I’ve had the sincere pleasure of meeting and getting to know Chef Craig King. As a personal chef to the stars, his knowledge, depth and worldwide reputation on organic gardening, and delicious, healthy food preparation is enjoyed and devoured by thousands. We are lucky to have him here preparing amazing menus, and of course seeing his garden of health literally grow here on the N. shore of Maui at the beautiful property known as Lumeria Maui. Here his known “farm-to-table” practice is enjoyed by many guests.

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Besides seeing him prepare a feast for a special few or a few hundred, his kind ways and natural talents shine through in every bite.  I was overwhelmed with the first samplings one evening and to taste not only the freshness of the buffet he prepared,  but the blend of flavors that exploded from the simplest herbs and green selections were over the top.

Get to know Craig and watch these videos on how you too can eat for energy and I’m sure he will inspire you to not only grow your own fresh veggies but you’ll learn so much on how to sustain your own personal energy and vitality. Also scroll down to watch his “Here We Glow” video of his special cleanse. He is offering workshops on Maui on how you can do a “healthy” cleanse that leaves you feeling vibrant and strong. Contact and cleanse info below.

Chef Craig King:

Chef Craig King has been at the forefront of the healthy food revolution for more than 20 years. As the personal chef for some of the biggest names in the natural food business (Steve Demos, White Wave/Silk; John Mackey, Whole Foods; Michael Gilliland/Libby Cook, Wild Oats), as well as some notable Hollywood stars, Craig brings a deep understanding of food and its evolution to the show. He has a keen ability to create food that meets the client’s need in real time–– knowing how to balance what the client wants with what the client needs. He recently created and directed “Here We Grow”, a documentary film highlighting our troubled food system. His latest venture has been helping transform food in various institutional settings, including assisted and senior living centers. The installation of gardens in seven senior community centers helps highlight the beautification of the food transformation and demonstrate the practice of the farm-to-table philosophy. http://craigkingenterprises.com/

Here We Glow

Chef Craig King is offering his Glow Cleanse for you to enjoy. You can learn more here:

You may contact Craig direct at 820.281.2381  or e: ckcooking@hotmail.com to enjoy his company and receive a private consultation.

Feel free to share your comments.

Welcome to Maui Craig!  We’re all thrilled to have you as our neighbor and a part of our healthy ohana.

Yours,

Suzie Cooney, CPT  of Suzie Trains Maui Follow @SuzieTrainsMaui

Sign up for your FREE Suzie Trains Maui Email Newsletter

Honolua Magic Maui by Simone Reddingius © 2011

From the Suzie Trains Maui  ENews:

Whether you’re just learning to surf or pulling into a nice hollow Honolua Bay wave, the thrill of surfing or dreaming of a wave like this is definitely good for your health. Here, Maui photographer, Simone Reddingius captures this surfer dropping in. His muscles are ripped, he’s focused and you can bet his heart rate is high. The endorphins that make you feel so good are exploding as he carves that gun into the blue room for that magical moment. This, you can be sure is good for your health!

CLICK here to see more of Simone’s fine surf photographer and other talents.

Also, check out all the photos from recent  Suzie Trains Maui ENews  Highlights of Naish & Suzie Trains Maui  SUP Fun Beach Fitness & Paddle Challenge special guest Kai  Lenny, as 55 participants finished FREE event. See the famous “taco rolls in the sand”.  See photos and event highlights.

In this Issue of Suzie Trains Maui ENews:

Your New Year Approach to Health & Fitness for 2012 and Learn Why Resolutions Don’t Work. Suzie Cooney Radio Show Highlights:

Indo Board Training Equipment  & Exercises for All Conditions & All Seasons: Fitness Tips from Suzie Cooney

Gear & Board Reviews: The Alana Series featured here is oh so lovely. Don’t let the frills or flowers fool you. These two high performance boards are delivering waves of fun and miles of exlporations!Follow @SuzieTrainsMaui

Please feel free to post a comment and tell us how you love to surf to keep healthy! Also, any tips you want to share about how you approach the New Year to make good lifestyle choices, feel free! Mahalo!

Happy New Year!  Suzie Cooney, CPT owner of Suzie Trains Maui

Sign up for your FREE Suzie Trains Maui Email Newsletter

Maui, HI. December 27, 2011 : Your New Year Approach to Health & Fitness Choices for 2012 on Suzie Cooney’s Radio Health & Fitness Segment with the Maui Breakfast Club, every Tuesday on Maui’s KNUI 900AM @ 7:30am.

Make a “lifestyle” choice for life not  for one month. Reward yourself with a new surfboard, new running shoes, and make a plan and stick to it and see yourself in that lifestyle. Like what you see in the mirror, but love yourself on the inside first. Tweet

Most News Year’s resolutions fail because it is not motivating enough. Forget them, get real and get real simple. Reflect back and see forward. Trainers like myself can help you plan and chart realistic, simple changes that before  you know it, it’s March and you’re still on track.

CLICK HERE to listen to Suzie's Health Segment Now

Listen here to Suzie Cooney, owner of Suzie Trains Maui.

Feel free to share your comments and tell us your tips to help our audience can make long lasting, lifestyle choices. Let this be your year to set the pace for yourself, your friends and family. Live the life you always dreamed of now, make it healthy and simple.

Follow @SuzieTrainsMaui

Suzie Cooney of Suzie Trans Maui is a weekly guest on the Maui Breakfast Club with Tom Blackburn Rodriguez and Kellie Pali and shares every week, her healthy tip. From how to train for big surf, SUP stronger, train to be extra strong for windsurfing and kiting skills, or how to get off the roller coaster of yo-yo dieting and shed weight for good.  For over 12 years she has helped hundreds of people get in the shape of their lives and live the life Maui offers. People come from all over to train and learn from her.

Tune in every week, Tuesday on Maui’s KNUI 900AM at 7:30am or click here to catch the daily, live broadcast from anywhere in the world.

Happ New Year Everyone! See you on the water!  Check out my other website:  http://www.standuppaddlingfitness.com/  Here you can change your life and discover a new way to get healthy with the awesome sport of SUP or stand up paddling. This is YOUR year to try something new!

Suzie Cooney, CPT

 Suzie Cooney is available on the island of Maui for private, fitness training, stand up paddle ( SUP ) coaching, lifestyle coaching and for public speaking.

If you’d like to join my confidential mailing list and keep up to date with Suzie Trains Maui and other health related news, go here:

Sign up for your FREE Suzie Trains Maui Email Newsletter

Maui, HI. December 20, 2011 : Listen & Learn About Ten Survival Tips For Holiday Parties on Suzie Cooney’s Radio Health & Fitness Segment with the Maui Breakfast Club, every Tuesday on Maui’s KNUI 900AM @ 7:30am

On air Suzie Cooney shares her 10 Survival Tips for the Holidays!

 CLICK HERE and  listen and learn how to manage those fabulous holiday parties. Save your waistline and those extra calories that may sneak up on you at the buffet line, pastry cart or holiday dinner.

It’s not easy to pass up a delicious dessert, or that yummy, oh so fat filled glass of eggnog. Don’t fret, make a plan and practice talking more and scan the buffet table or bar and make a plan NOT to lose it, but enjoy in moderation without regret or extra time on the treadmill.

Today, on this special holiday show I’ve listed 10 helpful tips to keep you smiling and not sweating too much at the gym. Enjoy your holidays and friends and just learning a few of these tips will see you through to the next party without gaining an ounce, well maybe a few.

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My top suggestion is to eat something prior to the party that combines protein and fiber to fill you up before you charge to front of the buffet line. Drink lots of water and leave the elastic pants or skirt at home!

Suzie Cooney of Suzie Trans Maui is a weekly guest on the Maui Breakfast Club with Tom Blackburn Rodriguez and Kellie Pali and shares every week, her healthy tips from how to train for big surf, to how to avoid weight gain at big buffets. For over 12 years she has helped hundreds of people get in the shape of their lives and live the life Maui offers. People come from all over to train and learn from her.

Tune in every week, Tuesday on Maui’s KNUI 900AM  at 7:30am or click here to catch the daily, live broadcast from anywhere in the world.

Tom, Suzie and Kellie photo by Simone Reddingious

Feel free to share your comments and tell us your  tips to help our audience enjoy the holidays without sabotaging one’s hard work to get in and stay in shape.Follow @SuzieTrainsMaui

If you’d like to join my confidential mailing list and keep  up to date with Suzie Trains Maui and other health related news, go here:

Sign up for your FREE Suzie Trains Maui Email Newsletter

( Article written by Suzie Cooney, CPT for Naish International ) Direct link, click here.

Stand up paddling is no doubt taking the world by storm, and while you don’t need to be in the greatest shape to paddle, you’ll soon discover the benefits. As you begin to improve your technique, experiment with new gear and maybe decide to enter a race or wave competition, it’s a good idea to learn how to train in a balanced way to prevent injury so that you can enjoy paddling even more and stay on the water.

As the sport continues to evolve, and as a trainer who specializes in educating people how to paddle stronger and better improve their performance, I’d like to share with you first an overview of some of the known complaints and injuries that I’m seeing and helping people manage. I’ll also share with you many training strategies designed to help you better approach your SUP training in a balanced manor as a way to avoid injuries.

This article is part one of a two-part series that will illustrate a more in-depth review of the anatomy and how your muscles function while you paddle and how injuries might occur. Part two will be the actual exercises and training approach I recommend to help recover from some of these injuries and/or avoid them.

I’ve also gathered some helpful insight from one of our Naish Team Riders, Karen Wrenn, on how she trains to help her better perform. In addition, I’ll be highlighting another paddler, Kevin Vangritis from North Carolina and new racing competitor and long distance paddler, with his personal story and struggle with a unique injury and how he’s managed to come back on the water.

Common SUP Injuries

Overuse injuries and strains from SUP are common and include mostly the muscles of the shoulder and/or rotator cuff muscles, the knee joint, foot and ankle and low back. It’s good to have a knowledge base of the anatomy and function of each group so you can better adapt your SUP training to avoid these injuries. There may be more to mention, but in my practice and I too have experienced things such as a nagging bicep tendonitis issue in my right arm and on occasion after long distances over 20 miles, my traps (trapezius) have cramped a bit and my feet have fallen asleep.

photos by Simone Reddingius

Injuries that are more common where there are waves are fin lacerations to the extremities and face, paddle handles giving bloody noses (mine), and leash wrap-arounds I call them, that can cause sprains to fingers and other body parts from wrapping around you after a heavy wave wipe out. Also, as these boards are much heavier than surfboards for example, if you get hit in the head you could suffer a good blow or even a concussion. In addition, some super heavy hold downs at some of the bigger breaks can wreck havoc on your back and lower extremities.

Shoulder and Rotator Cuff Injuries:

Stand up paddling works a lot of muscles and is well known for being a great core workout. It also requires a lot of work from the stabilizers of the shoulder girdle. The paddle stroke is a combination of medial rotation and abduction (of the top hand). The deeper rotator cuff muscles included are the supraspinatus, subscapularis, infraspinatus and the teres minor. This requires the work of the subscapularis, latissimus dorsi, pec. minor, pec. major, and teres major along with deltoid and supraspinatus to lift the arm up. The bottom hand is mostly stabilizing to transfer the rotation of the trunk to the paddle the muscles used to stabilize are mainly latissimus dorsi rhomboids, triceps, and middle fibers of the traps.

One client complaint was that of a burning sensation radiating from his elbow up to his shoulder and down to his hand, and another, with numbness radiating down from his shoulder through his pinky finger. These can be common nerve entrapment injuries with chronic tension and overuse of certain muscle groups.

Rhomboid & Trapeziums Strains:

The rhomboid muscles interact with and help support the shoulder blade. Your trapezius (also referred to as your “traps”) are the connective muscles from the neck to the head of the humerus or top of the shoulder, and are responsible for stabilizing your neck and shoulder while you paddle. These muscles require a great deal of endurance. This is also where we tend to hold our stress and the area that can fatigue and cramp up on long distance races. I often hear of muscle fatigue and recently of a tear of the rhomboid as described by Kevin Vangritis. Read more of his experience and how he recovered:

Kevin Vangritis is a friend of mine from North Carolina and is just getting into SUP racing. Over the summer, Kevin was training for a big 50+mile-long distance SUP crossing in Chicago (with Windy City Waterman and Matt Lennert). Prior to the race, he was helping a friend with an exercise and felt a pop near his right scapulae or shoulder blade. At the time, he thought that to simply take an anti-inflammatory and ice should do the trick.

I should note that Kevin is in amazing shape and has a very consistent, well planned and executed training and paddling routine, so this was a bit of a surprise. Kevin is also well versed in the field of sports orthopedics as he assists surgeons and medical teams and knows the anatomy which is also helpful when recovering from an injury.

He writes, “Over the next couple of days, I began to develop a large knot in my trap as well as radicular pain down my right arm into my hand, which was my major concern. This is a classic sign of a herniated cervical disc. The knot began to limit mobility in my neck. Our endurance paddle of crossing Lake Michigan was fast approaching, and I had to come up with a plan to get better. I completely stopped training both on the water and in the gym and continued using anti-inflammatories as well as heat. I showed up for the crossing on August 21st. We had very unfavorable conditions that day for the 50 plus mile paddle with 8-12 foot chop and 30 mph plus winds on Lake Michigan. We decided to go for it anyway without the support of our chase boats and Coast Guard. For four hours straight, we paddled hard against the wind and waves. We decided to call it a day due to safety concerns and knowing that the conditions were just too dangerous to continue without our support team in place.

After the paddle, there were a few large knots on my back that now involved my rhomboid on the right side. Upon returning home, I consulted a physician who diagnosed me with a torn trapezious and rhomboid. Apparently, this is a fairly common injury in this sport. He felt my best course of action would be seeing a sports medicine physical therapist. I spent the next six weeks in PT, attending two sessions each week. Each session, my regimen included a deep tissue massage, electric stimulation, heat therapy as well as cervical traction. I was given simple upper body exercises and stretching to do at home that kept my injured muscles isolated. Each visit, we added a few new exercises to my routine.

I am 10 weeks out at this time and have just one small knot that still has not released itself and the radicular pain is 95% better. In the next week, I plan to try acupuncture therapy to try and release the one small knot. Since my injury, I paddled for the first time two weeks ago doing 2-3 mile paddles at a moderate pace. Although my weights are still a bit lighter than I normally use, I am slowly getting back to a more normal exercise routine. It is really important to listen to your body. I feel if I had not tried to push myself on Lake Michigan, my recovery would probably have been 3-6 weeks instead of the 10 plus weeks I have endured. Before the injury, I was enjoying a very successful year of racing and am now focused on and looking forward to being ready by spring to begin competing once again.”

Kevin will be on Maui this month and I’ll be checking him out in my training studio and on the water. We’ll be fine tuning him and making sure his training is in check and balanced. Thanks Kevin. Hang in there and keep up the good work!

Bicep Tendonitis:

Simply stated, this is where inflammation or tenderness occurs at the head or top of the bicep tendon due to weakness and overuse. I suffer from this sometimes after a downwind race or while I’m in intense training. This long, chord-like tendon connects the upper end of the biceps muscle to the bones in the shoulder. This muscle is responsible for extending your outward as you reach for the nose of your board with your paddle.

Since I’m right-handed, this is obviously my stronger paddling arm and tends to take most of the load. I often feel tingling, burning and soreness. Usually it is a result of weakness of the rotator cuff muscles. Icing helps me as well as good old rest.

I’ll discuss in more detail how to strengthen this area and the supportive muscles in the next article.

Knees:

The knees young and old can often take a beating, but SUP is probably quite mild on them compared to other high-impact sports like running, dirt biking or soccer. Sometimes old injuries from some of these pounding sports can show up when paddling. But for most, stand up paddling is incredibly gentle and great for the knees.

We all have our own unique paddling styles and types of conditions to manage that can also lead to imbalances of the joint and ligaments that stabilize the knee. For example, if faced with choppy, windy conditions where you are paddling long and hard from one side of your board, pressing down on the board rail in a funny angle can lend to knee irritation. This is especially taxing to the knee compartment if the tendons and supportive muscles and ligaments are weak and not trained properly.

The knee is the largest joint of the body and is compromised of many muscles, ligaments and tendons that help absorb twisting and shocks, and help brace the body for any abnormal consequences. Tears of the medial, lateral, anterior or posterior ligaments are common knee injuries. In wave paddling, I’ve seen a knee dislocate. This is rare, but happened when I saw a guy paddle into a big wave and all of a sudden his leg simply buckled. Later, I learned that his knee gave way completely due to an unstable knee cap (patella). It literally slid out of its natural groove.

Some folks have mentioned that the outer part of the knee, where the iliotibial band joins, can be sore and painful. Again we find that some of these larger muscles – that are used to taking a lot of the load as you unload the stroke and exit the blade at your feet – can be overstretched and are over active. This then can lead to extreme tightness and underactive inner thigh and adductor muscles.

Also, after multiple Maliko runs, I’ve discovered a twinge of inner knee discomfort on my back carving leg after being in a deep, surf stance position on big drops. Managing a 14ft board is very different, with a lot more property from the center of the board all the way back to the fin vs. a short board, requiring one to really utilize more force production on the knee of the carving leg.

Back:

The back is a really important component to stand up paddling for it also helps stabilize the core and is part of the core. It also helps release and control power and of course keeps you upright for all levels of paddling. Refer to my article: More on the Core for SUP here.

Here, we’ll talk about mainly the lower back since we’ve covered quite a bit on the upper part of the body. Having personally suffered extreme back injuries, SUP has actually really helped me!

The function of the lower back allows for flexibility forward and backward and doesn’t easily tolerate too much twisting.

Most people who paddle may experience low back discomfort usually caused by improper paddle length, poor paddling technique or from other muscle imbalances such as tight hamstrings and hip flexors and weak abdominal muscles, or a combination of all the above.

The spine itself or vertebral column contains the spinal cord and other nerves, along with sponge like discs that can be damaged or pinched in pretty severe wipeouts. Sometimes, no matter how well you train or how strong your core and low back are, things can just happen.

Now that you have a good understanding of the anatomy and how it functions while you paddle, you can learn to safely train to keep your body strong. Accidents, muscle strains, riderless boards torpedoing towards you in the lineup can certainly happen, therefore it’s important to know how to recognize something that may not be right or may even be really, really wrong.

Seeking qualified help is very important. I have an excellent medical team that I trust and go to when I myself or my clients or readers write in with questions. I also keep a well-stocked first aid kit in my truck at all times in case I need to wrap a strain or sprain, or at least help stabilize someone if needed.

Stand up paddling is easy and is typically easy on your body. Being very aware of your body, the muscles that you use when you paddle and being mindful of some possible injuries will simply make you a better paddler. Your body has a lot of moving parts, so in the next article I’m going to show all the cool exercises you can do for each muscle group I mentioned here, to help you potentially avoid injury, keep your body balanced and strong and keep all those part together and intact.

Also, don’t forget we’ll be posting Karen Wrenn’s training strategy too!

SUP wipe out photos by Simone Reddingius

Medical photos courtesy of webmd.com

Suzie Cooney, CPT Naish Team SUP Rider and Owner of Suzie Trains Maui

Follow Suzie on Facebook: SuzieTrainsMaui

Check out all of the new 2012 Naish SUP Boards! Suzie rides the Hokua, Mana, Nalu & Glide for Maliko Runs.

Disclaimer

All the information presented in the SUP Fitness section of naishsurfing.com is for educational and resource purposes only. It is there to help you make informed decisions about your fitness training. It is not a substitute for, or an addition to, any advice given to you by your physician. Suzie Cooney, CPT, and Naish International strongly recommend that you consult your doctor and get medical approval before beginning any fitness and/or exercise program. You are solely responsible for the way information in SUP Fitness is perceived and utilized and you do so at your own risk. In no way will Suzie Cooney, Naish International or anyone associated with Naish International be held responsible for any injuries or problems that may occur due to the use of this website or the advice contained within.

Matt Ripp'n with the TRX Rip Trainer

Introducing Matt Lennert, long distance and wave SUP paddler, SUP event director, windsurfer and surfer; stopped in for an all-on SUP performance tune up with me in my studio during his recent visit to Maui. He was up for any challenge, that’s for sure! I threw medicine balls at him full speed while he managed to amazingly hang onto whatever training apparatus I placed him on top of.

His sheer determination and already a finely tuned athlete; he was on top of his training game. Wow! He performed well this day and left with a good sweat. Unfortunately the conditions for a Maliko Run were not up to par but we’ll have to try again Matt when you come back with your family!

I see a strong SUP future for Matt as he returned home to share with us his adventure on Maui: http://windycitywaterman.blogspot.com/2011/10/suzie-trains-maui.html

Matt, come on back anytime and we’ll hit Maliko!
Aloha, Suzie Cooney, CPT owner of Suzie Trains Maui

Suzie is available for fitness training for all levels and SUP coaching.

To order  your TRX Rip Trainer Click here! It will really increase your paddling endurance and efficiency!

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Childhood obesity is out of control. Who is at fault?  How can you help as a parent, as a physician as a community? Since when do we have to worry about children at the age of 8 to have high blood pressure, heart disease and other such morbid diseases? Should McDonald’s be applauded for adding apples to their popular “Happy Meals”. Should we be “happy” about this?

Listen in on Suzie Cooney’s weekly health  & fitness segment on the Maui Breakfast Club, with hosts Tom Blackburn Rodriguez and Kellie Pali-Cruz each Tuesday on KNUI 900 AM @ 7:39am. Today’s topic: Childhood Obesity: Things to Know and How to Help Radio Segment.

To Listen click here:

We need to lead by example and share with kids and teens of all ages to get up off the couch, turn off the cell phones and get healthy.  Schools need to find better solutions for cafeteria food and cut the sugar and sodium out completely.  Parents, are you the best role model you can be?  What do you think the or a solution could be.

AP Huffington Post

I think that Mrs. President, Michelle Obama is doing what she can, but is holding the biggest jumping jack contest on the Whitehouse lawn enough to get an entire country off their duffs?  I’m pleased but we all know it starts from the top. Educating the kids and parents on how to eat well with less should be their main focus. Regulate what is actually available to purchase on food assistance programs is another way to be sure kids just aren’t drinking Koolaid and eating crap.

Here are some links that may help:

Preventing Obesity in Children, Causes & Diseases 

Under Pressure, McDonald’s Adds Apples to Kids Meals

Should Doctors Avoid Calling Children Fat?

Thank you for stopping by Suzie Trains Maui. The topics and opinions here are an expression of those who care. We encourage your input and feedback to better serve our readers and community.

What are your thoughts and feelings on this subject? We’d like to hear from you. You can help others by sharing and caring here.

In good health and warm aloha,

Suzie Cooney, CPT   owner of Suzie Trains Maui

Suzie Cooney Balance Training on Indo Board Gigante Disc

Balance training is a key component and is included in all of my training sessions with my clients, as a means to better improve their daily lives, surfing performance, SUP performance, or after recovering from an injury. I’ve written many articles on the topic and thought you might enjoy my quick radio segment from the Maui Breakfast Club, hosted by Tom Blackburn Rodriguez and Kellie Pali-Cruz, every Tuesday on KNUI  900 AM at around 7:38 in the morning:

Tweet  To listen click here.

Below are just a few of the articles that I’ve written regarding balance training. I’m also a team rider for Indo Board Company which supplies me with all of my balance training equipment. They are an innovative company that understands the importance  of functional training and offer a variety of various platforms for all levels.

Balance Training Gear for All of My Client’s Needs

UP your SUP Performance by Combining Upper Body Paddle Endurance with Balance and Core Training for Naish International

Balance Training Makes a Key Difference for Two Maui Windsurfers

Strength and Balance Training for Your Legs

Suzie Cooney, CPT is a certified personal trainer on Maui since 2001. Her former background in sports orthopedics has exposed her to unique and challenging cases where her participation resulted in many positive outcomes.  As an athlete, lifestyle coach, and professional SUP paddler, she too has recognized the importance of balance training when coming off of injuries or for increasing sports performance, but especially qualified to help those who are seeking to regain and rebuild muscle strength and coordination.

We encourage you to comment or share your experience and success with balance training and  how it’s helped you in your fitness.

For more up to the minute Suzie Trains Maui updates, go to our Suzie Trains Maui Facebook Page and Like:

Thank you for taking the time to read and learn with us. In good health,

Suzie Trains Maui Team

Our minds and bodies are connected and without a healthy mind we cannot have a healthy body. See my article and listen to my radio show on: Mental Wellness: Why We Need to Have Hope For Our Body’s Health and Our Mind’s Health.

Gretchen writes:

     Prescribing Exercise to Treat Depression: August 31, 2011
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Can a stroll help ease depression? That question preoccupied Dr. Madhukar H. Trivedi, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, after several of his patients, all suffering from serious depression, mentioned that they felt happier if they went for a walk. The patients in question were taking the widely prescribed antidepressants known as S.S.R.I.’s, for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, but not responding fully. They remained, by clinical standards, depressed. Dr. Trivedi and his colleagues began to wonder if adding a formal “dose” of exercise would increase their chances of getting better.

Certainly the possibility was worth investigating. Clinical depression, as anyone who has experienced or watched a loved one struggle with the condition knows, can be stubbornly intractable. Even if patients have been taking an antidepressant for months, recovery rates tend to hover below 50 percent.

In order to increase the odds of improvement, doctors frequently add a second treatment — often another drug, like lithium or an antipsychotic — to the S.S.R.I. regimen at some point, Dr. Trivedi said. Most patients ultimately require at least two concurrent treatments to achieve remission of their depression, he said. Studies have shown that these secondary drug treatments help an additional 20 to 30 percent of depressed patients to improve, but the medications can be expensive and have unpleasant side effects.

Which prompted Dr. Trivedi to look to exercise. His investigation joins a growing movement among some physiologists and doctors to consider and study exercise as a formal medicine, with patients given a prescription and their progress monitored, as it would be if they were prescribed a pill.

In this case, Dr. Trivedi and his collaborators, who included researchers at the Cooper Institute in Dallas, the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Louisiana and other institutions, recruited 126 people with depression who had been using S.S.R.I.’s for a minimum of two months, without achieving remission. None of the patients exercised.

Dr. Trivedi and his colleagues divided these volunteers into two groups. One began a gentle aerobic exercise routine, under the tutelage of Cooper Institute researchers, which required them to burn a certain amount of calories per session, depending on their weight. How the subjects expended the energy was up to them. Some walked for about 10 minutes a day, on a treadmill or by strolling around the block, at a pace of three miles an hour. Others chose an equivalent easy cycling workout.

The second group was more energetic, walking briskly for about 30 minutes a day at a pace of four miles an hour, or the cycling equivalent, a regimen that meets the current exercise recommendations from the American College of Sports Medicine.

Each volunteer exercised for four months, while continuing to take an antidepressant. At the end of that time, according to the study published recently in The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 29.5 percent had achieved remission, “which is a very robust result,” Dr. Trivedi said, equal to or better than the remission rates achieved using drugs as a back-up treatment. “I think that our results indicate that exercise is a very valid treatment option” for people whose depression hasn’t yielded to S.S.R.I.’s, he said.

As with most scientific findings, though, there are caveats.

One is practical. More patients improved in the group that completed the longer, brisker workouts than in the group assigned the easier exercise, but more of them also dropped out of the study. “We need to find ways to support people’s efforts to exercise,” Dr. Trivedi said. “It’s not going to be enough to casually say, ‘Go for a walk.’” Exercise, if it’s to be medicinal in depression treatments, will have to be monitored, he said, so it can’t be shrugged off.

Even then, many people will not respond. Almost 70 percent of the volunteers in this study did not achieve full remission. Failure rates were particularly high for women with a family history of depression, perhaps as a result of some as yet unknown genetic quirk. And women in that group who did recover were more likely to succeed using the lighter exercise program than the more strenuous routine.

Then there is the issue of a control group, whose members would have continued with their S.S.R.I.’s but not exercised. This study did not have one, making interpreting the results tricky, said James A. Blumenthal, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University who was not involved with this study but who has written extensively about exercise and depression. Perhaps four additional months of S.S.R.I. treatment raised people’s moods, and the exercise was incidental. “Evidence is accumulating that exercise may be an effective treatment for depressed patients who are receptive to exercise as a possible treatment and who are able to safely engage in exercise,” he said. But the evidence is by no means definitive.

Still, Dr. Trivedi said, although additional studies certainly are needed, there’s no reason for people with unyielding depression not to talk now with their doctors about exercise as a treatment option. “Side effects are almost nonexistent,” he said, “while you get additional benefits, in terms of improvements in cardiovascular health and reductions in other disease risks,” things antidepressant drugs do not provide. “Plus,” he pointed out, “the cost profile is very favorable.” Exercise, as medicines go, is cheap.

To read the article from the New York Times, Click here

Thank you Gretchen for this fantastic insight to what many know and now it’s time the rest of the medical community put away their prescription pads, get the drug companies out of their pockets and teach their patients how to exercise for the mental health.

Suzie Cooney, CPT of Suzie Trains Maui

  @SuzieTrainsMaui

of Suzie Trains Maui

TweetAugust 23, 2011Taken from the Maui Breakfast Club: Suzie Cooney of Suzie Trains Maui, Health & Fitness Segment every Tuesday morning at 7:38 am on KNUI 900 AM.  LISTEN HERE

Just the word visceral sounds bad and that it is. It’s not pretty and it’s deadly.  Also referred to as abdominal obesity or the “middle-age spread”.  The definition of visceral fat is basically subcutaneous fat that settles deep within the cavity walls of the abdominal area and also covers the abdominal organs. This condition can lead to many health concerns such as heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol,  hormone imbalances and even cancer.

An excerpt taken from the Harvard Medical School states this:

“One reason excess visceral fat is so harmful could be its location near the portal vein, which carries blood from the intestinal area to the liver. Substances released by visceral fat, including free fatty acids, enter the portal vein and travel to the liver, where they can influence the production of blood lipids. Visceral fat is directly linked with higher total cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol, lower HDL (good) cholesterol, and insulin resistance.

Insulin resistance means that your body’s muscle and liver cells don’t respond adequately to normal levels of insulin, the pancreatic hormone that carries glucose into the body’s cells. Glucose levels in the blood rise, heightening the risk for diabetes.”

How does your waist measure up? Typical guidelines for men’s waistline: if  over 40 inches in diameter and for women over 35 inches are indicators that you may be dealing with this condition. Pinching more than an inch can be a concern.

Besides the role of over eating and a poor diet and lack of exercise  that plays in the main contributing factor leading to the accumulation of visceral fat, there may also be hereditary factors that also play a hand. Knowing this may help.

The good news  is there’s so much you can do to help avoid this condition. Getting your weight under control will help. Portion control and a healthy diet is first. Avoid all sugars and alcohol. ( See my article: Suzie’s Foods to Avoid ) Strength training or resistance training will aid in the elimination of visceral fat but most of all it will take some high-intensity cardio to assist in the breakdown of the visceral fat.

Start out with 30 minutes at a moderate intensity than work your way up to a much higher intensity of exercise. ( Always check with your physician first before embarking on a heavier work out regimen.) Remember, spot reducing does not work, this is a total body approach.

I hope you enjoyed the radio segment. A special thanks to the Maui Breakfast Club and to you for spreading the word and being healthy.  It does a body good.Tweet

Aloha,

Suzie Cooney, CPT owner of Suzie Trains Maui and Mental Health Advocate

Previous Radio Show: August 16th: Mental Wellness: Why We Need to Have “Hope” for Our Body’s Health and Our Mind’s Health Radio Segment with Suzie Cooney

Follow Suzie on Face book for up to the minute updates: http://www.facebook.com/suzietrainsmaui

References:

http://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/updates/Abdominal-fat-and-what-to-do-about-it.shtml

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/09/waist-size-linked-with-longevity/

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/13/how-does-your-waist-measure-up/

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-visceral-fat.htm