Just Breathe

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This shirt just reminded me of the age old issue so many of us have with breathing. Sure, it is super important and one of the simplest things to do- I mean babies literally excel at it. But, so many people (myself included) forget to breath while working out. Then, there is the small, but prominent debate about when to breathe and how. Knowing the when and how of breathing and memorizing it while trying to do that super difficult exercise move is enough to make anyone turn red in the face... Or blue depending on when their last breath was...

One of the biggest things that has helped me remember to breathe while working out has been yoga. Now, before you roll your eyes, let me explain. It is not the ohms of yoga or the meditation that has helped me learn to breathe, it is the constant reminder of when to inhale and exhale and how long each should be. If only Jillian Michaels and Tracy Anderson would add that to their fitness script, we would be set. Since they do not, I will let you in on a some tricks that help me to remember breathing when all I want to do is lay unconscious on the floor.

Cardio Workouts

Endurance workouts like running and walking can have a much different breathing cadence than, say, yoga or Tabata workouts. These will also have a bit different style of breathing. For starters, it is best when running or walking to try and breathe through the nose. When we breathe through the nose we are able to absorb more CO2 and decrease the allergens getting into our system. A good rule-of-thumb is to try not exert so much energy during endurance activities that you need to morph into a mouth breather.

As for when to breathe- a good ration is one breath for every two steps. So, two steps and inhale, then two steps and exhale. This cadence will take unneeded weight off the diaphragm and should match-up pretty well with your resting rate. A good way to remember this is that you are either starting an inhale or an exhale whenever your right foot hits the ground.

Breathing through the nose and taking longer breathes may be harder at first, but when you get into a pattern of it, there is a pretty high chance you will be able to run for longer and have more energy left over when you are done.

Strength Exercises

For this kind of exercise almost everyone already knows how to breathe- exhaling at the exertions. This means that when you are lifting up from a squat or kicking that leg out, you should be exhaling. Inhaling tends to be the harder one to do and that should be done when your body is being tasked the least. There is no easy way to remember this other than simply counting your breaths.

Very few strength exercises are meant to be fast paced. In fact, most should take about 5 seconds to complete. The way that I remember to do the exercise right and to breath is by counting to four on the inhale and the exhale. It keeps breathing fresh in my mind and also reminds me not to breeze through those tougher movements.

If you are also having to count sets while counting breaths, just you use 1,2,3- 2,2,3 method when counting. You will be able to keep track of sets and air supply all at once!

Yoga, Pilates, and the Like

Any good yogi knows how important exhaling is to clear that stale air out of the lungs. And any good Pilates lover or Yoga enthusiast also knows that the breathing for these two is completely different. So, why then were they put into the same category? Simple. These types of workouts are focused on breathing but we can still forget  the basics when the posing gets tough.

If you ever realize that you cannot remember your last exhale, best to back it up and keep things simple. Workouts like yoga and Pilates use breathing as the basis. If we are forgetting to breathe it is probably because we are asking our bodies for more than they can do. Take a minute, find your breath, and start it all up again.

Breathing should consist of a 4-6 second inhale followed by a 5-7 second exhale. Counting this out can be much easier in a yoga or Pilates class and help take our minds off of the eternity that we have been holding Warrior II for.

Indoor vs. Outdoor Running

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First, I am so excited for all of us who are doing the 30-day Squat Challenge that starts today! This first one is a simple start with six reps of each then we will kick it up tomorrow.

I promise to only bring this up like 2-3 times per week for the rest of the summer, but running outside is one of my absolute favorite things to do in Michigan. These country roads are wonderful to forget it all and let my feet take me away. 

Runs are a bit different inside to outside, of course, but I really did not realize how different they were until this year when I started focusing more on run times and muscle groups worked. It also helps that I am running farther and faster this year... Well, that was until we got up here. I think that everyone knows the main difference in indoor running verses outdoor running can be the hills that nature offers compared to the flatlands of those air conditioned treadmills. These hills here have KILLED my run time. Really. Each mile averages are about 90-seconds slower than ones back home. 

Another part of outdoor running that seems to make or break a run is the weather. Sure, rain is a nuisance and one of the reasons my run time has so rapidly declined, but wind has another big part in running. No matter where you run, chances are you will face wind resistance at some point. This can make a run that much more difficult to get through compared to inside when temperature, running conditions, and wind are always the same and usually a happy medium. 

To combat the difference of indoor vs. outdoor running ultra runner, Michael Wardian, recommends always keeping your treadmill at a 1.5% incline or higher. This will replicate the difference wind resistance can make when running outdoors. As much as we all may hate it, it is also smart to increase that incline a few times throughout your run to replicate the energy exertion of hills. 

Something else quite interesting about indoor vs. outdoor running is the muscle groups we use. When running on a treadmill we are mainly using our quads since the belt is giving all forward momentum we need. Unlike treadmills, the ground gives us no forward momentum, thus forcing us to use the hamstrings and glutes far more. This is super important for those who are use to running indoors to note since changing and running outside could cause injury. Not only is the ground much less even than a treadmill, but hamstring injuries can happen when changing from indoor to outdoor running since they are not use to working quite so much. 

Strangely enough, just after reading about all the differences of indoor and outdoor running, the hubs ran outside for the first time in a while and tore his hamstring. He is a pretty fast and strong runner and is now having to do therapy to get that hamstring back up to working order. 

The moral of that story would be to not push yourself too hard when changing up a run. Listen to your body, watch your surroundings, and you should be good for both indoor and outdoor workouts! 

What Protein When?

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Ok, have you noticed that their are, almost literally, a ton of proteins out on the market these days? I mean, really. We have the whey, soy, powder mixtures, and a whole bunch of others. Each of these proteins does something different and is best used to get different results. Of course, some have milk, animal bi-product, and other allergens. 

The first thing to know about this crazy protein maze is that each protein is measured by it's biological value. Biological value, or BV, measures the amount essential amino acids in a protein. The higher this value, the better the source of protein and the leaner muscles it will produce. 

Whey Protein

Like the saying, curds and whey, whey is the watery substance that separates itself from the curds during cheese production. It is a milk by-product and therefore, has lactose. Although, some with mild or moderate lactose intolerance may be able to take whey without any unwanted side effects.

Many protein bars and shakes advertise that they use whey protein because this is the protein with the highest BV with a score of 104. This is a great form of protein for those working out to gain muscle, but should be taken at the right time and from the right source. The benefits of whey protein include reduced stress, lowered cortisol levels, lowered risk of asthma in infants, reduced risk of cancers including colon cancer, improves weight loss, and reduced blood pressure, whey has also been found to reduce the risk of allergies in children when given between birth and 6-months of age. To get all of these health benefits, be sure to take micro-filtered whey; this is they process where whey is separated from milk. 

There are two main forms of whey protein, whey isolates and whey concentrate (or just whey). Whey isolates will be absorbed into the body faster and are great to take after a workout for immediate effects for increased lean muscle production, but they lack all the other benefits. For this reason, whey concentrate is better to take throughout the day. 

As far as whole proteins go, eggs have the next highest BV with a score of 100. Beef protein has a BV of 80. 

Milk Protein

Milk protein ranks just under egg with it's BV. This protein has a BV of 100! Milk protein is also the most common form of protein found in meal replacement shakes, protein bars, and protein powders. Although, there are plenty of these products on the market that have a protein mix- most likely using both milk and whey. 

When using milk protein in protein additives like protein powder, you are most likely using a casein protein powder, the most abundant protein in milk. Casein is separated by milk through ultrafiltration. Casein protein is also slowly absorbed into the body, meaning that the amino acids will take longer to absorb, but will keep you full for longer. This form of protein also helps balance protein levels in or body over a longer period of time. 

Since casein is released slower than other proteins, it is no wonder that this form of protein is what we commonly see in meal replacement shakes because of it's weight loss benefits. Whey and casein protein combinations have also been shown to massively increase muscle performance and the growth of lean muscle when taken after a workout. 

Soy Protein

Soy protein is among the proteins with the lowest BV, at 49-74 depending on it's base. Bean based soy proteins have the lowest BV. This protein has, however, been shown to help both men and women lower the bad LDL cholesterol while keeping the good HDL cholesterol levels un-touched. Soy has also helped women balance hormone levels during menopause and helps men and women reduce the risks of osteoporosis. 

If your goal is muscle growth, soy protein is probably not your BFF. 

The New BMI

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Have you ever wondered how your BMI, or Body Mass index, accounts for changes in height? Well, according to Oxford mathematician, Nick Trefethen, it does not. Trefethen does not believe our current BMI calculator takes into account that we live in a 3D world, saying that our current BMI calculator does not alternate for changes in height. Meaning the calculator does not show that tall people call take up more space without being fat. 

Unfortunately, the BMI calculator is still flawed since it does not take fat percentage into account either. This means that a person who is naturally thin but never works out could be seen as healthy and a performance athlete can still be seen as overweight or obese. 

Current BMI standards say that a healthy range is between 18.5-24.4, overweight is 25-29.9, and 30+ is obese. The main change that Trefethen's new calculator does is make alterations according to height. With the new BMI calculator he created, height is not measured on a linear scale alone. This change is good news for those who are taller since their BMI just might go down; but, shorter people will likely have an increased BMI. 

My BMI went up about 0.5 from it's usually old BMI standard to the new Trefethen alternative. Did yours change?