Q & A: Sore?

Q: What causes muscle soreness and how is it best relieved?

A: There are two types of exercise-related muscle soreness. Immediate muscle soreness quickly dissipates and is the pain you feel during, or immediately after, exercise. Delayed muscle soreness signals a natural adaptive process that the body initiates following intense exercise. This type of muscle soreness manifests itself 24 to 48 hours after the exercise session and spontaneously decreases after 72 hours.

Numerous studies have been conducted to determine the cause of delayed muscle soreness. The most current consensus attributes this condition to microscopic tears in the muscle and surrounding connective tissue following eccentric exercise. A muscle contracts eccentrically when it lengthens under tension during exercise. For example, during a biceps curl, the biceps muscle shortens during the concentric lifting phase and lengthens during the eccentric lowering phase. Eccentric contractions also occur during aerobic activity, such as downhill running, in which the quadriceps muscle repeatedly lengthens against gravity to lower the center of mass and aid in shock absorption.

Exercisers who experience delayed muscle soreness include conditioned individuals who increase the intensity, frequency or duration of their workouts, or participate in an activity with which they are unfamiliar. Beginning exercisers, or those who have undergone a significant lapse in training, frequently experience soreness when starting or re-engaging in an exercise regimen.

Studies attempting to identify the best methods to alleviate delayed muscle soreness are almost as abundant as the number of studies conducted to determine its cause. Cryotherapy (the topical application of ice), massage, stretching and the use of nonsteroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), among other less conventional approaches, have been evaluated to determine if they can prevent or effectively treat delayed muscle soreness. To date, a therapy that consistently relieves delayed muscle soreness has yet to be identified. On the other hand, a few of the aforementioned therapies may have a mild positive impact if initiated immediately after intense or unusual exercise.

Once an individual has experienced delayed muscle soreness at a specific exercise intensity, he or she shouldn't encounter that sensation again until the intensity level is increased. This is because delayed muscle soreness has been shown to produce a rapid adaptation response, which means that the muscles adapt to a given exercise intensity level. Until (or unless) the exercise intensity level is changed, soreness won't occur. This factor is the basis for the most widely recommended approach to preventing delayed muscle soreness: gradual progression and conservative increases in intensity, frequency and duration. Preliminary light exercise may prevent the onset of soreness following a heavy eccentric-exercise workout. Beginners should exercise with light weights, two to three times per week for one to two months, then gradually increase the intensity of their workouts. Conditioned exercisers who want to try a new workout or activity also should begin gradually, taking care not to be overzealous in how hard they exert themselves- particularly until their bodies adapt to the demands imposed upon them.

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Source: Dr. Cedric X. Bryant, ACE's Chief Science Officer; ACE FitnessMatters, Jan/Feb 2007.

Healthy Recipe: Shiitake mushroom & veggie stir-fry

Serves 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients
2 T Asian (toasted) sesame oil
1 1/2 C (1/2 lb) shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
1 red or yellow bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
1 t minced fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 t red pepper flakes
2 carrots grated
1 c bean sprouts
1 1/2 c (1/2 lb) sugar snap peas, trimmed
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 t cornstarch
1 1/2 t reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 c low-sodium chicken broth
1 c brown or wild rice, prepared according to package directions

Directions

• In a large skillet or wok, heat sesame oil over medium-high heat. Add shiitake mushrooms, bell pepper slices, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes, stirring constantly so they don't burn. If they start to burn or brown, pour a little vegetable both into skillet. Continue to cook for about 5 minutes.
• Add the carrots, snap peas, bean sprouts, and scallions to the skillet. Stir-fry about 2 minutes. In a small bowl, stir cornstarch into soy sauce, then add the mixture to the pan.
• Pour in the vegetable broth cook for aout 2 minutes until the mixture comes to a boil and starts to thicken. Serve over rice.

Note: the calorie count for this recipe is based on a serving of 3/4 c veggies and 3/4 c rice, and, quite frankly, I'm a little irked at Shape Magazine. Flip a ahead five pages and you can read a great article about grains and healthy carbs and Shape correctly notes that 1/3 c of grains counts as a serving size. Do yourself a favor when serving this dish, use the standard 1/3 c serving of rice, and load up on extra veggies. To pack in more protein, chop up a block of pre-seasoned, baked tofu and add it to the first step. Have 1/2 or one whole block per serving. One block adds less than 100 calories and about 16 grams of protein.

Nutritional Information
based on 3/4 c veggies, 3/4 c rice
338 kcal
10g fat
1g saturated fat
54 g carbs
11 g protein
6 g fiber
97 g calcium
3 mg iron

To Medicate or Note to Medicate

The Worst Time to Pop A Pill

Yesterday's run has you feeling sore today, but don't reach for an over-the-counter pain reliever just yet. Anti-inflammatories may inhibit your muscles' rebuilding process, which means you might not get stronger, says Abigail Mackey, Ph.D., a researcher at the Institute of Sports Medicine Copenhagen in Denmark who studied the drugs' effect on long-distance runners. After taking a pain reliever daily for four days before and eight days after a 22-mile run, the athletes experienced no increase in the cells associated with muscle growth and repair. However, those who took a placebo had 27 percent more of those muscle-supporting cells, according to the study. It's okay to take an anti-inflammatory for occasional aches, just don't make it a habit. (An always-safe way to reduce stiffness: light exercise like walking.) And remember, mild soreness is your muscles' way of reminding you that they're getting toned.

Q & A: Hydration and Running

Q: Do I need to drink on runs that are less than an hour long?

A: It depends a lot on the weather. You can get by without fluids on easy runs on cool mornings, but go without during a hard, 50-minute effort on a midsummer afternoon, and you’ll likely pay a price. You may fatigue sooner, recover more slowly, or even temporarily put your body in “stress mode,” which affects the immune system. Studies repeatedly show that losing 1 to 1.5 percent of body weight through fluid lost can hinder performance, and it’s easy for most of us to lose that in warm conditions in less than an hour. Hydration needs vary from person to person, but a good rule of thumb is to drink about two ounces (a couple of mouthfuls) every 10 minutes during warm-weather runs. –John Seifert, Ph.D.

Use the same guidelines at the gym. If you are sweating a lot, you should be replacing fluids. Sports drink vs. water? If your workouts are of moderate intensity or less and under 2 hours long, water should be just fine.

Runners: Wait or Weight at the Gym

“Many runners don’t weight train out of fear of bulking up and slowing down, but if you focus on muscular endurance, it can help your running. I use light weight and high reps… I lift three times a week; it’s about quality, not quantity.”

Desiraye Osburn, eight in 2007 USA Cross-Country Championship

Zero Doesn't Mean Zero

(If you know me, you know how adamant, almost fanatical, I am about avoiding hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils. You've probably heard my warnings and, hopefully, have been reading food labels at my urging. If not, please read the below article. Hopefully, the recent media coverage will help convince you. For more information on hydrogenated oils and their health risks, please search my blog (label: "trans fat") or do your own online search.)

Zero Trans Fat Doesn't Always Mean Zero

By STEPHANIE NANO, Associated Press Writer

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Stroll the aisles of any grocery store and you're sure to spot labels declaring "zero grams trans fat" on the front of snack foods, cookies and crackers. But does zero really mean there's NO artery-clogging fat inside?

Maybe, maybe not.

Federal regulations allow food labels to say there's zero grams of trans fat as long as there's less than half a gram per serving. And many packages contain more than what's considered one serving.

"The problem is that often people eat a lot more than one serving," said Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian of Harvard School of Public Health. "In fact, many people eat two to three servings at a time."

Those small amounts of trans fat can add up, said Michael Jacobson of the consumer advocacy Center for Science in the Public Interest. To find out if there might be some trans fat, he said shoppers can check the list of ingredients to see if partially hydrogenated oil — the primary source of trans fat — is included.

"When it says zero grams, that means something different from no trans fat," said Jacobson. His group has urged the government to bar food producers from using any partially hydrogenated oils at all.

The Food and Drug Administration began forcing food companies to list the amount of trans fat on nutrition labels of packaged foods in January 2006. That led many companies to switch to alternative fats.

Trans fat occurs naturally in some dairy and meat products, but the main source is partially hydrogenated oils, formed when hydrogen is added to liquid vegetable oils to harden them.

Consumer groups and health officials have campaigned to get rid of trans fat because it contributes to heart disease by raising levels of LDL or bad cholesterol while lowering HDL or good cholesterol. Fast-food restaurants are switching to trans fat-free oils and New York City and Philadelphia are forcing restaurants to phase out their use of trans fat.

The American Heart Association recommends that people limit trans fats to less than 2 grams per day.

Julie Moss of the FDA's Office of Nutrition, Labeling and Dietary Supplements, said the half-gram threshold for labeling was adopted because it is difficult to measure trans fat at low levels and the same half-gram limit is used for listing saturated fat. She said the FDA would soon be doing consumer research on trans fat labeling, including whether a footnote such as "Keep your intake of trans fat as low as possible" should be added to food labels.

Robert Earl of the Grocery Manufacturers Association said any trans fat in products labeled zero trans fat is likely to be far less than the half-gram threshold. For example, he said, a little partially hydrogenated oil might be used to help seasoning stick.

"I think the industry has been extremely responsive. Most of them were ahead of the curve to either remove or reduce trans fat in most food products," he said.

Earl said shoppers should be looking at the entire food label.

Jacobson is also concerned that people are focusing too much on the trans fat content alone, and not considering other ingredients such as saturated fat, which also raises the risk of heart disease.

"The bigger problem is foods that have no labels at all," Mozaffarian said, citing food served not only at restaurants, but at bakeries, cafeterias and schools.

New York resident Diana Fiorini said she's just recently started paying attention to labels. Holding a box of microwave popcorn at a Manhattan store, she scanned the label and was happy to see that it listed zero grams trans fat.

"I look at the labels. It's still hard to stop yourself when you know you should," she said.

Food Spotlight: Berries

If you've eaten fresh berries over the past 9 months, chances are you paid too much and tasted too little. But with the rise in temps comes an end to sky-high prices and lackluster fruit. Berries are the ultimate summer superfood, dense with antioxidants and other powerful nutrients that defend against everything from cancer to memory loss. You've done smoothies, now try a simple compote: combine 2 cups of berries in a sauce pan with a splash of balsamic vinegar, and cook on low for 10 minutes. Serve warm over a scoop of ice cream or in place o syrup with your next batch of flapjacks. (whole grain, right?)

Calcium Intake and Nursing

Japanese researchers recently found that consuming too-little calcium while nursing could accelerate the progression of gum disease. "Fluctuating hormone elves during and after pregnancy makes women more vulnerable to inflamed, infected gums," explains Susan Karabin, D.D.S., president-elect of the American Academy of Periodontology. "This condition will only worsen if women don't get enough calcium to help build and maintain the bones surrounding their teeth." To avoid your own dental problems, aim for three servings of dairy, fortified juice, or leafy green vegetables, which will meet most of the 1,000-milligram minimum you need every day (though a 500-milligram supplement may provide extra stay-healthy insurance). And even when middle-of-the-night feedings leave you too exhausted to brush your hair, never skip the twice-daily teeth brushing and flossing sessions, says Karabin. This, along with frequent professional cleanings, will get rid of infection-causing plaque and safeguard your smile.

Like the Sensor, Hate the Shoe?

Envious of the Nike+Ipod Kit but can't bring yourself to part with your Saucony or New Balance shoes? Visit www.shoepouch.com for a handy little pocket that will let you use the Ipod Kit with the shoe of your choice.

Q & A: Out of breath...

Q: I've been running for a few weeks, but I still get winded easily. How can I avoid this?

A: Try a longer, more gradual warmup. Your heart, lungs, and muscles simply need a gentler introduction to running. First, walk for three to five minutes. When you start running, keep the pace easy--one or two minutes per mile slower than you usually run. Also, insert one-minute walk breaks every one or two minutes for about 15 minutes. After that you should be able to gradually increase to your normal training pace without getting winded.