Drink for Life

By Melissa Thomas and Chad Yonkus

Hydration is the backbone of life. We can go many days without food, but only a few without water. Let’s put this in perspective. When you drink water you are serving many of your bodies functions. Water lands in the stomach and will first be absorbed into the body here. Water that is not absorbed will move on to the small intestine, the small intestine absorbs a large amount of water due to its length (approx. 20 feet). Then it flows to the large intestine. Here it helps to soften food and aid in digestion. After the body has absorbed water through the stomach, small and large intestines it flows through the cells and the body to continue on its supporting journey.

It helps the Kidneys detoxify the body, this is where you will be indicated whether you are taking in enough water with yellow or clear urine. This is important information to pay attention to! Water also carries oxygen through the body, which is extremely important for athletes especially.

We rely on cell hydration and minerals for proper brain health and function. Studies have shown that dehydration can lead to short term memory impairment and cognitive processing issues.

However, as human moving bodies hydration means much more to us. Our body needs water for cellular and tissue hydration. Our tissues rely on being supple, moist and pliable to move with one another. Fascia is a very vast network of omnidirectional connective tissue that will harden and stiffen as it becomes dehydrated, thus it will cease to move. Fascia connects to muscles and skin on many layers and will also impair the ability of these tissues to interact with one another in a mobile way.

Imagine this: two sheets of Saran wrap held together with a few drops of water in between them. If you start moving them back and forth, they will have lubrication and tolerance for the mobility. Once the water dries and the sheets become dry themselves, they adhere to one another. Your tissues are not so different.

Water helps our muscles contract correctly, our skin detoxify and regulate heat, and our organs properly function for our body. Water also helps us excrete waste. Our fecal matter is 70% water. Constipation is a clear sign of possible dehydration. If you want to move better as a human being, recover better as an athlete, and feel better as a functioning human water is a large component to this goal.

A formula we use is two fold. A water formula for your bodyweight, coupled with water for your exercise level.

1/2 your body weight in ounces = x x + the duration of exercise in minutes/30 minutes x 12 oz = your daily suggested water intake.

Example:

A 100 lb person exercises for 60 minutes

100/2 = 50oz 60 min/30 min = 2 x 12 (oz) = 24 24oz + 50oz = 74oz at a minimum of water per day.

Water is life. Without it, we will not live long. Without much of it we will not live fully or in a healthy way. Drink water until your urine is clear.

Hydration Guidelines:

1/2 bodyweight in oz. + (exercise duration/30 min) x 12oz = Target amountDrink 12-18oz in the morning on an empty stomachDrink filtered and purified water Avoid excessive coffee, alcohol and soda consumptionAvoid reverse osmosis and distilled water (no mineral content is detrimental)Drink before you are thirsty

We hope this gives you a general guide to figure out how much water is adequate for your body and energy output.

Happy Hydrating!

Slippery When Wet

By Melissa Thomas and Chad Yonkus

The spaghetti noodle softens as it is heated and water is added; it eventually becomes malleable, moist, and tender. However, if left in the strainer where the water drains and its temperature cools, it will harden again. The starch will bind the noodles together and it will take a new shape – more like a gooey, hardening glob than individual strands of slippery and soft noodles. Think of your muscle fibers as the noodles and the connective fascia that binds you together as the starch….but keep eating your lunch as you enjoy this poetic imagery!

Exercise and movement, in this example, are much like the pot of boiling water – it adds heat and moisture (via increased blood and lymphatic flow aka “nourishment”) to your tissues. Lunchtime workouts are great - however, returning your desk after warming your noodles causes them to cool and harden in a non-optimal position. This affects the health of the joints and your overall structural integrity. The fascia will bind you into this position, blood flow will be restricted, and your structure will change over time. The tissue becomes sticky, and our ability to move freely is reduced, pain is present and performance suffers.

The body is adaptive and will respond to various stimuli. When we flex our neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, and ankles for hours at a time by sitting, cycling, typing, or using our phones, the body will adapt and increased connective tissue will form to support those positions. So long, slippery noodles! Sitting in a chair, car, or airplane is much like putting your body into a brace (or a cooling strainer) which will cause the connectives, muscles, and bones (slightly, over great periods of time) to reform. Getting up for a short walk to the printer is simply not enough to break up the adhesive nature of fascia, I am sorry to tell you. Nor is utilizing a standing desk -it is an excellent start that I am an advocate of, but it is just not enough to disrupt the adhesive nature of fascia. Deep tissue massage, combined with hydration and healthy movement patterns, will add moisture to those starchy and sticky noodles – there will be space created between them and they will be fluid and slippery once again.

These are images from Dr Jean-Claude Guimberteau's Strolling Under the Skin, which takes a look at living human fascia. You can see that fascia is omnidirectional, and appears to be sticky and glue-like. The vast network of fascia is a fascinating and powerful structure that we are learning more about as research continues. If you are interested in learning more about how the fascial structures impact human movement, check out Anatomy Trains by Thomas Meyer. There are many videos on YouTube that will open your eyes to this unseen network holding us together.

Ample hydration, daily dynamic stretching, consistent mobilization routines, and regular deep tissue massage will help to disrupt the fascial connections that are binding our bodies into detrimental patterns. The use of cups during bodywork sessions is a tool I rely heavily on to help break up adhesions that have chronically formed over time. While cupping marks can be unsightly, and even somewhat tender at times, there is really no replacement for this therapy. If performed regularly and often enough, the marks will subside and tissue will become nourished again. Pain is often reduced and the long-term benefits far outweigh the short-term discomfort (if any). I am an advocate for human movement as your best line of defense, and am happy to answer your questions about self-care and mobility routines, as well as the benefits of regular bodywork.

See our article on hydration and how it can help fascia here.

Bon Appetit!

Hip Flexor Hype

By Melissa Thomas and Chad Yonkus

The hip flexors are the main powerhouse of any bicyclist or runner, as they are the muscle group largely responsible for pulling the knee to the chest. Whether you are on a mountain, road, or time-trial bike, the muscles responsible for returning the pedal to the top power position are part of the hip flexor complex. Additionally, the running stride is incomplete without the hip flexors to cycle the foot through. Psoas major/minor, Iliacus, and Rectus Femoris exert a high-level of work during these activities so maintaining healthy hips is crucial in order to avoid postural dysfunction and chronic pain. The hip flexors must be cared for with the utmost of attention.

Credit: Femniqe.com

Sitting can be the most detrimental of postures to our hip flexor tissue and health. Flexing the hip in the seated position keeps the hip flexor complex in a constant state of “shortened contraction”. Because of this, the tissue starts to learn that the shortened position is more common than the lengthened (or “open”) position that it is capable of. Over time, the tissue returns to this shortened state naturally and this will negatively affect the mechanics of the hip and the lower lumbar vertebrae, potentially leading to many painful and debilitating ailments.

To optimize your hip flexor health, be sure to open the tissue with some simple self-care after your run or ride. This applies to the general population as well, not exclusively runners or bicyclists. An hour-long commute is enough to create detrimental tissue contraction over time. Our culture is in a state of perpetual hip flexion so most of us have some work to do here – myself included. Yoga, stretching, foam rolling, bodywork/massage, and concentrated weight work will assist in the elongation of this tissue and will release the tension on the hips and lower back.

The smaller (more acute) the angle at the hip joint, the more stretching of the hips is needed. For example, a tri-athlete training in the aero bars requires either a greater opening angle, or a longer duration of the stretch. A mountain biker in contrast, may need less duration of stretch because of the greater (more obtuse) angle at the hip. A simple formula of (10)-minutes of yoga or stretching per every hour seated is an excellent way to keep the hip flexors balanced. For example, 2 hours in the saddle would equate to 20-minutes of stretching to facilitate balance.

Credit: ilovebicycling.com

A standing desk option can also keep the tissue lengthened, which will assist recovery in the optimal lengthened position after a lunchtime workout. Standing stimulates your body to open the tissue of the hip flexors and activates the posterior muscles of the body by making us support our body weight for longer periods of time. While not as easy as sitting, standing has been shown to burn more calories than sitting, and it is better for overall posture. Standing is a great way to optimize the time at work by keeping the hip flexors open and healthy. It is very important, however, to slightly lean back into the heels, without locking out your knees, so that the posterior muscles are engaged and the hip flexors will not be fatigued. The old adage, “Everything in moderation…” certainly does apply here as well, so alternate sitting and standing to keep the body adapting to different stimuli. Alternating also gives us permission to rest as needed. A rubber standing mat is also another helpful tool to incorporate to the standing desk configuration.

As Summer approaches, remember these simple tips to keep your activity level elevated without increasing dysfunction and pain. Educating our clients on self-care is an important element to our bodywork/massage & personal training practice so please come prepared to learn important stretching techniques that will empower you to care for yourself and elevate your performance!

Check out our blog on stretching this very important muscle group here.