A Week With The Elite

Whenever I go on a trip or to a seminar I always look back at my notes/thoughts and write up my take aways.  Some of the stuff I publish on this blog, some I never do anything with.  A few weeks ago I spent 10 days down in Scottsdale, AZ with the professional track and field organization called ALTIS.

ALTIS is where professional track and field athletes (mostly sprinters/jumpers/throwers) come to live, train, get high level coaching and high level therapy year round.  They make a living as an athlete.  They travel the world competing on the track.  Most will be competing for their country at the Olympics (hopefully).  ALTIS isn't just for Americans.  Any country or athlete that qualifies can come train.  While I was there athletes from China, South Africa, Canada, Korea, Germany, Scotland, England, Australia, Ivory Coast and I'm sure a few others were there living and training.

First, some impressions.  There isn't magic formulas and secret workouts.  It's often assumed because someone is elite, that they do special "stuff."  In fact, if you were to write it down on paper it would be somewhat boring  "Really, this is it?"

When you step back you can see the beauty in the basics.  Mastery.  They master the basics.  They master drills, they master posture, they master the boring.  They sleep well.  Hydrate well.  Eat well.  Bring enthusiasm and joy to the workplace (track) They listen well....and do it day after day.

There aren't secrets.  Successful people and organizations don't have secrets.  In fact, ALTIS offers clinics all the time that allow coaches and therapist come and watch and learn exactly what they do.  Day in and day out.   The programming and coaching is simply smart.

I think often times athletes get injured when they or there coach over reach (over complicate) their progressions/workouts.  Probably the notion that mental toughness can be achieved by physical beat downs still exist in the college track scene.  Running to get tired.  If being tired meant you got better, I'd be world class athlete from my chasing my 2 kids around.  Smart training, done consistently.

2nd, some questions I have received.

Can someone if they work hard enough become that fast?  Quite simply, no!  To have the ability to run 9.9 in the 100m is a God given genetic talent.  Does that mean they don't have to work that hard to do it?  Absolutely not.  Just because you have the ability doesn't mean it will happen.  Years and years of training and hard work on top of unique talent is what it takes.

Is it a lot different working with elite athletes vs the average joe?  Honestly, no.  Anatomy is anatomy.  Histology is histology.  Joints move and muscles contract.  Fascia transmits.  Humans respond to load and fatigue.  The nervous system is the same.  What is different is sometimes the quality of muscle tissue.  They have taken better care of themselves.  This lends to faster recovery.  But, the same attention to detail goes into treating an average joe as goes into treating the elite sprinter.

If you had to do it all over again, would you do the same educational path?  A lot of the work I do isn't traditional chiropractic in the truest sense.  There are PT's that adjust.  I consider myself a strength coach that adjusts joints and treats connective tissue and makes everything play nice.  I doubt if I would need a Chiropractic license to do the exact stuff I do today, but I also don't think I would have been afforded the opportunities that I was presented with without it.  Catch 22.  (PS..I'm glad I went to school)

Take aways.  Start today on getting better at the basics.  Being around Olympians and Elite athletes you can't help but feel the urge to get better.  Today is the first day of Spring.  Pick something in every area of your life to improve on and commit to doing it every day.  Walk 10 minutes.  Do 50 push ups.  Read (study) for 20 min on a topic in your field.  Write a paragraph.  Eat 3 more vegetables.  Save 10 dollars.  Get 8 more minutes of sleep tonight.  Drink 2 more glasses of water.  Start becoming a master of the basics.  That is the path to an Elite life.

Don't Let Your Hobby Become A Chore

More and more I stop and ask myself why I do what I do in training and fitness.  More and more I stop and ask my patients why they are doing what they do in training and fitness.  I've decided there are good answers and there are answered that we won't call bad, but they need to be explored more.

I'm going to go back and use my 8 year old self as the filter to this question.  My 8 year old self, loved Star Wars, playing in the woods, playing with my dog Chelsea, playing baseball, building forts, reading books, climbing trees and riding bikes.  (Not to much has changed)  lol

My 8 year old self hated weeding, raking leaves, shoveling snow, hanging laundry, doing dishes, mowing the lawn.  Life Chores.  (Nothing has changed here!)

I can remember running as fast as I can for as long as I can.  Not because I was trying to prove something to someone or to myself (important point to remember) but because I liked that feeling of being utterly spent and exploring what my body could do.  If you had asked me why after I had done something like that I'm pretty I would have just said, "It was fun."

Why are you training that particular way?

I like riding my bike.  A few years ago I was talked into doing a longish ride/race/event.  Every weekend I'd go and add a chunk of time on my ride, till I was up to about 6-7 hours.  I hated it.  I really don't like riding my bike longer then 2 hours.  This wasn't fun.  It had taken a fitness activity that I had really liked and made it a life chore!

How often do we let our hobbies become life chores?  Something that becomes another check mark on our daily to do list.  No longer something that we look forward to, that pumps are body with feel good "stuff."

Why is this an important distinction?

Runner comes in banged up and injured.  "I started running to lose weight and found that I really enjoyed it."  I loved the feeling of just getting out there and forgetting the stress of my day for awhile.  I started training for a 1/2 marathon a few months ago and now my last long run I got really sore, but the plan called for me to run again and now my hip has been hurting ever since.  But, "I HAVE TO GET MY MILES IN."

This isn't a rant on smart training or listening to your body.  It's about defining your relationship to fitness and training.  If it's about proving something to you or someone,  I'm not sure you can get that from exercise or an event.  It might seem frivolous to do only stuff that is fun, but research shows exercise that is a stress, doesn't really do a whole lot for us.  In fact, I personally think it opens us up for injury and sickness.

This is a rant about protecting the stuff you love doing.  The stuff that brings genuine joy in the activity.   Guard your joy.  This is what will bring health and happiness in your fitness and training.  If your workouts have become a chore, analyze when and how it did.  Rethink your goals.  Don't get caught in the elusive trap of comparing yourself to another.  Don't get caught in the trap of letting a hobby become a chore.  Chores suck.

Everything I Need To Know About Health I Learned from My Dog

It's been a little more then a month since I had to make the decision to put my dog Rocco to sleep.  A tumor had ruptured by his spleen and in a matter of days he went from a vibrant dog full of energy, to unable to raise up on his legs.  To say it sucked, would be an understatement.  It was a strange combination of easy/hard and to say goodbye.  You never want something you love to be in pain, so it was easy.  You don't want to lose something you love, so that was hard.  That is pretty much life.  

After a few weeks of missing him I started to think about how amazing dogs are.  There are a lot of health benefits to having a dog.  Here are a few.

Reduction in stress.  People with dogs in their lives were able to deal with stressful situations with less anger.  Lower blood pressure.  Just the act of petting a dog will lower ones blood pressure.  Increase in the feel good neurotransmitters were also measured with those that owned dogs.  Kids tend to have less asthma and allergies when they grow up with dogs.  People tend to exercise more,  dogs keep you moving.  This is less obesity and less arthritic pain episodes.  There is also a tendency to be more social when you own a dog.  This can have several trickle down effects of health as staying social is related to lots of positive health scores.  

I always enjoyed the book, "Everything I Need to Know, I Learned In Kindergarten," by Robert Fulghum.  So in honor of my late friend, I've thought about that and here is my take.

Everything I Need to Know About Health I Learned From My Dog.

1.  Wake up and Pandiculate.  Pandiculation isn't stretching, it's a way of contracting your muscles and then releasing them.  It is a way of keeping your spine healthy and we naturally do it when we yawn.  Do this every day, multiple times of day. 

2.  Drink water.  Drink lots of water.  Hydrating is important. 

3.  Go poop everyday.  You would be surprised how important this is for your health.  You literally need to get the "crap" out of your body.  Don't hold on to your waste.

4.  Play.  We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing.  There is so much truth in this.  Play games, don't just exercise, find a hobby you love doing, play at it.  

5.  Exercise.  Dogs love to walk, run, wrestle, tug of war and play fetch.  In fact, this is just what humans need.  Walking (slow endurance) wrestle and tug of war (some resistance exercise) Fetch, some faster interval workouts with small amounts of rest.

6.  Hang out with those you love.  Most of the time dogs just want to be with you.  Laying in the same room as you do whatever.  Hang out with those you find important.  

7.  Greet everyone with a wag of the tail.  Greet everyone as a potential friend.  The world would be a better place if we all did this.  

8.  Eat Good Food, but not all of it.  Rocco would eat until he was full, but wouldn't eat all the food in his bowl if he wasn't hungry.  Learn to stop eating when you are not hungry.  Just because it's on your plate, doesn't mean you need to finish it.

9.  Sleep.  Healthy dogs sleep like 12-16 hours a day.  Humans tend to not sleep enough.  Take naps, get your rest.  Sleeping is so undervalued.  Every day we realize more and more how lack of sleep is detrimental to our overall health.

10.  Lay in the sun.  When you find some sun, lay in it.  Get your Vitamin D.  Relax and Enjoy.

We rescued him around 7 years ago.  They thought he was about 3 when we did.  He had been walking the streets of Oklahoma City when he was picked up, they thought he was a Katrina Dog.  I wish he had lived longer, but am thankful he got to be a great friend to my oldest daughter Piper and got to spend a year and half with my youngest Skyler.  He will be missed, but I'm grateful for all the days of friendship and health that he taught me.  

Mushrooms as Medicine with Paul Stamets

I could listen to Paul Stamets (One of the leading Mycology experts in the world) all day.  Super cool info.

Things I Don't Understand

Ever now and then I think to myself, this really doesn't make a lot of sense, I usually just move on, but I figured I would keep a list of them lately.

THINGS I DON'T UNDERSTAND

Ordering a Starbucks drink with room for cream, they put the lid on.  I then carry my covered drink 3 steps to the cream, take the lid off, pour in the cream and put the lid back on.  Why not just give me the drink with the lid off?  (maybe it's policy)

When a patient comes in as a new patient for you to look at something, (quite chronic) and they proceed to tell you they have a surgery scheduled for one week, but wanted to see if you could do anything.  This has happened so often, I quit keeping track.  A good rule of thumb, if you really want to avoid surgery, give yourself the same amount of time to see what can be done as the amount of time you will be in rehab.  So if you are having a shoulder surgery that requires 4 months of rehab, give yourself 4 months to see if indeed a surgery can be avoided.

People that do an exercise that they know hurts them even though they are doing it to feel better.   Every time I do the yoga twist my back is sore for days?  Why do you keep doing it?  I want my back to feel better.  Talk about an oxymoron!  This goes for every exercise.  I've had people tell me everything at some point.  Ask for an alternative, or figure out the why that exercise hurts.  But, don't keep banging your head against the wall hoping it solves your "headache."

People that tell me coffee is unhealthy.

The gap between what we know in physical education and actual school education.  There is researched well known facts, that are repeated over and over that shows direct relationship between physical activity, (gym, play, recess) and doing better in school.  Yet, it's getting systematically cut from the schools.  Ironically, these same schools are cutting it to chase better test scores.

You brush your teeth most likely 2x a day.  Your teeth can be replaced.  Dentures.  Do you want to do this..no.  But, it can be lived with.  How come no one does a musculoskeletal "cleaning" 2x a day.  Something as simple as a minute of cat/camel in the morning and evening.  You don't have the option of replacing your spine.  Your just old before your time.

People that tell me they don't like to read.  This statement is for foreign to me.  I grew up loving books and still do.  As a kid, you could travel to amazing adventures.  As an adult you can travel to amazing adventures, that you can actually plan on doing yourself!  Some books are also like the boiled down version of everything a person knows.  A person may have worked in a field for 30 years and then taken that 30 years of lessons/experience and boiled it down to 300 pages.  In a matter of hours you can download that 30 years for yourself.  Whenever I get a new book, I get a little excited and think about that scene in the Matrix where Neo downloads a new program..."I know Kung Fu."

People that expect to be good at something they have never done.  Being good at golf, doesn't make you good at swimming.  Lance Armstrong was downright mediocre as a runner, he was the best biker in the world.

Equating security for freedom.  This job has good health insurance so I'm staying at the job I hate.  That is self imprisonment.

Why my 16 month old can't sleep through the night.  Kid, give us some uninterrupted sleep.  We'd all be better off including you.

People are still smoking that are under 50 years old.  I give you an age break, because lets face it, addiction is a real thing.  I'm not going to judge that.  In the 50's and 60's they still had advertisements that it was healthy.  Presently, there is no room for misunderstanding.  It is horrible for your health.  No one thinks you look cool.  There is no possible reason to even try smoking.  Yet I still see younger people huddled in the freezing cold, puffing away their health and money.

Spending primo money on things you put on your body, clothes, lotions, shoes and looking to spend the least amount possible on the things you put in your body.

Young athletes that are looking for the keys to the kingdom, but ignore sound advice, like get 8 hours of sleep, drink lots of water and eat protein with every meal.  The next visit they are asking about some new supplement that is like 70 dollars.  You getting good sleep yet?  No, but I'm working on it. Have you ever heard of XYZ MAX PRO?  It's supposed to put on lean muscle really quick.  LOL.

I'm sure at some point I'll think of some more.

Random Thoughts and Notes

The human being is 2" taller in space after the 2nd day.  Stu Mcgill studies have shown that the spine hydrates the best at night with 8 hours rest.  At 6 hours we don't get enough hydration, hydration brings nutrition to the discs.  Over 8 hours and the discs get to hydrated or enlarged and if you have a back issue this will often create more back ache on waking.

Jumping rope should be part of every runner or athletes repertoire.  It teaches stiffness and relaxation.  Nice pulsing activity.

If you ask most late 30's to late 50's individuals all would say that they would love to have healthier joints and be stronger overall.  Chances are they were taught wrong (if taught at all) in weight lifting. I'm noticing a lot of people my age were taught to arch hard in the lower back when squatting.  It does provide stability, but it crushes the bones/discs.  Stable then, pay for it later.  How much would it be worth to hire great strength coaches to put into high schools and teach kids how to be strong safely?  I think the ROI 20 years down the road would be huge.  Just something I've been thinking about lately.

Strength covers a multitude of health issues.  Some health insurance companies are paying for gym memberships now, but what if there were some fitness milestones that could be hit that would reduce rates?  It seems smart for both parties.  To get life insurance a nurse had to come to my house to take blood, get my blood pressure and do a basic health screen.  So perhaps some physical ones as well?
Can you do a pull up?  How about can you get down to the ground and up again 15x in 60 seconds?
Can you walk a mile in under 20 min?  Can you carry 25% of your body weight for 40 yards?  Can you squeeze a captains of crush gripper (selected for your age group).  All of these activities have been shown to have an influence on health.  Again, this is just something I've been thinking about lately.

Stomach is a dissolver.  Small intestine is an absorber.  Colon is a transformer.  Good way to think about your digestive system.

Fish oil has been shown to help stop sarcopenia.  I think everyone should take some fish oil everyday, but this is a must for the elderly.

Normal Should Be Used With Caution

Reading through "The Trouble With Testosterone: And Other Essays On The Biology of The Human Predicament," By Robert Sapolsky, one chapter that has really stood out to me was about what we have learned to be "Normal."

In the early days of human dissection and anatomy, bodies were often in short supply.  A whole underground of cadaver selling developed, whether the bodies were obtained legally or not was not much of a concern.  Some dug up newly buried bodies, others were obtained by some very nefarious practices.

"Burking"  Named for William Burke who lured beggars into his home and strangled them.  He then sold the bodies to anatomists.

One very common fact was that most if not all bodies studied were poor.  Being poor brought other health issues that were unknown at the time.  Essentially the had lived a life of chronic stress.  Malnourished, worried about being killed, etc...  This chronic stress made them produce more stress hormones.  The increase in stress hormones caused their adrenal glands to enlarge.  When physicians studied these cadavers an enlarged adrenal gland was considered"normal."

When a wealthy man came into the morgue or anatomy room they presented with an "undersized" adrenal gland.  They made up a condition called Idiopathic adrenal atrophy.  This disease was wide spread in early twentieth century.  Years later they realized they were mistaken about the size of the adrenal gland and then everyone was cured.

A more serious error came in the 1930's with the Thymus gland.  Still unknown to the medical community that stress can atrophy organs, lead to some very bad outcomes.  Babies suddenly dying in their sleep were being studied,  Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. (SIDS).  We presently think now that it occurs when babies in the 3rd trimester receive less oxygen then normal and brain cells are damaged that help control respiration.  But, back then, they had no clue why babies were suddenly dying.

At the end of the 19th century a pathologist autopsied SIDS babies and non SID babies.  What he found was that SIDS babies had a much larger thymus gland.  Now we know that the non SID babies had died of chronic stressful illness that had atrophied the thymus gland.  They drew the conclusion that in SIDS, the "abnormal" large thymus gland was pressing down on the trachea causing suffocation.

By 1920 this condition had a name and it was in all the leading pediatric textbooks.  To prevent this the thymus should be irradiated to shrink it.  This advice persisted into the 1950's.  Obviously, this had no effect on SIDS, but what it did do is irradiate the gland next to it, the Thyroid gland.  This eventually lead to thousand and thousands of cases of thyroid cancer.

As you can see, mistaking normal can have tremendous consequences.  Every now and then it would be interesting, if not good practice, to reconsider what normal is to you and think about the opposite or how you could look at normal a little differently.

"What mistake are we making now, in our modern scientific ignorance, and how many people will ultimately pay for it." 
Robert Sapolsky.