Cardio... You Are Doing It Wrong!

You get to the gym, hop on a treadmill, turn on your headphones, turn off your brain, and just go.  

It’s just that easy right?

(insert buzzer sound here)

You know exercise is good for you and that you should train with cardio to improve the health of your heart.  But when done incorrectly it can be detrimental.

Over the last few years a new type of training called H.I.I.T. (high intensity interval training) has become popular as a replacement for traditional cardio. With short high intensity bursts and rest periods in between, H.I.I.T. taxes components of your cardiovascular system and shed calories fast.

HIIT is great but there is still a place for traditional cardiovascular exercise.

With that being said let’s address some concerns with traditional cardio exercise.

Long term exercise with sustained elevated heart rate may lead to, changes in the heart and irregular beats.

Chronic cardio puts your body into a stressed state called fight or flight.  When this happens normal regulatory systems like your immune system, digestive system etc. are down regulated.  Cortisol (the stress hormone) increases as well.

Finally most people train within the black hole.  This is when the body is taxed hard enough to deplete energy stores but not enough to elicit a significant training response. This is the same exercise we do over and over because we feel comfortable doing it.

Anyone who has ever trained for a race or for health is guilty of this.

The main thing that you need to change and monitor with your cardio is your intensity. The way you monitor it is not done by speed, or incline but with heart rate.

The below principles should be used as a guideline whether you are on a stationary bike, treadmill, elliptical or training outside.

80-90% of cardio exercise should be done long and slow.  A great book on this topic is called Primal Endurance. Their method is simple, and it builds your aerobic capacity but it won’t be at the expense of chronically depleting your energy and causing burn out.

To do this simply use this formula; 180 - your age = Heart rate threshold.  This heart rate threshold is what you want to keep your heart rate under while you train.

The last 10-20% of your training should be done more intense than you would normally train ie. black hole training.  This means sprints, HIIT training, hill work. Basically you will be doing short bursts with long breaks trying to spike your heart rate higher than your normal training.  *Always check with your primary physician to make sure you are cleared to do this first.

Another way to monitor the toll your exercise is taking on your body with with Heart Rate Variability (HRV).  If you are planning to train for any type of endurance race this year, you should consider measuring this consistently. I will be happy to give you more insight on HRV the next time I see you in person.  

Health - It Takes Discipline

You want something good but are you disciplined enough to achieve it?

Most good things in life don’t come easy.  We must be consistent and chip away at it little by little. The recognition or fulfillment comes after the work is put in. 

As a chiropractor I’ve met many people who want better health outcomes but only few of them are willing to put in the effort to get it.  

Whether it is being consistent with their chiropractic adjustments, at home exercise, kicking the sugar habit or laying off alcohol, staying on track takes discipline, and this is really evident for health.

You want to lose weight, you better have a regimented meal plan and fight off those food cravings.  You need discipline. 

You want to gain muscle, you better have regimented work out schedule and follow through on those days you don't feel like moving.  You need discipline.

You go to the chiropractor and you want to be pain free, let your nervous system start working so your body can start healing from the inside out so you can get off those medications your on.  Well you are going to make it to your appointments, even if the playoff game is on and the leafs are actually playing in it.  You need discipline.

The bottom line discipline seems to breed success.  If you want something you have to do something, and nine times out of ten it needs to be done consistently. 

If you are having trouble with the big things then start small.  

Ask yourself can you commit to getting up at the same time every day, making your bed each morning, shave etc. the list goes. on.  

Start small and build on it.  Build tolerance, and eventually challenge yourself with the big goals. 

Your Posture May Affect Your Brain Function.

Tablets, video games, and smart phones are all fun to use and can make life a little bit easier, but with regular use can be a pain in the neck— quite literally. Using hand held devices forces us into a posture where we tilt our head forward to look down. This posture has become so common that researchers have coined the terms iHunch and iPosture to describe it. What many people do not realize is that this type of posture can negatively impact your child’s overall health. For every inch that your child’s head is forward, 10lbs of strain is added to their spine, muscles, ligaments and spinal cord.  This can cause common symptoms such as headaches, neck soreness, numbness and tingling, but research also shows it can impact your child’s mood, memory, behaviour and performance. 

How Posture May Affect Brain Function. - Mood, Behaviour, Memory, Performance

The central nervous system is made up of the brain and spinal cord. Our spines have the very important job of protecting the spinal cord so that our bodies can function properly. When the bones of the spine are out of alignment, or when the curves of the spine are straighter than they should be, this can wreak havoc on the way the entire brain and spinal cord function. Unfortunately the posture that is assumed when regularly using hand held devices forces the neck curve to straighten, and sometimes even reverse. This problem is becoming so common that it is now referred to as “Text Neck”. And this condition is becoming more and more common in children.

Not only can “Text Neck” cause symptoms of pain in the head and neck, but this type of posture has also been related to changes in behaviour, mood, and memory. Researchers from Brazil found that subjects with a forward head posture and forward dropped shoulders was more related to depression. In another study subjects were given instructions to sit up straight with good posture during a mock job interview. Results showed that subjects who slumped had higher rates of fear, worse mood and lower self esteem. On top of that, a German study found that poor sitting posture can negatively affect memory. Preliminary research also shows that poor posture can affect behaviour and cause individuals to become less assertive. What is interesting is that as the device size gets larger it caused subjects to become even less assertive. Finally, a Japanese study from 2009 showed that students with improved sitting posture had increased academic and writing productivity. Therefore having better posture, or should we say normal posture, will increase overall performance.

What causes poor posture:

Phones, tablets, videos games, reading, sitting for long periods, computer use, injuries, backpacks

Poor posture can lead to:

Aches, pain, fatigue, nerve and disc compression, early arthritis, asthma, carpal tunnel type symptoms

At home posture screen for you and your family:

If you would like to assess your posture at home, Click Here for an easy to use posture checklist.