Rolf Your Pain Away - WebMD Feature Reviewed By Michael Smith, MD

Concert pianist Leon Fleisher almost played his way out of a career. The repetitive stress of daily practice, rehearsals, and performances left him with a crippling hand injury that sidelined him for 30 years. Though he continued to teach, conduct, and perform musical compositions written solely for the left hand, his ability to use his right hand was virtually nil. For years he explored practically every diagnostic and therapeutic option he heard about, with little or no success, until his wife suggested Rolfing. Ten months later, Fleisher was once again performing — this time with both hands.

Fleisher is not alone in having found relief from intense, crippling pain through this form of massage. Rolfing, which is named for the woman who developed it — Ida P. Rolf, PhD — is attracting increasing attention as more people, including celebrities such as actor LeVar Burton of Star Trek fame, and athletes such as Olympic figure skater Elvis Stojko, credit Rolfing for not only easing pain, but also with helping them gain more self-esteem and realize their potential.

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The Rolfer, Liz Gaggini, about the wonderful new theories surrounding the most common form of Scoliosis. From my limited understanding of the situ it goes something like this: Tracing the cross section of the main twist in the body at the T6/T7 vertebral junction, where the left side of the pelvis juts forward as well as the anterior right shoulder. Both the right pelvic innominate bone and the left shoulder are posteriorly shifted necessarily in this pattern to create a counterbalance. This being obvious, some research (unpublished as far as I know) is theorizing the initial twist is coming from an embryonic twist in the feeding tube. This feeding tube evolves into the falciform ligament of the liver. The liver has direct ligamentus connections to the heart through the diaphragm. This is primarily short in scoliotics. The liver, stomach, and gall bladder are migrating to the right side of the body, all of which are supported by the Lesser Omentum. The heart being attached to the liver is dragged to the right and rolls in this direction causing the vena cava to slip unerneath the aorta which are going left to counterrotate this imbalance. The kidneys are twisted, intestines and lungs are all going left to create balance. The pelvic imbalance gets set as the infants stand up for the first time and learn to walk. This possible causal relationship can be amazing if intervention can be done surgically or with a brace very early on and stop this pattern from progressing into more dysfunction. For those exhibiting these patterns now, isometric exercises or Yoga postures like Triangle Pose could help unwind down to the visceral organ level. Visceral manipulation could prove an invaluable tool to easing the strain along with some serious Structural Integration work. Here is a new testimonial from my lovely client Kristina Lanuza who has been dealing with her rotations head on for many years and for whom I worked on with the above knowledge:

“Having worked with scoliosis discomfort and pain for over 24 years with numerous physicians and healers, it has been rare to find someone like Michael who has been able to unravel the patterns so quickly and with such apparent results. I now know of only two types of “bodywork” that have worked so brilliantly with unwinding the curvature of the spine - Anusara yoga and Michael’s Structural Integration. Since and during the ten-series of sessions, I have been able to walk, run, dance and practice yoga with greater ease. As an avid athlete and music performer - the ability to move easily in the body is of utmost importance. It has also helped emotionally and mentally. Such deep work can only be done by a true healer. I highly recommend anyone who wants to move with greater ease and less pain to work with Michael for real, lasting change.”

Kristina is a great yoga teacher and more info about her practice is available at Yogafly.

This is taken from the Rolf Institute Website:

Olympic and Professional Skier’s Talk About Their Rolfing Experiences:
Two-time Olympian, U.S. Nordic Ski Team Member, John Bauer says, “Rolfing helped me get back my career. It tackled some specific injuries that were restricting me from training for the 98 Olympics, and got me back on track. You can ice and rest but no matter how slow you train until you lengthen out the tightness and scarring, it will come back.”

1998 U.S. Paralympic gold medal skier, Sarah Will says, “Rolfing increased my performance time 100%. It eliminated my body pain, relaxed my muscles at the starting gate, my concentration and motivation increased, giving me the winning edge. It loosened my lower back, shifting strength into my upper back where I need it, and increased my starting time. Seeing these results, and knowing I was in the best shape possible, my confidence rose. I think every sport should include a team Rolfer in their training program.” “Skiing demands a sharp mind. The stronger you are the more confident you become. The injuries (from the accident) left me off balance until I discovered the benefits of Rolfing bodywork and I’ve been winning ever since.”

World-renowned Extreme skier, and popular Warren Miller ski film star, John Egan says, “Rolfing gave me the elasticity to make my first day of skiing look like I was in mid-season form. People asked me, what have you been doing? I said you won’t believe it but it was Rolfing bodywork. The first time I tried Rolfing bodywork the rejuvenating effects were incredible. Since then I have been recommending Rolfing to others.”

Olympic skier, Mickey Egan, (the wife of Extreme skier, Dan Egan) says, “Rolfing helps alot, just in the way it helps me to loosen up, so I’m ready to go again. It’s great. Athletes tend to use the same muscles over and over; they get tighter and tighter and this has an effect on the muscles. We can stretch but not reach everything. Rolfing helps me reach areas like the ribs, abdominals, upper body, and hips that are hard to get.”

Other pro-athletes who have used Rolfing include Michelle Kwan and Elvis Stojko, 98 Olympic Silver Medal figure skaters; Phil Jackson, former Chicago Bull’s coach; Charles Barkley of the Houston Rockets; Rob Moore, of the Phoenix Cardinals, Tim Salmon, CA. Angel baseball star; the Phoenix Suns basketball team; Mario Lemieux, of the Pittsburg Penguins, Bob Tewksbury, pitcher for the Minnesota Twins; Edwin Moses, Olympic track athlete; Joe Greene, 1996 U.S. Olympic Bronze Medal long jumper; Ivan Lendl, former tennis champion.

Wow, has it really taken this long for them to move past warnings on Vicodin and Percocet and actually do something about the devastating effects these combination drugs have on the liver? The NY Times reports on the recent federal advisory panels ban on Vicodin and Percocet. I guess the 500 or so functions the liver must perform all day long were not monitored in clinical trials when narcotics (a class of opiod based analgesics) + acetaminophen were introduced. The acetaminophen is the danger here - it will destroy the liver. And about 400 people die a year from Vicodin and Percocet.

From Medscape via the Journal for Nurse Practitioners:

More than 200 million persons take acetaminophen each year. Of these, about 200 persons a year die of fulminant hepatic failure from acetaminophen overdosage. The median acute dose causing liver failure is 24 g (48 extra-strength tablets).

The concern here is for people who are in chronic pain and won’t have any options if there is a ban. Now I can’t speak on behalf of an individual in pain - but there are so many ways to reduce pain symptoms through acupuncture, Structural Integration, massage, movement and exercise (the body will produce its own opiod substances when actually moved off the couch and put into a sweat). So skip the Tylenol, Percocet, Vicodin, Oxycodone, and Hydrocodone and look for safe, effective therapies that can improve your life while reducing your symptons. It’s a win-win for you and your liver.

The Bodies exhibit is a must see if you want to get the best glimpse possible of what a sarkel (deceased) human body looks like. Although they have simplified a lot to cater to the masses it still is a must see for anyone interested in what is going on inside themselves. According to the release there are “22 whole-body specimens and 260 additional organ and partial-body specimens.” Having seen this exhibit in LA and now NY, the anatomy revealed is enlightening. The scientists use a plastination technique to turn a human body to a polymer/rubber matrix preserving the general anatomy of the body. Tickets are $22.00 for adults and the exhibit is at the Fulton Street Market, New York City.

R. Buckminster Fuller brought about the notion of internal structural balance through tension and integrity. He called this ‘Tensegrity‘. This notion has now been observed down to the cellular level of the human body. The old school idea that cells are floating and bumping into each other in a connective tissue matrix (that is erroneously thought of as the bodies inert filler) is no more. Small integrins and laminar filaments attach through the cell walls down into the nucleus and ultimately to the genetic code of the cell. Through these tiny guy wires every cell is structurally sound and is also attached and in communication with every other. The entire body is hard wired. How does this news affect you and I?

The entire body is hard wired. How does this news affect you and I?

Here is a great site that goes in depth about the structure of tensegrity.

It allows us to explore how Rolf Structural Integration works. Organizing connective tissue fibers and cells on the macro level necessarily translates down the microscopic level through these fibers. Cells that are stretched thin by tight areas function differently. They divide. On the other side of this coin, cells that are slackened by imbalance and have zero stress on them die. We experience this as atrophy on the larger scale. The body needs to be balanced front to back, top to bottom, left to right and inside to outside for true spatial health to exist. All sides of each joint and its internal capsule must function properly for the cartilage to glide correctly. There should be no pain when there is balance. The body should be using the absolute minimum amount of energy to exist, and this in turn allows more potential energy for other functions - hopefully immune boosting and disease fighting systems. Exciting frontiers within Spatial Medicine, as Tom Myers states, are upon us and the news is very good.

This is a great study from the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Guide to Mercury in Sushi
Women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant should be especially careful about eating sushi. Many of the fish chosen for sushi are the apex predators of the fish food chain, which means they can bear high concentrations of mercury. The following list highlights sushi choices highest and lowest in mercury.

HIGHEST MERCURY
Avoid
Kajiki (swordfish)
Saba (mackerel)

HIGH MERCURY
Eat no more than three 6-ounce servings per month
Ahi (yellowfin tuna)1 Buri (adult yellowtail)2
Hamachi (young yellowtail)2 Inada (very young yellowtail)2
Kanpachi (very young yellowtail) Katsuo (bonito)2
Maguro (bigeye, bluefin* or yellowfin tuna)1
Makjiki (blue marlin)* Masu (trout)
Meji (young bigeye, bluefin* or yellowfin tuna)1
Shiro (albacore tuna) Toro (bigeye, bluefin* or yellowfin tuna)1

LOWER MERCURY
Eat no more than six 6-ounce servings per month
Kani (crab)
Seigo (young sea bass)*
Suzuki (sea bass)*

LOWEST MERCURY
Enjoy these fish
Aji (horse mackerel)2 Akagai (ark shell)
Anago (conger eel) Aoyagi (round clam)
Awabi (abalone) Ayu (sweetfish)
Ebi (shrimp)* Hamaguri (clam)
Hamo (sea eel) Hatahata (sandfish)
Himo (ark shell) Hokkigai (surf clam)
Hotategai (scallop)* Ika (squid)
Ikura (salmon roe) Kaibashira (shellfish)
Kaiware (daikon-radish sprouts)
Karei (flatfish) Kohada (gizzard shad)
Masago (smelt egg) Mirugai (surf clam)
Nori-tama (egg) Sake (salmon)
Sawara (spanish mackerel)2
Sayori (halfbeak) Shako (mantis shrimp)
Tai (sea bream) Tairagai (razor-shell clam)
Tako (octopus)
Tamago (egg) Tobiko (flying fish egg)
Torigai (cockle) Tsubugai (shellfish)
Unagi (freshwater eel) Uni (sea urchin roe)

* Fish to avoid for reasons other than mercury: Fish and other types of seafood are marked with an asterisk above if any of their populations are depleted due to overfishing or if the methods used to catch them are especially damaging to other sea life or ocean habitats.

In her 1963 study, “Project Breakthrough”, Ida Rolf found that children who had received Rolfing work exhibited better muscle tone, better alignment, and improved social responsiveness.

Dr. Valerie D. Hunt and Dr. Wayne W. Massey of the UCLA Department of Kinesiology completed a five-year controlled study in 1977, entitled, “A study of structural integration from neuromuscular, energy field and emotional approaches”. They found that subjects who had received Rolfing exhibited:

1.Smoother, larger, and less constrained extraneous movements
2.Greater movement efficiency and improved neuromuscular balance
3.More dynamic and energetic body movements, with less fatigue
4.A more erect carriage with less obvious strain to maintain held positions
5.Increased emotional calmness, a greater sense of well being, and decreased anxiety.

More recent research findings include the positive effects of Rolfing on the autonomic nervous system (published in The Journal of the American Physical Therapy Association, Mar. 1988) and benefits of Rolfing for chronic back pain (The Journal of Orthopedic & Sports Physical Therapy, Sept.1997).

Abstracts for many of these papers may be purchased directly from the Rolf Institute (800.530.8875).

Rey Allen has sent me the final segment of factoids here at Viva-Mayr.

1. Locomotion drives the lymphatic system. But in the visceral organs its not locomotion, (unless there’s yoga or twisting but that’s not throughout the day) but rather its the diaphragm that is the main driver for moving lymph in the visceral. Another reason to exercise, to increase breathing capacity of lungs and thorax.

2. The intestines are one continuous muscle with links of neurons. Its design is to contract in a local area like a worm does when it moves. This means that when it contracts in one part to move fecal matter, the rest of the tube MUST relax. What this points to is the importance of letting there be separation between meals and not food from one end of the gut to the other. If there is a full gut then the intestines loses their peristaltic function and power. In other words, it stops moving because it can not contract everywhere at once as the whole tube would shorten together and no stool could move. Thus, don’t over eat and allow the sense of hunger determine your meals.

3. Taking probiotics (like Acidophilus) doesn’t mean that we have manually placed good bacterial back into our system. Not many people know this but what it actually does is provide a temporary support. The supplements of probiotics we just ingested will move straight through our digestive system and out the other end. This temporary support give our own flora time to rebuild itself. So, if you really need bacterial support don’t just pop a pill here and there, continue taking the whole bottle or two every day for any length of time. Its a fact that you can never overdose or take too much acidophilus.

4. We ingest parasites everyday, sometimes with every meal, but the reason why parasites don’t remain in our gut is because of our stomach acids and intestinal flora. When we have a good pH in the body and the flora is well balanced then it creates a totally unfriendly environment for any parasites to host and thrive. Thus, we only invite parasites into our gut if we offer them an environment they can survive in. When Acidophilus breaks down it releases such toxins as lactic acid and hydrogen peroxide to help drive parasites out.

Yogurt: Acidophilus or probiotic controls the overgrowth of candida which is a yeast. Acidophilus in yogurt is the sourness we taste. So, make sure the yogurt you are buying at the store is sour in taste and not sweet as the sugar will only negate the reasons we purchased it in the first place. This is also why yogurt is good for topical use with yeast infections on the skin or genitals.

Thanks Rey!

This is about Acid/Alkaline balance. Here is what Rey Allen learned at Viva Mayr:

1. As we know, an excessive amount of acidity reduces the body’s minerals, vitamins, trace elements, and sustains inflammation in the body. Stress, lack of rest and certain foods or food combining cause our body’s to become more acidic. An acidic environment is what cancer, degenerative diseases, inflammation, gout, leaky gut syndrome and my personal favorite, bad breath thrive in.

One way to diagnose high acidity is to look at your tongue. If your tongue has any kind of coating on it and/or you can see, even the slightest hint, teeth impressions along the side of your tongue -your pH is off.

Foods that are acidic, obviously including meats, coffee, and sugars, combined with other acidic foods (carbs and starches) create major problems for us. We have to always combine the acid and alkaline foods when eating in a 2:1 ratio; two alkaline foods to every acidic one. Starch is considered acidic and must be combined as if it were acidic like meat. If you are going to eat meat combine it only with veggies only, potatoes only with veggies, rice only with veggies but not chicken & rice nor meat & potatoes- bad news bears unless you are absolutely healthy. The funny thing about meat and potatoes is that starch and meat require different lengths of time to break down in the stomach before moving on, through the duodenum where the bile and pancreatic juices do their thing, then onto the small intestines. This sequence is very important to understand. See, between the stomach and the digestive track is the pyloric valve which is a sphincter and will only open, letting the stomach’s material pass through if the food is properly broken down. Now pay attention, starch only needs less then an hour to move on while meat requires 2-3 hrs for breakdown. What happens when these two are ingested together is that the starch will cause the pylorus to open too early causing the animal by-products to enter into the system. This then puts a huge demand on our intestinal flora to do the rest of the digesting which is not ideal nor efficient for extracting all its nutrients.

And for those of us who have prescribed to the raw food craze, watch out, raw foods requires a good portion of the day to break down because it must first ferment in the gut which is high acidic. Not that you cant eat raw foods, god bless you, but that you should never eat raw foods in the evening, before going to sleep, this will push your whole system towards acidity making a raw food diet actually dangerous for some.

2. The stomach stores most of the acidity for breaking down the foods, as it should, and as a result there is a by-product called Sodium Bicarbonate which is released into the body via the blood stream. Sodium Bicarbonate is Alkaline. This is good. This alkalinity reduces inflammation in the body. After food passes through the stomach it mixes with pancreatic juices and bile salts which are alkaline. The small intestine fluids are entirely alkaline. Having alkalinity supports the digestives systems and its ability to eliminate. Also, being stressed and eating improperly for long periods of time increases the amount of acidity in the stomach. The stomach has a threshold on how much Sodium Bicarbonate it can produce. So when the acidity remains high for long periods the Sodium Bicarbonate reserves for the body run out. Inflammation and other healing processes are stalled or exacerbated. Sadly, the majority of us have this problem.

3. The other important factors that is stressed here is chewing of our foods. We have all heard this before but these guys are on the ball and are wanting every last drop of our saliva partaking in our digestive process. With every meal that would be a soup or a broth or something you can eat that doesn’t require chewing they make sure we have spelt bread so to keep our jaw in motion.

4. We have all heard that drinking water with meals dilutes the stomach juices. But the real issue is drinking fluids with meals dilute our saliva. The saliva is one of the most important elements for the “proper” digestive process. So, no fluids while eating people. You’ll need your spit.

5. The Kidneys eliminate the acids but must use a buffer agent, Phosphates, to both keep the environment of the kidneys healthy and to neutralize acidity. Phosphates are of course alkaline. Phosphates are stored primarily in the bones, so if too many phosphates are required to reduce the high acidity in the body it reduces the Phosphate’s presence in the bones. Important to understand about Phosphates is that it pairs with Calcium so when the Phosphates are drawn out of the bones, to assist the kidneys, so to is the Calcium drawn out of the bones. This of course weakens our bones and creates the environment for an early development of osteoporosis. People that eat an excessive amount of meat without proper “food combining” are found to eliminate 70% more calcium then people that pair their foods properly. And a myth about Calcium, milk can never replenish our supply. In fact we now know that milk actually reduces our stored calcium. I can’t explain it but physiologically it’s a known fact. (The dairy industry has been bullshitting us for 80 years and we have just bought into it from the beginning. )

Now of course we don’t have to always eat this way. The body is designed to take on more foods and in random order but I was told this is the best way to regulate and/or restore our health . If we can live most of our lives within these parameters then we can get sloppy drunk and recover in a reasonable amount of time rather then just adding to the problem.

5. A few ways to reduce acidity in the body:
-Drinking water eliminates the body’s acidity. Only drink between meals though. Also important to know, lots of fluids = lots of pooping (and peeing of course).
-Learn to pair your foods.
-But the #1 way a person can eliminate the acidity in their body……. is through exercise, breathing that is! Your exhalation is made up of CO2 which is all acid. So, heavy breathing actually balances the body’s pH balance. Let me stress, this is the #1 way to reduce our acidity.
-Oh, and the one thing that creates a highly acidic body, SMOKING! Put it out people.

Thanks Rey, for your great notes.

I just had the pleasure of catching Andy Abraham Wilson’s “Under Our Skin” at the 2:50pm show at the IFC Theater. This emotionally stirring documentary about those suffering from late-stage Lyme Disease delves into their misdiagnosis, mistreatment, hope, pain and politicized insurance hooplah reminiscent of Michael Moore’s “Sicko”. Visually stunning and with fantastic sound design I’m still reeling from this film. I can tell you one thing - I’ve pulled several ticks a year out of my body every summer after mountain biking and hiking trips for the last 20 years. In fact I remember when I was 10 in Hampton Bays at a family reunion getting hot matches pressed into a tick that had embedded itself in the top of my head feasting on my pure blood like a stubborn vampire - it would not let go. I think my father had to pour gasoline to finally get it out. I’m getting tested for the Borrelia Burgdorferi spyrochete immediately. Which, by the way, is now being investigated as the main culprit in Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, ALS, Fibromyalgia, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s Disease. This Borrelia bacteria is a very close cousin to Syphillis, which unnervingly is transmitted sexually, and seems to be the logical starting point if we are to investigate its suspicious genomic manipulation by insidious scientists. New research points to certain strains having a biofilm protection essentially sealing it off from antibiotics, our immune system, and detection in laboratory blood tests. Bloodcurdling fear is all i can express.

Synopsis from their site: “A gripping tale of microbes, medicine & money UNDER OUR SKIN investigates the untold story of Lyme disease, an emerging epidemic larger than AIDS. Each year thousands go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, often told that their symptoms are “all in their head.” Following the stories of patients and physicians fighting the disease, the film brings into focus a haunting picture of the health care system and a medical establishment all too willing to put profits ahead of patients.”

What really has the gears in my head spinning is that this disease seemed to come out of thin air right in my own backyard. All of a sudden in 1980-81 we have people getting sick. Nature rarely works in this manner without a little help from us (think genetically tampered mosquitos spreading West Nile disease in the US out of no where in 2001-look it up). The area known as Lyme, Connecticut is a mere 5 miles from Plum Island - the governments infectious disease research facility (think biological weapons manufacturer) a few miles off the coast of Montauk. And now this disease has spread across the entire northern hemisphere of this planet. Mice and deer have been shown to be infected and the deer tick spreaders could have easily hitched a ride on a Piping Plover to carry itself to far reaching destinations.
Plum Island
This is a scary quote from Lyme Disease - A Biological Weapon?:

John Quinn — who as you may recall wrote a book on the so-called Montauk Project activities at Montauk Air Base on the east end of Long Island New York — wrote that he was informed UNEQUIVOCALLY by project operative and subsequent whistleblower Preston Nichols that Lyme Disease was DEFINITELY developed by the US government at Plum Island Animal Disease research facility, directly offshore from Montauk in Long Island Sound. Nichols told Quinn that the disease was first engineered in the mid-1960s and was initially released at the Montauk base itself and the surrounding communities. Nichols averred that there was frequent collaboration between the two facilities.

It is a FACT that the earliest victims of the disease were not in Old Lyme Connecticut but at Montauk. The disease rapidly became fairly widespread by the late 60s among the many farmers and fishermen in the area and was known at the time as “Montauk Knee” — as it primarily affected major joints such as the knee.

The second Fascia Congress will be occuring in Amsterdam on October 27-30 2009. The first Congress at Harvard Medical School in 2007 was an amazing experience and I am still talking about some of the lectures I saw. Just fascia-nating stuff. Join me in Amsterdam this year as we are led by the Scientific Chair of the conference, Peter Huijing, PhD, a physiologist and keynote presenter from the first fascia research conference who is the recipient of the prestigious Muybridge Award for his work on fascial connections and force transmission within muscle tissue. The Administrative Chair is Peter Hollander, PhD who was dean of the School of Movement Sciences from 1998 to 2007 and has been active in sports related exercise physiology with an emphasis on swimming.

Rey Allen’s inside notes from his last trip to Viva Mayr. Definitely worth the read.

Lesson 1: We struggle with our weight because we don’t chew, take enough time or stay calm during our meals. This bears repeating because it is the most important thing to get into our heads.

The part of our brain that relays back to us the message that we are full does not measure how much we actually have eaten but rather for how long we’ve been eating. This means if you have 2 lbs. of potato salad in front of you, you have a choice of how much you want in your belly by the time the 30 minute bell rings. Do you want 2 lbs. or maybe 0.5 lbs. of potato salad, because the feeling is going to be all the same in 30 minutes.

So, if we take our time eating, chewing our food as slowly as possible, buying our time, all we have to worry about is getting to that 30 minute mark. Then the brain says, “Arghh, I’m full you fool, and if you keep stuffing your face you’re going to regret it”.

The other very important reason for chewing 30-40 times per bite is that the first necessary phase of digestion takes place in the mouth, not because of breaking the food apart through chewing but because the excretion of the necessary enzymes for the digestion process is activated through the act of chewing. Phase 2: Stomach. If we are inhaling our bites then the food doesn’t break down well enough, causing unassimilated food to enter into our digestive system causing our bile, pancreatic juices, small and large intestines to strain to process. Not a good thing in the long haul. Your intestines will be in knots in 15-20 years.

Lesson 2: Burning Fat

Due to the complexity of the metabolism, this is the the short of it.

To actually burn fat from exercise you must avoid eating before or after your workout. You want to begin your workout with your blood sugar on the low. I know what you are thinking, you need stored energy to not pass-out on the treadmill. This is a myth. Yes you will feel low on juice but trust yourself and start-a kickin. If you are trying to burn fat then exercise on the stored energy (fat) you already have.

Second, don’t eat for 60 minutes after working out. You see, you don’t actually burn fat during the time you are sweating like a pig while running your ass off, but only after you have stopped. For some strange reason or sick joke nature has played on us we burn fat during the 60 min after we stopped our workout. Sadly, this is the fact about our metabolism. If you make the mistake and go for a beer with your gym buddies or grab a bite to eat right afterwards then you actually interrupt the fat-burn metabolic process and all your efforts will have been for naught. Again, when you eat right after your workout the body no longer needs to take energy from the fat you already have stored but will just take it from the newly ingested energy. This means no protein shakes or power bars. So the moral of the story is you have a very delicate window of opportunity to burn fat so don’t go throwing a ham sandwich through it.

Lesson 3: When Exercising

Our breathing rate, heart beat, and walking or running pace all have a rhythm that will fall in line together. For example: if you walk at a brisk pace you might take 3 steps for every breath, if you jog slowly you will then take 2 steps for every breath, and when sprinting you will take a breath for every step you take. That said, you don’t want to interrupt this rhythm as this is the coordinated process behind your metabolism.

Note: If you’re planning to hydrate while you are working-out it is suggested that you take 1 sip (swallow) of water every 5 minutes so to not interrupt our body’s coordination. Don’t on the other hand take in 3 sips back to back when walking or running. This will cause your breathing to pause to swallow resulting in an increase in heart rate. As a result, you will produce more lactic acid faster, causing your legs to feel heavier and slow you down. If you do take more then 1 sip then it must take another 5 min for your system to settle down, slowing your aerobic state (fat burning process). So, keeping your pace and the coordination of your breath and heart rate are essential for keeping the metabolism efficient.

Now, there is also the important information about exercising at your ‘maximum target heart rate’, you can only find this out through a fitness test. It has to do with your anaerobic vs. aerobic rates and how you burn through your glucose and oxygen, which depends on your current fitness level. It would be wise to know this information about yourself to track your progress and know how hard to push yourself.

Lesson 4: Cravings

When we pass by a hamburger stand or ice-cream shop our body is not craving what it wants but what it needs. There is a difference. Our body is craving that supply of energy or food because we don’t have it and our body feels that it needs it. If there are 700 calories in that ice-cream cone, your craving is to acquire 700 calories your body feels that it needs. Same goes with a snack, your body needs 200 calories. This is all because we don’t have the energy to begin with. This will always be the case when we don’t have sustained energy due to our out-of-shape-selves. So, if you aren’t feeling or looking your best then just remember this, your body is playing games with you!

This is a great excerpt from New Scientist:

Don’t try this at home. Several times a day, for several days, you induce pain in someone. You control the pain with morphine until the final day of the experiment, when you replace the morphine with saline solution. Guess what? The saline takes the pain away.

This is the placebo effect: somehow, sometimes, a whole lot of nothing can be very powerful. Except it’s not quite nothing. When Fabrizio Benedetti of the University of Turin in Italy carried out the above experiment, he added a final twist by adding naloxone, a drug that blocks the effects of morphine, to the saline. The shocking result? The pain-relieving power of saline solution disappeared.

So what is going on? Doctors have known about the placebo effect for decades, and the naloxone result seems to show that the placebo effect is somehow biochemical. But apart from that, we simply don’t know.

Benedetti has since shown that a saline placebo can also reduce tremors and muscle stiffness in people with Parkinson’s disease. He and his team measured the activity of neurons in the patients’ brains as they administered the saline. They found that individual neurons in the subthalamic nucleus (a common target for surgical attempts to relieve Parkinson’s symptoms) began to fire less often when the saline was given, and with fewer “bursts” of firing - another feature associated with Parkinson’s. The neuron activity decreased at the same time as the symptoms improved: the saline was definitely doing something.

We have a lot to learn about what is happening here, Benedetti says, but one thing is clear: the mind can affect the body’s biochemistry. “The relationship between expectation and therapeutic outcome is a wonderful model to understand mind-body interaction,” he says. Researchers now need to identify when and where placebo works. There may be diseases in which it has no effect. There may be a common mechanism in different illnesses. As yet, we just don’t know.

You can almost see the motor coordination and development happening. Very cool.