The UltraTrainer iPhone App

When my Gymboss bit the dust, my initial inclination was to just buy another one – it’s small, rugged, and very affordable. But then I realized that I was already using my iPhone as an integral part of client sessions – photos, video clips, and the stopwatch. It just made SENSE to also find a timer app.

After reading countless reviews, I finally settled on the UltraTrainer. I was convinced it could do everything the Gymboss could do – and more. And at $2.99, you couldn’t beat the price.

This nifty little app can do everything I could possibly want it to (except the actual workout). But, here are some of my absolute favorite features.

10 Favorite UltraTrainer Features

1. Lets you create timer groups. Say you have 3 different warm-ups, 5 different training sessions, and 3 different cool-downs all pre-programmed. You can mix and match them with the tap of a finger to create 45 different workouts.
2. Program your own sounds. It comes with over 70 pre-programmed sounds, from airhorns to buzzers to a voice calling out different martial arts and boxing moves. And, you can record your own sounds, right in the app. So, you can create a completely custom circuit routine that will actually TELL you what you should be doing. And, the sounds are plenty loud for group classes.
3. Visual cues. You can be as descriptive (or not) as yo want to be while setting up your timers. The name and description (as well as a background color/photo) will display during the workout so you know exactly what you should be doing when. Plus, it doesn’t allow the phone display to go to sleep, so you never have to wonder “am I done yet?” (See the photo below for what that can look like.)
4. Warning durations. Say you are in your rest period and not really paying attention, but once the next interval starts you want to start immediately. You can set a “warning duration” that can change the background color as well as sound a noise so you have plenty of time to pick up the jumprope, set yourself at the bar, etc. (See photo below for what that can look like.)
5. Random sequencing. The brain (nervous system) likes novelty, so you can put together your favorite exercises into a circuit, and set it to random so that your brain and body don’t get lulled into a repetitive pattern. Perfect for martial artists.
6. Background music. Don’t like training in silence, but worried you won’t be able to hear the timer? Start your favorite training music playing and then start the UltraTrainer. It will let your music play in the background, but give you on-screen controls AND  optionally fade/pause it when a pre-programmed sound needs to go off.
7. Timer library. Built into the app are dozens of timer sets PLUS a sharing feature so you can upload your timers to a shared library, and download new timers to your phone. (You can also apparently email your timers, but I haven’t figured out how exactly that works yet.)
8. Copy and paste. Have one workout that is almost what you want, but not quite? Duplicate and tweak, and you are off to the races. Because of the supplied and shared timer libraries you’ll never have to create a timer sequence from scratch!
9. Background processing. You can switch out of the app to something else and UltraTrainer will keep running in the background. Perfect for coaches that might want to video their clients while training (or that critically important text message).
10. Easy-to-read screen. The timer countdown numbers are easy enough to see even across the room!

Screen Shots

In "go" mode

Warning mode

Practical Application

As I’ve been talking about, I’m just slightly obsessed with Capoeira right now. So, I created a timer group that contains all of the Capoeira basic moves we learned, so I spend some time practicing them in rapid fashion – just like we do in class. I recorded the movement names so they are called out at the beginning of each interval, and then randomized the sequencing. It’s fantastic way for me to start putting it all together.

If you’re intrigued by the app, but interval training isn’t your thing, how about creating some timers to remind you to get up from your computer or do some visual hygiene? Movement, it does a body good.

Tell me your uses for a timer in the comments below? Or, what timer sequences do you wish were pre-made for you?

And as I lay awake unable to sleep, I consider things like the layout for a home page redesign on my web site, do teens REALLY spontaneously break out into song in high school these days, and why the heck were we taught to count sheep when we couldn’t sleep.

Yes, there is a new home page coming, I’m pretty sure Glee is pure fiction, and I think I cracked the code on counting sheep.

Why We Count Sheep

One of THE most common reasons people cite not being able to sleep is that they “couldn’t get their brain to turn off.”

And, as silly as it sounds, it’s why you count sheep – so you have to stop thinking about everything else. By focusing our brain on one mundane task that won’t wind us up (well, unless you are a sheep farmer, but then maybe you count cows), our nervous system calms down, the adrenaline stops coursing through our veins, the parasympathetic nervous system takes over – and you happily drift off to sleep.

(If you aren’t familiar with the parasympathetic nervous system, it’s the branch of the nervous system that kicks in when we are in a relaxed state – think “rest and disgest.”  So, when you are ready to sleep, getting the parasympathetic system online is critically important, but that requires turning the sympathetic nervous system – or “fight, flight, or freeze” – off.)

Other Sleep Tricks

But, if sheep-counting isn’t your thing, there are other tips you can employ to drift off into sleepy-time a bit faster.

1. Long, slow, deep breaths. If you can initiate your breath from the bottom of your ribcage, and slow it down, you’ll restore the oxygen/carbon dioxide balance in your bloodstream, and help the parasympathethic nervous system take over so you fall asleep faster.  By breathing short, shallow breaths, your body assumes it’s under a threat and is prepping you to fight, flight, or freeze – not the ideal scenario for a restful night’s sleep.
2. Relax head to toe. Systematically work your way up your body, making sure the muscles are relaxed. Going through the routine of relaxing the muscles help primes the parasympathetic nervous system AND focuses the brain away on something mundane much like counting sheep does (but, no counting required).
3. Unclench your jaw. While this is technically a part of relaxing head to toe, holding tension in our jaw is so common that it’s getting its own mention. If you find that you do hold tension in your jaw, first, slack the jaw. Then, gently glide it side to side, front to back, and even in a circular pattern. That will help relax the facial muscles that were holding it so firmly in place.

Of course, all of these tips assume that you are already sleeping in a black room and got away from backlit devices at least 30 minutes before bed.

What are your sleep tricks?

And while it’s true that you likely have the genetic marker for [horrible disease x] – you can stop the story there. Just because you have the genes for something in no way guarantees that you will develop [horrible disease x].

And we now know this because of a relatively new field of study called epigenetics.

What is Epigenetics?

The easiest way to define it is to break down the word itself. The Greek prefix epi- in epigenetics implies features that are “on top of” or “in addition to” genetics, so in the case of epigenetics, we are referring to features (in this case, lifestyle and environmental factors) that influence our gene sequence (or DNA).

Or, more simply, you can think of it is, “how we live our lives significantly influences which aging and disease markers are expressed later in life.” This beautifully done PBS video using identical twins (which, by definition, have identical DNA) shows just how much our environmental and lifestyle choices can and do affect health and longevity.

So, yes, while you may be genetically predisposed to [horrible disease x] the decisions you make today directly affect how likely you are to develop the disease in the future (as well the likelihood of you passing it along to your unborn children).

Preventing Disease

If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time, the recommendations in this section shouldn’t come as a surprise to you. Generally, if you follow my Energy Bank management framework, you’ll be in good shape.

Yes, that means being good about…
• Sleep
• Having Fun
• Movement
• Eating the Right Foods for You
• Exercise
• Managing your Mood and Attitude
• Vision and Breathing
• Having a Support Network and Community
• Moderating Stress Levels

While it sounds like a really long list, for most people the changes are really small. After a recent presentation, someone came up to me and said, “I get it now – it’s not about any one big change, it’s about adding together a series of small changes.” EXACTLY!

In business I often hear some variation on the phrase, “10 years to an overnight success.” Our health is the same way – success never happens overnight. It’s a cumulative process that happens over days, months, years, and decades.

Epigenetics and Your (Unborn) Children

Parents are funny in that they oftentimes won’t do things for themselves that they will do for their kids – and eating right and taking care of yourself should be right at the top of the list. Not only will it help ensure that you are around to walk them down the aisle (and not be a liability to them as you age), but by taking care of yourself in the months and years prior to conception you decrease the disease markers that your children will inherit. And, you can also significantly increase or decrease the likelihood that they will be obese.

And what parent doesn’t want a better life for their kids?

Finally, I’ll wrap up with this quote. I know I use it a lot, but as someone whose parents died prematurely (47 and 67), it is this hope of epigenetics – and that by making better choices than my parents – that I can significantly outlive my parents, that causes me to get up every day and do what I do.

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”

Have you ever been in a class trying to learn a new activity, such as dance or a martial art, and absolutely struggle to remember which foot goes back, which arm is up, which way to rotate, etc?

For years, that was me, too.

But then, last week, as you may recall, I started taking Capoeira classes. Stepping into that room for the first time was a daunting experience – after all, I was always the liability on the field growing up. So, the idea of getting in there and doing something that was not only active, but downright acrobatic, was scary as hell for me.

And then we started…

And it turned out to be not only fun, but downright easy. I was able to take every movement that we did and quickly reverse engineer it into something from the Z-Health movement template.

Warm-Up

They, of course, called them something different, but in Z-Health terms the warm-up exercises basically were:

• Ball of foot circles
• Front openers
• Side openers
• Hourglass
• Closed chain knee circles
• Compass lunges
• Sideflow

The Movements

And then, as we moved into the actual practice, I was able to quickly deconstruct everything down into the component parts I already knew, and rebuild them – on the fly – as what was being taught in the room.

• Ginga: It’s a lateral lunge followed by a posterior lunge with the rear foot in a ball of foot circle position and opposite arm forward (just like gait) in a defensive position.
• Esquiva: A defensive move that is a deep lunge, torso forward flexion, opposite arm up in a defensive position.
• Negativa: Another defensive move, I had a harder time breaking down into Z-Health terms, so I borrowed from my RKC (kettlebell) background as it’s a modified pistol.
• Offensive Kicks: We learned three different kicks, and this is where the I-Phase pegboard drill, the idea of summation of force, and the motor pattern primitives we learned at 9S: Skill & Style came into play. Understanding the force spirals in the body made how to throw my kicking leg and what to do with my arms extremely intuitive.
• Cartwheels: We wrapped up class with some cartwheels, something I never learned as a kid and just learned for the first time last October (yes, really). If it wasn’t for the patient coaching of my dear friend Heidi Rothenberg and the VOR (vestibulo-ocular reflex) drills from Z-Health’s S-Phase, I never would have been able to successfully cartwheel down the studio floor and back.

Owning the Basics Made Putting it Together Easy

For 5 years now, I’ve been faithfully doing my Z-Health mobility drills and applying the Z-Health principles to everything I do, knowing that day-to-day it makes me feel better. And, I’ve learned a lot of new activities within the safety of Z-Health certifications. But, this was the first time I really attempted to learn a new sport away from Z-Health, and was astonished and delighted about just how simple and easy it was – all because I had a framework to hang the whole thing on.

I could look at each movement and quickly deconstruct it in my head to its component parts and then put it back together into what is required for the sport. And, because had been practicing each of those movements individually for a long time, I already owned the base movements necessary to string it together into what is needed for Capoeria.

Am I a master capoerista yet? Heck no. But, to be able to – for the first time in my life – go into a class and spend the entire hour saying, “I GOT THIS” is absolutely priceless.

Remember, it’s NEVER too late start. “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/asa100

P.S. Unsure of where to start. I’d suggest picking up the Z-Health Movement Rehab Package.

For some of us, taking up a new sport is nothing short of intimidating. 

Growing up, between the severe asthma, broken collarbone at 14, and broken back at 16, I wasn’t exactly a childhood athlete. I was always picked last for teams, placed in team positions where I could do the least damage, and was generally considered to be a liability on the field.

But, the funny thing was, I always wanted to be athletic (or at least be able to hold my own). I just had no idea how – nor did I necessarily realize until relatively recently that it was a skill that could be trained. There simply are no athletic development models for kids – you either “have it” or you don’t – and we all get treated accordingly. Fortunately, as an adult I found Z-Health and finally found a safe and supportive environment in which I could practice my movement skills – the Z-Health training framework has everyone working right at their ability with the common goal of everyone getting better.

With the confidence I developed through Z-Health, I ventured outside of the safety of the gym and finally went after my long-term goal of climbing Kilimanjaro. Yet taking any sort of classes – forget it. (No, I can’t explain that screwed-up logic either.)

My aversion to classes / group lessons, however, left me at a bit of a cross-roads in my training.

I don’t like to train just for the sake of training – I do best when I have something to train for.

And that something, I decided, was going to be Capoeira. If you aren’t familiar with Capoeira, it’s a Brazilian martial art that looks almost more like dance than a martial art. It’s also non-contact, and since I don’t like being hit and I like to dance, Capoeira is a great fit for me. I think it’s beautiful to watch, and when I watch awesome movement, it’s Capoeira where I’m mostly likely to say, “I want to be able to do THAT!”

But, learning it meant attending classes – which set off this huge story in my head about my past, and how I can’t learn physical movement, and how I don’t want to be the remedial student in the class. And, during what can only be described as a complete meltdown, I had a friend say to me, “Jen, you aren’t that child anymore, look at what you have done.”

He was right, of course. But I still had that story in my head, and I had to start building some better positive memories (outside of the Z-Health courses). So, the search was on to find a school that was a good fit for me.

What I looked for:

• Beginner-only classes. To overcome the story in my head, I needed a beginner-only class, not an ongoing class that I could start at any time. Knowing that I’d be at the same starting place as others in the class created a sense of safety for me. I had sat in on classes at a few schools, and I walked away from the ongoing classes not feeling I’d be successful.

• A focus on technique. Learning slowly and focusing on technique means cleaner, crisper movements, reduced likelihood of injury, and more powerful movements down the road.

• Women’s-only class. I’m not one to typically seek out women-only activities, but in this case there was something about that class format that made me feel like I’d be more likely to be successful. This initially wasn’t one of my criteria, but when I found the class, an immediate sense of calm took over, and I knew I’d found my place.

After lots of searching and a few intimidating class audits, I finally found a class description that just resonated with me. I hadn’t been planning on starting for a few months yet, but the class was starting in the next week, and the next thing I new I had signed up and was actually excited!

The Verdict?

I attended my first class on Monday, and absolutely LOVED it. The instructor paced the class to the students, and I was able to keep up with the students. There was a strong focus on technique, as promised – little things like getting the kick technique right, and then work on the kick height later.

I’m still brand new to this, but as of right now I’m incredibly grateful that I didn’t give up after my first few school audits, and I’m really looking forward to my next class, completing the series, and then signing up for the next one. I’m cautiously optimistic that this is something I’ll be practicing for years.

How You Can Use This

• What’s holding you back? Time is most commonly cited, but the reality is that “time” is just an excuse masking something else that is going on.
• Find a good instructor/school. Ask to sit in on a class or two (if they won’t let you sit in and observe a class for free, keep looking). If you have past injuries or other limitations, talk to the instructor before signing up, and be confident they can work at your level. Remember, you are paying them to provide a service.
• Your first decision doesn’t have to be your last. I’ve run the gamut of sports and martial arts – last summer I was all about systema, but then couldn’t find a school here I felt comfortable at. Don’t be afraid to test out new things, change schools, and don’t be afraid to ask for what you need.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ligs/

Did you know that changing your eating habits can improve your creativity and productivity?

It can.

For many people, the word Sustenance means food. But, the definition is actually MUCH more broad, and is defined by terms such as: support from below; maintain; encourage.

And as such, your eating habits can support and enhance your creativity and productivity. And, it’s not as hard as you might think.

Instead, it’s a matter of linking together a series of small changes to create a big change. We don’t expect infants to be able to run – it’s a progression. The same is true of developing any other skill or habit – we have to start with small changes and build on them.

1) Eat Breakfast

“Start your day out right with a healthy breakfast” is more than a catchy phrase, it actually promotes better health. Studies have shown that people who eat a healthy breakfast tend to be leaner than those who do not, and by starting your day with some food, your brain is immediately getting the glucose it needs to start the creative juices flowing.

Bonus points if you get some protein in your breakfast (hard-boiled eggs are awesome to grab on your way out the door).

2) Eat Away From Your Desk

I know this seems like the opposite of productivity, but eating away from your desk gives you time to clear your head so your brain can process what you have been doing, and you return refreshed. If you work in an office, getting away from your desk is also your chance to mentally and emotionally recharge since you aren’t at your desk for your co-workers to find you.

An added benefit: By focusing on your food rather than on the screen, you won’t mindlessly eat until your plate is empty – a boon if you are trying to lose a few pounds.

3) Eat Whole Foods as Snacks

I’m often asked if I think people should snack or not – and my honest answer is that I don’t care. My only caveat is that you only snack when you are genuinely hungry – not just because you are bored or tired. And, if you are going to snack,  you should stick to whole, unprocessed foods (basically anything that comes from the perimeter of the grocery store). You’ll skip the added sugars, toxic preservatives, and empty calories – all of which will do nothing but decrease your energy, creativity and productivity.

Looking for some ideas? Try an apple with a couple of slices of gruyere or a few cashews, a couple slices of deli meat, or a caprese salad.

4) Eat Balanced Meals

Make sure you are getting protein, fat, and good carbohydrates at every meal. We need all three in order to function, and by ensuring each meal contains each of these macronutrients, you can avoid the dreaded mid-afternoon sugar crash, have more consistent energy levels, and come closer to meeting your overall daily nutritional needs.

What are “good carbs”? Great question. I mean mostly fruit and non-starchy vegetables. Or, conversely, limit your breads, pastas, potatoes, and rice to a couple hundred calories per day.

5) Variety

Yes, changing things up can make you more creative. The novelty of eating different foods, trying new eating locales, or changing up the spices can change the whole eating experience. Suddenly something triggers a forgotten memory and you now have this inspiration for your next creative piece or missing piece to the puzzle you were working through in your head. Variety is what makes the brain wake up and pay attention, oftentimes stimulating dormant synaptic connections and creating new ones.

Food is much more than just the calories that we need to consume to stay alive. Rather, it’s the lifeblood that supports us in many, many different ways.

Interested in more tips and tricks on how to tweak your day-to-day habits to boost energy levels, improve creativity and skyrocket your productivity? If so, then you need to join me in January for my virtual Energy Bank Bootcamp!

Struggling to get through the holidays? Not quite sure how to have more energy? I hear you.

The days are short (but thankfully starting to get longer again) and in spite of it being the holiday season, there doesn’t seem to be nearly enough good cheer going around. It’s a result of overwork, overstress, and not enough energy. Too much to do – and not nearly enough time to do it.

To help you get through the holidays and feel great heading into 2012, put these 19 energy boosters into practice.

1. Look up from the screen. And I don’t just mean to answer the phone or refill your coffee. At least 3 times an hour spend 30 seconds going left, right, top bottom, and to the diagonals – work those eye muscles.
2. Relax your shoulders. Down and back, please – not up at your ears and rounded forward.
3. Rotate your neck. It should be able to rotate both left and right until right about 90 degrees (so straight over those shoulders you just pulled back and down).
4. Do what you want. Not feeling the love for that report you need to get done?
5. Breathe from the bottom of your ribcage. Your lungs go down past the halfway point in your ribcage, and limiting your breathing to your upper chest makes muscles work that weren’t designed for such heavy lifting.
6. Skip the sugary snacks. The quick energy boost isn’t worth the sugar crash later. Get up and move instead.
7. Power nap. 15-20 minutes when your body needs it and coming back refreshed is much smarter than pushing through at 60% capacity.
8. Step away from the electronics. Get away from anything backlit at least 30 minutes before bed for more refreshing sleep.
9. Change of scenery. New and different sights/sounds/colors/smells provide novelty and inspiration that will boost your energy levels and make you more creative.
10. Short breaks. Twice an hour, get up from your computer and move (just not to the vending machine).
11. Relax the wrists and hands. A couple times an hour pull your hands away from the keyboard, mouse, and trackpad and gently move them around.
12. Sit up straight. Sitting up straight will let you take advantage of your spinal column to keep you upright and let you breathe the way you are supposed to.
13. Laugh. A lot.
14. Skip the high-carb lunch. Sandwiches, rice bowls, or anything with lots of starchy carbs are going to result in that mid-afternoon crash.
15. Take a deep breath. Get a bad email, have an uncomfortable conversation, or find out you or your team is going to miss the deadline? A couple of deep breaths are going to be much more productive and energizing that stewing and venting about it.
16. Relax your jaw. We tend to hold tension in our jaw. Drop the jaw and glide it side-to-side – 3 times each way.
17. Eye massage. Eyes getting tired? Close your eyes and tap gently around the eye socket for 30 seconds.
18. Drink water. Trade out some of the coffee, tea, and soda with some good, old-fashioned water. How much? Just drink when you are thirsty.
19. Work in bursts. Set the timer, shut out all distractions, and just get to work. When the timer goes off, congratulate yourself on a job well done, and get up from your desk for a few minutes. Lather, rinse, and repeat.

Your Energy Bank is a renewable resource that you are constantly being given opportunities to deposit into. It’s just up to you to take them.

Looking for more advice and inspiration to keep your Energy Bank Balance topped off? Then join me in the Energy Bank Bootcamp starting in January. It’s a 4-week virtual bootcamp that will help you make the tiny habitual changes you need to make to have an amazing 2012.

For just $97 you can’t make a better investment to start the new year. Join me!

There is nothing like a good, deep static stretch before a run to make you limber and prevent injuries, right?

WRONG!

Static stretching has long been the warm-up and cool-down favorite of athletes everywhere, but recent research indicates that dynamic stretching beats static stretching when it comes to both performance and injury prevention (nor does it help with the type of flexibility most people are after).

Athletic Performance

Dynamic stretching  consistently out-performs static warm-ups when it comes to everything from sprint times to vertical jumps. These fast, explosive movements require something called the stretch-shortening reflex to help our muscles contract quickly and generate power. Static stretching wears out (or fatigues out) the stretch-shortening reflex so that it cannot respond as quickly or as powerfully.

And not only are you not as fast or powerful, but you also lose strength when you static stretch – up to 30% according to some studies.

As the New York Times reports, “Past studies have found that athletes’ vertical jump is lower after a bout of static stretching than with no stretching at all. They can’t generate as much power.”

The answer: Dynamic warm-ups that are specific to your sport. Not only is dynamic stretching more fun, but they also increase your strength, power, and in one study of golfers, make you nine times less likely to be injured when you do a dynamic warm-up.

Injury Prevention

Even if you aren’t interested in generating a lot of power, there is still good reason to skip your static stretching. This recent study from Northwestern University found that there was about a 50% reduction in injuries by using a dynamic warm-up.

The Northwestern study is compelling, but there are a lot of other things going on in there that makes it hard to isolate out the benefits of dynamic warm-ups, but this large study is quite compelling – researchers found absolutely zero change in injury rates between those who did static stretching and those who did not. 

The Net: If you aren’t going to do a dynamic warm-up, you might as well sit on the couch until it’s time to train.

What About Flexibility?

In the dynamic vs static conversation, flexibility almost always comes up as well. The answer to that is less clear-cut, as it depends upon what kind of flexibility  you are looking for.

• If you want to be able to drop down into the splits and sit there, then static stretching is absolutely the way to go. Static stretching improves holding static positions.
• If you want the flexibility to increase your range of motion and power on a roundhouse kick, then static stretching is NOT the way to go. Dynamic flexibility requires dynamic movements to train it.

Ideas for Dynamic Warm-Ups

I’m a fan of a good, quick, head-to-toe warm up before taking on any type of training. It gets the blood flowing and primes the pump for some great athletic movement.

The best products that I know of that do that are the Z-Health Neural Warm-Up 1 and Neural Warm-Up 2 book/DVD sets. The product sets contain both detailed instructions as well as a follow-along version so you can both learn the exercises as well as zip through them quickly once you do.

If you are going to be training really hard after that, I’d suggest adding in some additional sport-specific warm-ups after you’ve done your head-to-toe warm-up.

It’s the perfect gift for loved one in your life looking to shape up in the New Year.

References

NYT: Phys Ed: Does Stretching Before Running Prevent Injuries?

PubMed: Effect of static stretching on prevention of injuries for military recruits.

NYT: Stretching: The Truth

NSCA: Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research

USSA Sport Journal: Effect of dynamic versus static stretching in the warm-up on hamstring flexibility

ScienceDaily: Neuromuscular Warm-Up Associated With Reduced Lower Extremity Injuries in Adolescent Female Athletes

Wrist braces have their place – but on your wrists for 10 hours a day is not one of them.

They are a great idea for things like snowboarding, skateboarding, and rollerblading, where the risk of falling and shattering your wrist is very real – and where you wear them for short periods of time.

But, when you wear them day in and day out, they do more harm than good. As Inigo Montoya would say, “let me explain…”

If you have ever had to wear a cast or a brace or a sling for any amount of time, then you have seen first-hand what happens when someone wears wrist braces. Once the 6 weeks has passed and you are out of the cast/brace/sling you are considerably weaker and have a lot less control of that body part.

The Physiology

Let’s say you had your arm in a sling for 6 weeks. What happens from a physiological perspective is several different things:

• Your muscles, tendons, and ligaments all atrophy (become weaker and more fragile) from disuse.
• You lose body awareness. When the sling comes off your arm literally has lost its “awareness map” of where it is in time and space. What you notice is that sudden you are a lot clumsier with that arm and don’t have as fine of motor control. That’s because your nervous system is now paying less attention to that part of the body because you aren’t using it – no sense in wasting perfectly good energy monitoring something that is never used.
• Your tissue (bones, fascia, etc) has started to adapt to the immobility. Similar to how strength training strengthens bones, lack of movement also creates adaptation. But, in the case of immobility, what you get is a stiffening of tissues – the body decides, well, this part doesn’t need to move anymore, so we should stiffen it up.

And wearing wrist braces for carpal tunnel hours a day every day at work really isn’t any different. You are effectively telling your body that you don’t need to be using that part of the body.

Which Does Two Different Things

1. It makes your carpal tunnel worse because your wrists continue this spiral of disuse: which leads to further atrophy, weakening, and lack of sensation.
2. Because the wrists and hands are actually meant to move and are part of a complex system that manages our movement, you end up redirecting the force and movement that would normally be done by the wrists to other parts of the body. It’s like dealing with a lazy co-workers – someone else has to pick up the slack. And that almost always ends badly.

What to do About It

My advice is to MOVE your wrists. As well as your elbows, shoulders, fingers, and neck. Basically, any body part that is between your mouse/keyboard and your head.

Why? Because of point #2 above – by getting everything moving again, each joint will start pulling it’s proverbial weight again. And because pain lives in the brain, once you start re-using your body more appropriately, your brain won’t need to generate pain signals anymore.

But, did you ever stop to think about what the RDA guideline is and where it came from? And exactly what “recommended” means?

I didn’t either until recently. And when I found out I was nothing short of floored.

History of the RDA

The RDA was created during World War II when President Franklin D. Roosevelt called a National Nutrition Council for Defense. This council was called directly in response to the high rates of malnutrition in the country, which was a legitimate national security concern. While this may sound laughable now, in the decades immediately prior to calling the council, the rate of rickets was 75% in NYC infants, scurvy was a very real problem, and sizable segments of the population were found with various nutritional deficiencies.

From there, the RDA was born…

The American Medical Association reported in 1951 that these new allowances were, “based on objective measurements of minimum requirement, to the average of which in the case of each nutrient is added to what is scientifically deemed to be a reasonable allowance to cover individual variations plus a modest margin of some individual nutrients, in recognition of the difference between minimal-adequate and optimal intakes.”

Or, to paraphrase: minimum requirements to prevent obvious nutritional deficiencies, plus a little extra “for good measure.”

The RDA Defined

Although the RDA has been updated a few times since 1941, the original intent still holds and the RDA is currently defined as:

“The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) is an estimate of the minimum daily average dietary intake level that meets the nutrient requirements of nearly all (97 to 98 percent) healthy individuals.”

On the surface, that doesn’t look so bad, but let’s look a bit more closely…

Minimum Daily Average

As mentioned above when I talk about the history of the RDA, the RDA was created with the explicit purpose of eliminating malnutrition in our country – and nothing more. If you are seeking optimal health, and are looking to really feel great then you need to surpass the RDA.

Healthy Individuals

If you are already healthy, then the RDA will keep you from developing scurvy or rickets, but past that you are on your own. But, if you are already sick (as a large portion of our population is) then once again the RDA is not going to give you what you need to resolve your health issues.

The Industrialized Food Complex to the Rescue

I’m pretty clear about my position on processed foods, but I have to (grudgingly) give credit to the commercial food industry for being largely responsible for eliminating massive nutritional malnutrition in the middle of last century. They began fortifying foods with various essential nutrients – including things like Vitamin D in milk – to eliminate rickets in children. It’s a great thing – in the right amounts.

Unfortunately, as often happens, then money and politics got involved. In the last quarter of last century, the FDA lost virtually all of its regulatory power to control our food supply, and can now do next to nothing to control food fortification and nutritional claims on food packaging. In addition to be misleading to less-informed consumers, it actually causes a whole new problem: relative deficiencies and overdoses.

Relative Deficiencies and Overdoses

One of the things we talk about in the nutrition seminars that I teach is the idea of a relative nutritional deficiency. For example, our bodies need Vitamin A, which is difficult to get from diet, but Vitamin A is also toxic in large doses – unless you are also getting sufficient quantities of Vitamin D. Too much folic acid can mask a Vitamin B12 deficiency. Vitamin D without Vitamin K means that your Vitamin D isn’t being optimally absorbed.

What to do About It?

1. Recognize that the RDA isn’t the be-all and end-all of nutritional recommendations. It’s nothing more than a starting place.
2. Get the majority of your nutrients from whole foods. Mother Nature is much smarter than we are at giving us what we need. The more whole foods you eat, the more likely you are to be getting the full spectrum of nutrients.
3. Identify your individual needs. If you have any dietary restrictions (medically or self-imposed) or have any health conditions then you should be working with a health care provider to balance out your nutrition.
4. Supplement smartly. Between the soil depletion issues we are facing today, the increased stress and toxins in our environment, and what is, for most of us, less-than-ideal-food choices, I now believe that supplementing is necessary. I used to call it a necessary evil, but I’ve recently dropped the word “evil” as I’ve started seeing some great results from taking the right supplements.

Need some help getting started? I do nutrition and supplementation coaching, and would love to help you get started. Email me for a free consult.