Good Mood Diet Articles

Alice Lockridge, Physical Activity expert, MS PhysEd, Exercise Physiologist
with Liz Diether-Martin, Editor of The Good Mood Diet web site

How often have you heard the saying, “Use it or lose it?” And how often have you stretched your arms straight over your head and held them there for 60 seconds? If you’re like most people, you’ve heard the saying way more than you’ve done the stretch.

As a fitness instructor, I remind my clients that it’s a good idea to stretch every day even if they don’t do any other exercises. Stretching is also an integral part of a workout program:

• As the second part of the warm-up before any brisk physical activity. All it takes is a little walking for 5 minutes and a few static stretches (static means the stretch is held still) involving your shoulders, back, hips and calves. This combination enables your walking muscles to create heat to send to the stretched joints, readying them for more intense activity. With a quick warm-up you’ll feel better and be more apt to burn more calories during your workout. It also gives you an opportunity to notice sore spots or injured areas that need to be cared for before you work out. Try the stretches listed below, holding each stretch at least 10 seconds to produce the desired warm-up effect.


• During the cool-down phase after any vigorous physical activity, work or exercise. The following exercises are good for helping your muscles recover after a bout of intense or unfamiliar activity. Holding stretches for at least 10 seconds after workout helps you cool down and flush out metabolic waste products that are built up during the activity. Holding stretches for at least 60 seconds is needed if you want to increase your flexibility and ability to move through a larger range-of-motion. Pick one of these exercises to hold for the full minute each time you cool down to help you reach greater flexibility.

With all stretches, being careful with your body is key. Stretch slowly and hold still at the point where you feel a slight sensation of stretching. Never pull on a body part or bounce or jerk when stretching. Stretching should be a smooth action, not a quick or forceful action that could tear or injure the muscles. Abrupt, forceful stretches are counter-productive. Our bodies automatically respond to abrupt stretches by contracting the muscle. This protective response, called the Stretch-Contract Reflex, tries to prevent us from tearing our muscles.

Remember it this way: “Never stretch with a jerk!”

For each of these exercises, I’ll point out the ultimate goal. You may not be able to get there at first, but keep the goal in mind each time you stretch to help you have the most correct form.

Shoulder flexion

1. Lie on your back with knees bent and feet on the floor.
2. Reach your arms straight up over your head until they reach the floor.
3. Relax your arms and shoulder and lie passively.

The goal is to keep your arms narrow, alongside your head, elbows straight, with the length of your arms and your wrists touching the floor. Pay attention to your lower back and hold it in a neutral position without a huge arch underneath. If reaching your arms overhead pulls your back up into an arch, use your abdominal muscles to do a pelvic tilt to hold your trunk still.

Spinal twist

1. Lie on your back with your arms spread wide.
2. With one leg extended on the floor, bend the other knee and move it over and across your body and your straightened leg, trying to put your bent knee to the floor.
3. Relax and be passive, letting the weight of your leg and arms stretch your back muscles.
4. Pull your leg back and repeat, going the other direction with the other leg.

The long-term goal is to have both shoulders on the floor while your knee touches the floor. At first both may be off the floor and hovering. Be patient and let your body adjust to this new twist!

Spinal side bend

1. Sit on the floor with your legs either crossed or slightly bent.
2. Reach up with one arm, across your head toward the other side of the ceiling, keeping your elbow straightened.

The goal is to laterally bend your spine to 30 degrees and to stretch the muscles between your armpit and hip. Check your position: If you had keys in your upper hand and dropped them, they’d miss your head, but would drop straight to the floor on the opposite side of your body.

Spinal forward hang

1. While sitting with legs either crossed or slightly bent, let your arms hang loosely toward the floor.
2. Round your back and move your chin toward the floor.

The goal is to move your head as far from your tailbone as possible and make your back as round as possible.

Hamstring hug

1. Lie on your back and extend one leg on the floor.
2. Lift the other leg, with your hands behind your knee (on the back of your thigh not smashing your knee into hyperflexion).
3. Hug your thigh against your belly. Hold for 10 seconds.
4. Slowly straighten your knee, moving your foot up into sight while maintaining the hug of your thigh. Hold for 10 more seconds in a position just before the place that makes your leg “shake like a Chihuahua.” It should be a passive-held stretch not a tug-of-war!

The goal is to stretch the fibers of your hamstring that cross both your hip and the back of your knee. Normal range-of-motion is to be able to lift your leg, with your hip bent to a 90-degree angle, and have your knee straight. The ultimate position would be to have your leg move closer toward your face. Take care to avoid over-flexing your knee during the first part of this stretch. This stretch should be used to replace touching your toes from standing or seated positions.

Calf stretch – straight knee

1. While standing, position your right foot flat on the floor, pointing straight forward. This is the hard part. Your back foot will try to point outward, toward the side wall to avoid getting any stretch in your calf muscle.
2. Shift your weight back onto your right heel and gently take a normal step forward with your left foot. You don't have to be in a tight-rope walker's stance so step wide enough to maintain your balance.
3. With your right heel still on the floor, move your head and hips forward, away from your back heel and hold for at least 10 seconds.
4. Relax and repeat with the left leg in the back.

The goal is to stretch the gastrocnemius (the big calf muscle) so that the stretch sensation is in the belly, or the wide part of the muscle close to your knee. You should feel less of a stretch in the Achilles tendon, the big ropey tendon that attaches to your heel. Note: If these two calf stretches are too confusing to be done correctly, there is a great little blue calf stretch gadget made with a curved bottom that will keep you in the correct position and allow you to stretch longer and more comfortably.

Calf stretch – bent knee

1. While standing, position your right foot flat on the floor, pointing straight forward.
2. Shift your weight back onto your right heel and take a small step forward with your left foot so that the left foot is only slightly ahead of the right one. Again, step wide enough to maintain your balance.
3. Bend both knees and hips in a semi-squat, keeping most of your body weight on your right foot. Hold for at least 10 seconds.
4. Relax and repeat with the left leg in the back.

The goal is to stretch a much-underrated second muscle at the back of your calf. It's the soleus and it is much shorter than the gastrocnemius and only reaches up a few inches above your heel. Calf injuries are one of the most common for adults starting a new physical activity so don’t skip this stretch. Tight calf muscles can become injured and put a halt to your daily physical activity.

Originally published in Fitness Rx For Women

One of the most typical diet questions that I’m asked while standing aside the buffet table at a party is “what do you think about having a cheat day?” You’ve probably asked yourself, or a health professional, the same question. Here’s my answer (a little more detailed than you’d get at the party).

News flash: It's different for women and men

The idea of the “cheat day” came out of the world of bodybuilding. While notorious for their ability to follow a very restricted diet before competitions, male bodybuilders found by observation that on the day after their competition they looked much better than while they were on stage for the event. Not surprisingly, while they were eating only tuna and chicken breast in order to get cut before competition, immediately after the competition the nearest ice cream parlor was packed with competitors. After the late afternoon indulgence they’d awake the next morning to an incredibly buff body, showing more cuts and definition than the day before. It didn’t take long for the “cheat day” to be incorporated into the standard dieting regime of male bodybuilders.

But what about female bodybuilders? By self-report, the women that I work with find that adding in a cheat day every once in awhile is fine. However, different from their male counterparts, who seem to be able to return to their diet regimen with great control, the weekly cheat day leads to less restraint during the rest of the week.

Pamela Peeke, MD, MPH, confirms this idea in her book, Body-for-Life for Women (Rodale, 2005). According to Dr. Peeke, women are more likely to binge during a cheat day. She recommends incorporating balance into your every day diet, promoting healthy relationships with food, leading to successful weight loss.

What does the research say?

Until recently the whole concept of a cheat day was based on theory and anecdote. There isn’t any good data on what happens physiologically or metabolically when people include a cheat day regularly in their weight loss plan. Now, however, there is data on what happens behaviorally, and the outcome of that behavior. In 2005, a study was published by researchers at The Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado, examining the common characteristics of successful long-term weight loss maintainers on the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR). The NWCR consists of over 4800 individuals who have been successful in long-term weight loss maintenance. Although the NWCR does not represent a random sample of all dieters, it does have value in identifying potential strategies that may help others become successful in keeping weight off.

Among the many topics examined, dieting consistency was significant. Participants were asked whether they maintained the same diet regimen across the week and year, or if they tended to diet more strictly on weekdays and/or non-holidays. Few people said they dieted more strictly on the weekend compared with the rest of the week (2%), or during holidays compared with the rest of the year (3%). Fifty-nine percent reported that their eating was the same regardless of the day of the week, and 45% reported that it was the same on holidays, vacations, and the rest of the year. A minority of 39% reported stricter eating patterns during the week compared to weekends, and 52% were less controlled on holidays and vacations compared to the rest of the year.

When the investigators evaluated whether maintaining a consistent diet was related to subsequent weight regain after 2 years they found very interesting, and useful results. The results reported that those participants who maintained a consistent diet across the week were 1.5 times more likely to maintain their weight within 5 pounds over the subsequent year than participants who allowed themselves a “cheat day” during the week. The same was true for those individuals who allowed themselves more flexibility during holidays and traveling. Both groups that had “free time” outside their diet plans had a greater risk of regaining their lost weight. (1)

Think positive: balance, don’t cheat

The whole concept of cheating exemplifies the negative approach that we have toward food. When we cheat, whether planned or not, it implies guilt for a bad deed done. We live through a week of deprivation where our favorite foods are off limits, so all we do is crave them while working hard at avoiding them. Then comes our cheat day, and rather than eating a normal serving size of the chocolate cake, we binge and eat half the cake. Then the guilt sets in and there goes the other half of the cake. What a waste of time and emotion!

Get rid of the idea of cheating. Build in a positive approach to food and dieting by daily balancing your food with your exercise, and your favorite foods with all the foods that you eat to maintain your health. When foods are not off limits, when you don’t feel deprived, and when you know you’ll be able to have that small piece of cake several times a week, then you don’t binge, and you feel satisfied. This positive approach eliminates the whole concept of the “cheat day” because you’re building in the “cheat” at least several times a week, if not daily.

While this approach may make you nervous at first, it follows beautifully with the results of the Colorado study. Rather than changing your diet plan from weekday to weekend, a strategy that led to weight gain in the majority of NWCR members, you will be following your plan all week long. I like to call this balance, rather than planned cheating. And while it might take you a little time to become comfortable with the idea, once you try it you’ll never want to go back to that negative approach to food. You’ll be losing the weight off your shoulders, as well as your hips and thighs.

Creating balance

The easiest way to structure the balance in your diet is to start with the big picture: what are your favorite foods that you think you should avoid, and which days are your most active days? By plugging in sweet treats after exercise, you put the sugar to work for you. Not only should you not feel guilty about eating it, your body needs to have sugar after exercise. You can feel good about eating it and rewarding yourself for a hard, sweaty workout. Whatever that sweet treat is, make sure to include a source of milk protein at the same time, to get the biggest bang for your buck. Is your calling a sweet blended milk-based drink at your neighborhood latté stand or smoothie bar? Or maybe a cookie and a glass of milk? What about a latté and a bagel? All of these contain the right ingredients to help your muscles recover, build and refuel after exercise. Of course, keeping your serving sizes small will help contain your calories, but it will seem like plenty when you’ve never before even allowed yourself to eat anything after exercise!

Is your weakest moment in the evening? Are you dying for chocolate? Then plan to have a hot cocoa to help you relax and get you over the hump. The high tryptophan levels in milk combined with the few grams of carbohydrate will raise your serotonin levels and help your mind and body get ready for sleep. Non-dutched, natural cocoa powder, or bittersweet chocolate containing at least 70% cacao will do the same. So it’s something good for you to plan into your days.

What about the unplanned splurge?

There will always be very special moments in life when we do something, or eat something, just because we feel like it at the moment. I say, “celebrate those moments, don’t disparage them.” Don’t ruin your wedding because the cake isn’t in your plan for the day. Don’t avoid the champagne toast on your birthday. And definitely don’t forego sharing food during a special moment with a loved one. Food plays a very intimate role in our lives, and restricting food during tender moments, happy occasions and celebrations can make you feel left out. I’m talking about really special occasions, when it doesn’t matter if you’ve gone off the plan because these days happen very infrequently. So it’s not every holiday, or day off from work, but the very special ones.

When the day is done, look back on it with fondness. I hope the food and the moment were as good as you had hoped. Then tomorrow, go back to your plan. Cheating included; no guilt allowed!

References:
1. Wing RR, Phelan S. Long term weight loss maintenance. Am J Clin Nutr 2005;82(suppl):222S–5S

In several recent blogs, I’ve talked about one of my most frequently asked questions, in which the asker grabs some part of their body that they find undesirable and asks, “Can you give me an exercise to get rid of this?” This common question brings up two important topics: body shapes and where your fat is stored and that all-time favorite subject of “spot reducing.” To learn about where fat is stored and how different bodies burn fat differently, check my blog archives.

Today I’d like to talk about the fact that you can target muscle firmness – or tell your body exactly where to firm up a muscle.

Targeting muscle strength, firmness, and tone is a really good aspect of exercise. If you use a muscle (make it contract and relax repeatedly) it will be hungry or metabolically more active. If you do this often or involve a lot of muscles in this activity, you will use a lot of calories and perhaps burn some of your stored body fat. But of course, the fat that is burned isn’t necessarily the closest fat cells to the worked muscles.

If you have reached the primary goal of being physically active most days of the week, it’s a good idea to set a goal of doing some targeted strength building. To plan an exercise routine that will build strength in skeletal muscles, you should know the “Thirty Repetition Rule.” This rule of physiology says,

“If you can repeat an exercise 30 times, then that proves you are already as strong as that particular exercise can make you. You won’t get any stronger by doing it, even if you do it for more repetitions.”

If you want to get stronger, then you need to overload the activity enough that you are not quite able to do 10 repetitions of the activity. The resistance you use can be metal weights, rubber balls filled to make them heavy, jumbo rubber bands, or for some exercises, your own body weight. No matter what the resistance device or your age or gender, you want to make it hard to repeat the exercise 10 times. If you pick up a book bag to use for your weight and you find that you can only repeat the exercise 2 times because the bag is so heavy, then make it lighter until you find just the right weight – that you can perform between 8 and 10 repetitions and are really glad to stop there. If you can easily do 10 or 15 repetitions, then you will need more resistance to be able to make yourself stronger.

The American College of Sports Medicine advises that American adults should find 10 exercises to do at least twice a week and do them against a resistance that makes it hard to do 10 repetitions. Each exercise you do will probably need a different amount of resistance because different parts of your body have different strength levels. So plan on finding 4 to 10 different weights/bags/bands.

Once you have loaded the muscles that perform each of your chosen activities with enough resistance that it is hard to do 10 repetitions, you have found a way to build more strength, cause the muscles to firm up, and to become more toned. Keep at it about twice a week and your muscles will become stronger, denser, heavier and hungrier! You will then have a higher metabolic rate and will be able to burn today’s food better and also will be a better fat metabolizer to burn up yesterday’s stored food.

Finding ways to eat more food and not be concerned about it turning to fat puts me in a good mood!