Month: July 2015

Categories
Wellbeing

How To Practice Vulnerability For Stronger Relationships

Vulnerability is literally your “ability” to be vulnerable. It’s the deep expression of your most sacred thoughts and feelings, and it’s the willingness to share yourself with others authentically and without apology. Vulnerability is also about exposing your flaws, secrets, and darker sides without shame. The capacity to be vulnerable depends on many things, including your upbringing, your level of courage, and a feeling of safety.
Growing up you might have been taught both implicitly and explicitly to be emotionally strong. You learned to control your feelings and to avoid burdening others with your pain. When vulnerability is discouraged you develop a sense of shame not only about having feelings but also expressing them. Thus, being vulnerable doesn’t come easily to everyone, particularly when you struggle with emotional expression in general.
Brené Brown, one of the leaders in the vulnerability movement, defines vulnerability as “uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure.” She has stated that to be human is to be in vulnerability. This means that it’s in your nature to be vulnerable, which suggests that your inability to be vulnerable can lead to inauthenticity and a disconnection from your self.
If you think of emotional expression as being weak, then you’ll resist being vulnerable. If you learn to value your own feelings and see them as important, you will be more compelled to express yourself.
If you’ve been avoiding vulnerability you might be noticing some of these in your relationships:

  • Disconnection
  • Feeling unsupported
  • Loneliness
  • Disappointment
  • Frustratration

It’s definitely exposing to share your feelings or imperfections. It can feel as though you’re standing naked in front of the world just waiting to be judged and demoralized for being your most honest self.

This is why it’s not wise to be vulnerable with everyone.

The practice of vulnerability needs to be reserved for the precious few people in your life who have earned the right to experience you in this way. When expressing your vulnerability goes well, it deepens your intimacy and connection in your relationships. When it isn’t received with tenderness and understanding it can hurt deeply and ultimately make you shut down.
Becoming a more vulnerable person happens over time with practice, courage, and personal insight. The more you know and accept yourself, the easier it will be to share and be vulnerable. Being vulnerable is not something you do in your day-to-day interactions; it needs to happen with intention and mindfulness.
Ideally you will set up the right context that ensures a positive experience and in which you can feel completely safe and open.

When you feel ready to begin practicing vulnerability, you’ll want to set yourself up for success.

Here are some beginning steps to practicing vulnerability with someone you love:

  1. Get clear about what you want to share or ask for. This should be one or two feelings that seem important for the person to know. Examples might be “I’m struggling a bit at work and I need your support” or “I’m feeling lonely in our relationship.”
  2. Schedule a specific time to talk so you know when you will be having the conversation and can have time to prepare.
  3. Sit in a meditation before having the conversation. Do a heart-centered practice that opens you to giving and receiving so you are in a good place to speak your feelings.
  4. Before you begin to speak, set some boundaries that ensure your safety. This can be explaining that you do not want any advice or that you don’t want to receive anything negative in response to what you will be sharing.
  5. When you’re done sharing, express gratitude and appreciation to the listener.

The greatest obstacle you’ll need to overcome when working toward being more vulnerable will be what you’ve learned and been conditioned to believe about opening up in this way. You’ve been bombarded with messaging from the culture and from your smaller world that promotes independence, bucking up, and dealing with your own problems. Asking for help and support is often connected to a deep sense of shame because you believe that you should be able to handle whatever comes your way.
The truth is that it takes a lot more courage to admit weakness than it does to show strength. Be brave and know that no one has ever died from sharing their feelings, but many people have become happier as a result of doing it.

Categories
Sweat

Can You Really Get Salma Hayek's Toned Curves Without Exercising?

We’re all looking for that miracle daily routine that keeps us burning fat and toning our bodies without even noticing it. Salma Hayek claims to have found it.

The stunning actress and newly-minted beauty guru says she rarely hits the gym like the rest of us mere mortals. “I don’t exercise,” she told People. “I just hold my body in a way that activates muscles all day long.”

According to Hayek, an expert in London taught her “how to hold my body in a way where the muscles are activated all day long.” The idea is “toning without clenching,” relaxing parts of the body that don’t need while simply creating an awareness of the muscles you are using as you do it. “So even when you brush your teeth, you’re working the muscles,” she proclaims.

All right, I’ll admit it. I was really skeptical of this one. But as it happens, there’s some truth to Salma’s tactics–which she says are based in restorative yoga.

First off, let’s talk yoga. If you haven’t tried it, it’s an amazing addition to your workout routine with potential full-body benefits–as research is bearing out more and more. One study published in European Journal of Preventive Cardiology actually showed the practice actually has some aerobic merit in addition to making those muscle groups lean, taut and toned all over.

With that information, I thought there might be something to this muscle-activation deal, so I asked my friend Joan Pagano, an NYC-based personal trainer and author of Strength Training Exercises for Women, for a validity check–and she was so happy I brought this up.

“It’s true that, as you develop kinesthetic awareness of using your muscles, you can consciously activate them in your daily activities to engage the core, stabilize the shoulder blades, contract your glutes to squat and your biceps to lift and carry,” she told me. “This is something we should all aim to do!”

Ah! And I wasn’t even aware that we needed to be that aware of our muscles in daily life.

Basically, Joan says that if Salma’s running around during her (sometimes) 20-hour workday while also activating muscle groups, she could be staying in decent shape if she had a solid level of fitness to start. Now, it’s still good to get your heart pumping with some traditional aerobic exercises–get on that bike, hit that treadmill, go for a swim, and so on–to keep your cardiovascular system primed and promote longevity.

And in terms of activating those muscle groups… you won’t necessarily build muscles by activating them throughout the day, but you can help maintain them with low-level contraction techniques. “You’ll also improve your posture, alignment and overall body mechanics,” Joan says.

So, let’s say you’re like Salma. You have basically no time to exercise. Like, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it space in your schedule. What’s one to do?

Ms. Pagano says that you should focus, at minimum, on getting in some simple body-weight exercises like squats, push-ups and planks to condition your muscles. For cardio, aim for 10-minute bursts of fast walking or stair climbing, attempting to rack up at least 30 minutes per day on most days of the week.

Then, once you have a base level of cardio fitness and muscle tone, you can try maintaining with Salma’s idea: activate muscle groups as you move through your day, and as you need them.

Joan has five ideas, which are all oh-so-easy:

“To engage your core and flatten your belly, “zip up” your abs as if you were zipping up a tight pair of jeans. Pull your navel in toward your spine, and then up, lifting the pelvic floor. This move trains the deep abdominal muscle that lies right under your jean zipper.

Stand up straight, rolling the shoulders down and back. Learn to hold them there to prevent rounding the back and developing a “forward slouch.”

When you bend and lift something, use the large muscles of your legs – the glutes, the quads and hamstrings – and practice the “hip hinge,” which means bending forward from the hips with your spine in neutral alignment.

Get up from any seated position without using your arms for support.

When you’re brushing your teeth, stand on one leg for balance and feel the muscles of that leg working to support you – especially in the ankles.

It’s good to be aware of the need for muscular awareness, right? I’ll never lift a box or brush my teeth the same way again.

Categories
Sweat

What the Heck Is Stomach Vacuuming?

I recently heard someone talk about “stomach vacuuming” to help flatten the tummy. The first thing to pop up in my crazy brain was someone getting liposuction, but I was pretty sure they weren’t talking about plastic surgery.

Even though I’ve been in the fitness industry for over twenty years, I had never heard of stomach vacuuming before. As far as I knew, stomach vacuuming was nothing more than attaching a vacuum hose to your belly. I have a very short torso and have always struggled with having somewhat of a pooch, so I was immediately intrigued. Besides, what girl isn’t eager to check out a new ab-flattening trend? The investigation began.

How It Works

To my surprise, I did not have to pull out my credit card and order some awkward stomach vacuum device. Not only did stomach vacuuming not include an actual vacuum, there was no shortage of information on the topic. The stomach vacuum was an actual exercise, and the Internet was riddled with websites and instructional videos on how to perform the mysterious stomach vacuum.

When I watched one of the how-to videos online, it found it incredibly difficult not to giggle. I was expecting so much more than someone just breathing out all their air and sucking in their abs. However, that was pretty much the extent of the exercise.

The stomach vacuum exercise requires you inhale as much air as possible and then exhale as much as possible, while sucking your stomach in as much as possible. After you blow out all your air, you hold this position for at least 20 seconds (while, get this, attempting to breathe normally) and repeat for several sets.

The concept behind the stomach vacuum exercise is it targets the deeper abdominal muscles, called the transverse abdominals. These muscles act like a girdle to the waist, which are responsible for holding your stomach in tight.

While the whole stomach vacuuming terminology was new to me, I’ve done this exercise for years. Even though I never realized it was actually a true exercise, it was something I did throughout the day (like while driving my car). I would contract my stomach muscles and hold them tight while sitting at a red light to help train my stomach muscles to stay flat.

After doing more research, I discovered the stomach vacuum exercise had been around for a very long time. Maybe it recently reached fad status after making a few appearances in some popular magazines, like Shape and Men’s Fitness. Who knows what makes something rise to the top of the fad chart, but at least this fad has some validity to it.

Pros and Cons

Could the stomach vacuum be the answer to your poochy problems? No doubt, this exercise does work the transverse abdominals. You can feel the muscles working as you do it. And, if you are not used to working the transverse abdominals, you may even be sore afterwards. However, I wouldn’t count on it fixing all your tummy troubles.

The process of sucking in stomach and flexing your abdominal muscles for a few seconds is called an isometric contraction. During an isometric exercise, the muscles do not noticeably change in length and actually require little to no movement at all. Isometric training (like a wall sit or plank exercise) definitely has its place and can increase strength, but only to a certain point. Your body will adapt to the training and you’ll eventually need something more to continue making improvements.

In addition, stomach vacuuming won’t fix belly fat. Most people who have bulging bellies are fighting two different battles – a battle with weak abdominal muscles along with poor posture and another battle with food. You can do all the stomach vacuuming you want, but don’t expect visible results if you continue to be a food vacuum. If you don’t change your eating habits you will not only keep the fat around your belly, it will be harder to hold your stomach in with a stuffed gut.

Lastly, stomach vacuuming is not the best exercise for everyone. Like all isometric exercises, stomach vacuuming can be dangerous for some people because it increases blood pressure more than other traditional exercises.

The Bottom Line: Fit or Flop?

Working your transverse abdominals is essential to having nice abs, but so is reducing body fat. Used alone, stomach vacuuming would flop. However, combine this exercise with a lean diet, cardio and resistance program, and you will likely find stomach vacuuming to be a good Fit!

Needless to say, I’ll be adding stomach vacuuming back in my daily commute to work again.

Fit Tip: Top 10 Tummy Tightening Exercises

Stomach vacuuming isn’t the only exercise to work your transverse abdominals. Here is a list of my favorite top 10 tummy tightening exercises.

1. Plank 

2. Side Plank

3. Ab Roller

4. Diagonal Knee Plank (Slow Cross Body Mountain Climbers)

5. Swiss Ball Pike

6. Swiss Ball Jackknife

7. Swiss Ball Roll-Out

8. Plank Up Up Down Down

9. Side Plank Pulses

10. T-Plank

POWER PLANK WORKOUT

Try this plank workout demonstrated by my husband, Steve Pfiester.

5 Push Ups

5 2-Point Stance (5 on each side, 10 total)

5 Side Plank with Abduction (Leg Lift) LEFT

5 Crab Leg Lifts on each side (10 total)

5 Side Plank with Abduction (Leg Lift) RIGHT

45 Second Plank Hold

Repeat 3-4 times with little to no rest in between.

Categories
Lifestyle

Get Back to Nature for Ultimate Body Benefits

Remember when we were kids and our parents were constantly badgering us about going outside to play? All we really wanted to do was sit on the couch and watch reruns of The Brandy Bunch, but they were usually quite insistent. When we inevitably asked why we needed to leave the comfy confines of our homes they’d usually give us some vague answer about how it was “good for you.”

Well, it turns out mom and dad knew a thing or two, even if they didn’t have any science to back up their claims. Going outside really is good for your health, even as an adult. Here are some ways that spending a little time outdoors can improve your mood, clear your mind, and make you an all-around healthier person.

A Shot of Vitamin D

One of the better known side effects of going outside is that your body can actually pick up a healthy dose of vitamin D from just being exposed to the sun. This helps to promote stronger bones, which can help to stave off osteoporosis. But there is also mounting evidence that suggests that vitamin D can also help to prevent type 1 diabetes, as well as certain types of cancer, including colon, breast, and prostate. And with a plentiful supply right out your front door, you don’t even need to take supplements. (WebMD)

Improved Immune System

Looking for ways to boost your immune system so you can fight off illnesses such as the flu or the common cold? Then you’ll definitely want to head outside. Studies have shown that taking a walk in the woods has a positive impact on your white blood cell count, which is important in fending off viruses and germs that can make you sick. Better yet, the benefits from that simple hike have been shown to hang around for as much as a week after the visit to the forest, which indicates that the impact on the immune system is substantial and long lasting. (NCBI)

Restore Focus

Going outside has been proven to help restore your focus. Connecting with nature allows us to escape the daily grind, which puts constant demands on our attention. Computers, smartphones, televisions, and other types of technology can bombard us with updates, notifications, and messages, sometimes to the point that it can be overwhelming. But stepping away from those devices not only helps to clear the mind, but allows it to focus more keenly as well. Spending time outdoors on a daily basis is like a mini-vacation from those distractions, giving your brain the break it deserves. (Journal of Environmental Psychology)

Combat Stress

In addition to being incredibly distracting, modern life is also very stressful. We all have bills to pay, jobs to do, and friends and family that demand our attention. Simply going outside is one of the best ways to combat that stress, as nature has a way of bringing a sense of serenity to our lives. Taking a walk can go a long way towards helping you to relax, even more so if it is on a secluded trail rather than a busy street. You’ll be amazed at just how much a short stroll can do for your overall well being, bringing stress levels down and bestowing a sense of calmness. (NCBI)

It Will Make You Happy!

Pure and simple, going outside will improve your mood and make you a happier person. In fact, researchers have found that when we perform the same exact activities outdoors as we do when we’re inside, our levels of satisfaction and contentment go up considerably. That means taking a walk outdoors is better for you than walking inside on a treadmill. The same can be said for other forms of exercise too. But the bottom line is that nature just has a way of putting us in a better mood, no matter what we’re doing. (NCBI)

These are just a few examples of how going outside can have a positive impact on your life. If you need further proof, just start spending a bit of extra time outdoors and you’ll start to see the impact it can have on your life for yourself.

Categories
Nosh Nutrition x Advice

Use This Powerful Eating Insight to Your Advantage Today

Do you struggle with consistency in healthy eating? Do you have a hard time aligning your behavior with your good intentions long-term?
I want to share a powerful insight with you. It’s a statement that I repeat often because it’s a statement that can open your eyes to why you struggle.
“Why you eat determines what you eat.”
On the surface it seems very simple, but it holds the key to unlocking so much about the food choices you make.
Manufacturers design processed, hyper-palatable foods to hijack your brain chemistry on purpose. They create the perfect combination of sugar, salt, and fat to light up the reward and coping centers of your brain, knowing that you will continue to reach for these foods over and over again.
This is why committing to real food is a critical step in your journey to success. Real food doesn’t hijack your brain chemistry and send your hormones flying in all different directions. In fact, it does the opposite. This makes real food a very ineffective coping mechanism.
Here’s where the psychology of all this comes into play. If your life is full of stress and disorder and you don’t have a healthy, productive way of handling those stressors, your brain will beg for a coping mechanism to protect itself. Processed, hyper-palatable food is a fast, cheap, and easy coping tool.
On the flip side, if you’re in a great place in life mentally and emotionally and you’ve done significant work to mitigate stress, increase margin, and arm yourself with tools to handle the rest of the stress in a healthy way, you will not need the coping ability of processed, hyper-palatable foods.
Why you eat determines what you eat. If you’re eating to cope, you will choose the coping foods: processed, hyper-palatable garbage. If you’re eating to nourish your body and continue your snowball of success, you will choose real, whole foods. Your brain doesn’t seek out real food when you’re in a high stress, disordered state. It seeks out the food that will promote the release of feel-good neurotransmitters.
To complicate this further, I want you to notice that environments that lead to a high stress state are also where processed, hyper-palatable foods are found in abundance, e.g. the workplace.
So what’s the takeaway?
If you want to change your eating patterns, stop trying to consciously change your eating patterns. Instead, work to eliminate stress triggers and work to acquire the psychological tools to respond to stress in a healthy, productive way.
This is what I mean when I talk about changing your relationship with food. What you’re left with is a state of mind that is nourishment-focused rather than drug-focused. A state of mind that is not susceptible to being manipulated by food manufacturers. A state of mind that is almost effortlessly consistent.

Categories
Wellbeing

Inoculate Yourself Now Against Future Bad Relationships

The habit of falling into and staying in a bad relationship beyond the expiration date has become a chronic problem in our culture. Understanding the reasons why you stay beyond what’s good for you will prevent repeating patterns of bad choices.

You would be hard pressed to find someone who has never been in a bad relationship. We’ve all had our share of abusive, toxic and “going nowhere” partnerships that we either look back on with regret or learned from.

Most of what I work on in my psychotherapy practice is helping couples become better in their relational dynamics. I help them heal broken trust, release resentments from the past, and love each other more authentically. I also see a lot of people who are tired of repeating the same mistakes and who are ready to release old patterns that get them into dysfunctional love relationships. What I rarely get the chance to do is help people avoid bad relationships.

It can be really difficult to discern between a truly awful relationship and one that needs work. A bad relationship is one that would be considered toxic, abusive, or otherwise harmful to your overall health and wellbeing. A relationship that is salvageable or that can be improved stands on a strong platform of kindness, trust, respect and some form of love.

It’s not until a partnership has been pummeled to the ground that we begin to realize that there might be a better way. Change most often comes out of deep pain and loss and this is also true when it comes to love. In the end, my work becomes more about sweeping up the ashes of what’s been burned to the ground then adding a new addition to a relational structure that has a good, strong foundation.

I have found that there are a few solid reasons we end up in relationships and even marriages that don’t work for us only to stay in them way too long.

Here are the top five reasons I see most frequently:

Choosing the Wrong Person

We choose a partner for several reasons, but most often it’s because we feel we have found the perfect person. Idealized love is a natural part of romance, but you have to acknowledge the cracks in the mirror to really know if something will work. You need to see beyond the perfection into the dark recesses of your partner’s humanity because that’s ultimately what you’re committing and relating to. Choosing a long-term partner cannot be taken lightly, and it does have to be a choice. Falling into a relationship because it “feels right” or out of desperation only leads to heartbreak and disappointment.

Who you’re drawn to isn’t always the right person.

When you feel a connection with someone it’s usually chemical and familiar. Evolution has designed you to pick a partner that will give you the greatest chance for producing genetically sound offspring. Mother Nature can trick you into falling for someone because they offer protection, strength, virility and health. What she doesn’t wire you for is the common sense to recognize if this person is trustworthy, loyal, honest and kind. This has to be mindfully learned and pursued with consciousness. The truth is that you can only know someone by spending time with them, and traversing some challenging life moments. This is where you’ll get to the true character of your partner so be patient and let them show who they truly are.

Lack of Personal Introspection

When you don’t know yourself intimately you’re at risk for a bad relationship. You have to understand what you need to feel fulfilled and happy so you can properly choose a partner that can meet those needs. Like most people you have probably looked for someone who embodies the qualities you lack in yourself, which leaves you dependent on them for your fulfillment and happiness.

Distorted Intentions

The intention behind finding your right partner is truly important if you want to avoid settling. Fear of never meeting anyone, not wanting to be alone, looking for someone to make you happy, recovering from a bruised ego, or fulfilling other people’s ideals about your partner will land you in something that isn’t right. Some healthy intentions for finding the right relationship are to share a life with someone, to feel a sense of support, or to build a family. Coming from a place of intention as opposed to avoidance will help you seek what you want over what you don’t.

Overlooking Red Flags

Love is definitely blind, but this idiom is more about acceptance than it is denial. When you want something to work you’ll talk yourself out of feelings that would be important to honor. Hoping a person will be different down the road or that they’ll change over time is a sure indication that you’re on the wrong path. Seek the relationship you want right now; not the one you hope to have down the road. 

Relationships often find us more than we choose them so be kind and patient with yourself when you land in something that doesn’t work. Get the right support and gain enough insight to prevent making poor choices in the future.

Categories
Sweat

Sweat It Out: Do Sweat Suits Help Weight Loss?

Every so often I see someone in the gym in a full-on sweat suit, complete with hoodie over their head, pouring out so much sweat it makes me hot just looking at them. Even sitting in a sauna wearing nothing but a swimsuit is pretty miserable in my opinion, much less exercising in those kinds of conditions.

Needless to say, people’s desperation to lose weight continues to fuel all kinds of crazy fads. The latest one is sweating it out. Ways to increase the heat and get your sweat on include wearing traditional sweats, plastics sweat suits (also called sauna suits), sweat belts and even wearing garbage bags. Listen, the only time I’ve ever run wearing a plastic garbage bag is when I didn’t have an umbrella, and it wasn’t a pretty sight. Call me crazy, but wearing any of those things during a workout seems like torture.

So, why are people so eager to sweat it out? Their goal is to lose weight, but does sweating more really help?

How It Works

Sweating it out in clothing that makes you sweat more is nothing new. Athletes, like bodybuilders, boxers and mixed martial arts fighters, have been using this trick to make weight for years. The idea is to maintain increased body heat throughout the workout.

In normal circumstances, your body uses sweat as a cooling system to help regulate your body temperature. When your body gets to a certain temperature, your sweat glands begin to produce sweat. The cooling affect begins as the sweat evaporates off your skin.

If the body is wrapped in thick clothing or plastic, sweat is unable to evaporate and the cooling system fails. Your body will then continue to produce sweat in attempt to regulate body temperature. The end result is sopping wet clothes and a lot of fluid lost.

Will you weigh less after running in a 30-gallon multipurpose garbage bag? Yes, but the weight loss is simply from a loss of fluids – not fat. It is a very temporary weight loss, and is not a healthy weight loss at all. Your body weight will go right back up as soon as you eat or drink again.

Pros & Cons

If you need to lose weight very fast, sweating off the pounds works like a charm. My husband drove three hours to a bodybuilding competition in sweats with the seat warmers on and heat on full blast (in the middle of the summer) to make weight for a bodybuilding competition. It was the most miserable ride of my life but he made weight and won his class.

While sweating the weight off is a necessary evil in some sports, the risks outweigh the benefits for traditional exercise. Since your body is approximately 75% water, and requires ample fluids for your body to function properly, this kind of dehydration can be detrimental to your health.

In case you aren’t completely convinced yet, losing this amount of water and electrolytes can cause heat exhaustion, which can then lead to cardiac arrest. This is not something anyone should take lightly or try without supervision. Unless you are an athlete who has to make weight to compete, I’d say you should put the trash bag back in the garbage can.

Let’s be honest here. People don’t just want to lose weight, they want to lose fat. Everyone, in my opinion, should stop using the title ‘weight loss programs’ and start calling them ‘fat loss programs’. Losing excess fat should be the goal, not losing any kind of weight at all. Fat is unattractive. It’s bumpy, flabby, unshapely and downright unhealthy. Water, on the other hand, is essential for your health.

The truth is, if something sounds too good to be true it normally is. Weight loss is more than what you wear, but more about what you do. The only safe way to really lose unwanted pounds, and lose it for good, is to decrease calories (while improving the quality of food choices) and increase activity.

The good news is you don’t have to look absolutely ridiculous wearing a sweat suit to your gym in the middle of the summer. And, the more comfortable you are during the workout, the more likely you are to stick with it.

The Bottom Line: Fit or Flop?

So, when it comes to exercise attire, stay cool and wear what you feel good in. Have fun with your fitness fashion and save your sweats for the winter. While some fitness fads are worth trying, sweating it out is a big fat flop.

FIT TIP:The American Council of Exercise recommends drinking 16-24 ounces of fluid for every pound lost in exercise. Not sure how much you lose working out? Just for kicks, try weighing yourself before and after your workout.

Symptoms of heat exhaustion:

Confusion

Dizziness

Fainting

Fatique

Pale Skin

Profuse Sweating

Dark-colored urine

Headache

Muscle Cramps

Rapid Heartrate

Nausea

Vomiting

Diarrhea

Categories
Sweat

I Never Thought I'd Be Doing THIS Before I Became a Runner

Before I was a runner myself, I always pictured runners to be incredibly perfect athletic specimens, the kind you would see on the cover of a Wheaties box. I would picture myself as a runner, and envision a relaxed yet coolly stern face that never showed a grimace of discomfort, paired with strong lungs that courageously battled long distances without skipping a beat. I’d imagine myself perfectly decked out in coordinated athletic apparel that highlighted my muscular, tanned arms and legs. My hair would be slicked back in a perfect ponytail, with just the smallest bit of sweat glistening on my forehead, enough to demonstrate my true grit.

Yes, in my head, I was ready to grace the cover of Runner’s World magazine.

But then I actually became a runner. And I realized that running was not nearly as glamorous as I had made it out to be in my head. In fact, running can be downright disgusting.

In the past 9 years of my running career, I’ve found myself not only doing things that would normally be considered gross, but I’ve used the term “don’t’ worry, I’m a runner, I’m used to it” to excuse other people’s equally as disgusting behavior in front of me.

If you’re still reading at this point, I’m going to assume you are ready to hear some examples. So brace yourself, and don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Snot. The word alone makes me cringe. But then again, so does the scientifically correct term “mucous”, so I digress. In my normal day to day activities, a runny or stuffy nose would be met appropriately with a tissue in the privacy of a bathroom. But not on the run. Oh no, when the nose starts to act up during a run or a race, all bets are off. Any item can be used as a tissue when needed, including but not limited to: your sleeve, your glove, your t shirt, or basically any piece of clothing that can easily reach your nose.

But, one of the more popular methods for dealing with an angry nose is the “snot rocket”, also known as the “farmer’s blow”. In this method, a runner uses a finger to push on the outside of the non offending nostril, thus closing the nostril off. Take a deep breath through your mouth and push that air out forcefully through the clogged nostril. In theory, all of the “matter” clogging up that nostril will go shooting out of your nose and hopefully onto the ground (and not on one of your nearby running buddies.)

The Bathroom. If anyone had told me years ago that one day I’d find myself squatting in the barely private bushes to pee while hundreds of other runners passed by, I would have never believed it. But it happens to nearly all of us at some point in our running career.

The truth is, all of that water makes you have to urinate…a lot…and not always at the most convenient time. Even worse, running does some crazy things to your digestive system, often making your bowels angry. And when you’ve got to go and there are no port-a-potties around, you do what is necessary.

Speaking of port-a-potties, there comes a point where they no longer gross you out as much as they once did, and instead you find yourself thankful for their refuge…even if there is no toilet paper. It sure beats squatting behind a bush, or worse, peeing in your shorts.

Puking. Throwing up in public? How incredibly embarrassing! Except on the sidelines or at the finish line of a really hard race, where it is both a rite of passage and a sign that you gave that race everything you had. Then puking suddenly becomes a (disgusting) badge of courage.

Blisters and Black Toenails. Despite your best efforts to prevent them, blisters and black toenails are going to happen. And if that’s not gross enough, you’ll find yourself eventually popping those blisters and pulling off the dead toenails without hesitation.  Besides, they often inhibit your training, and no one has time for that! 

Sweat. In and of itself, sweat isn’t so bad. In fact, sweat is to be expected from someone who is running for an extended period of time. But how about going out for a run, dripping in sweat, and then remaining in those clothes for hours after? Or better yet, putting your sweaty self into a van full of other sweaty runners, for 36 hours or more during a multi day relay? Yeah, we gross runners do that.

So needless to say, the truth is despite our calm, cool, and collected looking exterior, runners can be pretty gross. But if you ask any one of us, these moments of disgusting behavior social faux-pas are absolutely worth it for the sport we love so much!

Categories
Lifestyle

Unearthing Urban Rooftop Farming

After a day filled with blistering heat, Mary Ostafi, Executive Director & FOOD ROOF Facilitator, sits down with me for a chat about rooftop farming. Ostafi has been cultivating the FOOD ROOF Farm, located in Saint Louis, Missouri, for three years and has been elated at the growing success and support they’ve received. She was kind enough to take time out of her schedule to explain rooftop farming and the rise of urban agriculture, a relatively new way to bridge cities and organic-based food systems.
When I initially thought of a rooftop farm I envisioned a few pots with the casual tomato and pepper plant. However, this is nowhere near the scale of the modern day urban farm.
There are different variations for rooftop gardens across the country, but Ostafi introduced me to the most prevalent: rooftop soil farms, hydroponic greenhouse farms, aeroponic farms, and raised bed / container gardens. It’s important to familiarize yourself with these different models as it can help determine which farm would be a good fit for you.
Rooftop Soil Farms: These farms utilize a green roof system. Ostafi describes it as several layers of material, which end up being about four inches thick. They consist of a root barrier that keeps the roots from reaching the rooftop and causing leaks. Then there is a second layer that uses separation fabric followed by a  water retention board that hold excess water after rainstorms. Lastly, a thin layer of fabric is installed to keep the soil from penetrating into the layer below.
Essentially a rooftop farm mimics a typical garden you’d have only it’s located on top of a structure. Successful examples are the FOOD ROOF Farm and Brooklyn Grange whose total rooftop farm space ranges from 10,000 to 108,000 square feet. Both farms practice organic commercial urban farming.
Hydroponic Greenhouse Farms:  Greenhouses were originally designed so that the farmer has complete control of the growing environment. This ranges from nutrition that the plants receive to the CO2 levels.
Hydroponics is the practice of growing plants using liquid nutrient solutions eliminating the need for soil. A prime example is Gotham Greens, who’s first farm in Greenpoint, Brooklyn  was the first commercial-scale rooftop greenhouse in the United States.
Gotham Greens now owns and operates four greenhouse farms totaling over 170,000 square feet in New York and Chicago. Their second greenhouse is located on top of Whole Food Market’s flagship Brooklyn store and is the first example of a commercial scale greenhouse implemented into a supermarket. Their third farm is a 60,000 square foot rooftop greenhouse in Jamaica, Queens and the fourth is a 75,000 square foot rooftop greenhouse on top of the new Method factory in Pullman, Chicago. Their Chicago greenhouse is set to produce over 1 million pounds of fresh produce per year for the local Chicago market and is considered “The World’s Largest Rooftop Farm.”
Aeroponic Farms: Aeroponics is a growth system where plants have the potential to grow vertically. This specifically appeals to farmers who have limited space. Aeroponics and hydroponics are both grown in a nutrient solution, but while hydroponics is grown in a constant stream of water, aeroponics is on a timer.
Raised Beds: These are typically the most economically feasible gardens to create. They’re a stand-alone structure for soil and plants, but the downfall with them is they are not the most efficient. Some planter boxes are on casters, which can be easily rearranged if needed. Uncommon Ground, an eatery in Chicago with an emphasis on the organic, has utilized the beauty that rooftop farms can afford.
They employ planter boxes and earth boxes, which provides them with over 1,000 pounds of produce from their 700 square foot growing space. Placing great importance on seasonal, regional, and organic ingredients this could only have been made possible by utilizing their rooftop. They’re famous for being the “1st Certified Organic Roof Top Farm in the US” and have now clinched the title for “The 1st Certified Organic Brewery in Illinois.” With two local locations, this restaurant is setting the precedent for organic gardening within restaurant quarters.
Normally, farmers focus on one method, but in Ostafi’s case she decided to take a different slant by experimenting with several types of farming styles to find one that’s most suitable for STL.
“We’re trying to figure out the microclimate here and what’s the most successful [for providing results]. Essentially what we have here is a living laboratory of a green space. This is crucial when people begin experimenting in rooftop farming because climates are so variant and what works for one city’s farmers may release opposite results in another.”
Urban agriculture is a rising trend with tangible economic and ecological benefits.
Some experts say 40-50% of energy costs are reduced when a green roof system is used. The layers, and especially the soil, act as an insulator keeping the cool air in during the summer and out during the winter. Another perk is the automatic protection the roof membrane receives. No hail damage or wind damage can occur, increasing its lifespan.
From an ecological standpoint, the organisms that are being produced are able to utilize many components found in the outside environment. The FOOD ROOF Farm and other green roof systems collect water within a retention board that has been designed underneath the soil. The FOOD ROOF Farm serves as a perfect example to the benefits of a retention board. Collecting up to 17,000 gallons of water per storm this life source is readily available for plant roots to wick up through capillary action. In other situations, such as a greenhouse, cisterns are relied upon where water is collected and then used to water the greenhouse.
But what’s one natural energy resource that’s not dispersed? Heat. Across the nation, urban heat islands have been destabilizing the already precariously balanced climate. With the mix of concrete and black rooftops, heat is collected and increases in temperature as the day progresses. Once nightfall hits the heat continues to radiate increasing the surrounding temperature. This is why cities are typically warmer, even if it’s a few degrees, than rural areas.
Not only is urban heating uncomfortable, but it’s causing tangible problems, such as increased chances of extreme weather patterns. Due to our energy outputs, we’re changing natural weather patterns in our cities setting up perfect conditions for tornados and other natural disasters. When soil covers the rooftops it decreases the urban heating therefore stabilizing the environment to a relatively normal temperature.
Urban agriculture is slowly gaining popularity, and Ostafi is witnessing this firsthand through direct conversations from other farmers.
“Now people are coming to us with interest. Our motto is build it, and they will come. Our focus is building rooftop farms in STL, but our reach goes everywhere. There aren’t a lot of people who have expertise in this area. We are providing consulting services for future rooftop farmers and presenting our knowledge at urban agriculture forums and industry trade shows.”
Commercial sized rooftop farms are maybe a dozen with no specific coalition. Urban farms are starting off small, but with enough hands you too can be involved in building something beautiful. Not only will people in your community enjoy the fruits of your labor, but you’ll be surprised just how many people are eager to become involved.

Categories
Wellbeing

How to Beat the 21st-Century "Text Neck"

Take a look around at your local Starbucks. Or the mall. Or your grocery store.
No, I mean actually pick your head up, currently glued to your smartphone screen, and look. We are all buried in our phones and tablets — all day, everyday — and it’s becoming a very real pain in the neck.
The Vision Council estimates that 93.3 percent of adults spend upwards of two hours per day using some sort of a gadget — and more than six in 10 spend five hours per day. Spinal surgeon Dr. Kenneth K. Hansraj cites similar stats in his research from late 2014: we’re spending an average of two to four hours a day with head hunched over a phone — which equates to 700 to 1400 hours a year. Cumulatively, you’re looking at a recipe for neck pain and spine-alignment issues.
Consider this. “An adult head weighs 10 to 12 pounds in the neutral position,” writes Hansraj in his paper, published in Surgical Technology International. “As the head tilts forward the forces seen by the neck surges to 27 pounds at 15 degrees, 40 pounds at 30 degrees, 49 pounds at 45 degrees and 60 pounds at 60 degrees.”
That’s a lot of gravity. Imagine six bowling balls stacked on your neck. Or six Thanksgiving turkeys. Or six watermelons. (I know, my neck hurts, too.)
Docs and researchers are calling this 21st-century problem “tech neck” or “text neck.” And unfortunately, there’s not a cure-all for that problem — which is one of the leading causes of disability in the United States.
Your best bet is avoiding the issue all together, if possible — and that doesn’t necessarily mean going on a complete gadget cleanse. Here are some of the ways to beat text neck:
Stretch your neck. Sounds pretty easy, right? Don’t mindlessly get lost in that viral vid or online article, but be mindful enough to realize when your neck is getting stiff. “If you have neck pain, whether it started two days ago or two weeks ago, one of the best things you can do is gently move and stretch your neck muscles,” says Dr. Pierre Côté, an epidemiologist at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology in Oshawa, who conducted a study on neck pain fixes last year. I’ve talked to spinal surgeons, who’ve confirmed this tip: just move it, move it. (Gently. Every once in a while.)
Get gadgets to eye level. Take a cue from Hansraj’s study: the less you tilt your neck, the less stress you put on your spine. So, get your gadgets as close to eye level as possible while you’re perusing online. If you’re at home, you can even get a stand for your tablet or smartphone. Finally, let’s say you’re standing in line somewhere, and can’t get your gadget to exact eye level. The closer you can get, the less weight gravity will exert. So, just do your best. With all those hours accumulating, small daily changes count.
Make some changes. As someone who works in media, I know how hard it can be to put down the smartphone. I mean, Twitter updates! Snapchats! Emails… ? Sigh. It’s exhausting. For sanity’s sake, and to avoid that pain in your neck, shut down for a bit. These days, from at least around 6 pm to 10 pm, I try to avoid staring at a gadget screen. I avoid phone pings. Instead, I work out, do something social, make a nutritious dinner, Netflix something (at eye level!), so on and so forth. Also, let’s talk about picking up the phone. There was a period, say, from 2009 to 2012 where receiving an actual phone call would paralyze me. (I mean, who calls anymore???) As it turns out, today, I do. I try to talk on the phone with friends and family as much as possible to catch up. It saves time, helps me feel connected to a real person — and, you know, the risk for text neck and lifelong spine issues.
Not a bad deal, right?