Vibram FiveFingers

It was fortuitous timing for a study to be done on Vibram FiveFingers, minimalist, 5 oz shoes that claim to allow your foot to “move more naturally and freely,” because all the trainers I know are trying to convince me to get them, making me wonder what all the fuss is about. Some of them are elite athletes, even. There are plenty of reviews about them, but until now, I had not read a study.

Are they the latest fad (after “toning” shoes like Reebok’s Easytones, which they just had to pay a large settlement)? Are they advantageous, neutral, or even harmful?

Interestingly, while the shoes are especially popular for running, everyone I know who has them does everything but run in them. This study did assess the shoes for running.

Researchers from the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse followed 16 recreational female runners between the ages of 19 and 25 for 2 weeks, who were told to run in the vibrams three times a week for up to 20 minutes a day.  They then assessed the women’s’ “form, foot-strike patterns and the force at which they hit the ground” in running sneakers, barefoot, and in the Vibrams.

The main finding was the opposite of the self-proclaimed benefit of the Vibram FiveFingers, i.e., half of the women wearing them (also half who ran barefoot) did not adjust their form, increasing the wear and tear on their bodies and also had nearly two times greater impact forces.

The conclusion was to ease your way into running with minimalist shoes. Start slowly with walking and then only part of your run in the Vibrams, let your body adjust your running form and style, and pay extra attention to form.

They also say that for people who have been running for a while and have not dealt with injuries, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, and stick with regular running shoes.

This study has clear limitations, the main ones being the small sample size and the limited time in the shoes.

Note: According to Vibram FiveFingers' website, there are five reasons to wear the shoes, for which they have versions for a variety of activities (including yoga) – 1. Strengthens muscles in the feet and lower legs; 2. Improves range of motion in ankles, feet and toes; 3. Stimulates neural function important to balance and agility; 4. Eliminate heel lift to align the spine and improve posture; 5. Allow the foot and body to move naturally.

randi morse, randi.morse@gmail.com, newton, ma

Laxatives: The ugly truth

Warning - graphic image at the end of the post

First, I think there is a misconception that laxative abuse is somewhat specific to people with eating disorders or disordered eating. But bodybuilders, who, by the way, often also have eating disorders or disordered eating, sometimes rely on them too. Sometimes  you will hear about people taking them after a cheat meal or day, usually because of guilt or feeling  too bloated. But more often it is when  bodybuilders are cutting. Cutting is like mainstream dieting, but besides eating at a deficit (usually and ideally 10-20%), they also lift heavy and pay special attention to macronutrients, with the goal being to persevere as much muscle mass as possible while losing body fat. Typically after cutting, bodybuilders will then bulk (i.e., eat above maintenance, also while lifting  heavy, with the goal being increasing muscle and gaining size). Just like in dieting, constipation is common when cutting, especially when people eat at too large of a deficit (yes, there most certainly is such a thing) and/or do not include the right foods. Their constipation is akin to those with traditional eating disorders in that it can last a really long time, and at some point, it just becomes too uncomfortable to tolerate.

Whether used for weight loss* or constipation, laxatives are not meant for more than short-term use, and longer-term use, and certainly abuse, is quite harmful. Most people know that you can become dependent on them, and while that is true, as is the fact that you will continue to need more and more in order for them to work, they are much more dangerous than that. Laxative abuse  can cause fluid retention, electrolyte imbalances, nutrient deficiencies, IBS, gastritis, severe dehydration, weakening of the bones, anemia, permanent bowel impairment, liver failure, esophageal damage, tumors in the bowel, pancreatitis, and permanent colon damage, including cancer.

Maybe you just read that as a list and saw it like one of those drug commercial ads on tv where they list all these heinous potential side-effects.

Maybe I can scare you straight. Maybe my pictures can.

Sparing you details, I was a long-term abuser, and although it had been years since that was the case, the damage was done and it recently caught up to me.

In December, January, and February of this year, I had a subtotal colectomy (80% of my colon removed), ileostomy, and ileostomy reversal, respectively. My colon had died. No cancer, no colitis, no nothing. Laxatives. I was in the hospital for 3 months. Major, painful surgery and no working out for 4 months.

This is what I looked like 5 days post-op.

Convinced yet?

*Laxatives might make the number on the scale go down, but you do not actually lose weight. Most of the food and calories have already been absorbed by the small intestine by the time the laxatives reach the large intestine, and you lose water, electrolytes, minerals, and indigestible fibers. Rehydration causes the number on the scale to go back up.

randi morse, randi.morse@gmail.com, newton, ma

Running and the brain

How Exercise Can Strengthen the Brain

30 minutes of jogging may let you work out more, have cognitive benefits that occur even when not working out, and help against neurodegenerative diseases.

In an article posted on today’s New York Times online, researchers at the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina wanted to see if exercise affects existing brain cells like it strengths muscles, by “whipping those cells into shape.”

They followed two groups of mice for 8 weeks. The treatment group ran on a treadmill for an hour a day, whereas the control group was sedentary. Everything else about their environments was the same.

Unremarkably, after the 8 weeks, the mice who had been running daily had more cardiovascular endurance, lasting for an average of 126 min on a run-to-exhaustion test vs 74 minutes for the control group.

As for the real test, though, this was the first study to show that the runners’ brain cells had new mitochondria  (increased “mitochondrial biogenesis”) and no new activity in the sedentary mice’s brains, exciting because this shows that this occurs in tissues other than muscle, having implications for things like neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

That is, along with research from other studies, this shows thhat runners have a lower risk for neurological diseases.

For now, and what might spark people to get off their couches, working out for just 30 minutes (which the scientists equate to the mice’s workouts) may train the brain to let you exercise more and also help you cognitively, by “reducing mental fatigue and sharpen[ing] your thinking,” even when not working out.

randi morse, randi.morse@gmail.com, newton, ma

Emphasizing working out for health and not appearance beneficial to women

A study published in Psychology of Sport and Exercise looked at 99 college aged women with chronic body image issues (“social physique anxiety”), whom, despite, on average, having a normal BMI, found that when the instructor of a step class focused on the health benefits of exercising and becoming fit versus emphasizing improving their physique, they had a better class experience, felt more engaged and energized post workout., and were more likely to go to future classes. Interestingly, the presence or absence of mirrors made no difference in either group.

The study made no mention, however, of if the women’s attitudes towards their bodies changed, which is important, and it would be especially interesting had this been a longitudinal study, to see if more and more classes that were less body-focused and more health-focused made an impact too.

Regardless, this is good news. The focus should be more on health than purely aesthetics, and this study suggests that when that is the case, women benefit more and are more likely to work out. Trainers should focus on wellness.

I have a feeling this would generalize to nutrition, such that if people were told about foods’ health benefits and exactly how the body and/or mind is affected, they would focus more on wanting to eat the foods to be healthy than to lose weight, for example, and also, they would enjoy the foods more, not view them as “diet” foods, and thus not feel deprived. In so doing, they would probably more easily reach their weight loss goals as well. It would be a win, win.

randi morse, randi.morse@gmail.com, newton, ma

What's the deal with bananas?

There will be other posts about health benefits of other fruits (e.g., did you know blueberries can help prevent osteoporosis?) and/or fruit in general (tackling topics about the sugar content and if that's good, bad, or neutral, especially when cutting/dieting or how weight watchers now considers them 0 points, etc.), but right now we're just talking about bananas, a fruit that has long intrigued me because they seem to contain more controversy than other fruits.

That is, there is a subgroup of people who see bananas as just another fruit, and eat it or don't eat it because of their taste, but there are also two other subgroups, both of which have distinct thoughts about the fruit: bodybuilders and those suffering from eating disorders.

Many bodybuilders, even those who shun fruit in general (great Alan Aragon quote about that: "fruits are calorically sparse and nutritionally dense. Not mentally dense like folks who tell others to avoid them.") or restrict them to before and after workouts only, find great importance in having a banana as their postworkout carb source. Many of them do not even know why they eat them. Just that other bodybuilders do, so they should too, just like those who mindlessly limit their diet to chicken, broccoli, and oatmeal. In any case, part of the reason is because it is a high GI carb, although it is a myth that one must have high GI foods pwo.

That is not to say that they are not a good source of energy and don't help restore glycogen levels. As well, their potassium content can help prevent cramping. Bananas are a good fruit and a good snack pwo, but they can be eaten at any time.

Part of why bodybuilders choose bananas is why anorexics avoid them: the GI factor. All the glycemic index diet books have created a fear of many good foods. People don't understand the GI system and misinterpret it. Also, though, anorexics think about calories, and bananas have more calories than many other fruits, and certainly more than vegetables, making bananas not okay.

Why do bananas create so much chatter? I like bananas, and even though I've always been a volume eater and bananas are indeed more calorically dense (although not significantly so, in my opinion), they're worth eating. They taste good, are good for you, and are more filling and substantial than other fruits. And have you ever had them frozen? Chocolate-covered frozen bananas were my favorite treat when I was a kid.

Something about bananas you might not have known. Greener bananas have more starch, whereas more ripe bananas have more sugar.

randi morse, randi.morse@gmail.com, newton, ma

Fun with food #1: Tuna

In August I went to a workshop on wellness coaching and consulting (nystrength.com), and we discussed many things, but just like in other of Dr. Jack’s workshops, he throws random facts about foods, always including their health benefits as well. Sometimes I doubt he even realizes he does it. He talks off the cuff well, and it’s said in passing, or at least not as the main point. I always, always star these pearls of wisdom.

That brings us with today’s food: Tuna.

Tuna is a very lean  fish, but do you know why? Fish don’t sleep and have no eyelids, and are constantly moving, even when in “sleep-mode.” How cool is that to know?  That they are so lean because they don’t sleep and are always moving. I don’t know about you, but that’s definitely cocktail party conversation for me.

Also, tuna can swim in anywhere as they thermo-regulate, and eat a wide range of fish, so the taste of the fish differs depending on where it’s caught.  And because they can thermo-regulate and can always stay warm, they don’t need the fat other fish need.

People know about ahi tuna, but do they know what ahi means? It's Hawaiian for "fire," and they dubbed them fire fish because their silver reflections make it look like the water is on fire, and the fish move so quickly when trying to be caught that the wood on the fishing boat is burned by the fishing line.

Another fun fact: white sharks are afraid of them.

Does this excite you the way it does me?

By now it is no secret that there are a plethora of health benefits to eating fish. We hear about omega 3’s all the time, and the fish most often mentioned is salmon. I think the most known about food is walnuts, but salmon for fish. Salmon is wicked great, don’t get me wrong, but where’s the love for tuna?

Just some of the things tuna (and other omega 3 rich foods) helps protect us against: cardiovascular disease, macular degeneration, alzheimer’s, cancer, high blood pressure, high levels of triglycerides, insulin  levels, autoimmune diseases. It is also known to have cognitive and mood benefits, and I have read multiple times that it is a good food to eat before cognitive tasks or presentations.

Chef Don Doward was nice enough to provide us with an easy peasy, healthy tuna recipe:

Seared Tuna Steak Florentine

1- 4oz Tuna Steak

¼ Cup Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

Black and White Sesame Seeds

4oz Fresh Spinach

1.    Place Dressing into sauté pan

2.    Roll sides of tuna into sesame seeds

3.    Heat vinaigrette, place tuna into hot vinaigrette dressing

4.    Cook tuna 2-3 Mins each side. Tuna should be med.rare (red with a warm center)

5.    Place spinach into boiling water for 1 min. just to soften

6.    Drain spinach place on plate and tuna on top.

randi morse, randi.morse@gmail.com, newton, ma

Turning lemons into lemonade / an eating disorder post

This is something I have never been good at, and is a trait or ability I admire. I am hardly an eternal optimist or an "everything happens for a reason" type of person. At least not until long after the fact.

I mentioned in the last post that I had had an eating disorder. I won't go into too much detail now because it's not really the point, and because I wrote a memoir about it in 2001 that has more info than is worth writing here. It's 20 pages, but I urge you to check it out, especially if you have or work with people who have aqn eating disorder. http://freepdfhosting.com/21ce2b49d4.pdf

The cliffs: I was anorexic, binge purge subtype, was vomiting multiple times a day, many times with blood, running 18 miles a day, but couldn't stop. I was forced into treatment once, over 10 years ago, but relapsed right after. First, I had liposuction on my self-perceived "love handles," something I never admit to anyone or even think about. My very well-meaning parents agreed to my begging because they thought that it would help me like my body more, which would make me eat. Sort of like when they got me an elliptical for my bedroom, thinking that working out would force me to eat. I was still underweight when I had the lipo.

Part of the relapse was that I never learned coping mechanisms (my program primarily focused on medical stability and calories, but I've never been good at therapy anyway, so while I think there needs to be a dramatic change to eating disorder programs, I am not sure it would have helped me), nor did I learn how to maintain my weight. I had gone over the summer and refused to miss any school, so I left early, before I was even on maintenance cals. As well, I left being skinny-fat, a concept I will make a future post about.

I was doing endless cardio and was still binging/purging. I don't remember when I really decided I wanted and needed to change. I wanted to do it on my own, and started by just buying time between binges. I'd say, "I don't have to do it now because I can do it later," and then would say the same thing later. I would buy more and more time between binges and start anew every time. Saying I would never binge again was too overwhelming and that in itself would spark a binge. It was a really slow process, but I somehow got there. I also took semi unusual measures. The enamel on my teeth was gone, so I got veneers, which helped for a bit because of the sheer cost. I also got my tongue pierced and a tattoo on my stomach, again, as a way to buy time.

It's all sort of a blur now and was over 10 years ago, but that's the short of it. As I said, I'd be happy to discuss it further, as it is in the past and while it does not define me, it has played a major role in shaping who I've become. I also know many people can relate and are either sick now or are in various stages of recovery.

While I was recovering, I started lifting weights. That pretty much saved my life. For the first time I could see food as fuel, something that still helps me to this day, and probably always will. It allows me to eat, feel good about it, and want to nourish my body. I felt like it would be a waste of a workout if I didn't fuel properly. If I were to recover, which included weight restoration, I was determined not to be skinny-fat. I liked the shape I was getting from lifting and building muscle. And I found that I really enjoyed lifting. With cardio, even though I did and do enjoy it (in moderation now), I could all too easily focus on burning calories. I didn't do that with lifting. Lifting also allowed me to get into a zone and totally focus on it and nothing else. No negative emotions or thoughts. It provides a feeling of bliss, as well as improves my body image.

That was a bit of a tangent, but provides a wee bit of my background.

In my experience, there are three types of people with eating disorders: Those who know nothing about nutrition, those who can rattle off the calorie info of most foods, and those who go a bit deeper and read everything and anything about nutrition. I definitely fall into that third group. It makes sense since focusing on food (and my weight and all sorts of numbers) was my whole life. I wanted to glean as much information as I could, and not just about calories and macros of foods, both during my years with the disorder, and following, including now. Nutrition and wellness have become my biggest passions.

Armed with that information, and once I found the power of lifting and how it really was the impetus for my recovery (and thus went on to become a certified personal trainer, even before I knew I wanted to train others. I wanted it for my own edification), I knew I wanted to help others, with or without eating disorders. I felt like I had discovered this secret that I wanted to share with everyone. Hence my desire to become a wellness coach and impart all the knowledge I have learned and continue to learn daily.

So I finally felt like there was a reason for my eating disorder. I found the silver lining. It was the calling for my career path and helping others. It made me knowledgeable, relateable, empathetic, and passionate.

Dr. Jack Barnathan (of NY Strength), my mentor and one of the most inspiring and knowledgeable people I know, said people who have gone through such things have a light behind their eyes and just get it. We just get it.

Turning lemons into lemonade can be quite difficult, and it might take time to figure out the meaning behind and good in things, but just keep looking, be patient, hang in, and fake it till you make it.

randi morse, randi.morse@gmail.com, newton, ma

And so it begins...

I am a certified personal trainer as well as a recovering anorexic, and both facets impact my thoughts on wellness, nutrition, and working out to a great degree, such that they are inherent in who I am.

NB: This blog is going to be informational, but some posts, especially the first few, will have more information about me and more of a journal-esque quality to them.

This is me:

For my first post, I thought I would share what "a day in the life of" consists for me as far as food goes, as people always ask me what I eat. I will not post cals or macros of my foods, nor will I ever talk about my stats. If you want cals and macros of specific concoctions I make - I don't consider what I do to be baking or cooking. I merely make up creations - just ask.

Meal 1 - baked oats on crack (i.e., w/ protein powder) - 40 g oat bran + 15 g OR 40 g oats, 1 scoop protein powder (I find that the flavor of casein is stronger in baking than whey), 15 g chia seeds, 1 tbsp psyllium husk, 1 tsp xanthan gum, 1/4 tsp baking power, 1/4 tsp baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla extract, 1/2 asian pear (bananas, apples, and mixed berries work well too), 1 container baby food pears or 1/2 c pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix), 1/2 c liquid eggs, 22 g walnuts (other optional, nutritious add-ins - nut butter (cashew is my personal fave), unsweetened cocoa powder, anything else you can think of. Anything goes with this versatile recipe). To make, preheat oven to 380 degrees. Spray a loaf pan, mix dry ingredients, add wet ingredients, bake for ~22 min, and then put on broil for a few to get a nice, crispy crust. Makes a single serving loaf.

Meal 2 - 2% greek yogurt, 1 extra large banana, lite string cheese, 3 slices of ezekiel bread

Meal 3 - a mixture containing 40 g high fiber o's, 1/4 c oatmeal, 30 g pistachios, 1/2 c eggbeaters, 1 scoop protein powder, 3/4 c very cherry blend, cinnamon, ginger, 15 g wasabi wow. I like to make this ahead of time to make it more solid, but you then give up the cereal being extra crispy, so your choice.

Meal 4 - 3/4 c eggbeaters w/ 2 tbsp avocado, 1 slice jarlsberg lite,  and then 3 of the following veggies, switching daily - different colored bell peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, spinach, kale, zucchini, broccoli and cauliflower, with a lot of spices - ginger, garlic, cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper, curry powder, rosemary, oregano, and 70 g soba noodles.

Meal 5 - frozen concoction (NB - not mock ice cream. Different consistency): 113 g 1% cottage cheese (greek yogurt and silken tofu work as well, but I prefer the texture of cc), 1 scoop protein powder, 1 tbsp psyllium husk, 1 tsp guar gum, 20 g oat bran, 28 g cashews, 30 g dark chocolate edamame, 2 tbsp wheat germ, water. You'll have to play around with the amount of water and the freezing time, but I make 3.5 cups (with all ingredients and water included) and freeze for about 2.5 hrs.

randi morse, randi.morse@gmail.com, newton, ma