Dr. Bruce Hensel interviews Physical Therapist Robert Forster about training and rehabilitating Olympic stars Kim Rhode and Allyson Felix. This video was shot before they both won gold in London.
Robert Forster, CEO & Founder of Phase IV and Forster Physical Therapy has teamed with Herbalife to create a fitness program called Herbalife 24Fit
Tired of encountering ill-advised training programs that only cause more injury, Robert created a new approach to physical therapy, which is divided into phases that follow the body’s natural healing and growth patterns. His experience working with athletes, both recreational and elite is now available on a set of 13 DVDs.
While many fitness enthusiasts go through a bit of trial-and-error with their meal planning until they come up with a plan that works for them, there are a few key points that all those that workout should keep in mind when trying to match their workout meals and snacks to their activity.
Carbohydrates are primarily what the body relies on for energy. The body needs a fairly steady source from the diet, since there’s only so much carbohydrate the body can store – in the form of glycogen – in the muscles and the liver.
It’s important to ‘top off the tank’ with some carbohydrate before an athletic event. In choosing what to eat, all fitness enthusiasts need to consider how much time they have to digest before they start their workout.
Foods high in fibre and fat delay digestion and may increase the risk of stomach discomfort during exercise, so save them for after your workout.
Light or liquid meals digest more quickly than solid food which generally requires a longer amount of time to be digested and absorbed .e.g. conusme a carton of yogurt or meal replacement drink.
During continuous activity that lasts longer than an hour, you need to keep the carbohydrate coming in. Specially designed workout drinks are ideal for this purpose, since they provide fluid and salts as well as the right amount of carbohydrate to keep muscles well fueled; some also provide small amounts of protein that help with muscle recovery.
Post-exercise, you must consume plenty of carbohydrate to replenish the stores in their liver and muscles. Ideally, you should try to eat within 30 minutes or so after your’e event or workout is over. Fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans and dairy products are all terrific recovery foods. This is the time to load back up on the higher fiber carbs since digestion time is no longer a concern.
Whey and casein – proteins derived from dairy products – are also needed after exercise to help promote muscle recovery. A protein smoothie made with milk and fruit, a sandwich on wholegrain bread with a glass of milk, or some yogurt with a piece of fruit are all excellent post-exercise meal ideas.
Your at-a-glance what to eat and when guide for superior workouts
More than 3 hours to your event?
If you’re planning ahead, then eat a regular, balanced meal no less than 3 hours before your event.
Between 1 and 3 hours to start time?
If you have only an hour or two before your event, then enjoy a lighter, solid meal, maybe some cottage cheese and toast, or a bowl of low fibre cereal or take a Formula 1 Shake with fruit.
Less than 1 hour until you compete?
For athletes who have only an hour or less to digest before an event, choose something that will be easy on your stomach such as a smoothie or a yogurt or a Formula 1 Sport Shake made in water.
During the event?
Keep topping up – use a specific sports hydration drink.
After the workout?
Post-exercise, the body is ready to take up plenty of carbohydrate to replenish the stores in the liver and muscles. Ideally, those doing workouts should try to eat within 30 minutes or so after the event is over. Recovery is two-fold, and requires carbohydrate for replacing glycogen stores as well as protein for rebuilding damaged muscle. Consume a recovery smoothie.
Nutrients are as important as carboydrates and protein.
“Science shows that proper nutrition at the cellular level is at least as important to both health and athletic performance as strength training, cardiovascular training, and recovery time. In fact, it’s the foundation for everything else. When you’ve trained as hard as you can, supplementing your diet with nutrients designed specifically to boost muscle growth, recovery, circulation, energy efficiency, and resilience of muscle fibers and connective tissue make all the difference “. Dr. Andrew Myers
When it comes to finding motivation to get up off the couch and improve your fitness level, sometimes it takes more than willpower alone to make it happen.
‘I’m too busy and I can’t find the time.‘
This is the number one excuse I hear for not exercising and, you may find it hard to believe, but this was also my go-to excuse after having triplets. It was an excuse that really worked because who would ever disagree? My four young kids sure do take up a lot of time.
And this ‘I’m too busy…‘ excuse sounds so much better and less embarrassing than the truth: ‘I’m just too tired and I don’t have the motivation’.
The reality is that we can all make time to add activity into our life. All we need to do is realize that excuses will only hurt us in the long term. Sometimes it takes a health scare or an embarrassing moment to force us to address the issue but why wait for that to happen before improving your life?
My changing moment was being asked to leave a steam room at the spa and being lectured in front of a full crowd on how heat could harm my unborn child. Sounds awful, right? The real problem was that my babies were five months old already. Talk about a cringe worthy moment! This was all the motivation I needed to get my body and fitness back on track.
3 ways to squeeze in a workout into your day:
1. Set your alarm 30 minutes earlier
This may seem like an obvious tip but it definitely takes motivation not to hit the snooze button and lie back down!
My next piece of advice may seem crazy but it worked for me: for the first few weeks wear a loose fitting workout kit to bed or place your workout outfit with your tennis shoes right next to your bed. When the alarm starts buzzing, put on your socks and shoes and get to it.
Working out at home or close to home is the best way to start out because it removes any excuses about joining a gym or having to travel anywhere. Sure, jogging along a beach at dawn may sound nice but, in reality, you probably need to get your workout done and dusted as quickly as possible.
As your body gets used to the time adjustment, add an extra 10 minutes so that you can actually comb your hair and brush your teeth before you go!
2. Pack your workout clothes and take them to work.
If you are not a morning person then it’s time for Plan B: the lunchtime power-walk. Schedule it in like you would a dentist or your hair salon appointment. It’s funny that we wouldn’t dream of not getting our hair cut but taking care of our health often gets overlooked or sidelined.
Asking a co-worker to join you will give you the extra motivation not to skip a session.
3. Split your workout into smaller segments.
If finding a full 30 minutes is too difficult, then try to do three or more mini workouts. It’s fine to accumulate your workout throughout your day.
This tip works especially well for stay-at-home-moms with young children because occupying a child for 10 minutes while you jump around and squeeze in a workout is a realistic goal.
If you work in an office and sit down all day, try taking a brief 10 minutes to stretch out or walk around the office, it may improve your energy level and boost your concentration.
Making an activity part of your lifestyle instead of a chore makes results easier to achieve. You might be amazed at how quickly small changes really do add up. Trust me, I’ve tried these and they worked for me. When I first got back into exercise, I sometimes went with tip one and other days I chose tip two or three, but I made sure to aim for at least 30 minutes every day and I began feeling more active, and consequently happier, in no time.
Once I decided to ditch my excuses and made time in my day to exercise, I was able to quickly progress to a regular spinning class and being active became just something I did rather than something I had to think about. People even started complementing me on all the extra energy I seemed to have.
So, no excuses - everybody can find time to exercise.
Written by Samantha Clayton. Samantha is a paid consultant to Herbalife.
Exercise is good for your body, your mind and for your social life. There are literally hundreds of reasons why being active is beneficial
Here are four reasons that I believe will inspire you to get up and get healthy. Once you’ve read through, I know you’ll join me and become a happier, healthier you.
1. Reduced stress
Most of our lives are filled with stress of some sort, whether it’s lack of time, financial struggles, difficult work deadlines or simply trying to herd your children to school.
Stress can lead to weight gain and make losing weight more difficult, so finding time for activity has never been so important.
Stress also often causes over-eating and this can lead to weight gain, in turn this can increase your stress and then the cycle repeats.
Even I have succumbed to stress and hidden out in my pantry (where I keep the cookies!) during times of high pressure. Knowing that this wasn’t the best reaction, I took time out and realized that I needed to do something that would help me cope with the stresses of my life. I found that adding an activity to my day allowed me to re-group and focus on myself and this helped me to reduce anxiety and stress.
2. Feel more productive in work and life
I always used to think that in school we had recess to give the teacher five minutes of peace but the real reason is much more interesting. Studies have found that after activity our brains are more active and this makes it easier for us to learn and retain information. (I’ve tested this philosophy on my own children and it definitely works for them.)
You may not be in school any more, but taking a brief recess for activity, especially when you feel drained, may improve your focus and make you more productive. Feeling that you’re more productive is a great way to beat stress!
3. Positive lifestyle attracts positive people
When you make a conscious effort to improve yourself through becoming more active, your confidence gets a boost. Even better, your new positive approach can convince those around you to also make a positive change. This is especially true if you decide to take a class or join a fit club.
Who knew that by improving yourself you¹d have the potential to improve others too?
4. Increase your happiness
Who doesn’t want to be happier? Being active promotes the release of endorphins in your body similar to those that are released when we eat foods such as chocolate. I’d much rather get my happy endorphins from activity because it¹s long lasting. When you eat unbalanced sugary delights, your happy vibe is short lived and is quickly followed by a not-so-happy energy drop.
What goes up must come down and if you constantly spike your blood sugar in this way, you¹ll find it hard to balance your mood. Instead, try involving yourself in a healthy activity as this may make you happier because you¹ll have more energy and your mood will be stable.
Activity really is good for everyone. Think of these four life-changing benefits of exercise as routes to happiness. Less stress makes you happier, being alert and more productive makes you happier and happy people attract positive happy people.
Happily, I think that promoting an active lifestyle will eventually make the world happier, healthier place.
Written by Samantha Clayton. Samantha is a paid consultant to Herbalife.
