Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Addiction cravings may get their start deep in the right side of the brain

If you really want a drink right now, the source of your craving may be a pea-sized structure deep inside the right side of your brain, according to scientists at the Indiana University School of Medicine.
Using two different kinds of advanced brain imaging techniques (PET and fMRI), the researchers compared the results of giving beer drinkers a taste of their favorite beer versus a sports drink. After tasting the beer the participants reported increased desire to drink beer, whereas the sports drink did not provoke as much desire for beer. The brain scans also showed that the beer flavor induced more activity in both frontal lobes and in the right ventral striatum of the subjects' brains than did the sports drink.
More specifically, both methods of brain imaging showed increased activity in the right ventral striatum, a deep structure inside the brain that is linked to motivated behavior and reward. The researchers previously showed that beer flavor triggered dopamine release; the addition of fMRI showed that craving for alcohol correlated with frontal as well as right ventral striatum activation. The study was published recently in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.
In an earlier study of 49 men, the research team, led by David A. Kareken, Ph.D., professor of neurology at the IU School of Medicine and the deputy director of the Indiana Alcohol Research Center, found that just the taste of beer, without any intoxicating effects of alcohol, was enough to cause the release of dopamine, a brain neurotransmitter. Much research has linked dopamine to consumption of drugs of abuse.
The new study was conducted with 28 beer drinkers who had participated in the first study, who then underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging -- fMRI scans -- during the separate beer and Gatorade tastings.
"We believe this is the first study to use multiple brain imaging modalities to reveal both increased blood oxygen levels and dopamine activity in response to the taste of an alcoholic beverage," said Brandon G. Oberlin, Ph.D., assistant research professor of neurology and first author of the paper. "The combination of these two techniques in the same subjects strengthens the evidence that these effects may be strongest in the right ventral striatum.
"Our results indicate that the right ventral striatum may be an especially important area for addiction research," Dr. Oberlin said.

Story Source:
The above post is reprinted from materials provided by Indiana University.Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:
  1. Brandon G. Oberlin, Mario Dzemidzic, Jaroslaw Harezlak, Maria A. Kudela, Stella M. Tran, Christina M. Soeurt, Karmen K. Yoder, David A. Kareken. Corticostriatal and Dopaminergic Response to Beer Flavor with Both fMRI and [11C]raclopride Positron Emission Tomography.Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 2016; DO

Feeling heavy, light, or about right? Your genes may be to blame

Do you feel overweight, about right, or too skinny?
Your answer to that question may be tied to genes you inherited from your parents, especially if you are a female, according to a new study led by the University of Colorado Boulder.
"This study is the first to show that genes may influence how people feel about their weight," said CU Boulder doctoral student Robbee Wedow, lead study author. "And we found the effect is much stronger for women than men."
The research measured the heritability of subjective weight status, which indicates what proportion of variation in a given trait is due to genes versus the environment. Heritability estimates range from 0 to 1, with 0 indicating that genetics are not a contributing factor at all, and 1 indicating that genetics are the only contributing factor.
The study showed that perceived weight status was 0.47 heritable, said Wedow, who along with co-author Jason Boardman is in the Department of Sociology and a member of CU Boulder's Institute of Behavioral Science.
"The heritability estimates provided us with the first evidence that weight identity may have genetic underpinnings," Wedow said.
A paper on the subject was just published online in the journal Social Science & Medicine.
The team used data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, or Add Health, that has sampled more than 20,000 adolescents into adulthood, including hundreds of twins who were first quizzed about their health beginning in 1994. All participants in the national study were re-sampled during four subsequent in-home interviews running through 2008.
First, the body mass index (BMI), or the height-to-weight ratio, of each person was calculated during each of the four Add Health interviews. Then, the participants were asked how they felt about their own weight. Response options included "very underweight," "slightly underweight," "about the right weight," "slightly overweight" and "very overweight."
The researchers paid special attention to the Add Health twin data as a way to get at the genetic part of perceived weight status, looking at information from more than 700 twin pairs in the database. They included identical twins and fraternal twins, the latter including both same-sex and opposite-sex siblings. Identical twins share 100 percent of their genes with each other, while fraternal twins share about 50 percent of their genes.
Boardman said the new study and others like it are important since researchers have repeatedly shown that health assessments are strong predictors of adult mortality. Some studies have shown that self-health assessments are at least as accurate as health assessments of the subjects made by their physicians, he said.
"One's own perception about his or her health is a gold standard measure -- it predicts mortality better than anything else," said Boardman. "But those who are less flexible in assessing their changing health over time may be less likely than others to make significant efforts to improve and maintain their health."
The researchers emphasized that even when there is a genetic connection to particular human behaviors or traits, social environments and personal choices will always play a major role in shaping outcomes.

Story Source:
The above post is reprinted from materials provided by University of Colorado at BoulderNote: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:
  1. Robbee Wedow, Daniel A. Briley, Susan E. Short, Jason D. Boardman.Gender and genetic contributions to weight identity among adolescents and young adults in the U.S.Social Science & Medicine, 2016; 165: 99 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.07.044

Anti Aging Diet Rules to Boost Skin Elasticity

1. Fish: If you want to keep your heart, brain, and skin young, eat your fish! Fish is your best source of Omega-3 fatty acids, good fats that help regulate the body’s cholesterol levels, prevents memory loss, and keep skin soft, supple, and well hydrated. Omega-3s also have anti-inflammatory properties that keep cells functioning optimally and which slows down senescence, the body’s natural aging process. Soybeans, walnuts, and flaxseed are also great natural sources of Omega-3.

2. Mono and Polysaturated Fats: When taken in moderation, fats, these good fats, unlike saturated fats and trans-fats, help regulate bad cholesterol in your bloodstream, and thus decreasing your risk for stroke and other heart and blood related diseases. These good fats also contain high levels of Vitamin E which help keep cells, including the skin, healthy. Incorporate small amounts of olive oil, sesame oil, and even coconut oil in your diet. Snack on avocados, nuts, and peanut butter once in a while to get these healthy fats into your system.

3. Lean Protein: Lean protein from white meat of chicken, turkey or pork, eggs, and beans. Protein serves as raw material for rebuilding and restructuring damage cells. With age, the body undergoes more severe and more frequent wear and tear, making protein even more vital to keep you healthy.

4. Antioxidants in Your Diet: Plant tissues contain the most powerful antioxidants so make sure to load up on colorful fruits and vegetables throughout the day, and eat them as often as you can. Antioxidants protect cells throughout the body from deteriorating.

5. Fiber: Fiber is a must for overall health and anti-aging. It has been shown to boost the immune system, thereby regulating inflammation which causes aging and chronic diseases that include heart diseases, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

Lose Fat Without Even Trying

1. Eat smaller more frequent meals - not only is your metabolism boosted every time you eat something, your body can more efficiently process smaller meals. Break meals up into 5 or 6 smaller meals.

2. Drink more water - regular water intake helps to flush away waste products in the body. Get at least six to eight 8 oz. glasses per day. 

3. Be inefficient - Take the stairs, park farther from your office, etc. Being inefficient like this can easily double your activity level, burning calories without even trying.

4. Eat more protein - foods high in protein include chicken, fish, eggs, dairy, beans, lean red meats, etc. Your body burns more calories processing protein than either carbohydrates or fats. Protein also helps to support your muscle tissue, which burns calories all day long!

5. Eat more fiber - fiber is very filling. By eating more fiber rich food you will find yourself full sooner. This feeling of fullness will last a long time as well.

6. Don't let yourself get hungry - when you get hungry you will have a much greater tendency to overeat when you do finally get something to eat. 

7. Cycle your calories - If you are eating 2000 calories a day to meet your weight loss goals, try eating over a 4 day period 1500-2200-1300-then 2200, which is a 1800 calorie average, not only will you lose more weight from the calorie reduction but cycling calories prevents a slowing of your metabolism.

8. Wait 20 minutes between servings - your brain takes at least 20 minutes to register that you're full.

9. Write down what you eat - many studies show the mere act of keeping a food dairy helps people 
eat less, cheat less and lose more weight.

Even trying just a few will help results    

Sunday, August 28, 2016

FUELING YOUR TRAINING WITH THE RIGHT FOODS

When you’re training to lose weight or build muscle mass, every piece of food you consume counts. It goes way beyond the number of calories eaten. If you want to maximize your gains, you have to make sure you’re getting the right amount of micronutrients at the right time.

It’s also a matter of knowing what not to eat. All it takes is one wrong meal to set yourself back weeks instead of making progress.

Be Sensible About Supplements

Supplements are a huge $30 billion industry in the U.S. Some supplements are based on real science and aimed at making sure you get the right nutrients. Others do nothing but waste your hard earned cash.

Problems caused by unproven ingredients can even make you sick. In some cases, it could be so bad a food poisoning lawyer has to get involved. Even high-profile experts can be fooled. A few years ago, weight loss guru Jillian Michaels was wrapped up in a lawsuit after endorsing a weight loss supplement that allegedly contained dangerous ingredients. Health experts agreed it did contain ingredients that could harm the gastrointestinal system.

And that wasn’t an isolated incident. Last year, the New York State Attorney General’s office found that major national retailers were selling supplements that had unlisted ingredients. For example, supplements at GNC had unlisted powdered legumes, which can cause dangerous allergic reactions.

Protein supplements are one of the few products you can trust to do what’s expected. But supplements are not a replacement for food – they are meant to supplement your whole food diet.

Food Mistakes That Cause Big Training and Muscle Building Declines

Lots of people unknowingly make mistakes with food as well. When we forget that food is fuel for our body it can cause us to make choices that aren’t the best for our bodies or building muscle mass. Here are some of the biggest mistakes that people make with food:

Not Eating Anything After a Workout – Muscle repair is a part of the growth process. You don’t want to eat a ton of food or indulge in junk, but you do need to intake key nutrients after a hard workout. Within 30 minutes you should eat a small, protein-packed snack if you aren’t going to eat a meal for a few hours. Protein is the building block of muscles, helping the tissue to recover. But you also want to have small portions of healthy fat, whole grain and colorful, antioxidant-rich produce as well.

Drastically cutting calories – Maybe you’re trying to make weight for a certain body building division. Or perhaps you’re simply trying to get rid of excess weight that you’re tired of lugging around. No matter what the reason, many people think they need to drastically cut calories to lose weight. You might drop pounds, but you’ll also dramatically deplete your energy. Without enough fuel (i.e. calories) there’s no way you can train at maximum capacity.

Consuming Raw Foods – Foods that haven’t been fully cooked, especially meats, are one of the quickest ways to get food poisoning. There are over 250 documented foodborne diseasesthat get 1 in 6 people sick every year. Most of the time it only causes mild discomfort for a day or so, but in some cases, it can put you out of service for weeks.

Forgoing Fat – Fad diets from decades ago told people that they needed to avoid fat at all costs. The truth of the matter is, fat is a necessity that our body needs. Healthy fats help you feel full for longer, keep hunger hormones in check and increases antioxidant absorption. There are now studies that find healthy fats from nuts and oils can actually up your metabolic rate so you burn more calories. 

Remember, food is fuel; when the tank is empty you need to fill it with premium nutrients.


The Best Fish

Since one of the most nutritious parts of fish is the omega-3 content, wild-caught fish is the better choice (the recommended daily amount is 1–1.5 grams), and harvested in season, it has less impact on the environment. Farmed is not a horrible option if it’s domestic. Go for farmed arctic char, rainbow trout, and salmon from Norway or Chile if you can’t find wild, since they will still pack a decent amount of omega-3s.
Salmon is a great source but has a high overall fat content that most of us cannot consume regularly without overdoing it on the calories—keep it to once a week. Some fish, like tilefish, shark, and swordfish, should be avoided because of high mercury levels; others, like albacore tuna, should be eaten only once a week. If you’re a fan of canned tuna, get the light Pacific kind: It’s lower in mercury and higher in omega-3 fatty acids compared with albacore. You can also choose fresh Pacific-caught tuna steaks specified as light or skipjack, bluefin or yellowfin tuna. Consume moderately—up to 12 ounces a week—and it’s very accommodating to a low- or high-calorie diet.
 BEST BETS 
  • Alaskan Cod
  • Alaskan Salmon (wild)
  • Arctic Char (farmed)
  • Black/Red
  • Grouper
  • Catfish
  • Pacific Halibut
  • Pacific Albacore/Yellowfin Tuna
  • Pacific Sardines
  • Rainbow Trout (farmed)
  • Sablefish/Black Cod
 STAY AWAY FROM 
  • Atlantic Bluefin
  • Basa/Swai/Tra, often called catfish (imported)
  • Atlantic Cod
  • Atlantic Halibut
  • Atlantic Sardines
  • Grouper (imported)
  • Tuna
  • Orange Roughy
  • Sharks
  • Snapper (imported)
  • Swordfish (imported)

Friday, August 26, 2016

The biggest reason you gain weight as you age has nothing to do with your metabolism

You've probably heard that once you hit 40, it's all downhill when it comes to your weight.
That inexplicable force we call our metabolism does begin to grind a bit slower every year from age 30 onward.
Here's the good news: The rate at which your metabolism slows down is actually rather minimal. In reality, most weight gain that happens in midlife isn't the result of a slower metabolism at all.
Instead, it comes down to a simple but changeable truth: As we get older, we get less and less active.
While this might sound depressing, it's actually great news. There's plenty we can do to counteract the slow, seemingly inevitable onset of poundage. But first, here are some basics about what metabolism is — and what it isn't.

Your metabolism isn't just your metabolism

Our resting metabolic rate is a measure of how much energy we expend — or "burn" — when we're at rest. It's determined by a combination of factors, including your height, sex, and the genes you got from your parents, and it can't be altered much, no matter what you do.
Beyond that, our bodies appear to enter into three more distinct phases of calorie burning, depending on what we're doing. These three are the types of metabolism that most people are referring to when they say doing certain things, like eating spicy food or working out, can "boost" your metabolism.

Most of the things that people say will boost your metabolism won't

When we're eating, we burn a small number of calories (roughly 10% of our total calories burned for the day). This is called the thermic effect of food, and it's the first of those three phases I mentioned earlier. We can turn up the heat on this process a tiny bit (but not by a whole lot) by doing things like drinking stimulant beverages like coffee and eating large amounts of protein.

"Eating foods like green tea, caffeine, or hot chili peppers will not help you shed excess pounds," notes an entry in the ADAM Medical Encyclopedia, hosted by the National Institutes of Health. "Some may provide a small boost in your metabolism, but not enough to make a difference in your weight."

Instead, get active

Unsurprisingly, the most important calorie-burning activity we engage in is just that — activity.
Whether we're taking the stairs, stepping away from our desks for a coffee, or sweating it out in a hot yoga class, we're expending energy. Researchers call this second phase physical-activity expenditure.
After a strenuous workout, we continue to burn more calories than we would while at rest — and that's the third phase, or what's called excess post-exercise oxygen consumption.
When it comes to counteracting weight gain, these two phases — the ones related to physical activity — are the most important. Your best bet for burning more calories throughout the day is to increase your levels of any kind of activity, be it running or walking.

Many people think strength training or weight lifting fits into this category, but the evidence suggests otherwise.
Weight lifting can only do so much for your metabolism. Why? Because muscles don't burn a whole lot of calories, as the NIH points out. As far as calorie-melting organs go, your brain is actually far more efficient than your bicep.
"Brain function makes up close to 20% of" resting metabolic rate, Dr. Claude Bouchard, a professor of genetics and nutrition at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center of Louisiana State University, told The Los Angeles Times.
"Next is the heart, which is beating all the time and accounts for another 15-20%. The liver, which also functions at rest, contributes another 15-20%. Then you have the kidneys and lungs and other tissues, so what remains is muscle, contributing only 20-25% of total resting metabolism," Bouchard said.
So while strength training is a healthy habit that will certainly have a helpful effect on things like agility and balance, it won't change your metabolism a great deal.
"This idea that one pound of muscle burns hundreds of extra calories per day is a myth," Gary Foster, Weight Watchers' chief scientific officer and an adjunct professor of psychology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, told Business Insider.

And be mindful about eating

According to the NIH, in addition to getting less active as we get older, we also appear to become less perceptive about our body's nutritional needs over time.
Our natural appetite-control mechanism seems to dull. A good way to be more mindful of how full you're getting is to eat smaller meals and get more only when you're still hungry, rather than sitting down with a large plate of food, which might encourage you to overeat.
"By staying active and sticking with smaller portions of healthy foods, you can ward off weight gain as you age," the NIH website says.

Thursday, August 25, 2016

Ladies, lifting heavy won’t make you “bulk up”

Lifting for Ladies: It’s good for your bones, your body, and it won’t make you look masculine.

It’s a sad scene when you walk into most gyms and see almost all the weights taken up by guys and the majority of cardio equipment claimed by the women. If you’ve never noticed, check it out next time; it’s invariably the case. As a personal trainer, I know how vital it is for my fellow ladies to lift heavy. In addition to simply staying strong, heavy lifting is one of the only ways to increase bone density. We all know that women are at the highest risk of osteoporosis as time goes on. Taking calcium supplements is still good, but nothing, nothingmakes bones stronger like lifting weights. In fact, there is a specific biological process that makes your body lay down more bone material in response to the kind of stress that we only get from heavy resistance training (see footnote below for more info).
So ladies, if you feel like it might be a good idea to reduce your chances of shattering your hip or arm when you fall down because you’re having way too much fun at your 70th birthday party, then you might consider adding some weights into your workout.
Many, if not all, of my female clients (and female friends who ask me) are so afraid of “bulking up” like a man if they lift weights that they just stay away from it altogether. But fear not!
I know Ethel Merman did a bang-up job singing “Anything you can do I can do better” to Ray Middleton, but when it comes to building muscle, that’s just not true. 

No testosterone, no bulk

No Testosterone, No Bulk!
“No testosterone” is a bit of an overstatement, but it gets my point across.
Testosterone and human growth hormone are the two major hormones involved in building muscle. Everyone has them both, but men have way more testosterone than women. In general, women have about 15-20% less concentration of testosterone in their body than men do. Without that extra testosterone, we ladies simply can’t (yes I mean can’t, as in we are biologically unable to) build the big muscles like guys. It’s science, so stop worrying.
Sports scientists have known for a long time that it is possible to manipulate (to an extent) the body’s hormonal response with different kinds of training protocols. For instance, a heavy training protocol increases serum testosterone concentration.
But wait (say the ladies)! You said that we need to lift heavy, and that we can’t get bulky like guys because we don’t have as much testosterone - and now you’re telling us that heavy lifting increases testosterone!
Yes, T levels will increase in both genders following a heavy resistance training session, but females are unable to build the type of muscle men do simply because of our genetic make up. Males utilize their main sex hormone (Testosterone) to repair and build bigger muscles. Females can't grow new muscle tissue to the same degree, since we have lower levels of testosterone and higher levels of estrogen and progesterone.
Personally, I do the same exercises and rep ranges as my fiancé most days. I lift heavy and push myself day in and day out - but I will NEVER be able to get as big as him.

But...female bodybuilders!

Even after I explain this, some of my female clients are still worried, so I’ll ask them “What does looking like a man look like to you?” They usually proceed to go on the internet or some social media platform and point out pictures of women who, in their opinion, are very muscular and resemble a male’s body type.  Most of these examples are usually of "unnatural" professional female bodybuilders who use some sort of performance enhancing substance to achieve that level of masculinity. 
To become a professional woman bodybuilder, many have to take anabolic androgenic steroids, testosterone, and other ergogenic aids to even achieve such a body worthy of that title. As a female, and using additional testosterone and anabolic steroids, you are supplementing your body with more of the primary male sex hormones and chemically enhanced substances, which have been proven by research to increase muscle mass and strength at a much faster pace than can be naturally achieved. So yes, some women choose to become more masculine and use chemicals and male hormones.....but that degree of muscularity in women doesn't come by just lifting heavy weights.

You can’t “tone” any kind of muscle

The word that most women use to describe their fitness goals is “toning.” They say “I want to tone up my arms” or “make my stomach more tone.” Muscle tone, also known as muscle tonus or residual muscle tension, is an unconscious low level contraction of your muscles while they are at rest. Essentially, muscle tone is what makes your muscles still feel somewhat firm while you are resting and not intentionally tensing them.
We have to bring to their attention that there is no such thing as “toning” a muscle or a specific area of the body. No one can change the shape of their muscles; that’s determined by genetics. When women say they want to “tone” something up, what they are actually saying is that they want to lose some body fat, build some muscle, and get tighter and firmer.  
Any personal trainer knows that the major key to achieving a tight, lean, firm physique, is sound nutritional practices. A six-pack is made in the kitchen, not in the gym, so to speak. Furthermore, in order to build muscle, resistance training loads need to be heavy, rest periods between 60-90 seconds, and the rep range for each exercise around 6-12.
Using light weights and performing higher reps will not benefit anyone if their goal is to gain muscle and strength. That type of training isgood for increasing muscle endurance and Type I (or “slow-twitch”) muscle fibers, but it’s not useful to build more muscle and get stronger.

Lifting heavy makes you look the opposite of masculine

Don’t think that just because you lift heavy and workout hard that you’ll end up looking like a professional woman bodybuilder, because 99.9% of the time, you won’t. Remaining a natural athlete while utilizing a very healthy, nutrient-dense diet, proper supplementation, proper exercise programs and recovery techniques will help you achieve a lean, firm, tight, athletic body. Chances are this will leave you with increased confidence, cognitive clarity, elevated mood, attractive curves, and a new outlook in the weight room!

Muscle Soreness

“Penguin Waddle,” “T-Rex Arms”… are you familiar with these terms? If you have worked out in any way, shape, or form you have most likely suffered some aches and pains the next couple of days and you’re dying to know how to get rid of muscle soreness.
This is normal. No, really it’s true, totally normal. You are suffering from what is known as DOMS.
I know you are sitting on the edge of your seat waiting for me to unload and define this complex physiology-laden acronym, dripping with Latin- or Greek-based root words you can drop at your next cocktail party to impress your gym rat buddies. Ready? Wait for it… wait for it… Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness.
Yup, that’s it. In a science that is laced with huge SAT words that can torment even the most seasoned of Scripps Spelling Bee contestants, that is the best we seem to be able to come up with in the fitness industry.

What Is Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness?

What exactly is DOMS and why does it hurt so bad? It used to be thought that three things caused Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness:

Lactic Acid Buildup

Lactic acid (LA) is one of the byproducts of metabolism. As you work out and energy demand goes up, your metabolism speeds up to meet the demand. Your body will eventually get to the point where it can’t keep up with flushing or ridding the muscles of the buildup of LA from your effort. This is what causes that burning sensation in your muscles while you are working out. You may have heard someone talk about “lactate threshold.” Yup, that’s exactly what I am talking about here. You can kind of think of lactate threshold as the point where you cry “uncle” and back off.
Now with that being said, this is an acute condition, meaning that this is not DOMS. Usually, the body will rid itself of LA in about 20-30 minutes after you have finished flogging yourself with no mercy, and that feeling will disappear. There was a point in time that we thought this was one of the causes of DOMS, but a more enlightened thought and research over the years has prevailed and proven otherwise. There are those that hang on to the old ways, but the notion that LA buildup causes DOMS is just not true.

Muscle Tears

What we are talking about is microscopic tears in the muscle tissue commonly referred to as “microtrauma.” Think cellular level here. So, what is happening is that you are applying a load to your muscle that it isn’t used to. When this happens, you cause small tears to occur. With proper nutrition (i.e., the building blocks your body needs for repair) and some rest (i.e., the time your body needs to repair itself), your muscle will knit itself back together again bigger and stronger than before so that it can better handle the new demand you are going to place on it.

Inflammation

This actually goes hand in hand with the microtrauma caused from working out. After your training session, the damage you inflicted will touch off your body’s natural inflammatory response. This, of course, results in localized swelling and tenderness. Most of the actual symptoms associated with DOMS, i.e., point tenderness, decreased range of motion/stiffness, fatigue, and temporary decrease in strength are actually from the inflammatory response and not the actual carnage to the muscle.
For those that may be wondering, yes DOMS can result from both cardio work as well as resistance training. It doesn’t matter the form of work involved. All that matters is that you have overloaded your muscles. That’s all it takes to create DOMS.

A little side note to resistance training: The majority of muscle soreness you experience after a resistance workout is actually from the eccentric phase of movement in a given range of motion. Meaning, it’s the actual resisting the weight or lowering phase of the movement. The muscle is under full tension but is elongating as you lower the weight. This is where the bulk of that microtrauma takes place.
Picture this – you are comfy cozy in bed, enjoying nocturnal bliss, dreaming about the amazing gains you are going to get from yesterday’s stellar back and bicep workout when your slumber is ruined by the alarm going off. You roll over and reach for the snooze alarm when your poor, pathetic, post workout thrashed “T-Rex” arm totally whiffs at the alarm clock and you think to yourself, “Who moved my alarm clock so far away and why did that hurt so bad?”
This is your muscular system paying you back for the thrashing you gave it the day before. It means your body is recovering, but your muscles are not happy about it and they are going to make sure you are keenly aware of this. So what can you do to start making nice with those abused muscles and get on speaking terms once again? In other words, how do you speed up that road to recovery?
Fear not! There are options! Many options and, better yet, combinations of options!

1. Nutrition


a. Glutamine

There is a long laundry list of ways glutamine is beneficial to the body, but I am going to stay on point here and keep it limited to the subject at hand. Yes, glutamine occurs naturally in the human body and is a big part of our amino acid makeup. But supplementing with glutamine can improve protein synthesis, thereby reducing the recovery period and allowing you to get back at it sooner and improve lean mass growth.

b. Protein/Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAA’s)

I am going to lump these two together, being that a good quality protein powder will have all three BCAA’s in them. Due to the fact that your muscle tissue is mostly made up of protein, it will naturally require a supply of dietary protein that is rich in essential amino acids, i.e. BCAA’s. During the recovery process synthesis of and an increase in the bulk of new muscle fibers takes place by adding new protein strands. BCAA’s come into play in a few ways; not only do they help with protein synthesis, but they also slow the rate of protein breakdown and help stimulate glycogen synthesis and replace spent energy stores.

With that being said, it should also be noted that the North American diet provides more than enough protein to meet your needs even for athletes. For instance, if I calculate my daily dietary needs according to the RDA it comes out to 68.4g of protein for the day. If I start up my morning with a couple of hard boiled eggs included with my breakfast, that’s 6g each or 12g of protein total. Or maybe you prefer a serving of Greek yogurt instead? That would be 17g of protein. Then maybe I include a chicken breast in my lunch. That would be another 43g of protein. So, in two meals we are looking at 60-65g of protein. It’s VERY easy to get more than enough protein in your diet. If you do decide to go the protein supplement route, check out our write-up on all the great things you can mix protein powder with for ideas on how to include it in your diet.

c. Chocolate Milk

I will admit, as far as nutrition goes, this is one of my favorite modalities for speeding my recovery. Being an endurance athlete, nothing beats getting back to my car after a long hot run or training ride and plucking a bottle of chocolate milk from the ice chest and guzzling it down like a wide-eyed 19-year-old college freshman on the business end of a beer bong at his first frat party. So why chocolate milk, you may be asking yourself? Well, it just so happens that chocolate milk contains the perfect 4:1 ratio of carbohydrate to protein required to speed recovery. You need enough carbohydrate to quickly enter the bloodstream and refill glycogen stores as well as the protein needed to stop muscle breakdown and kick-start muscle repair ASAP.

d. Antioxidants

When I think of oxygen in the context of sports I automatically default to thinking about how our demand for it goes up as our workout intensity goes up. This is due to the fact that oxygen is a key part of metabolism, which is basically the chemical reaction needed to break down molecules to get the energy needed by the cells in your body to function. The issue is that as demand goes up and metabolism rate increases due to exercise, we also see an increase in “free radicals.” Free radicals are cell-damaging molecules that can cause tissue damage, inflammation, and muscular fatigue. The problem is that oxygen, which we usually think of in a positive light, is a component of free radicals.

Antioxidants can be used to try and minimize the damage that occurs during training as well as improve the healing process after a workout. Most likely the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about antioxidants is vitamin C and vitamin E. Common dietary sources for antioxidants would include blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, red kidney beans, pinto beans and artichoke hearts, to name a few.

2. Water

I’m sure the first thing you think of when you think about water is how it will flush toxins from your system and, yes, that is true. However, the term “toxins” is pretty vague and is often used as a “catchall phrase” to incorporate the byproducts of metabolism. This is backsliding into that old way of thinking I mentioned earlier. Remember, we are talking about DOMS here, not the acute discomfort of LA build up during exercise.

In 2005, the Journal of Athletic Training published a study that claimed the effects of DOMS increase when you are dehydrated. To fix the microtrauma from intense exercise, your body will have to synthesize protein. If there isn’t enough water in the cells, protein synthesis will be delayed and thereby prolong the effects of DOMS. If you are dehydrated enough, it is possible your body can even break down muscle tissue, which is the last thing we want to happen during our recovery process.

3. Compression

It is important to get sized correctly if you are going to go this route. Compression garments use graduated compression, meaning they use tighter compression at the bottom and less compression toward the top of the sleeve or sock allowing them to aid in venous return to the heart. It has been shown that compression sleeves will actually cause arteries to dilate, allowing up to a 30% increase in delivery of nutrient-rich blood. Obviously, if we increase the rate at which we can deliver nutrients than we will aid our recovery efforts. For more detailed information on compression sportswear, check out ‘To Compress or Not To Compress.’
Compression will also help to control the inflammatory response associated with the microtrauma that results from an intense physical bout of exercise.

4. Cryotherapy vs. Thermotherapy

I know there is a lot of confusion on this subject and what to use when or which is better. It all seems like VERY contradictory stuff. Even the experts bicker about which is better. If you Google it yourself, you are going to find plenty of info touting the virtues of both modalities. Let’s see if we can break this down Barney-style for you.

Cryotherapy (aka ice bath)

Ahhh… there is nothing like a nice soothing and relaxing ice bath… NOT! An ice bath will slow metabolic activity and constrict blood vessels, in effect decreasing swelling. There is no evidence to show there is any benefit to staying in an ice bath any longer than 15-20 minutes. Once you get out of the ice bath and begin to warm up it causes a rapid return of blood flow bringing much needed nutrient- and oxygen-rich blood back to the area.
I will not sugar coat this. Yes, an ice bath seems to help but they are no fun! To make things a little more tolerable set yourself up with some form of entertainment, i.e. book, magazine, tablet, etc. as well as a steaming cup of tea or warm beverage of your choice and don a hoodie before you settle in for your 15-20 minutes of polar nirvana.

Thermotherapy (aka heating pad)

So, if cold will constrict vessels and limit swelling, then we can deduce that heat will dilate vessels and increase blood flow. On one hand, we want to limit the inflammatory effect so we need cryotherapy, but on the other hand, if we can increase blood flow we will introduce all of the things we need for our body to repair itself. Are your wheels spinning yet? Confused? Let’s give you a little different view of the effects we are talking about.
DOMS SymptomsPhysiological Effects of CryotherapyPhysiological Effects of Thermotherapy
Muscle SpasmDecreasesDecreases
Pain PerceptionDecreasesDecreases
Blood FlowDecreasesIncreases
Metabolic RateDecreasesIncreases
Joint StiffnessIncreasesDecreases
EdemaControversialIncreases
I will admit from the research I have done and my own personal experience, I fall into the camp of folks that use cryotherapy ASAP after an intense training session or race and then use thermotherapy once the risk of swelling has subsided.

5. Massage

It is easy to find articles and studies that list benefits of massage, like reduced stress, reduced muscle tension, and pain relief as well as a treatment option for anxiety, fibromyalgia, insomnia, soft tissue injuries, etc. It should come as no surprise that massage is a frequent indulgence amongst athletes. It should also be noted that there are many variations or massage techniques:
• Swedish massage
• Deep tissue massage
• Hot stone massage

• Sports massage
• Chair massage
• Shiatsu massage
• Thai massage
• Neuromuscular therapy massage
You can also think of a foam roller or a massage stick as a DIY version of a proper massage. In fact, I have been known to carry a massage stick in my car and spend a few minutes going over my legs right after a run or hard training ride.

6. Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAID’s)

What are NSAID’s? Think common, over-the-counter painkillers here: aspirin, Ibuprofen, and Aleve. Some of you may have noticed I did not include acetaminophen on that list. Acetaminophen is, in fact, a painkiller, however it does little compared to the others for inflammation. If you recall, we established earlier that inflammation is the root cause of most of the symptoms associated with DOMS, so acetaminophen shouldn’t be your pharmacological weapon of choice here. There is also some controversy with the practice of using NSAID’s for DOMS. The thought is that using NSAID’s will decrease muscular growth and gains. Let’s just put that to bed right now, shall we:
“Based on current evidence, there is little reason to believe that the occasional use of NSAID’s will negatively affect muscle growth, although the efficacy for their use in alleviating inflammatory symptoms remains questionable. Evidence on the hypertrophic effects of the chronic use of NSAID’s is less clear. In those who are untrained, it does not appear that regular NSAID use will impede growth in the short term, and at least one study indicates that it may in fact have a positive impact. Given their reported impairment of satellite cell activity, however, longer-term NSAID use may well be detrimental, particularly in those who possess greater growth potential.”Department of Health Sciences
According to the study quoted above, NSAID’s are okay to use once in awhile but not after every workout because you are sore. Think beyond your desire to get “swoll” as well. It’s pretty common knowledge that NSAID’s have a reputation for tearing up your insides and causing ulcers, nausea, as well as both constipation and diarrhea. Chronic use of NSAID is just not a very good idea. This would also be a good time to mention that seeking the advice of your physician might be a smart idea.
Dr. Jim Stoppani, world-renowned fitness coach and consultant, released an excellent video on the subject, explaining why you have nothing to worry about with NSAID’s. Check it out below.

7. Active Recovery

I will admit this may take a little bit of masochistic discipline, but trust me, active recovery works well! It can be tough to get your mind right for it, but basically you need to move whatever muscles ail you.
Yup, I know it hurts and you are going to be stiff, but this will be good for you. It is basically a low-intensity workout and all you are doing is trying to “go through the motions.”
The benefit is that by warming up and using the muscle, you will increase blood flow which will introduce oxygen and nutrient-rich blood back to the recovery muscle giving it what it needs to repair itself. You will notice a big difference in range of motion and point tenderness once you have gone through an active recovery workout.

8. Rest

I can hear your inner monologue now, “Duh!!” But I bet you don’t know why! Basically, muscle growth happens whenever your body is able to synthesize protein faster than the muscle can break it down. This happens, of course, at rest. When you are working out you are breaking it down faster than you can synthesize it. Knowing this, it’s not hard to see how getting plenty of sleep will benefit you just as much as eking out one last set in the gym.


Final Words On How To Get Rid Of Muscle Soreness

Keep in mind that everyone is different and there are tons of variables that go into recovery and how well you recover. I would encourage you to experiment with the options above. Mix and match them to see what works best for you. It might take you a few attempts to get your personal system dialed.
For example, for me personally being an endurance athlete, if I am prepared ahead of time I am drinking my chocolate milk as soon as I finish my cool down from a long run or training ride, jumping in an ice bath ASAP, and then slipping into some compression calf sleeves and putting my feet up for a while. The next day, depending on how sore I am, I will start in with thermotherapy, some active recovery, and foam roller time throughout the day.
So there you have it! You have plenty of options for “licking your wounds” after that tough workout and getting through the dreaded DOMS ASAP so you can move onto your next workout and start the process all over again!