Kristoph Thompson's Health and Fitness Blog

Sports nutrition company Maxitone is touring the country, giving women the chance to try their products and speak to their experts about nutrition and exercise.  When they rolled into a town near me I thought I’d head down to take a look for myself.

The Maxitone team were based the LA Fitness in Tunbridge Wells, having previously visited London and Southampton, with the aim of spreading the word about the importance of protein and eating a good diet in order to meet your exercise goals.  As an added bonus, everyone they speak to also gets entered into a prize draw to win a dance class with Flavia Cacace.

The stand was well supported, giving gym goers and members of the public a chance to have a consultation with nutritionist Sharmain Davis.  Sharmain speaks to each individual about their goals, analyses their current diet, and then explains how and where small changes can be made to help them look and feel better.  This service would normally cost over £60 so is a real draw for those looking to make some dietary changes. 

The Maxitone message is one that isn’t too unfamiliar to gym-going males, eating sufficient protein helps to keep you lean and prevents snack cravings.  Despite the sales of protein supplements to women increasing over 300% and protein intake being shown to be a major indicator of successful weight loss, the majority of women aren’t eating enough in total, or regularly throughout the day.

 ‘The majority of women eat the typical Western diet of three main meals and snack on carb-rich, high sugar foods’, Sharmain explains.  ‘Lunch is often soup and a roll, and mid-morning and afternoon snacks consist of cakes and biscuits’.  This means that they might not eat a significant source of protein until dinner.

Sharmain explains the benefits of protein apply to everyone she sees.  ‘Higher protein diets have been shown to increase metabolic rate, protein keeps you feeling fuller for longer, reduces the breakdown of muscles during exercise and also speeds the repair and recovery process, not to mention giving you healthier skin and nails!’ ‘Whether it’s an active person who can’t understand why they feel tired after they exercise, or someone who watches what they eat but can’t seem to lose weight, the majority of women could benefit from looking at their diet in general and their protein intake in particular.’

I’m often asked by women how they can lose weight and tone up; quite often by regular exercisers.  My response is normally eat more protein, do more resistance training and less cardio.  The Maxitone message is based around the same principles; eating 5/6 smaller meals each day, making sure you’re getting enough protein and exercising regularly.

For more information about Maxitone on tour, or for meal and exercise plans visit www.maxitoneontour.com.

Typical business meetings involve conference calls and boozy lunches; a sedentary, calorie laden affair.  Moving these to the gym can only be positive from a health perspective, burning rather than guzzling calories. 

Since the term was coined earlier this month I’ve been keeping a look out for examples of sweatworking in action.  After a couple of weeks, I can report there hasn’t been a sharp increase in the number of laptops and flipcharts in the gym, and no-one’s asked me to take minutes rather than spot them on the bench press.

Although it’s not taken the business world by storm, there are some clear advantages.  If you’re planning on combining your next board meeting with your weekly Zumba class I’ve devised a few tips to make sweatworking a ‘spin spin situation’.

There are some. Clearly, it isn’t a match made in heaven; you’re unlikely to be at your negotiating best while gasping for breath and dripping with sweat.  With this in mind,

Choose the activity carefully

Not all modes of exercise are conducive to a productive meeting.  Whispering in the corner of a hushed yoga studio just won’t work, nor will shouting over the top of blaring music in a darkened spinning studio.   The stationary bike, Powerplate, and stretching areas are ideal as they allow a conversation to take place without being deafened by music or being interrupted by an instructor barking orders.

It won’t work with all clients

The client with the perfect hair, nails and make-up probably wouldn’t welcome the sweaty gym for a meeting.  Discuss the possibility first, making sure it’s agreeable for all parties.  The last thing you want to do is impose your gruelling routine on an exercise-phobe, regardless of how good it would be for their health.

Consider others

Those around you probably won’t appreciate a Dragon’s Den style pitch, props and all, when they’re trying to forget work.  Since it’s a public environment, the chap on the next treadmill could well be a competitor from a rival firm, overhearing your business strategy. Keep the conversations general and ask yourself if the iPad and secretary are really necessary.

Don’t show up the client

Unless you’re looking to gain the upper hand in every regard, it’s good etiquette not to grind any potential business associates into the ground.  Keep the intensity moderate, it’s much more conducive to mutually beneficial dealings.

Just because you can, doesn’t make it a good idea

If you find yourself needing to arrange another meeting to finalise what you discussed on the treadmill and then heading back to the gym after work because you didn’t get a proper workout, sweatworking clearly isn’t the best use of your time. Remember, it’s better to do one thing well rather than two things badly. 

Make sure it’s right for you

Finally, and possibly most importantly, for many of us, exercise is our sanctuary.  At a time when work seems to devour more and more of our leisure time, your workout is an opportunity to forget work and relieve the stresses of the week.  Taking away this precious time may be better for business, but is it best for your work/life balance.

I recently got the opportunity to have a go at a sport that I’ve been keen to try for a while - track cycling.  Following on from the success of Team GB in Beijing, track cycling is the fastest growing branch of the sport.  It’s also the fastest form of cycling; it’s not uncommon for riders to achieve speeds of over 55mph, all the while keeping to a line a couple of inches wide and centimetres from the bike in front.

Having never ridden on the track before the whole concept was new to me.  I first had to get to grips with the fixed wheel bike and SPD’s (specialist cycling shoes for the uninitiated).  Initially, clipping my feet into the pedals was a challenge.  After a few laps of the flat area in the centre of the track I felt comfortable clipping in and out of the pedals, meaning I could safely put my foot down when needed.

The next step was getting to grips with the lack of brakes, slowing down by resisting upstroke of the pedal and the avoiding the urge to grab an imaginary brake.  Having satisfied my instructor that I could slow down and take my feet out of the pedals, and that I wasn’t a danger to other riders, I was let out on the track.

The banked corners looked daunting from the outside, an even more so as I made my way around the flat inner track.  It turns out that the track I was using at Calshot Activites Centre in the New Forest is shorter than the than Olympic distance of between 250 and 400m.  Housed inside a disused aircraft hangar, the track is 142m in circumference and as a result the banked curves are the steepest in Europe.

I’m enjoying the feeling of speed, and increasing in confidence with every lap.  The next step is to move up to the sprinter’s line, the optimum route around the track.  ‘Speed is my friend’ is the mantra I repeat to myself as I hurtle around lap after lap.  Keeping to the line is surprisingly challenging, requiring me to lean into the corner and resist the will of the bike to climb higher up the bank with the turn. 

As the session progressed I made it further up the bank, going faster and leaning further each time, going high up the bank on the straight and dropping down to the sprinter’s line to get the maximum speed round each turn.  The sense of speed and exhilaration explain why the sport’s popularity is ever growing.  The hour passes so quickly and before I know it I’m being called in for the final de-brief.  After a rather ungraceful dismount I return the bike to its rack, vowing to return very soon.

Try track cycling for yourself at Calshot Activities Centre (www.calshot.com) or for more information on track cycling visit British Cycling (www.britishcycling.org.uk)

The Human Trainer is the latest in the line of suspension trainers, originally developed by US Navy Seals.  It is billed as the ultimate portable workout, allowing a virtually unlimited range of exercises, all requiring just your bodyweight.  I’ve been using it in the gym for the past couple of weeks and have been very impressed.

Having used other suspension trainers in the past, I was already a big fan of the concept.  The extra element of stability required to perform the most basic exercises is immediately evident.  I can comfortably complete a set of push-ups, however using the Human Trainer my arms would shake like a plate of jelly.  Setting the handles a little higher, I looked more like a bird impersonator with wildly flapping arms rather than someone trying to a set of dips.  Thankfully, with practice the shaking became less pronounced as I became better at stabilising.  This doesn’t necessarily make the exercises easy, I’m still struggling to do a set of 10 dips and handstand shoulder presses.

The Human Trainer differs from other suspension trainers in that there are two straps, rather than one, and the height of the handles or foot straps can be adjusted by a series of D-rings rather than adjustable cam-buckles.  These small variations make a big difference.  Having two straps allows for wider placement and better positioning for certain exercises.  With both handles joined by one central attachment, the tendency is for the handles to move together at the start or finish of the exercise, changing the line of push or pull and the emphasis of the exercise.  The D-rings make it much easier to change the height of either the handles or foot attachments, rather fiddling with cam-buckles.

I had been using the Human Trainer in the gym for a couple of weeks, using the cable stack or smith machine as my attachment.  The gym them fitted their own A-frame and a number of single strap suspension trainers.  I continued to use the Human Trainer, attached to the A-frame, moving the other suspension trainers to the side as I felt it was better to use.  The Human Trainer was just as easy to use and effective outside of the gym.  The additional Versatility Straps meant I could easily attach it to the oak beam in the cottage and continue my workout when on the road.

The Human Trainer is available from www.physicalcompany.co.uk, priced £149.99

Run 3D, at the Oxford Gait Laboratory based in the Nuffield Orthopaedic Hospital uses 12 cameras to analyse running style in three dimensions.  This is the most accurate means of gait analysis, utilising the technology used in the film industry, and previously only available to elite athletes. 

The assessment takes around an hour and starts with a series of reflective markers being placed at various points on the lower body.  It is these markers that the infrared cameras detect, two hundred times a second, to determine your position and movement patterns as you run. 

After checking the cameras can detect all of the markers I am instructed to run on a treadmill at my regular running speed for one minute.  During this time 12000 images are recorded to create a three dimensional trace of my running style.  The one-minute run is repeated to be certain that all of the necessary data has been recorded before the analysis takes place.

Specialist software then analyses joint angles and positions, comparing them to an extensive database of uninjured runners to isolate the tiny abnormalities that can lead to an injury if uncorrected.

A few minutes later a report is generated with my results.  A score is given for the performance at the hip, knee and ankle, as well as functional parameters such as stride length.  I am also given an ‘Injury Index Score’, an overall picture of how my biomechanics compare to a normal population.  The higher the score, the lower the risk of injury and mine is just in the ‘at risk’ category.

I am talked through the results by Dr. Jessica Leitch, who is responsible for setting up the Run3D clinic.  She talks me through my report and explains the abnormalities that contribute to my heightened risk of injury.  These included a lack of external rotation on my left leg, which was most likely caused by a tight IT band and weaker gluteal.  These findings were absolutely spot on, given that I’d had the same diagnosis from a physio following four sessions to treat pain in my left knee.  If you are being treated by your own physiotherapist, a more detailed report can be generated, enabling them to devise a series of corrective exercises.

The process costs £280 which might initially seem like a princely sum but to put it in context, it’s the same as five trips to the physio.  This is of particular significance when you consider that 50% of runners become injured at some point.  If you are experiencing pain, 3D gait analysis helps to identify the exact cause, saving time and money in the diagnostic process.  Even if you aren’t currently experiencing any pain, gait analysis can identify any abnormalities before an injury occurs.  Addressing these will keep you off the physio’s couch and continuing to train.

For more information or to book an appointment visit www.yoursole.co.uk/run3D

Exercise offers numerous benefits from reducing bodyweight to improving mood.  Some benefits are more clearly understood, such as the adaptations to the heart and lungs that reduces the risk of many cardiovascular diseases.  The mechanisms behind others remain unclear, yet a correlation still exists, making exercise an attractive proposal for overall health.

A recent Swedish study from the University of Gothenburg (Varkey et al., 2011) has shown that exercise (40mins three times a week) was as effective as medication and relaxation therapy at preventing migraines.  Around 17% of women and 6% of men suffer with migraines, with around one in five seeking treatment from a GP (Bandolier, nd).  Many migraine sufferers choose avoid medical treatment because they perceive these to be ineffective or fear the side effects of medication.

The drug used in the study has previously been shown to be highly effective at reducing the frequency of migraines. However this drug treatment does have some side effects including numbness or tingling, fatigue, depressed mood, vertigo or constipation.  While the side effects of drug therapy can be significant, exercise offers a comparable reduction in migraines with not only a lack of side effects, it also offers a host of other health-boosting effects.

References:

Varkey E, Cider A, Carlsson J, Linde M. Exercise as migraine prophylaxis: A randomized study using relaxation and topiramate as controls. Cephalalgia. 2011 Sep 2. [Epub ahead of print]

http://www.medicine.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/booth/Migraine/prevmig.html - accessed 10/10/11

Using your heart rate to monitor your training intensity and set your training & recovery intervals increases the effectiveness of your training.  Intensity tends to be based upon a percentage of your maximum heart rate.  However, if this figure is inaccurate you’ll either be training too hard (and risking injury and overtraining) or not working hard enough (and not seeing any results as a consequence).

The old “220 minus your age” equation isn’t very good at determining your maximum heart rate. So what’s better? A new study from the University of Hawaii, recently published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, tested nine different prediction equations to see which was most accurate.

 It was shown that the Gelish 2 equation; 191.5 – (0.007 x age²) was most accurate.  That said, their findings are most applicable to those sharing the characteristics of those tested – reasonably fit 22yr olds.  If you’re a different age or fitness level then you’ll need another equation.

It was interesting to see how they measured maximum heart rate.  They used a graded treadmill test to exhaustion to determine “true” max for 25 of their volunteers, the accepted gold-standard for assessment. Then they tested two other protocols. One was the Wingate test, which is basically 30 seconds of all-out on sprinting an exercise bike. It turned out to be a fairly inaccurate predictor, more than 10 beats below the actual average.

The second test was really simple: the subjects sprinted as fast as they could for 200 metres on a standard track, with a running start. They measured their heart rate during the sprint and recorded the highest value. The average from the treadmill test was 190.0 (which can around 20 minutes to complete); the average determined from the 200m sprint (which takes a little over 30 seconds) was 190.1 - accurate and time efficient.

With any test, the more attempts you have, the more accurate the result.  The sprint test would become a more accurate measure with more attempts.  In the present study two sprints were completed but with five tries (spread over several weeks), you’d get an even higher average max value. But what this study tells us is that, for this group of subjects (and remember, these are young students who capable of sprinting 200 metres all out without pulling a hamstring), give them two cracks at sprinting 200 metres and then take the highest heart rate they produce, and you’ll have a very good estimate of maxHR. It’s lot quicker and easier than a treadmill test — and a lot more useful than any equation based only on your age.