Back Pain Myths

For decades Pilates instructors have been touting the rehabilitative benefits of core strength for relieving and even curing most back problems. Now science is backing it up.

Eight out of every ten Americans will experience a back problem in the course of their lives. Common responses to back problems even among doctors have been:

-Don’t exercise - it will only make it worse.

-Surgery is the only solution.

-Thinking positive doesn’t make any difference – it’s just a lot of mumbo jumbo.

Well, things have changed – dramatically. And now doctors are talking like Pilates instructors!

Here’s what the best doctors are now saying, based on the most recent findings about what really works when it comes to back pain:

1.      Strength building exercise, particularly for the abdomen and lower back – your core as we say in Pilates - actually reduces pain for most back problems. In many cases this process of strengthening the core actually cures the back ailment altogether. This is the case with me. I injured my lower back in my early twenties hauling heavy stone for a sculptor. Using exercise alone I have managed to avoid surgery and medication. Now at age 57 my lower back still gets tired easily, but I have learned how to avoid injury when lifting heavy weight, and to keep my core strong. The concept of “core strength” was first developed by Joseph Pilates nearly a century ago, and it is now accepted by all physical therapists as a major way to treat and prevent back problems.

2.      Though back surgery has dramatically increased over the last 5 years, there is little evidence of any benefits, according to recently published research in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Ninety percent of people with back pain will get better without any treatment or with non-invasive methods such as physical therapy, exercise, and medication.

3.      Most surprising of all, how you think about your back pain influences recovery. Studies show that your back pain can be eased if you don’t focus on the pain or what you can’t do!

But don’t just take my word for it - read what doctors have to say at  www.usaweekend.com/section/health01.     

A Secret to Long Life and Weight Loss: Your Arms!

Lymph is an amazing fluid, aiding the immune system while delivering nutrients, oxygen, and hormones to every cell in the body. The lymphatic system is considered our most important defense against disease. And key to the elimination of fat and other lipids from our system. Unlike blood that is circulated by the heart, the lymph has no pump. It's circulation depends on the movement of our body, particularly our arms. Yet another plug for the importance of exercise.

Several years ago the Met Life Insurance Company published a longevity study which found that of all professions, music conductors lived the longest. No one knows why exactly. But there's no shortage of ideas from perspiration to the effects of music. By far the most popular belief has to do with arm movement. Books and even exercise routines have been created around this idea that wide and prolonged sweeping of the arms can add years to your life. Could it be that conductors live so long because they most stimulate their lymphatic system? This could be the next big diet!

Incidentally, longevity is a particularly hot field of research with a host of possibilities being studied from why rats and many human populations live longer when they eat less calories, to the possible effects of several  substances from vitamin D and resveritrol. Here's where you can follow all the latest research. 

Secrets of Stretching

Anyone who has ever tried hatha yoga, the millenia-old series of stretching postures, doesn't need research to convince them that stretching has many benefits - relaxation, stress relief, and greater range of motion to name just a few. What many consider the bible of yoga, B.K.S. Iyengar's classic, Light on Yoga lists hundreds of benefits. One benefit is certain, stretching sure feels good whether you give it a couple minutes or hours.

There isn't much conclusive research yet on stretching. What has been done questions some of our long-held beliefs, such as whether stretching reduces soreness or injury, whether it is best before or after physical activity, and whether it improves athletic performance. One cardinal rule remains: don't bounce. Bouncing greatly increases the likelihood of muscle injury.

Whatever your reason for stretching, there are a couple of truths I've learned in 35 years of practicing and teaching stretching techniques from a variety of traditions including hatha yoga, modern dance, martial arts, and gymnastics.

First, stretching should be uncomfortable but not painful. Find the limit of a stretch for a particular muscle group and go just a bit beyond that to an uncomfortable level, but not the "you're going to hurt yourself." level. Try it and you'll immediately understand the difference between pain that's OK and pain that's injurious. In fact, this awareness is a great way to protect yourself from injury.

Second, hold this position of discomfort for a bit. How long? At least 30 seconds according to one study. And since this study applies only to hamstrings, it begs the question as to whether there are different hold-times for different muscle groups. Now ask a yoga practitioner and the answer is the longer you hold it the better. Here's why: muscle is like a rubber band - it stretches and contracts. Now stretch the muscle and hold it for 30-60 seconds (1 elephant, 2 elephants, 3...) and a fascinating thing happens - the muscle stretches and contracts like that rubber band, but it doesn't contract entirely back to where it began. Do some kind of full-body stretching routine regularly and you get progressively longer and more pliable muscle tissue, which means, you'll feel like a million!

My experience of stretching regularly for over 30 years leads me to believe that so much more occurs in the course of that 30-60 seconds than stretching muscle tissue. I've felt a boost in the immune system, quicker healing of injuries, more coordinated movement, faster reflexes, relief of joint stiffness and pain, a calmer body and mind - a new day! I believe stretching is a cure all, and look forward to future research confirming the multitude of benefits that the hatha yoga tradition claims.

We are "When" We Eat

You've heard that "we are what we eat". We can say the same about "when" "how much" and even "why" we eat. So many aspects of our eating habits are critical to our health. Let's look at when we eat.

One of the simplest ways to lose weight is to not eat late at night. Oprah swears by it. Ancient wisdom supports it: "Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper." And "Get up a little sleepy. Go to bed a little hungry." Recent research indicates that rats avoid obesity when they eat more in the morning than the evening.

Pick a time - say 7pm - and just say "no" to eating anything after that. Simple but not easy. Resisting any habit is difficult, particularly at first. Eating late at night is one of my biggest weaknesses - oh do I crave that boxful of crackers while I'm watching the ball game on TV. But take heart, it gets easier. And be patient with yourself, because look what you're up against. We are a culture of eating the biggest meal in the evening which happens to be opposite of what our body is designed to do, since the digestive system is in peak performance by midday, and slows down from then on. By late night all our bodily functions, including digestion, just want to sleep, not work. The later we eat the more food is converted into fat rather than burned off as energy. Interestingly, monks who meditate all day find that their bodies settle into a comfortable rythme of eating the biggest meal at mid-day, followed by only a light snack in the evening.

So the earlier you eat in the evening the better. Pick a time each night and just say "No!'" to any more food. It makes a big difference in my weight and how I feel before bed - no more feeling bloated and stuffed. And I have a newfound appetite for breakfast. Try it and let me know how it goes for you.

The Best Book on Pilates Mat Exercise

If you want the bible of Pilates mat exercise pick up the paperback, The Complete Book of Pilates for Men: The Lifetime Plan for Strength, Power, and Peak Performance by Daniel Lyons, Jr. In 30 years of teaching and practicing Pilates, I've seen quite a few publications on this subject, and this is by far the best. Lyons should have entitled it for men and women, because I use all his exercises for my male and female students alike. Easy to read, great diagrams, wonderful advanced options for each exercise, and a complete treatment of the original Pilates mat routine. This is all that I now use in my personal practice, and the only book I recommend to students and teachers. But don't just take my word for it - check out the 35 reviews on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Book-Pilates-Men-Performance/product-reviews/0060820772/ref=sr_1_1_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

Best Exercise

Here's the bottom line: every body has different health needs. But there are some general truths: you need to exercise daily, and exercise doesn't work without some control over your eating. And as explained in my first blogpost, the body needs 3 kinds of exercise to stay healthy.

In my experience there are only two exercise techniques that combine all three exercise needs in one routine.

First, Pilates mat exercises. Downside: it takes 20-30 private or group classes to learn it. Upside: once learned you'll never need another class, gym, or piece of equipment. When you no longer need to think about how to do each position, strength-training, stretching, and cardio are combined into a 20-30 minute routine. And there are so many other benefits: lean muscle tissue, reduced bulk, no wear-and-tear on joints, and the ellimination of most back problems. Joseph Pilates was the Einstein of fitness - his concept of core strength is a staple of the fitness and physical rehab world.

Second, circuit training - a set of 10 or more hydraulic machines separated by cushioned platforms as perfected by Curves. Some gyms now claim to offer circuit training, but don't have a clue! Here's a simple test: if the machines need any kind of adjustment, it's not circuit training. Hydraulic machinery is the key - the stronger you get, the faster you move the machine, the more resistance created by the hydraulics - like moving your limbs in water. And just as safe. Unfortunately there are few men's circuit facilities, and even fewer fitness facilities with real circuits. But this is the future of fitness for men and women - fast, safe, and effective. It can be an easy workout or the hardest exercise you'll ever find. Work the machine as fast as you can for just 30 seconds, then 30 seconds of jogging, then on to the next machine and a different muscle group. See how stopping to adjust anything would elliminate the cardio workout? 20 minutes of this followed by 10 minutes of stretching and you accomplish in 30 minutes what would traditionally take about 2 hours.

Do you know other techniques that combine all three of the exercises that the body needs? Let me know.

Fundamental Fitness Truth

After years of practicing and teaching fitness I'm struck by how few people, including most doctors and even health educators, know the basic truths about fitness. If I knew these simple facts when I was first developing an exercise habit, I would have treated my body differently and avoided several injuries. So I dedicate this blog site to sharing these simple truths.

This first blog post is devoted to the most important fitness truth in my life, what just may be THE fundamental fitness truth: the body needs three kinds of exercise to be healthy - cardiovascular exercise, strength training, and stretching. And here's the kicker: any one of these alone will not keep you healthy. Cardiovascular exercise - walking, running, swimming, biking, hiking, and most sports exercise - is great for your heart, but it does not build muscle. And muscle-building exercise is critical because from about age 30, men and women lose muscle tissue constantly all over the body. Muscle surrounds and protects all of our joints. If we neglect to restore muscle tissue, our joints become vulnerable to injury. Hence our chronic back, knee, and shoulder problems as we age.

Years ago I loved to jog. And because I ran miles nearly every day I thought I was in great shape. My heart rate indicated perfect health. Yet I was developing lower back pain, and injury in my shoulders from the simplest activities that never before caused problems, such as planting a ski pole and holding up a ceiling panel. I didn't know the critical importance of strength training. The good news is that I avoided surgery and no longer have any shoulder or back pain simply by adding strength training exercise 2-3 times a week.

How much time should be devoted to cardio, strength training, and stretching? What exercise techniques combine all three? And is there anything simple to say about nutrition? (Yes!) Tune in to future installments. And please join me by adding any points I've missed - I will gratefully incorporate and credit you for your comments.