What Every Runner Needs to Know About Inflammation

woman running

Have you experienced inflammation as a runner?

It is a shared human experience, because if you have had a papercut you have seen inflammation first hand. It is a normal part of life and a normal part of endurance training and it’s not all bad.  It naturally occurs to help our body heal from a stressor – maybe a hard training session, a new training plan, or race day. So, here is what every runner needs to know about inflammation before their next race.

We want a certain amount of inflammation, but we don’t want too much or for it to hang around longer than it is making itself useful. An unruly inflammatory response can be a result of poor nutrition, inadequate recovery, ongoing injury, poor sleep, or genetic predisposition.

Why is too much inflammation bad for a runner?

In the short term it negatively impacts performance, compromises the immune system, increases aches and pains, causes hormone dysregulation, and can even result in weight gain.  Long term, chronic inflammation can lead to increased risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, dementia, skin conditions, and autoimmune disease.

What is unique about inflammation for the endurance athlete?

To perform your training and complete your race, you rely on oxygen use in skeletal muscle.  The oxidative nature of this training increases the production of free radicals and results in an inflammatory response to help protect your bodies tissues. This is a really good thing – temporarily.

In fact, you don’t want to load up on antioxidants or anti-inflammatories during or immediately following training. You want the inflammation to do its jobs so you don’t end up with an injury or tissue damage. But then, you want the inflammation to get out of there ASAP.

Anyone experienced upper respiratory symptoms post-race? It was thought to be an increased susceptibility to infection, but this is only about 5% of cases, 40% are actually caused by inflammation (the other 55% are asthma or allergies which can have connection to inflammation as well).

So we should probably take NSAIDS and knock out that inflammation right?   

NSAIDS like ibuprofen can decrease inflammation & pain, but cause gut damage, impair recovery, and harm performance. If you are a few weeks out from a race, using these medications could be one of the worse things you can do in order to get yourself to the starting line successfully or the finish line with a PR.

What should we do instead to overcome inflammation?

Take care of the main causes of prolonged inflammation. There will be tremendous health benefits long term, but also performance benefits as early as your next race.

1. Sleep

When you are in deep sleep, your body repairs, recovers, and removes excess inflammation.  The harder you train, you more rest you will need to recover.  If you are having trouble sleeping, reach out to our Integrative Health Coach for simple strategies.

2.Remove Inflammatory Foods

Foods can trigger our body to hold onto more inflammation.  The universal culprits are sugar and artificial colors, flavors, and sweeteners.  The biggest culprits among runners are energy and hydration drinks.  Be sure yours is clear of the fake stuff.

3.Add Anti Inflammatory Foods

Incorporate real foods like berries, leafy greens, nuts, seeds, and cruciferous vegetables to fight inflammation caused by your training.  An anti inflammatory supplement like vitamin C or turmeric should be taken at least 1 hour before or after training so you don’t disrupt the natural healing response.

4. Supplement for Nutritional Gaps

Probiotics, prebiotics, green tea, and omega 3 fish oil are all supplements that will support the inflammatory response and immune system when you are asking your body to work overtime.  Inquire at the link below to learn more our personalized supplementation programs to dial in exactly what your body needs more of.

5. Take Care of Injuries

Don’t let a nagging injury or flare up perpetuate inflammation in your body.  Our doctors of physical therapy can quickly help calm the discomfort and keep you on your training schedule.  In addition to our traditional hands on treatment techniques, we have modalities that help decrease localized inflammation and support lymphatic flush to keep it moving on out.

Expert Tip . . . Know your Genetics

Some of us have a genetic predisposition to increased levels of inflammation.  Knowing where you stand genetically lets you know how much you need to dial in each of these areas to prevent inflammation from limiting your performance.

In addition, not getting enough of what your body needs in terms of vitamins, minerals, and macronutrients results in increased stress hormones and decreased energy production making your body unable to fight inflammation. Nutrition genetic testing allows us to dial in exactly what your body needs to thrive, most effectively produce energy, and conquer your race day goals.

Have questions about your inflammatory response, maximizing recovery, or fitness and nutrition genetic test? Click HERE to visit our website or just send an email directly to amanda@peakpotentialpt.com

 

Simple Steps Toward Lifelong Brain Health

Brain Health

Just as our physical body changes over time, it’s natural to see changes in our brain as well. Fortunately, it’s also true that we can maintain our cognitive fitness in similar ways that we maintain physical fitness.  At any age, lifestyle choices play a major role in how well we think, feel, learn, react, and remember. Each day, we can take simple steps toward lifelong brain health.

Failing brain health is a public health epidemic. Research shows that 3 out of 5 Americans will develop a brain disease in their lifetime. If we add emotional well being and mental focus to the brain health equation, I’d say we are close to 100% of individuals that will at some point have concern about how efficiently their brain is working.

Right now you may have no concerns and this is where the problem starts – we take our brain for granted.  Now is the time to start implementing strategies to keep it in tip top shape.

Already have concerns? Then these tips can help you as well.  The goal is to achieve your best brain at the stage of life you are in. The result, to have more success in relationships and business, overcome obstacles and be resilient to tough life circumstances, and continue to complete your daily activities independently for as long as the rest of your body will keep up.

Try these suggestions for taking care of your brain starting today.

 

1. Exercise Regularly

Physical activity delivers more oxygen to your brain and helps form new neural connections. Exercise boosts happy hormones as well as helps to relieve physical and emotional effects of stress. Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise each week.

2. Eat Healthy Fats

About 60% of the brain is made of fat.  That means fatty acids from foods like fish, nuts, olives, and avocado are needed for optimal functioning.  Specifically omega 3 fats have been shown to decrease cognitive decline, improve focus, and reduce rates of depression.

3. Sleep Well

We all know the feeling of brain fog when we don’t sleep well, but did you know your memory and learning capacity actually grow stronger while you sleep. Go to bed and wake up on a regular schedule and talk with a healthcare provider if you are having trouble getting quality sleep.

4. Address Chronic Conditions

Many physical health issues like obesity, diabetes, autoimmune disease, and high blood pressure can impact your brain.  Schedule regular screenings for these health markers and seek solutions to move back in the right direction when those numbers creep up.

5. Stay Connected

Block out time to spend with family and friends. Social ties help to slow the rate of memory decline and enhance mental and emotional health outcomes. Add some laughter to the situation and the brain boosting effects become even more powerful.

6. Express Creativity

Making art raises serotonin levels, while music enhances brain function. Experiment with different hobbies to find something you enjoy. The good news is that you don’t have to have artistic talent, you will see benefits regardless of your skill level.

7. Relax and Reflect

Relaxation reduces inflammation in the brain and helps it work more efficiently.  Forms of reflection could include prayer, mediation, a walk in nature, deep breathing, yoga, or listening to music.  Find what works best for you and savor the present moment.

8. Change Your Self Talk

Don’t speak to yourself in a way that you wouldn’t speak to a close friend.  Make your inner dialogue compassionate and encouraging. Don’t forget to give yourself credit for the small steps you take toward a better you.

This list might appear overwhelming, but addressing just one area can begin to reduce your risk of cognitive decline. And the investment is definitely worth it – keeping your brain healthy will help you to lead a longer and more rewarding life.

If chronic pain, injuries, or illness are keeping you from being able to any of the above, we have experts to help you overcome these obstacles.  Let’s work together to make summer 2023 YOUR TIME to TAKE BACK the health of your mind & body.  Click HERE to learn more about how we can help, or go directly to our Schedule to Book a Virtual Strategy Session. 

 

Natural Relief for Arthritis Pain

Natural Relief for Arthritis Pain

For the millions of adults who struggle with arthritis, new and natural relief for arthritis pain is always welcome news.  While traditional treatments such as pain medication and injections tend to be temporary and long term use result in unwanted side effects, natural treatments remain safe and effective for long term use.

We could provide you story after story of people who are traveling Europe with arthritis in their knees and toting grandbabies through Disney World with hip arthritis because they have cracked this code of arthritis pain relief – naturally.

To be clear, osteoarthritis is a condition of degeneration or breaking down of cartilage. This means that none of the treatments we are going to discuss will be a “cure” for arthritis.  However, most of the patients we talk to see surgery as a last resort and avoid the side effects of medication when at all possible.  They are also generally very happy when a natural solution decreases their discomfort and improves their quality of life.

Here are treatments that require no prescription, are non invasive, and have been shown in research to provide relief for arthritis pain.

1. Increase Anti inflammatory Foods

Choosing meals that include fish, nuts, seeds, olive oil, leafy greens, and berries will help the body decrease inflammation in the joints and surrounding tissues.

2. Decrease Inflammatory Foods in the Diet

In the same way that we increase anti inflammatory foods, we want to decrease foods that cause more inflammation (and thus pain) in the body. This includes highly processed foods – especially those with added sugar and hydrogenated oils.

3. Drink Herbal Teas

The polyphenols in tea can reduce symptoms of arthritis and are a simple addition to your routine.  Smart choices include ginger, chamomile, and green tea. We know these top 3 nutrition strategies can be “easier said than done” so we have a Functional Nutrition Specialist on our team to support you in implementing an anti inflammatory diet.

4. Maintain a Healthy Body Weight

Carrying around extra body fat adds extra stress to your joints.  For example, losing 10 pounds can take up to 30 pounds of pressure off of the knee joints.  If this is a concern for you, reach out to our Integrative Health Coach for guidance.

5. Exercise Regularly

When it hurts to move, we tend to move less. Unfortunately, that makes our muscles weaker and our joints weaker.  Frequent movement or any form of exercise is shown to improve function and mobility in patient’s with osteoarthritis. Low impact activities like walking, biking, weight lifting, or Pilates for example do not cause more damage.

6. Incorporate More Relaxation

Stress is inflammatory, so any way that we can increase relaxation and decrease the stress hormones our body produces will be beneficial.  Research shows relaxation techniques like deep breathing, mindfulness practices, or even laughing with friends improve current symptoms and outlook for patients with both arthritis and other chronic pain conditions.

7. Add in Anti Inflammatory Supplements

The most exciting research that has emerged recently is the use of natural supplements in significantly decreasing arthritis pain and improving mobility in patients.  The two that stand out among the rest are turmeric and fish oil. In fact, research shows that these supplements when taken regularly were as effective as the anti inflammatory medication that patient’s were taking without the negative side effects.

The take away . . .

The overarching theme of all these natural remedies is decreasing inflammation in the body.  We must dial down the inflammatory factors that are weighing on our joints – processed food, stress, extra body weight. In addition, well within our control is dialing up choices that flight inflammation – healthy fats, quality supplements, adequate sleep, and strong social connections.

If you have tried everything you know to do for your arthritis concerns – or you just want to prevent mild aches and stiffness from getting worse – contact us for a Free Discovery Visit with one of our Doctor’s of Physical Therapy.  They can review what has and has not worked for you and help you take the next best step in living your most active life free of pain.

We don’t want you to survive with arthritis, we want to see you THRIVE!