Tag: Karen Owoc

KRON 4 | Here’s Why You May Be Carrying a 40-lb Head

Occupational and recreational habits have led to real pains in the neck. Tension and poor posture rank high as the most common pain generators. KRON 4 Morning News anchor, Marty Gonzalez, helps me demonstrate the effects of poor posture and how to fight the aching forces of gravity.

KRON 4 PosturePain4

Forward Head Posture (FHP)

One of the most common postural problems is forward head posture — for both young and old. Forward head posture is also known as:

    • Text neck, computer/notebook neck
    • Sofa neck
    • Book or reader’s neck
    • Driver’s neck

KRON 4 PosturePain1Your head should sit directly on your neck and shoulders. Think of a golf ball on a tee. But the head is more like a bowling ball (weighing about 10 to 11 lbs) than a golf ball. Your neck and shoulders have to carry the burden of this “bowling ball” all day. Supporting and moving the human head is a challenging and tiring task.

Carrying your head is an isometric contraction — you’re actually “strength training”. An isometric exercise is a static hold where the joint angle and muscle length does not change during the muscle contraction. 

Posture_AdobeStock_113073952_croppedCorrect posture: Your ears line up over your shoulder blades.

Incorrect posture: Along with forward head posture, your shoulders also “round” and roll forward.

Causes of Forward Head Posture

Repetitive use of computers, TV, video games, trauma, and even backpacks/laptop bags have forced the body forward. Also, general muscle weakness from illness or aging can cause FHP —  that is, you’re too weak to hold your own head up anymore.

KRON 4 PosturePain2

When you’re holding your head forward (out of alignment), you are putting additional strain on your neck, shoulders, and upper back muscles. The result? Muscle fatigue and an aching neck and back. Here’s why…    Continue reading “KRON 4 | Here’s Why You May Be Carrying a 40-lb Head” →

KRON 4 | Exercise Heart Rates Can Indicate Health and Predict Death

You know you need to work out, but wonder how hard you need to exercise and how you can tell if you’re actually becoming more fit. The key is in understanding your different heart rates and what those numbers actually mean.

KRON 4_Exercise HR7

1. Heart Rate is the average number of times your heart beats per minute. Your heart ‘beats’ when it contracts and pumps blood through your body.

KRON 4_Exercise HR2

2. Resting Heart Rates indicates your basic overall heart health. The more conditioned you are, the less effort it takes to pump blood through your body and will be reflected in a lower resting heart rate. 

To get a resting exercise heart rate, take your pulse after being still for five or more minutes, preferably in the same position you’ll be in during exercise. That is, if you’re going to walk, then stand quietly for five minutes and then note your heart rate.

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3. Warm-Up Heart Rate is a heart rate that should be HALFWAY between your resting heart rate and target heart rate. By monitoring your warm-up heart rate, you can assess whether you’ve transitioned properly from rest to exercise with respect to:

    • Increased blood flow
    • Body temperature
    • Oxygen transport
    • Metabolism

This will reduce the onset of lack of oxygen (ischemia), chest pain (angina), irregular heart beats (arrhythmias), and other dysfunctions during the conditioning exercise phase.

4. Maximum Heart Rate is the highest number of times your heart contracts in one minute. It can be determined accurately via a graded exercise test, i.e., a stress test on a treadmill, or can be predicted by your age.    Continue reading “KRON 4 | Exercise Heart Rates Can Indicate Health and Predict Death” →

Type 3 Diabetes: The New Term for Alzheimer’s

Memory Loss

Lifestyle Diseases that Affect Your Brain

Lifestyle diseases are diseases that occur primarily as a result of your daily habits. Some of the main contributing factors include: bad food habits, physical inactivity, stress, and an aging biological clock.

Diabetes (A Model of Accelerated Aging)  

The connection between type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia are real and strong.

Experts are now referring to the progression from type 2 diabetes to Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia to type 3 diabetes or brain diabetes. It occurs when neurons in the brain become unable to respond to insulin which is essential for memory and learning.

There is considerable evidence that diabetes is related to brain diseases. Younger diabetics suffer a variety of degenerative diseases earlier and with greater severity than non-diabetics and seem to age more rapidly than normal.

People with type 2 diabetes are 50-65% more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than people with normal blood sugars.

Coronary Artery Disease  

Research shows if you get cardiovascular disease, it is likely to affect your cognitive function. Plaque builds up in your brain as well as your heart. Unhealthy patterns of cholesterol disrupt communication between nerve cells in your brain and contribute to memory and mental destruction.

fat business man use scale to measure his waistline
Risk of memory loss increases as waistline increases

Obesity  

As the population ages, it is expected that dementia incidences will increase 400% in the next 20 years. A 27-year study found obese people were 74% more likely to have dementia, while overweight people were 35% more likely.

Possible speculation is that substances such as leptin, a hormone released by visceral or “belly” fat may have some adverse effects on the brain. Leptin plays a role in appetite regulation but also in learning and memory.

Protect your brain matter.

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KRON 4 | What to Eat After Exercise

Consuming the ideal foods and fluids after your workouts is vital for optimal fitness. But figuring out what you should eat and drink can be confusing. I talked with KRON 4 Morning News anchor, Marty Gonzalez, and deciphered what to eat — and when.

KRON 4_PostEx Nutrition1

Recovery Nutrition 

Recover nutrition has two primary goals: 

    1. To replace what’s lost during exercise, such as fluid and fuel
    2. To promote muscle building and repair

General Post-Exercise Guidelines

  • Consume 1.0 to 1.5 grams carbohydrate (CHO) per kg body weight during the first 30 minutes after exercise and again every 2 hours for 4 to 6 hours.
  • Consume 15 to 25 grams protein during recovery.
  • Drink 16 to 24 oz. of fluid for every pound of weight lost during exercise

The Window of Metabolic Opportunity

After exercise, your body is starved for nutrients and quickest at absorbing them during the first 30 minutes after exercise and at two-hour intervals for 4 to 6 hours.

The earlier you eat carbohydrates within this window, the faster you’ll replenish your glycogen (energy) stores. Once depleted, it generally takes 24 hours to fully replenish these reserves. Waiting too long to eat can impair your performance and function.

Eating Carbs Immediately After Exercise is NOT for Everyone

Carb consumption right after exercise is important if you:

    • Work out daily.
    • Train or compete multiple times a day.
    • Participate in high intensity or prolonged exercise.
    • Have defined fitness, muscle mass, and performance goals.

If you’re an occasional exerciser or rest one or more days between intense workouts, nutrient timing isn’t critical, but the nutritional components of recovery are still required.

Be sure your intake of CHO is adequate and consumed within a reasonable time after training.

NOTE: In general, consuming a high CHO snack with some protein during recovery is a good practice for athletes and avid exercisers.

Food Planning

Planning post-exercise and post-competition snacks/meals to fit within the recovery window will take some time at first. You’ll need to figure out what, how much, and when to eat as well as how to make the food available after your workout.

Immediate Post-Exercise Snack   

Continue reading “KRON 4 | What to Eat After Exercise” →

Do You Have “Senior Moments”?

Businessman pulling a clock hand backwards

Yesterday, a 77-year-old gentleman under my care complained of increasing memory decline. When I tested him, he was only able to recall 2 words out of 10 on his objective memory assessment. He felt like he “failed” the test. After our first Brain Boot Camp session, he recalled 20 out of 20 words!!! As you can imagine, he felt pretty encouraged. I was thrilled! 

Take care of your brain now. The brain shrinks a decade BEFORE signs of Alzheimer’s disease appears. The earliest stages of Alzheimer’s may begin as many as 20 YEARS BEFORE the disease is severe enough to be diagnosed. It’s much easier to protect healthy brain cells than it is to try to revive dead ones.

Special rates for private and semi-private sessions in Sept/Oct. For current openings: (925) 413-6207 or karen.owoc@brainbootcamp.org.