The New Canada's Food Guide -2019 Version

     Most Fitness Trainers are not Registered Dietitians or Nutritionists.(Some Fitness Trainers may have the education to be Registered Dietitians or Nutritionists but most do not.) It is actually beyond the scope of most Trainers to push certain diets such as the Paleo or the Keto or the Atkins or intermittent fasting.  What they can do is to encourage sensible and healthy eating habits. For CanadianFitness Trainers this often involves giving the client a copy of Canada's Food Guide to assist in proper and safe energy consumption. 

    Canada's Food Guide is a pamphlet of dietary suggestions for daily eating behavior. The guide was established in 1942 during the Second World War to educate people on how to maximize their nutrient intake during a period of national food rationing.  It started out as the 'Official Food Rules' then morphed into 'Canada's Food Rules' and finally evolved into 'Canada's Food Guide'.
   The guide used to include four food groups.

1. Vegetables and Fruit
2. Grain (or rice) products
3. Milk and Alternatives
4. Meat and Alternatives

Foods that did not fall into the 4 categories were listed as 'other' foods. They were to be eaten sparingly. This included sugar, processed foods, alcohol and pop.
 Every updated version was a slight variation with the same 4 food groups. The dairy and meat lobbyists had the ear of Health Canada during each revision to the guide. Times seem to have changed.
   The revised guide divides the healthy plate into 3 sections;

1. Fruits and vegetables: Portion sized are not given, just to eat plenty of them.
2. Protein Foods: The old guide had meat and alternatives as the main suggestion. Now it can be meat or eggs or legumes, and other high protein seeds. Meat is not named as a required food. Milk would likely fall into this category but milk products are not mentioned.
3. Whole grain foods

          Water is suggested as the drink of choice. Processed foods, sugary drinks, (even fruit juices) and alcoholic beverages are to be used minimally if at all.

Canada's Food Guide - Revised for 2019: Don't think this made the cut.

   This diet appears to cover all of the angles to good health and arguably help save the environment.

•  Lacto-Vegetarians can still use dairy products. Vegans can easily adhere to the guide.

•  People with wheat allergies or Celiac disease can replace wheat products with rice products in the whole grain section.

• This is a great tool for Fitness Trainers to supply to their clients since exercise and diet work best in tandem.

• The meat lobbyists and the dairy farmers obviously feel slighted.  Some of the reasoning behind the new guide is that these industries use up resources that may be environmentally unsustainable in the future.  

   The reality is that apart from people in the health and profession, Canada's Food Guide is probably underutilized. Most restaurants don''t give it much heed. Families mostly stick to their traditional meal plans with meat, potatoes, vegetables, bread and dessert.. People who order "Skip the Dishes" instead of cooking are likely more interested in taste and satiety rather than food grouping. As for the fast food, take-out customers, do we really think that they are thinking of food guides? The meat and dairy industries will be in business for some time yet.

   My advice to Fitness Trainers is to use these new guidelines to your advantage. 
 Tonight I have a free evening. I intend to relax and fuel up with 4 major but neglected food groups: pizza, chicken wings, egg rolls and beer.

Until Next Time,  Keep Fit

Little Bobby Strong

Links

www.fitnwell.com

www.rabbitview.com

   

Stretches for Sciatica

  Let us set the record straight immediately, Sciatica is not a famous beer brewery town in upstate New York! You're thinking of Utica!
Sciatica is a condition in which pressure on the sciatic nerve causes pain. The sciatic nerve runs from the lumbar spine down the posterior and down each leg. Sciatica can range from just in the lower back to also include the buttocks and even down the back of the legs to the knee. Sciatica can cause mild discomfort or it can almost completely hinder lower body mobility.In the worst scenario the pain can feel like electric shock waves running from the lower spine to the knee. It usually affects just one leg but can sometimes cause pain in both legs. I had it a few years ago and it felt like an electric current running down alongside my hamstrings. Ouch!
    A common cause of mild sciatica is piriformis syndrome. The piriformis is a short muscle that originates at the front of the sacrum and inserts in the uppr femur. It crosses the path of the sciatic nerve. If the priformis is overactive or tight it can push on the sciatic nerve causing pressure and pain. Stretching the piriformis in such a case may alleviate the issue.

Piriformis Syndrome: Rear View


There may be more sinister causes of the sciatica such as spinal lesions or a herniated disc. The following exercises should provide relief after 1 to 2 months. If the problem persists, a medical evaluation would be the wise option. These exercises should cause mild discomfort, especially in the beginning. If they cause severe pain instead of discomfort, the cause may be something other that priformis syndrome. Once again, a visit to a physician would be the prudent action.

My recommended exercises are as follows:

Self Myofascial Release (SMR) for Piriformis Muscle: The purpose of this exercise is to inhibit the overactive (tight) muscle. The tight muscle will have adhesions or knotted regions that should have pressure applied until they loosen up.

Sit on the foam roller with a with one leg crossed over.  Roll until you find a sore spot on the butt cheek. Hold for up to 30 seconds. (90 seconds with less intense pressure) One repetition should suffice unless there are multiple sore spots. .

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Muscle Lengthening Exercises

After inhibiting the muscle you then want to lengthen it using static stretches. This should help take pressure off of the sciatic nerve.

Static Stretches for Sciatic Nerve Pain

Cross ankle over the knee. Gently pull knee forward until you feel the stretch. Hold for up to 30 seconds. Start with 1 repetition. Work up to 3 repetitions.
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Pull the knee gently towards the opposite shoulder until you feel the stretch. You don't have to hook the foot with your elbow as shown in the picture unless you are extremely flexible.  Hold for up to 30 seconds. Start with 1 repetition. Work up to 3 repetitions.

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From the position shown, push gently back on the outside of the knee with your elbow until you feel the stretch. Hold for up to 30 seconds. Start with 1 repetition. Work up to 3 repetitions.

This exercise also stretches the lower erector spinae muscles so you may sometimes feel a relieving popping sensation in the low back similar to when a chiropractor cracks the lower back.
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   It may take up to 6 to 8 weeks for the sciatica to subside if the piriformis muscle is the culprit.You also need to avoid the movements or positions that may have lead to the dysfunction. I must also  emphasize that if the sciatica does not subside after 2 months or if the exercises cause pain rather than discomfort, a doctor should be consulted! Advanced technology such as a C T scan an MRI or an X-Ray may be required to determine a more severe cause of the issue. 
If you are a Fitness Trainer and your client's sciatica does not improve or the exercises cause pain, always refer the client to a physician.

Until Next Time,  Keep Fit

Little Bobby Strong

Links

www.fitnwell.com

www.rabbitview.com

   

A Long Wait for an Olympic Weight Lifter

   A Canadian weight lifter got an early Christmas present but only after a long wait. (Pun intended)
 Christine Girard finished third for a bronze medal at the London Olympics in 2012. Blood samples were tested again using evolved procedures and the gold and silver medalists from Kazakhstan and Russia were found to be positive for steroids. The subsequent qualifications retroactively moved Christine Girard up into the gold medal position.
   This was not Christine's first such experience. At the 2008 Bejing Olympics she finished fourth. Another retroactive drug disqualification belatedly bumped her up to the 3rd place bronze medal position.
   Blood and urine samples collected from competitors at major championships are tested and then frozen and stored. Samples are then retested years later using more advanced technology.

(

Bronze medal in this competition. 

This is not the first time that this has happened to Canadian Olympians. In the 2002 winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, cross country skier Beckie Scott won Canada's first ever Olympic

 medal in that sport by snatching a bronze for 3rd place. Both athletes ahead of her failed follow up doping tests. Beckie was eventually moved up to a silver medal and then a gold medal position almost 2 and 1/2 years later.
Shot putter Dylan Armstrong finished 4th at the 2008 Beijing summer games. He was upgraded to a bronze in 2013 after another former east block country member was caught positive on a enhanced doping test at a later date. 

"Better late than never!" some may say. Justice sometimes proceeds at its own place. However besides having to wait for the truth to prevail there are other disadvantages to getting your just rewards retroactively.

• The athlete is denied the actual moment of glory. Receiving the accolades at the time of victory in front of a cheering crowd always trumps a conciliatory victory ceremony later on.
• The fair playing competitor may lose out on funding from the national sports association and//or sponsorship money. These are usually performance based. 
• The cheated competitor will usually recoup the national sports association funding but until justice prevails they are out of pocket. This is often needed funding for training and living expenses. 
• The aggrieved athlete can lose out on endorsement deals. Many sports are only in the limelight during the Olympic period. If the athlete does not strike when the iron is hot these deals are history.  Re-allocated success after the fact rarely brings about the same financial opportunity.

   Nevertheless, congratulations and kudos are in order for Christine Girard. She is the only Canadian woman Olympic medalist in the sport of weight lifting.

   In 2018 Beckie Scott resigned as a member of WADA , the World Anti Doping Agency. She disagreed with the WADA decision to reinstate the Russian Doping Agency after a ban for covering up a Russian state sponsored doping program. I would say that Beckie has good reason for her stance.

Gold medal this time.

   Weight lifters have have always been subjects of both my admiration and envy. As a former middle distance runner, I am probably composed of roughly 50% fast twitch muscle fiber and 50% slow twitch muscle fiber. World class weight lifters are fast twitch fiber phenomenons! They have superhuman explosive muscle power as well as expert technique and coordination. Alas, it also makes it a sport in which the use of performance enhancing drugs such as steroids would give an advantageous boost. Sports that are rife with such doping also have enhanced qualification standards as a result of skewed statistics. That makes it difficult for 'natty' (natural) athletes to even qualify for world championships or Olympics.
   Coincidentally, I was just about to post this blog when I came across a timely news flash. Five weight lifters from former Soviet states tested positive for steroids in retests from the 2012 London Olympics.Two of these doping positives were with gold medal winners. More early Christmas presents for weight lifters who had to wait!

Keep Fit over the Christmas Holidays

Little Bobby Strong

 Links

www.fitnwell.com

www.rabbitview.com

   

Humor, Fitness Training, and a Politically Correct World

 We live in a new era. Political correctness has run amok!   Suddenly huge multitudes of the populace are ready to be offended and cry that they are a victim. Even seemingly harmless jokes can explode on social media and lead to contrite apologies and shattered careers. Unless this trend implodes I can foresee a day in which there will be no more stand up comics. Every joke is making fun of someone or some thing! To query "Why did the chicken cross the road?" may be demeaning to poultry and will likely offend someone who does not eat chicken. In such an explosive climate I decided to revise an old blog on Fitness Trainers and humor.

It is often said that humor is a good thing to have in the workplace. Having a laugh can take the edge off of the tension. A lighthearted workplace can actually be an enjoyable place to work. A joyless workplace can be uninviting!  I have worked in places where my coworkers were always dead serious. I have worked in other places where joking around was common. I much prefer the latter environment. However, in the fitness business as in every workplace, the wrong type of humor at the wrong time can be a lit dynamite stick of grief. It could even get you fired! If you have your own Fitness Training business such trouble can harm your reputation and in the worst scenario can invite a harassment complaint.
   Working out can can be hard! Muscle fatigue and anaerobic intensity can cause brief discomfort. Some clients may be uptight about working out or they may feel uncomfortable around fit people. I want to make the workout experience enjoyable for my clients even if the workout is tough.  Enjoyment heightens the commitment.  However it is important to develop a knack for reading your client. Keep in mind the following points:

• Some people just don't have a sense of humor. They may feel that you are not a serious person if you joke around. They may even get annoyed. 
• Fitness trainers often deal with people that have poor body image and other issues. Something said in jest may unintentionally offend them.
•  Your client may not be used to your beer league hockey or rugby fest tradition of locker room irreverence. They may find it shocking and revolting.
• Someone nearby may overhear something that you say to your client. They may object.
• Beware of that rare person looking to make an example of someone by complaining. Don't put yourself in a position to be their target!

   I am not saying that a Fitness Trainer can't joke around.  I am saying know your client well! 

One of my long time clients was of a biblical religion historically older than mine. I would get him to the anaerobic pain threshold on the exercise bike. The usual quip was that I would lower the intensity if he converted. I knew this client well! With someone else such a joke could well have been a career breaker. It also depends upon the environment. What flies in a hard core musclehead weight room setting could well lead to big time trouble in a more civilized exercise environment.

   Humor that offends may be labelled as 'inappropriate'. The problem is that some people are very easily offended. Minimize your chances of getting into trouble with such people. Unless you know your client well, avoid the following:

• Sexual humor.  Heed the Rolling Stones lyrics "Don't play with me, cause you're playing with fire!"  This path can get you burnt!
• Religious jokes. (Remember, I knew my long time client very well)
• Racial jokes. DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT! Archie Bunker is dead!
• Family members. Yours or your client's are off limits for jokes. 
• Politics. This topic can turn ugly quickly. I once lost a potential wealthy client by ribbing him the day after a federal election that went badly for his ideological voting choice.
• Jokes relating to your client's weight or shape. You are there to help them remedy that,  not poke fun at them.

   If you happen to slip up and say something that offends,.....apologize immediately!

Don't let it fester. Hope and pray that the client puts it in the past.
   In the blogging world, I can always proof read and double check my words before I press the publish icon. In the real world, once you open your mouth the words are out there. If someone catches you with a cell phone camera there can be no chance of denial! There is no second chance.  After that, there is only damage control!

   You want your client to keep coming to you for training. You also want them to tell their friends about you and help market you. You want the sessions to be an enjoyable experience rather than a physical torture session. Be smart. Always be ready to smile but if in doubt back off on the jokes!

   Now for a Canadian style- beer league hockey locker room joke. A baby seal walks into a club......
As for  the age old question'Why did the chicken cross the road?'  It was because the Snap Fitness went under so he went over to join Planet Fitness!

"Did you hear the one about !?**# ?"
If in doubt about the appropriateness of the humor, don't use it. 

Until next time,.......keep fit! 

Little Bobby Strong!


 Links

www.fitnwell.com

www.rabbitview.com

What Ever Happened to Nautilus?

    Last week I stumbled across a YouTube video that showed the abandoned former Nautilus fitness equipment headquarters in central Florida. The warehouse where the equipment was fabricated was deserted and crumbling. The office buildings were in a similar run down condition . The property that had once been the roaming grounds of imported exotic animals had reverted to a natural jungle like state. Nautilus had been a trendsetter in the world of exercise equipment. Its founder, Arthur Jones, had been a square peg in the round hole that was the fitness industry. What happened?

• Arthur Jones was a bodybuilder, renaissance man, world traveler and inventor. 
• In 1970, after years of experimentation, Jones patented the first Nautilus weight lifting machine. 
• Instead of using a traditional pulley system, this machine used a cam that resembled the shell of a sea mollusk known as the Nautilus - hence the name.
• The cam used variable resistance that 'reputedly' mimicked the natural strength curve of a muscle powered joint action.
• Nautilus machines became the lifting mode of choice at many fitness clubs which were multiplying rapidly during the 1970's and 1980's.
• Nautilus even went into franchising with Nautilus fitness clubs appearing in cities throughout North America. My hometown of Ottawa, Canada had 2 such clubs with a 3rd one across the river on the Quebec side.
• Nautilus also branched over into manufacturing treadmills and stationary bikes.
• As the fitness industry exploded the Nautilus brand became famous.
• The Miami Dolphins of the NFL became the first athletes other than bodybuilders to endorse Nautilus training. Their home base installed a collection of Nautilus machines for the players to work out with.
• Ellington Darden, a PhD in exercise science wrote numerous books espousing the Nautilus brand and the sometimes debatable Nautilus training concepts.

A Nautilus biceps curl machine. Interestingly, instead of starting from
waist level, the elbows re already raised in shoulder flexion.

How do the Nautilus machines and training concepts match up with current exercise knowledge?

• The cam system may not have been as beneficial as advertised.  Supposedly the resistance is supposed to feel greater when the the muscle is in its strongest position mechanically and feel less at the muscle's weakest position. The natural strength curve of each person may differ depending on the person's size and bone length. Is a machine also capable of improving the natural muscular movement of lifting with a free weight? Unlikely.
• Many of the Nautilus Machines isolate a single muscular group.  For those desiring hypertrophy or increased muscle size such as bodybuilders, isolation work may be desirable. For sports performance or functional movement, isolation weight training especially with machines has less transference.  For those activities it is best to train movements rather than individual muscles.  The Miami Dolphins would likely have been better served with dynamic free weightexercises and plyometrics.
• Resistance training machines, not just Nautilus, are taking the exerciser through a single plane of motion. Human movement is usually multi-planar.   
• Nautilus claimed that its machines were safer than free weights or body weight resistance exercises. In the short term, this is true. In the long term training muscles rather than movements may lead to imbalances, causing muscular  compensations and eventually resulting in dysfunction and injury.  
• Nautilus training methods revolved around high intensity training (HIT) or more specifically training using only 1 set until momentary muscular failure occurred which was usually from 8 to 12 repetitions (up to 20 reps for lower body muscles). This method can increase muscle size but most scientific literature supports better results with multiple sets with  3 sets being a sensible target.
• Nautilus advocates claim that HIT methods on a Nautilus machine are superior to free weights or other machines. Some top bodybuilders including some Mr. Olympia winners are touted as having followed the Nautilus regime. The reality is that these bodybuilders often performed 2 or 3 progressively heavier warm-up sets before doing the main set of repetitions to failure. That sounds to me like a version of multiple set training.
• The Nautilus method also emphasizes eccentric or negative contractions in which the muscles resist gravity ans the weight is being lowered. The usual sequence is a 2 count for raising the weight and a 4 count or more for lowering the weight. Advanced Nautilus training can use all eccentric training for some workouts. Eccentric contractions can certainly increase muscle size but sometimes the muscle needs more recovery time afterwards.
• Nautilus principles emphasize the importance of recovery time - 48 hours or more between intense workouts. This is a sound truism because muscles grow during rest and recovery.

   There was a period of time when I did extensive training on Nautilus machines. I would either finish a hard running session or wrestling practice depending on what stage of my weekend warrior career that I was in. I was usually so physically trashed by then that training for one set to failure on Nautilus fit my needs. Had I trained multiple sets I risked over training. I also didn't want to spend time changing barbell plates. As a result, my physique was quite buffed but there was less functional carry over affect to the sports that I was doing than would have been optimal. However, I enjoyed working out on Nautilus and at the time I was a convert. Besides, by this point I my life I knew that was not going to make any Olympic teams as a late bloomer!

The Nautilus Hip and Back machine. This was one of the first resistance training machines
 that actually targeted the often neglected gluteus maximus muscles of the rear end.

   One apparatus  that was actually ahead of its time was the Nautilus hip and back machine. This machine attempted to integrate the gluteus maximus muscles of the butt into a compound lower body movement. Many resistance exercises neglect the glute max as a prime mover in hip extension and  over strengthen the hip flexor and hamstring muscles. It was an awkward machine to use for some people but give Nautilus credit for trying.   
  
   You don't hear very much about Nautilus lately. What happened to them?

• Arthur Jones sold Nautilus in 1986.    
• The present day Nautilus is in Vancouver, Washington. They also own Bowflex and Stairmaster.
• The Nautilus line now markets home equipment more than the larger fitness center resistance training machines.  
• Arthur's son Gary Jones owns Hammer Strength. 
• The club where I work out has replaced its aging Nautilus machines with Hammer Strength machines. The family tradition survives.
• There are few large fitness centers that have actual Nautilus machines any more.
• There are still clubs using the Nautilus name but they are primarily smaller fitness studios rather than large fitness centers.

The convenience of training on Nautilus machines attracted many people that would not have begun working out otherwise. For that reason alone the name Nautilus should hold an honored place of honor in fitness history!

Until next time,  Keep Fit   
Little Bobby Strong    

  Links

www.fitnwell.com

www.rabbitview.com

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