on TV as they ride at over 60km/hr with only a few inches separating their wheels.
• If you’re new to riding in a paceline, wait until you’re at the back to eat or drink. 
• When it’s your turn to take a pull, don’t sprint off the front causing the whole group to sprint to keep up.  Ride at the group’s pace taking short pulls at the front and then let the next person come through for their turn at the front in a smooth consistent pace.  No sudden moves.  Making sudden changes while riding in close quarters cause stress and increases the potential for unnecessary crashes.

NOTE:  There are only two types of cyclist, those who have crashed and those who will crash, so stack the deck in your favour and do everything possible to keep the rubber side down for as long as possible.

This has been a high level summary of a few things that will make your ride on event day a little more enjoyable and safe.  There are hundreds of books dedicated to any one of these topics, so this only scratches the surface, but will set you off in the right direction. 

Cycling captures that wonderful sense of freedom we all enjoyed as children when we got our first two-wheeler and were allowed to explore the neighbour.  If you want to feel young forever, ride a bike.

Enjoy the Ride....Rob

What goes in, must come out....

There’s a plethora of information about the good food and the bad food we put into your bodies everyday, but you don’t read much about what comes out.  I came across a great article written by Jonathan M. Vapnek, MD, a urologist and the clinical associate professor of urology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City and I think you would be surprised by how much information can be gleaned from the urine you produce each day.

For example, the simple “dipstick” urine test that doctors often use to check for a urinary tract infection also can help them diagnose kidney disease, diabetes, cancer and other conditions. But there is more.

What you may not realize: If you know what to look for, you can tell a lot about your health just by being aware of the physical characteristics of your urine—such as colour, smell and frequency.

COLOUR

When you’re healthy and drinking enough water, your urine should be mainly clear or straw-coloured with just a hint of yellow. The yellow colour comes from urochrome, a pigment produced by the breakdown of a protein in red blood cells.

Urine is naturally darker in the morning because you don’t drink water while you sleep. If a colour change persists, however, it could be a problem.

For example...

Brown or dark brown. Pay attention if your urine is dark for more than a week.

What this usually means: Liver disease. The liver normally breaks down and excretes bilirubin, a pigment that’s produced by the turnover of red blood cells. Patients with liver disease accumulate bilirubin. This initially will cause jaundice, a yellowing of the skin or the whites of the eyes. As more bilirubin accumulates, it can cause the urine to become brown. A combination of dark-coloured urine and jaundice means that liver disease might be getting worse. See your doctor right away.

Dark-coloured urine also can be a side effect of some antibiotics, laxatives and muscle relaxants. Eating large amounts of fava beans, rhubarb or aloe can cause brown urine as well. In some cases, dark-coloured urine can signal kidney failure.

Red or pink. Urine that’s tinged with red or pink could simply mean that you have been eating beets. (The medical term for beet-induced urine changes is beeturia). Or it could mean that you’re urinating blood.

The amount of blood will affect the colour. If the urine resembles cabernet wine, you’re bleeding a lot…urine that’s pinkish or just slightly red contains only traces of blood. A microscopic amount of blood won’t be visible—it can be detected only with a laboratory test.

What this usually means: Blood in the urine is always a problem. Make an appointment to see your doctor. If you see blood and it also hurts when you urinate, you could have an infection—in the urethra, bladder or kidney or even a malignancy in the bladder, for example. Bleeding without pain also can indicate these conditions.

Green. Though rare, a person’s urine can turn a greenish colour.

What this usually means: Green urine can appear when you’ve consumed a chemical dye—from food colouring, for example, or from taking medications such as amitriptyline (Elavil), an antidepressant, or indomethacin (Indocin), a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug. In some cases, urine with a greenish tint can signal a urinary tract infection with certain bacteria (such as pseudomonas) that affect the colour.

If your urine is greenish, increase fluid intake to see if it clears. If it doesn’t in two days, see your doctor or a urologist.

 ODOUR

If you’re healthy, your urine should be highly diluted, consisting of about 95% water, with only small amounts of dissolved chemical compounds and metabolic by-products. It typically has no—or only a faint—odour.

Of course everyone is familiar with the effect that asparagus and some other foods, such as onions or fish, have on the smell of one’s urine. This strong “rotten” smell is due to the chemical compounds in certain foods, particularly molecules that are not completely broken down by the body. The smell usually disappears within a day or so.

Some other less common urine smells include…

Ammonia-like. If your urine is concentrated, with a larger-than-normal amount of urea (a chemical compound in urine), you might smell an aroma that resembles ammonia. Or you might just notice that it has a stronger smell than usual.

What this usually means: Dehydration. The less water you drink, the higher the concentration of urea and other substances—and the stronger the smell. You can diagnose this yourself by drinking, say, one extra glass of water an hour for several hours to add water to your urine. The strong urine smell will probably disappear within a few hours. If it does not, see your doctor.

Foul-smelling. If your urine smells foul or unusual in any way for more than a few days, pay attention to the odour.

What this usually means: If it’s not caused by a food that you’ve eaten, it could signal an infection in the bladder or kidneys. Less often, it’s due to a metabolic disorder that reduces the body’s ability to fully break down foods during digestion.

Uncontrolled diabetes can cause an abnormally sweet odour, and penicillin can cause a distinctive medicinal odour.

Even if you have no other symptoms, such as pain while urinating, but your urine continues to have an unusually strong smell for more than a couple of days, talk to your doctor.

FOAMY OR BUBBLY

It’s natural to see foam in the toilet when you really have to go and have a heavy stream. But urine that’s consistently foamy or bubbly could mean that you’re losing protein.

What this usually means: Kidney disease. Large amounts of protein in the urine is one of the main signs of chronic kidney disease. See your doctor right away.

MUCUS OR CLOUDY

Mucus in urine could indicate inflammation in the urinary tract.

What this usually means: Urinary tract infection. See your doctor.

Cloudy urine also can be related to infection but often is just an indication that your urine is alkaline, which is harmless at low levels.

VOLUME AND FREQUENCY

The average adult typically urinates four to eight times in 24 hours. A change in the frequency of your urinary habits, including getting up more than twice a night to urinate, or an increase or decrease in the amount that you urinate, warrants attention.

What this usually means: An increase in the frequency of urination, along with an increase in volume, is one of the telltale signs of diabetes.

If the amount of urine seems the same but you’re urinating more often, you could have a urinary tract infection. If this is the case, you’ll probably have very strong urges to urinate even when just a small amount comes out.

Frequency of urination and/or urinary urgency in the absence of a urinary tract infection can indicate an overactive bladder.

In men, enlargement of the prostate gland can trigger urinary urgency. Patients with neurological conditions, such as multiple sclerosis, can also have this symptom. Don’t worry if there’s been a decrease in the amount or frequency of urination. You probably just need to drink more water. If this doesn’t help, see your doctor.

So a basic understanding of the physical characteristics of the pee coming out of your body can be just as important as what you're putting in your body.  That being said, I can almost guarantee that if what’s going in isn’t healthy, what’s coming out will simply confirm it.

Enjoy the Ride.....Rob

What Are You Made Of?

My regular guest blogger, Dr Les Davidson and I align on most health related topics and this week is no exception.  Of the people that actually monitor their body weight, I wonder how many understand what makes up the number on their scale, and why is it important.  That’s the topic of today’s post by Dr Les.

Besides our nation being just lazy, the obesity epidemic gripping North America may be in part due to what I call, “health illiteracy”.  So many people have preconceived ideas of what “healthy” is, but in actual fact they score very low on the health literacy scale when it comes to nutrition, diet, body weight, fitness, sleep, stress, etc., and even lower on execution.

Specifically related to Dr Les’ topic of weight, I’m experiencing this “illiteracy” first hand as I train for the hardest amateur bike race in the world this August - Haute Route.   This 7 day stage race starts in Geneva and finishes in Nice France and covers 860km through the beautiful French Alps.  But it's not the distance that makes this race so grueling; it’s the 21,000 meters (68,000 feet) of climbing over the Alps that makes is so hard.  Below is the profile of the 7 days of racing facing the 600 participants of Haute Route. 

 

Given the amount and severity of climbing involved, special attention to a rider's body weight and its composition is of primary concern to every participant.  There’s a reason why cyclists pay more attention to their weight than international super models, and it has little to do with vanity.  In fact, it has everything to do with how much power a rider can produce for every kilogram of body weight.  And the relationship between power output and weight has greater sagnificance when long, steep mountain climbs are involved.

At the beginning of January, I weighed 171lbs, but to race Haute Route, I would have to shed between 15lbs to 20lbs to increase my “power-to-weight” ratio to over 4 watts/kg.  Losing weight is just half the battle, as one must also be mindful of what type of weight that's lost.  In my case, I want to lose body fat, while maintaining or even increasing lean muscle mass. 

There’s an old saying in business, “If you can measure it, you can manage it”.  So, at the beginning of February I started measuring my body fat using skin fold calipers.  By focusing on the quality and even more importantly, the quatity of food I consumed, I now weight 156lbs.  During this time I also gained 4lbs of lean muscle, so effectively I’ve lost 19lbs of body fat since January.  Since fat occupies more volume than muscle, I’ve also lost an inch from my chest, waist and hips, so I actually appear much thinner.  Below is my progression of weight loss and muscle gain since I started recording this information in February.

And here in lies the “health illiteracy” issue.

It seems in North America you can be overweight, or even obese, and no one will ever mention that you have a serious and potentially life threatening health issue.  In fact, a recent study found that over 60% of parents with overweight children considered them to be of normal weight.  But if you’re thin, as in healthy thin, people take it upon themselves to point out that you’re too thin and don’t look healthy.  Can you imagine the reaction you would receive if you told a friend that she was overweight and didn't look healthy?  The duel standard is because of three reasons:

1. Given there are so many overweight and obese people in North America, our mental model of what constitutes a healthy weight and size has been skewed over the decades.  People of a healthy thin composition are now in the minority and look different to the majority of overweight North Americans.
2. Most people are illiterate when it comes to what a healthy size and weight should be.  Just like the majority of people no longer know what represents a healthy food portion.  As a result, the bigger is better attitude prevails.
3. Finally, weight loss is generally associated with serious illnesses such as AIDS, Cancer or Eating Disorders.  My good friend Pierre LeClair who I coach was once 250lbs.  After losing 80lbs last year, he tells me people that haven’t seen him for a while ask him if he’s sick because he looks too thin, even though he’s the healthiest he’s been in decades.

This is obviously frustrating to a guy like myself that’s uber aware of my health and fitness, but more importantly, it draws attention to the fact that so many people are “health illiterate” which has negative consequences at both individual and national levels. 

Dr Les, has done a great job of framing the issue, why it’s important to understand what you’re made of, monitoring techniques, and how to bring yourself back to a healthy and well proportioned size. 

As always with much of what I share, “knowledge is power, but action flicks the switch”. 

Enjoy the ride….Rob

 

What Are You Made Of?

by: Dr Les Davidson

What are you made of? Or stated more technically, what is your body composition? Are you a lean, mean athletic machine, or are you getting a little soft?  Every year billions (with a “b”) of dollars are spent on weight-loss endeavors in North America. Beyond the obvious — looking good at the beach — is there any reason to be concerned about the composition of your body.

As a competitive wrestler throughout high school and university, the scale was a constant companion because we were grouped according to our weight classes for competition.  I learned quickly that the quality of my weight was crucial; reducing extraneous fat became an important objective. Forty years later the challenge to maintain an optimum fat to muscle ratio is still there but my motivation is less about competing and more about remaining healthy and active. In order to do that, I need to pay close attention to my body composition.

Body composition is simply a measurement of lean body mass (bones, muscles, ligaments and organs) compared to fat mass which is referred to as adipose tissue. Technology allows us to accurately measure the amount of lean mass versus fat mass. These measurements are expressed as percentages of overall weight and knowing these percentages and what they indicate is important to your health.

A certain amount of body fat is essential to insulate our body, protect our organs from trauma, provide energy, and to assist hormone production necessary for reproduction. The amount of essential fat will vary dependent on sex and age but there are recommendations for ideal body fat percentages. The table below from the American Council on Exercise is typical fat percentages.

	Male	Female
Essential fat	3-5%	10-16%
Competitive Athletes	6-13%	14-20%
Recreational Athletes	14-18%	21-24%
Average	19-20%	25-31%
Obese	25+%	32+%

 

An equally important variable is where the fat is located; excess fat found at the waist (also known as central obesity) is associated with increased risk to our health. Our waists are thickened not just by the fat we can feel but also because excess fat accumulates around the organs (visceral adipose tissue).

Historically, we believed this fat to be an inert storage of extra energy. Medical science has now come to understand that adipose tissue is a major endocrine organ that produces hormones associated with insulin resistance and general body inflammation. The conditions associated with excess fat are often discussed as separate syndromes but in reality, they are a group of interrelated issues that cascade into ill health. Insulin resistance and inflammation leads to Metabolic Syndrome or Syndrome X — conditions associated with an elevated risk of Type Two diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease. There is also strong evidence that Metabolic Syndrome increases risk for certain Cancers. Then there is the impact that excess adipose tissue has on the musculoskeletal system with increased back pain and damage to the weight-bearing joints of the lower extremities. In my office each day I see patients impacted by being overweight. It may not cause their back, hip or knee pain but it aggravates their symptoms and limits their ability to be as active as needed to regain good health.

Determining your risk:

Body weight alone is a poor indicator of body composition as it does not differentiate between lean tissue (bones, muscles, connective tissue and organs) and body fat. There is no single ideal percentage of body fat for everyone. Estimating body composition is attempted with the body mass index using the variables of weight and height (weight divided by height squared). More accurate methods using DEXA (dual energy X-ray absorptiometry) or hydrostatic weighing (calculating what sinks (lean mass) versus what floats (fat) when the client is submerged under water) are often difficult for most individuals to access. Using calipers to measure skin folds or employing Bioimpedance are affected by the skill of the person measuring and the formulas applied, but can be easily mastered with a little practice. At our office we employ the bioimpedance method. With careful attention to patient hydration and selection of the optimum formula, we have had results that match closely to results of the DEXA scan.

Another method to stratify those who have high levels of body fat ignores the percentage of lean mass and body fat and focuses instead on the amount of belly fat. Measuring your waist circumference may be a more sensitive test because, as I mentioned, Intra-abdominal or visceral fat (regardless of overall body fat) has a particularly strong correlation with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancers and other life shortening diseases. There are three ways that this measurement is used to quantify risk:

1. Waist circumference, Absolute waist circumference (>102 cm in men and >88 cm in women)
2. Waist–hip ratio (the circumference of the waist divided by that of the hips of >0.9 for men and >0.85 for women)[19]
3. Waist circumference divided into height. This has been described as the index of central obesity. (0 .5 or greater is suggested as a sign of increased risk. More specifically the range for women was suggested to .47-.54 and for men as .51-.58).

Reducing the risk:

1. Diet: You cannot exercise at the same pace you can eat so it is critical to moderate your calories regardless of the protein, fat or carbohydrate content of your food or the amount you exercise. Look for food in a natural state with no “improvements” by the food industry (such as partially hydrogenated fat, preservatives or high-fructose corn syrup).
2. Exercise: Just remember we are designed to move and not doing so compromises our health. Vary the intensity and duration and include resistance activity. This challenge becomes greater as we age because hormonal shifts make building lean mass harder and layering on fat easier
3. Sleep: Sleeping too little or of a poor interrupted quality increases insulin resistance and raises cortisol the stress hormone. (See Rob’s blog, The Sleep Mistake Many of Us Make)
4. Stress reduction: Being overwhelmed or on heightened alert increases the sympathetic nervous system activity. This releases cortisol and directly increases belly fat. Moderating our moods by eating or drinking too much is often seen in response to stressful situations.

The body has tremendous recuperative powers if it is provided with the right inputs. March is Nutrition month and I would like to encourage you to think of the importance of quantity as well as quality of your food! Exercise is critical for good health but it can’t exercise your way out of a bad diet! Don’t pursue some unrealistic and media-hyped expectation for your body.  People come in all shapes and sizes but no shape is improved by an expanding layer of belly fat.

Pay more attention to what you’re made of. This will be good for your health and you just might look better on the beach this summer!