FusionSouth Blog

Replacing Your Old Exercise Shoes

May 28th, 2011

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Exercising in old or worn out shoes can lead to an increase in sports-related injuries. Over time, athletic shoes become more unstable and lose shock absorption capacity. When this happens, the stress to your feet and legs increases dramatically, and that added stress can lead to an overuse injury. A simple prevention strategy for this type of injury includes replacing your exercise shoes when they being to show signs of wear.

The midsole layer of a shoe provides the cushioning and stability. This area typically wears out before the outsole shows major signs of wear. When a midsole wears out the shoe loses its functional stability, thereby putting your foot, ankle, knee and other joints at a greater risk of injury.

It is recommended that you replace athletic shoes roughly between 350-450 miles; this is dependent on different keys, including your running or walking style, body weight, and the surface on which you exercise. Lighter runners can get closer to the upper end of the recommendation, while heavier runners are typically harder on shoes and should consider replacements closer to 350 miles.

Replacement Tips

Track your mileage; dependent on your effort and body weight, after 350-400 miles it’s probably time for a new pair. For example, athletes who run 25 miles per week (or roughly 3-4 miles per day) will need to replace shoes every three to four months.

You can check for signs of wear on the sole by placing your old shoes on a table and looking at them from behind. If the soles are worn and leaning to one side, the midsole cushioning is most likely worn as well.

Spotting Midsole Wear

A shoe’s midsole cushioning may be worn out long before the tread shows signs of wear. Because the bottom and tread of the shoe may look fine, identifying when the cushioning wears down is a little more difficult. Here are a few tips for identifying midsole wear:

First, pay attention to how you feel. As your shoes begin to give out, you may begin to get some aches or pains in your bones and joints. You may also notice slight muscle fatigue, new tightness, or possible shin splints. Take any and all of these as signs that it may be time to replace your athletic shoes.

Look for creasing of the midsole material in areas of high load. These areas are found under the heel, or near the ball of the foot. A worn out midsole will have wrinkles and creases there, which is another indication the shoe is being stressed beyond its capacity, thereby potentially hurting your feet and joints.

Try to twist the shoe. A worn out midsole will allow the well-worn athletic shoe to twist more easily than a new shoe.

Try on a new pair of the model that you are currently wearing. Compare this to your current shoes. If the cushioning in your shoes feels dead in comparison, it probably is – take the comparison test a sign that it may be time for a new pair of athletic shoes.

Consider Rotating Shoes

If you walk or run quite frequently, it’s a good idea to use more than one pair of shoes. Think about buying two pairs at a time – or, buying a second pair about midway through the life of your first. Add the new pair in to your shoe rotation when your “old” shoes have about 200 miles on them. If you use two pairs of shoes, you should still track mileage per shoe, and replace each pair after they reach the 350-450 mile point in time.

Conclusion

Take care of your feet. Wearing down your feet directly correlates to wearing down your ankle joints, your knees, and in short order, your hips and lower back. If you are a frequent runner or walker, especially on asphalt or any other hard surfaces, you owe it to yourself to look after your feet and legs – and that care begins with a properly-fitted and properly-padded pair of shoes.

Posted in Fitness Tips, General Fitness

Eat Your Vegetables!

May 19th, 2011

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Your mother told you to eat your vegetables, but did you really ever listen? At FusionSouth, we definitely didn’t either. But with all of the scientific reports and studies, it seems that your mother may have been on to something. Eating vegetables is one of the best things that you can do for your diet and your body.

Why Vegetables?
Eating vegetables is an easy way to help a bad diet become healthier. First of all, vegetables contain a number of antioxidants that may help to stop certain cancers from forming in the body. These antioxidants, like Vitamin C, help the body to repair after long bouts of stress and illness, and help to shield the body from future problems. Tomatoes, for example, include lycopene which can even help to protect your eyes from sight problems.

Great Source Of Fiber
There is the fiber factor in eating vegetables; because of the high levels of fiber, the digestive system remains healthier and more toned. Just like your body’s muscles, the digestive system needs to remain sleek and able to process food properly. When you eat more fiber, the insides of your digestive system remains clear and healthy, allowing you to avoid issues with constipation, not to mention colon cancers and polyps.

Great Source Of Protein
If you want to avoid animal products, you have to make sure that you are eating vegetables in order to get the protein that you’re otherwise lacking. By combining vegetables in your meals, you will be able to consume the essential amino acids that your body needs to survive- and thrive! A simple meal of spinach, beans, and whole grain rice is a great way to treat your body right, whether or not you are avoiding animal products.

Great Source Of Water
Vegetables also contain high levels of water in their structures, which allows them to be generally fat free and low in calories. This is a great asset for those that are watching their calories and want to lose weight. Combined with the fiber, eating vegetables also tends to make a person feel fuller for longer, and curbs the tendency for unnecessary snacking.

Vegetables Are An Easy Addition To Your Diet
Eating vegetables is quite simple for anyone to add to their diets. Not only can you find small baby carrots, but some companies have gone so far as to create snack packs of vegetables that you can bring with you anywhere. Salad mixes are also on grocery store shelves, making it easy to eat your greens any night of the week. You can find vegetable juices and smoothies, too, for an additional option.

No one says that eating vegetables needs to be boring. Try vegetable-based soups, broths, and even vegetable-based protein products for variety and flavor. You can also find vegetable breads and pastas in many stores. Don’t forget about spaghetti sauces and marinara for additional tomatoes and other ingredients! Maybe with these tips, you’ll be able to obey your mom – for once. Hope this helps you add some quality nutrients to your diet!

Posted in Fitness Tips, Nutrition

How to Spot a Fitness Gimmick

May 12th, 2011

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So we’ve definitely heard all of the gimmicks, commercials, testimonials, and spokespeople during late-night informercials… “Turn your body into a super fat-burning machine!” “You can get washboard abs in just 5 minutes per day!” “Exciting new development!” “Research-proven!”

How can you spot a fraud? What sort of warning signs should you be on the lookout for if you think something might be a gimmick? Check out today’s quick tips on how to spot a potential fitness fraud… Be Well!

If It Sounds To Good Too Be True, It Probably Is…
How many times have you heard this? Ads and infomercials can be so seductive that you really want to believe the wild claims they promise. You may be tempted to suspend good judgement and buy into the fantasy. Substandard and fraudulent products hurt more than just your wallet. When a product doesn’t do what it claims to do, you feel let down. This can lower your self-confidence and can even lead you to believe that your fitness goals will never be achieved.

Buyer Checklists
Gimmicks and scams are not always easily detected. Use this checklist before purchasing a product advertised in a mail-order catalog or on television (especially during late-night!):

  • Is the product supported entirely by testimonials?
  • Is there any controlled, randomized scientific evidence supporting the sales claims?
  • Do the experts associated with the program have the proper credentials?
  • Is the person selling the product a believable salesman?
  • Does the promotion use any pseudo-medical jargon?
  • Does the promotion boast a “secret” formula or “miracle” answer?
  • Do the claims seem miraculous or far-fetched?
  • Is the product appealing exclusively to your vanity?
  • Does the suggested use of the product seem unrealistic in regards to the desired outcome (i.e., “just seven minutes a day toward slimmer thighs”)?
  • Does the fine print contain any long-winded disclaimers?
  • Does the offer include additional free prizes?

Online Buying Tips
You need to have confidence in the company and product you’re buying online. Does the company have your best interests at heart? If in doubt, search for clues as to their reliability. Do they have a phone number? You may want to call to check them out further.

Ask a question by e-mail and see how long they take to respond. Ask the company for independent research that substantiates their claims and promises. You can check out the company on the Better Business Bureau’s Business Report page to see how others in your situation have reviewed them, too.

If In Doubt, Ask The Experts
The media is quick to announce a new fitness discovery, regardless of the source’s legitimacy. Unfortunately, this new claim may quickly be retracted when proper, scientific studies are made. Gimmicks will misuse the initial, questionable data to convince you to buy their product. What should you believe? If you don’t have the time to sort through information dispensed from reputable sources, you should ask an expert. A certified fitness instructor will, hopefully, be able to separate fact from fiction.

Avoid the lure of fitness-product charlatans and increase your skills at making educated buying decisions. Try not to buy the hype and stick to the age-old adage, “if it sounds to good too be true, it probably is.”

Posted in Fitness Tips, General Fitness

Tips for Doing More Push-Ups

May 4th, 2011

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One of our Twitter followers recently asked us if there were any tips to get better at doing push-ups, since she noted that her form deteriorated after just a couple of push-ups. It’s ironic that she posed the question, because one thing that our clients consistently ask about, regardless of age, gender, physical ability, or fitness goals, are push-ups. How to do them properly, how to make them better, and how to do more and more as the clients gets stronger.

The first thing we must stress is that in our workouts, push-ups must be done with absolute, pristine, picture-perfect technique – or they do not count. That means your abs are braced tightly like you are about to be punched, your back is flat, your hips are linear to your head and feet (no sagging or ‘A-framing’), your hands are at your side and the elbows are tucked in at 45 degrees (not flaring out at 90 degrees). Your chest and your hips lower and touch the ground at the same rate. The reverse motion must happen on the way up as well. If you do not do this, you are not doing push-ups.

Believe it or not, the majority of average adults do not posses the upper body or core strength to do a perfect set of just ten push-ups. When done properly, perfect push-ups are a lot harder to do than most people think. They are also one of the absolute best muscle building exercises around and should be part of every lean muscle building exercise regimen. Not many other upper body pushing exercises recruit as many muscle groups as the push-up does, and thus, do not provide as much bang for your buck.

What we typically suggest is that beginners do push-ups as frequently as six days per week. This will work for quite some time (months) and you will improve your repetitions as you go. Eventually, however, you will burn out; when you reach a more advanced stage, we recommend that you cut your push-ups down to two or three times per week. Here, you can alternate between heavy and light days. One day you will go heavy and add resistance to your pushups, via plates on your back, a resistance band or weighted vest, or different styles of push-ups (see below), and do an average of 5-8 reps on each set. The other day, which will come 72 hours later, should be a repetition max day where you will simply do as many repetitions, with just body weight resistance, as possible.

For the heavy day, 2-4 sets will be more than enough. On the repetition day, you probably won’t need more than two all-out sets. If you are really advanced you could cycle three different pushup days wherein you go heavy, light and explosive on day three. For the explosive day you will want to do plyometric pushups (i.e., jumping or clapping push-ups), depth pushups, or medicine ball throws. The reps should be kept at 3-5 on this day for a total of 5-8 sets.

One mistake most people make when trying to improve their pushups is that they do the exact same type of pushups every single time. You need to add some variety to your push-ups, which can include: Hindu push-ups, Dive Bomber push-ups, Spider Man push-ups, Medicine Ball push-ups, Clap push-ups, Decline push-ups, Stability Ball push-ups, Prison push-ups, Scorpion push-ups, and more. Don’t get stuck doing only the most basic form of push-ups or you will burn out sooner than later and be more likely to develop over use injuries.

Posted in Fitness Tips, General Fitness, Good Workouts

Five Important Tips to Take to the Grocery Store

April 5th, 2011

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Good nutrition starts with smart choices in the grocery store; cooking healthy is impossible if you don’t have the right ingredients in your kitchen. But do you really have time to read all the food labels and figure out which items are the healthiest? Shopping can be daunting because there are so many choices. With a little FusionSouth guidance, you will hopefully be able to make healthy choices in any supermarket! Be Well!

1. Plan Ahead for Success

The process starts even before you head to the grocery store. Plan your meals for the week, and create a list to shop from; it will take a few minutes, but will also save time in running back to the store for missing ingredients.

2. Don’t Shop Hungry

An empty belly results in impulse purchases that may not be the healthiest. Eat a meal before you head to the store; you will be significantly less likely to make impulse food purchases once there!

3. Be A Well-Rounded Shopper

Fill your cart with plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy, lean meat, fish, poultry, beans, and nuts. Be adventurous; aim to try a new fruit or vegetable each week. Organic items, while a little more expensive, are great choices to make at the grocery store!

4. Supermarket Item Checklist

  • Produce. Spend most time in the produce section, the first area you encounter in most grocery stores. Choose a rainbow of colorful fruits and vegetables. The colors reflect different vitamin, mineral, and phytonutrient content of each fruit or vegetable. Eat green!
  • Breads, Cereals, and Pasta. Choose the least processed foods made from whole grains. For example, regular oatmeal is preferable to instant oatmeal. When choosing whole-grain cereals, aim for at least 4 grams of fiber per serving, and the less sugar, the better. Avoid granolas, even the low-fat variety; they will have more fat and sugar than other cereals.
  • Meat, Fish, and Poultry. The American Heart Association recommends two servings of fish a week. Additionally, choose lean cuts of meat (like round, top sirloin, and tenderloin), opt for skinless poultry, and watch your portion sizes.
  • Dairy. Dairy is an excellent source of bone-building calcium and Vitamin D. There are plenty of low-fat and non-fat options to help you get three servings a day, including yogurts and pre-portioned cheeses. If you enjoy higher-fat cheeses, keep your portions small.
  • Frozen Foods. Frozen fruits and vegetables are a convenient way to help fill the produce gap. Favorites include whole-grain waffles for snacks or meals, 100% juices for marinades and beverages, and plain cheese pizza with extra skim mozzarella cheese and a variety of veggies.
  • Canned and Dried Foods. Keep a variety of canned vegetables, fruits, and beans on hand to toss into soups, salads, pasta, or rice dishes. Whenever possible, choose vegetables without added salt. Tuna packed in water, low-fat soups, nut butters, olive and canola oils, and assorted vinegars should be in every healthy pantry.


5. General Rules To Follow

  • Shop the perimeter of the store, where fresh foods like fruits, vegetables, dairy, meat, and fish are usually located. Avoid center aisles where junk foods are kept.
  • Choose “real” foods – 100% fruit juice or 100% whole-grain items with as little processing and few additives as possible. If you want salt or sugar, add it yourself.
  • Stay clear of foods with cartoons on the label that are targeted to children. If you don’t want your kids eating junk foods, don’t have them in the house.
  • Avoiding foods that contain more than five ingredients, artificial ingredients, or ingredients you can not pronounce; these are signs of poor, over-processed nutrition choices.

Posted in Fitness Tips, Nutrition