RNC News

Image by Fevi in Cayman via Flickr

Contributed by Dr. Gregg Hoffman DC, CSCS, CGFI

Welcome back everyone,

Did you try any of the last exercise assignments? Even though they have golf specificity in mind this time of year, they're great for the non-golfers alike. Each of them address physical changes and challenges we all experience. You'll feel fabulous after doing them I promise.

We're still in the stage of trying to re-establish mobility in the body. Our last section touched on the hip region. Today we're moving up the spine into the mid back. As you've heard me say many times before, this is the area that our lives tend to impact heavily. Everything we do tends to pull us forward increasing the forward rounding (pronation) of the shoulders while increasing the rounding of the mid to upper back. Think about it...

Has anyone seen this person?

If you're the person above, or even close, try this simple test at home. Grab a driver, broom or whatever you've got laying around. Sit on the edge of a chair or bench and lie whatever you've chosen across the front of your shoulder, cross your hands in front of you and grab hold of it. First, allow yourself to slouch down as far as you can (just to add contrast and drama), then try and turn from side to side. Hmmm... Can’t turn very far can you? Now, try sitting up straight with navel in and ribs high. Repeat the aforementioned rotation. Eureka, it's magic right? No, there's an element within our spines called coupled motion. In order for the mid back to be able to rotate from side to side, (yes, yes, yes again, rotation comes from the mid back not the low back), it has to be in a neutral spine or "normal" position. Too much rounding forward or too much extension will essentially lock the joints up and will cause dramatic reduction in your ability to "disassociate" the shoulders from the hips in your back swing.

Don't see the parallel? Okay, think of a clock. You're forward or target side arm runs up the vertical plane or clock face to say nine o’clock. That's equates roughly to 80 MPH club head speed. Yep, that means you big hitters will be playing your next shot with your Tommy Bahamas around your ankles because you didn't make it past the women’s tees. Ha-ha!!!

Let's look at Tiger now. His forward arm reaches about mid night. That equates to more than 135 MPH club heads speed and WHAMO!

In know we all want to "get after it", but it's got to be done right or your body will get the motion from somewhere else and, you guessed it, this is where these nagging swing faults begin.

So, start simple while we've got time before this season's tee off. Try the movements Dr. Rose from the Titleist Performance Institute is demonstrating below, or contact me for a golf performance assessment and really kick it off right.

"Freeze"

"Swiss Ball Squat and Arch"

"Reach Backs"

"Dead Bugs"

Feel the green, its coming.

5 Stupid Things Healthy People Do

You are not a stupid person. Not by any means. In fact, it's my guess that you're healthier than most. You probably exercise regularly. You watch what you eat. You keep up-to-date on the latest health concerns. You don't binge on sugar. And you never - ever - eat fast food. Well, almost never. But you do have a few unhealthy skeletons in your closet -ones that you probably aren't even aware of. The following 5 Stupid Things are frequently committed by health conscious people. Once you break these bad habits, you'll find that achieving your weight loss goals just became a whole lot easier.

1. You're Dehydrated

• It has been said that 75 percent of the population is chronically dehydrated. Would you disagree? When was the last time that you actually drank 8 glasses of water in a day?
• Dehydration occurs when more fluid leaves your body than is taken in. Symptoms include: fatigue, irritability, headaches, nausea, rapid heart rate, and, in extreme cases, even death.
• Dehydration also slows your metabolism, which hinders weight loss.

You shouldn't wait until the feeling of thirst or dry mouth hits you, at that point damage has already been done. Instead, constantly rehydrate throughout your day to avoid dehydration.

The best way to do this is to incorporate water into your daily schedule. Have a water bottle at your desk and train yourself to sip on it often, and get into the habit of drinking a full glass of water with each meal and snack.

2. You Eat Out Too Often

• Research suggests that most people eat out one out of every 4 meals and snacks. That's an average of once a day.
• Restaurant food is designed to do one thing: to taste good. In order to increase eating pleasure, each item is loaded with fat, salt and sugar. This causes you to eat way more calories than you actually need.
• Even when you order ‘healthy' items, you're still taking in more calories and fat grams than you would if you had prepared the item at home. Imagine the last salad you ordered out. Didn't it come with cream dressing, croutons, cheese sprinkles and a piece of butter laden bread on the side?

The main reason people eat out is for convenience, so with a little organization you'll find that preparing your own meals takes less time than you thought it would. On the weekend sit down and plan out your meals for the week. Then go to the grocery store and stock up on everything you'll need for those meals.

Pack your lunch and snacks each night before bed, then grab it on your way out the door in the morning. When you prepare dinner at home, make enough for at least the next day as well. Your efforts will pay off both in terms of weight loss and in money saved.

3. You're Sleep Deprived

• In Gallup Poll surveys, 56% of the adult population reported that drowsiness is a problem in the daytime. That's more than half of us that clearly don't get enough sleep.
• Healthy adults require 7-8 hours of sleep each night. When you fail to meet this need your body goes into sleep debt, which continues to accumulate indefinitely until you catch up.
• A lack of sleep negatively affects your immune system, your nervous system, and interferes with healthy hormone release and cellular repairs.

The best way to combat sleep deprivation is to set a scheduled bedtime. Your body will benefit from a consistent sleeping and waking routine, and you're sure to get all the rest you need.

If you have trouble falling asleep once you're in bed, then try these two tips. First, make sure that you don't drink any caffeinated beverages after lunchtime. Second, don't eat for three hours before you go to bed. This helps eliminate sleeplessness due to indigestion, and will also turbo-charge your weight loss.

4. You're Stressed Out

• I don't have to tell you that we are living in a fast-paced world and that most of us have stress levels that are through the roof. But what you might not realize is that your stress levels are making you fat.
• Stress creates an increase in the hormone cortisol, and chronic stress creates a chronic increase in cortisol. This is a problem because is slows your metabolism, leads to cravings and is linked to greater levels of abdominal fat storage.
• The vicious cycle of stress and weight gain goes around and around. Stress causes you to eat emotionally, and your raised cortisol levels cause that food to be stored as fat.

One of the most effective ways to instantly eliminate stress is to sit down and write out a list of all the things that are bothering you. This should include things that you need to get done, issues that weigh on your mind and anything you believe contributes to your stress level.

Once it's all down on paper, organize it like a to-do list and start resolving each item. Doing so will get the stress off of your mind and will put your body into the motion of resolving each issue.

5. You're on Exercise Autopilot

• You do the same thing each and every time you exercise. Same machines, same pace, same duration. While your routine sure feels comfortable, your results have long since halted.
• A plateau occurs when your body adapts to your routine and weight loss stops. It is incredibly frustrating, and totally avoidable.
• You don't have to increase the amount of time that you spend exercising in order to see quicker, faster results. It's all about challenging your body.

There are two simple ways to instantly increase the effectiveness of your exercise routine. First, increase your pace. Secondly, increase your intensity. Constantly vary your speed and intensity in order to keep your muscles guessing and adapting.

Another way to break through the exercise plateau is to do something totally new. If you regularly use weight machines then start using free weights. If you normally jog on the treadmill then start using the bike.

Are you ready to break the plateau as you take your routine to the next level?

Would you like to know without a shadow of a doubt that you are going to lose weight in the coming months?

It's my goal to see you achieve greatness. I believe that you've got what it takes.

It's so simple. Call or email today to get started on a program that will improve your health and well being, and will get you amazing results.

Instant Accountability

Do you have a weight loss goal that you're working toward? Post it on Facebook, and get instant accountability from friends and family. Be specific with your post. Include the exact amount that you aim to lose and the date that you'll lose it by. You may be surprised how encouraging and supportive your friends will be - it may be exactly the motivating boost that you need to achieve your goal.

Gourmet Open-Faced Salmon Sandwich

Open-faced sandwiches are great for cutting out extra calories while trying to lose weight. This recipe calls for sprouted grain bread, which is flourless bread that is densely packed with nutrients. Store your sprouted grain bread in the freezer, since it is made without preservatives or chemicals to promote shelf life. Yield: 2 servings
Here's what you need:

• 1 sprouted grain bun
• 2 Tablespoons hummus
• 1/2 cup arugula
• Half of an avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced
• 6 oz smoked salmon
• 2 thin slices of onion
• 4 slices of heirloom tomato
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Spread each piece of the bun with 1 Tablespoon of hummus. Top each with half the arugula, avocado, salmon, onions, and tomato.
2. Season with freshly ground sea salt and pepper.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 267 calories, 9g fat, 25g carbohydrate, 6g fiber, and 22g protein.

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Contributed by Dr. Gregg Hoffman DC, CSCS, CGFI

If you're a golfer, the scene above probably conjures up a variety of thoughts or emotions. Feelings such as the rapture you experienced at least once in your last round as you stroked effortlessly through the sweet spot and had enough ball flight to step back and marvel at the wonder of your efforts. At least once in your last outing, right? After all, it's the elusiveness of trying to recapture that feeling that the experts say keeps us coming back. Others may already be looking toward the upcoming season, visualizing a perfect draw on your approach to eighteenth green, or something like that.

Regardless, NOW is the time to make the changes in your body that can assure you of not repeating the swing faults of the past. I'm talking about addressing the physical elements that reside within your body that are keeping you from playing to your potential, and free of pain.

Other than the lack of understanding of what your golf pro is trying to teach you, it's our body's inability to execute the swing with appropriate flexibility, mobility, and stability that causes the most common swing issues and injuries. Without the three factors just listed, your body won’t generative the power it’s capable of, transfer that energy efficiently through the ball, or be able to maintain the desired swing path that’s recommended. In addition, aberrant motion in our bodies and swing path causes stress in the joints that lead to the aches and pains felt after a round, or worse, season ending injury.

Starting with this issue and well into the upcoming season, I will discuss important issues relating to everything mentioned above. In addition, I will provide tips on reducing, improving, or even eliminating these elements. This, of course, will leave you with a "body fit for playing your best golf ever".

It’s important to remember, that this format does not allow me to present the information in as much depth as could be accomplished working one on one or in small groups.You’ll be shown things that can and will cause profound changes in your body so be smart about it.This is intended to be for golf performance only and not to diagnose or treat current or future condition of medical necessity.The three big rules are a known medical condition that restricts you from safely participating in these exercises, significant pain during the exercise, or residual pain after, means STOP.Seek qualified medical attention from your health care provider of choice.

For the sake of grabbing everyone’s attention, I am going to start with the “KING OF POWER”, the hips. The ability to rotate around this joint freely is vital for three primary reasons: The first is to generate power by stretching the musculotendon tissue that surrounds the joint to harness and store the potential energy that will be unleashed at the beginning of our downswing setting the “kinematic sequence” in motion.The second reason is the golfer needs to be able to “sit into the hip” on the backswing to reduce the tendency to sway (move away from the target). If I haven’t said it I’ll say it a thousand times, if the body can’t get motion one way it will find another. That’s where the cascade of swing faults occurs. The third reason is just the opposite. If you can’t “hit into a firm left side”, or shore up the target side leg (left for the right handed golfer), you’ll create a slide fault and bleed all that power you’ve worked so hard for right out the door. Not to mention greatly reduce the consistency of striking the ball well.

The motion we’re most concerned with here is internal rotation.Try a couple of these to get the “joint mobility” started. We’ll come back and introduce more that will address the flexibility, stability, and power generation from this region in subsequent episodes.

You should do these consistently, at least two to three times per week.

Glute/ITB Foam Roller
Hip Drops
Hip Windshield Wipers

Figure 4 Stretch

What you don't know could hurt you

How much thought do you put into what you eat? If you want to get into great shape then you'll be interested to know that 80% of your fitness results are attributed to your diet. In our fast-paced society, eating is often done with little or no thought as to what exactly it is being ingested. Excess body fat is a direct outcome of this hurried, poor nutrition. Even if you have the best intentions with your diet, you are likely frustrated and fed up with extra pounds. I don't blame you for being confused about what you should eat. The media surely doesn't help. One day the talking heads want you to give up all fats. The next day carbs are the culprit, and then acai berries become the holy grail of weight loss. The food manufacturers increase confusion by printing misleading labels and bogus health claims. Sometimes it seems like the whole system is set up to confuse and frustrate us into buying the latest and greatest packaged food. The bottom line is that your physique is largely a result of what you eat, so the foods that you put into your body should be carefully selected. It's time to re-examine what you eat. It all starts with reading nutritional labels. The nutritional content and ingredient list will give you everything you need to know about the quality of the food item. I've outlined 5 ingredients that should raise a red flag when you turn over that package and find them listed:
Red Flagged Ingredient #1: High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)

HFCS is a manmade sugar, derived predominantly from genetically modified corn. The sweet concoction has been shown to promote binges and hysterical hunger, and wrecks havoc on your blood sugar levels, promoting fat storage. The introduction of HFCS into our food supply directly paralleled a 47% spike in Type 2 Diabetes cases as well as an 80% increase in obesity.
Food manufacturers use HFCS in many mainstream products, including the following:

• Sauces (including ketchup)
  
• Yogurt
  
• Energy Bars
  
• Soft Drinks / Fruit Juices
  
• Processed baked goods
  
• Cereals
  
• Crackers
  
• Ice Cream
  
• Salad Dressing
  
• Most packaged snack foods

Red Flagged Ingredient #2: Hydrogenated Fat / Partially Hydrogenated Fat (Trans Fat) br>
Hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated fats have undergone such extensive processing that the chemical structure has changed from a “cis” shape, which the human body recognizes and utilizes, to a “trans” shape, which is foreign and destructive to human physiology. Check each food label for the word ‘hydrogenated' and avoid it diligently. Cutting out hydrogenated fats is a simple set towards looking and feeling your best.
Red Flagged Ingredient #3: Aspartame
Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that was denied 8 times by the FDA before being approved in 1973. Many scientists objected the approval, claiming that aspartame hadn't been proven safe for use as a food additive. MIT neuroscientist, Richard Wurtman, researched the effects of aspartame and concluded that it promotes cravings for foods high in calories and carbohydrates. Though aspartame is calorie-free it still causes insulin to be released, which job is to stow away sugar – when this sugar is not available, the result is often hypoglycemia and severe hunger. Not exactly a recipe for weight loss.
Red Flagged Ingredient #4: White Sugar
White sugar comes from the juice of a sugar cane plant that has undergone an intensive refining process. In this process all of the enzymes, fiber, vitamins and minerals are destroyed, rendering it nutritionally void. White sugar is also extremely high in calories, which your body loves to store away in fat cells. Refined sugar has been linked to a weakened immune system,hyperactivity, ADD, mental and emotional disorders, dental cavities, hypoglycemia, enlargement of the liver and kidneys, and an imbalance of neurotransmitters in the brain. All that and it leads to weight gain.
Red Flagged Ingredient #5: White Flour
White flour comes from natural whole wheat that has been stripped of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. This results in a nutritionally void product that is packed with calories that release quickly into your system, creating a spike in blood sugar. As you know, this promotes fat storage and leads to hysterical hunger and cravings. You don't need that. Once you cut these 5 items out of your diet, you'll be pleased with the results. Expect to lose weight, to have more energy and to feel better than you have in a long time. If you're serious about looking and feeling your best through purifying your diet, then focus on eating real food items. Real foods include lean meats, vegetables, whole grains, fruits, nuts and seeds. Would you like to expedite your fitness and weight loss results? Call or email today to get started on a fitness program that will quickly transform your body. Remember, while nutrition is vitally important for weight loss, true results are achieved through a combination of both nutrition and challenging, progressive exercise.

Naturally Sweet Valentine

Valentine's Day is right around the corner – have you thought about what to get your special someone? This year consider an arrangement of exotic fruit or gourmet dried fruit in lieu of the expected box of chocolates. Fruit is nature's candy – sweet and packed with antioxidants. Your special someone will feel the love, and will appreciate your thoughtfulness.

Lime-Spiked Asparagus

Here's a real food item for you! If asparagus isn't a mainstay in your diet, then it's time you make it one. Asparagus is packed with folic acid, which is necessary for blood cell formation. Fresh squeezed lime makes this dish refreshing and delicious. This recipe only takes 15 minutes, perfect for weekday dinners. Yield: 2 servings Here's what you need...

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
  
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
  
• 1 shallot, minced
  
• 1 bunch fresh asparagus spears, tough ends trimmed
  
• Juice from 1/2 lime
  
• Salt and pepper, to taste

1. In a large skillet heat the oil over medium heat. Mix in garlic and
   shallot, and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the asparagus spears,
   cook until tender, about 5 to 7 minutes.
   
2. Squeeze lime juice over asparagus and season with salt and pepper.
   

Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 80 calories, 2g fat, 8g carbohydrate, 3g fiber, and 3.5g protein.