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Beyond Water: The New Rules of Replenishment

We talk frequently about the importance of a healthy, nutritious diet, but keeping our bodies properly hydrated is just as important. And when it comes to hydration, it can get a little complicated.

Most of us don’t drink as much water as we should every day, but we do usually drink other beverages, like coffee and tea. Unfortunately, it has been widely proven that most non-water liquid options do not positively add to your daily allowance of water, and many even leech needed water out of our bodies.

On the other hand, while clean and filtered water is certainly a crucial component to keeping our bodies performing optimally, we need other components from our liquids that water alone cannot provide. Our complex body systems need so much more!

This article dives into the different mineral components that contribute to sufficient hydration. To replenish all that you lose in a day’s work, you may need to focus on the entire spectrum of the sweat collective and hydration, including electrolytes such as potassium, magnesium, and sodium.

Electrolytes

In order to understand hydration, it is important to first understand what electrolytes are and what they do for the body. If you have ever suffered a Charlie Horse or muscle cramp, you know it’s not a fun feeling — and you usually can blame your body’s electrolytes for that!

Electrolytes are responsible for a whole lot, including the balance of the body’s pH levels. Anyone who has tried to maintain a fish tank knows how hard this is to do. Even a little bit of the wrong chemical mineral or the wrong temperature could harm the creatures that live in the tank. The most important electrolytes that need to be balanced include: sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, magnesium and phosphate.

The right electrolyte levels also help your body move waste out of cells and out of the body. Electrolytes also help to make sure that your nerves, muscles, brain, and heart are all working optimally and communicating with each other efficiently. We’ll take a closer look at the main electrolytes later, but let’s first look at sweat, which is one of the main ways we lose electrolytes.

Sweat

One of the best ways for our bodies to cool themselves down and get rid of excess liquid toxins (besides elimination from kidneys) is to sweat. Sweating is healthy, but it is also one of the easiest ways for the body to lose key electrolytes. So learning how to replenish and hydrate after sweating is very important to help fight fatigue, prevent muscle cramping, prevent kidney stones and bladder issues, prevent headaches and dizziness, lower blood pressure and dry mouth, just to name a few. Certainly, sweating can feel very rewarding while exercising, and it’s even commonly thought that in order to get a good workout, you need to sweat a lot. But while some bodies naturally sweat a lot (men more than women) others do not, and there are a few key reasons for this. These factors include the environment in which people live, how acclimated to heat they are, and how hydrated they were prior to the workout or activity.

A key factor in achieving optimal hydration replenishment health is making sure that when you are working out or moving your body strenuously, you efficiently replace the fluids and minerals lost. If you are working hard in the gym or to burn excess calories and build muscle, proper and consistent hydration can be the key difference between getting stronger and feeling fatigued. Additionally, if you do not replace your fluids, your heart rate may continue to increase uncomfortably and you are at a higher risk of your body crashing, cramping, sustaining an injury, or slowing down during the workout. These are signals from your body, telling you that something is wrong.

Hydration

While our bodies can survive relatively long periods of time without food, they cannot survive one week without fluids. Larry Kenney, Ph.D., discussing the importance of hydration, stated, “Hydration is important because the body is comprised mostly of water, and the proper balance between water and electrolytes in our bodies determines how most of our systems function, including nerves and muscles.”

If we think of the body as a recipe for a special dinner, the final product is only as good as the ingredients that we put into it, as well as the time and process we use. If we are missing ingredients, we cannot expect the best results. So if we’re working all day and not drinking water, we can’t expect our bodies to function at the same level as they would with optimal hydration.

People with the highest risk of dehydration include: seniors, people who live in hot and humid areas, children, and pregnant women. In addition to symptoms we’ve already listed, dehydration can have other symptoms such as dry skin, sunken eyes, increased heart rate, not sweating, delirium, and unconsciousness in more serious cases.

If you or someone you love is in one of the high-risk categories, make sure to learn and share tips for proper hydration, to ensure you keep your body functioning at its best.

Having a water bottle around you all day, and access to clean water, is key to hydration success. Eating fresh salads and vegetables and fruits with high water content throughout the day is another great way to get water into the body. If plain water is not easy to drink, try infusing your water with a few lemon wedges, berries, or cucumber slices to jazz things up a bit. There are also hydration apps that can send you gentle reminders to drink up throughout the day.

Magnesium

Magnesium is an important electrolyte that helps the body’s muscles contract during exercise. Magnesium is responsible for more than 300 nerve impulses and enzymatic reactions in the body, and helps transport calcium and oxygen throughout the body (think strong bones). It also helps us relax and sleep better, fights depression, reduces insulin resistance, and much more.

Because magnesium is lost through sweat and urination, improper replenishing of this electrolyte can lead to cramps, low blood pressure, dizziness, and decreased muscular performance. High levels of magnesium can be found in dark leafy greens, lentils, peas, nuts and seeds, and unrefined whole grains. Since it’s difficult to get enough magnesium from diet alone, it’s also a good idea to supplement with a high-quality, seawater-derived magnesium.

Potassium

Potassium packs a double punch when it comes to hydration. It is not only a mineral but also an electrolyte. When you have low potassium, you may notice that your muscles feel weak, crampy, or begin twitching. In extreme cases, your muscles could even become paralyzed, or you may develop an abnormal heart rhythm. Maintaining the right amount of potassium in your body decreases the risk of stroke, lowers your blood pressure, protects you against loss of muscle mass, preserves bone mineral density, and reduces the formation of kidney stones. You can find Potassium in various foods and drinks such as bananas, beets, or beans. Three types of beans specifically — white, soy, and lima beans — are major sources of potassium providers.

Sodium

Sodium gets a bad rap, and though people with high blood pressure often need to follow a low sodium diet, not all sodium is bad. Excess sodium is certainly not healthy, but getting the right amount of sodium is a critical component in keeping the body fluids stable and the body hydrated. Similar to potassium, sodium is an electrolyte that our body needs in order to function optimally. Sodium is especially crucial in combination with potassium for maintaining a healthy blood pressure. Too much of either one or both can lead to high blood pressure (and vice versa).

Bottom Line

Whether you are looking to build muscles, lose weight, have more energy, improve your mood, or get rid of headaches,  all of them may be linked to proper hydration. But hydration is not limited to just your everyday water consumption. The body is a machine capable of great things. How it functions is only as good as its components and maintenance. If we don’t pay attention to our fluid intake, our perspiration, activity levels, and hydration and replenishing habits, we can miss out on what the body needs to perform optimally and avoid preventable discomforts.

Remember to look for foods and drinks that aid your body in its need for electrolytes, potassium, sodium, magnesium, calcium, and chloride each day. And take a well formulated multi-mineral supplement derived from real food sources each day to ensure you are getting what you need.

The Difference Between Stress, Worry, and Anxiety

“Stress, anxiety, and worry, all have their place in our world, but when they become chronic, they can cause serious health issues.”

Stress, anxiety and worry… oh my! As the numbers show, there’s a really good chance that you are experiencing some form of stress, worry, or anxiety on a regular basis — even if you aren’t feeling them right at this moment.

In today’s episode, Dr. Nancy Lin, PhD, will help us get a deeper understanding of the differences between worry, anxiety, and stress. She will also share a number of research-based tips that have been proven to effectively manage all three, including dietary and other nutritional solutions that can have a profound effect on how your body and mind deal with the anxiety, worry, and stress we face every day.

Video Highlights

  • 01:37: A Stressed, Anxious, Worried Society
  • 06:19: Stress, Anxiety, and Worry Are Not the Same Thing
  • 09:00: Worry
  • 19:01: Stress
  • 30:10: Anxiety
  • 39:23: Wrap-Up

A Stressed, Anxious, and Worried Society

We’ve become a stressed-out, anxious society, now more than ever, and no one is exempt: we’re all worried or stressed out about something – we might be stressed about work, or worried about our kids, or anxious about our health, especially with the rapidly developing coronavirus situation. The list goes on and on.

If you’re struggling with any of these issues, you are not alone.  In fact, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, over 40 million Americans are currently suffering from some form of anxiety disorder, and over 75% of all Americans reported feeling seriously stressed in the last 30 days. Stress, anxiety, and worry, all have their place in our world, but when they become chronic, they can cause serious health issues — like heart diseasedigestive issuesdepressionobesity, and diabetes — unless they are managed appropriately.

Stress, Anxiety, and Worry Are Not the Same Thing

Think about the last time you felt nervous or tense — would you say you were feeling worried, stressed, or anxious?  If you struggled with answering that question, don’t beat yourself up; it’s often a really tough question to answer. We tend to lump all three — anxiety, stress, and worry — together, and use them interchangeably in conversation. But it’s important to point out that they are all distinctly different, and the steps we’re going to recommend for addressing each are also distinctly different.

Worry

A Chinese philosopher in the 8th century wrote this about worry…

“If you can solve your problem, then what is the need of worrying? And if you
can’t solve it, then what is the use of worrying?” 

So what is worry? We all know what it feels like, but have you ever really thought about what it actually is? Worry is what happens in your brain (not in your body) when you dwell on negative thoughts, the things that could go wrong, or the unknown. If you’ve read any psychology, you may have come across an idea that “worry and guilt” are useless emotions. Worry is about the future, and guilt is about the past. But is worry entirely useless?

When we worry, we are thinking about pending or existing problems or uncomfortable situations. This stimulates your brain, and actually increases your problem-solving abilities, helping you develop a course of action to solve a problem, or motivating you to take action to keep you safe — all of which are good things, right?

Yes! But worry becomes problematic when your thinking becomes repetitive and obsessive — like a broken record that plays over and over in your head. Obsessive worrying causes you to feel nervous and restless, and makes it hard to think about anything else other than what you are worried about. And, although worry is not an actual physical reaction, it can lead to unwanted physical symptoms, including:

  • An increased heart rate
  • Breathing rapidly of even hyperventilating
  • Stomach and digestive issues
  • Sweating
  • Feeling weak or tired

Addressing Chronic Worry

So, what can you do to help with chronic worry? So many of us have that constant voice of worry in our heads, talking to us so often that we sometimes can’t even hear what it’s saying. If you find yourself dealing with chronic worry, try some of the following:

  • Listen! Be aware of your worry. Listen to your inner voice and make an effort to what’s specifically contributing to you feeling this way. Identify what you are worried about.
  • Give yourself a time limit (and a worry limit). Give yourself 15 or 20 minutes to process and worry about a problem and then make a conscious effort to move on to something else.  This may sound strange, but give it a try — over time, and the more you make the effort to redirect your focus, the easier it gets.
  • Do something about it. When you notice you are worrying, what’s your next step?  What is your plan? Remember the quote we just shared: “If you can solve your problem, then what is the need of worrying? And if you can’t solve it, then what is the use of worrying?”  That applies here. If you can solve the problem, work on finding that solution.
  • Write down what’s on your mind. Jot down what’s causing you to worry, just to get it out of your head and onto paper. Research has proven again and again that writing about what has you worried, even for as short a time as 5 minutes, helps to calm your mind and ease the obsessive thoughts that come with worry.  Try keeping a journal by your bed so that if worry wakes you up or keeps you from sleeping, you have an outlet for it. Taking a few minutes to jot down your thoughts, can make it easier to get back to sleep.

On a final note, research has confirmed that 85% of what we worry about never happens — so save your energy!

Stress

Stress is your body’s response — an actual physical response — to a stressor. It’s a reaction to something that happens in your environment — maybe it’s a response to an argument with your spouse, or what you feel when your waiting for the results of a biopsy, or maybe how you respond to what’s going on at work. Whatever the cause, it’s how your body responds to an external circumstance. And the stress response is an ancient one, which can be traced back to our earliest ancestors. Back then, the body’s natural response — or stress response — to something in the environment often meant the difference between life and death… between eating and being eaten.

Our body’s behavioral response to stressors hasn’t changed much at all since then. Upon sensing (or perceiving) an external threat — whether physical, mental, or emotional — our bodies still respond by releasing a huge dose of adrenaline and cortisol into our bodies. You’ve most likely heard the term “fight or flight”. That’s what we are talking about here — your heart beat increases, your hands might get sweaty or clammy, your breathing becomes more shallow… in short, your body is preparing to respond, either by fight or by flight. It’s preparing to defend itself, by fighting, or to save itself by running away.

Now occasional day-to-day stress typically isn’t a problem for our health, but when this response is the norm — meaning it’s chronic — then it tends to lead to serious health issues, including increasing the risk of heart disease, a weakened immune system, muscle and joint pain, and often chronic body inflammation.

Steps to Reduce Stress

There are a number of things we recommend for reducing stress, and they are not the same as what we recommend for worry or anxiety (in general). When you’re stressed, it’s a good idea to focus on the things you can control, while learning to accept the things that you can’t. To the best of your ability, learn to live and let live, and if you can’t change it, try to learn to be okay with it. We know that’s easier said than done, but doing so is really, really important for your mental and physical health.

Also, keep in mind that everyone responds to stress differently; what causes you stress, might not even be a blip on your neighbors radar (and vice versa). Keeping that in mind, it’s super important for you not to compare your stress with anyone else’s stress — doing so is only setting you up for one more stress!

Additionally, always keep in mind that stress is a physical response — your body is responding to something by releasing tons of adrenaline and cortisol. That being said, one of the very best ways to deal with stress is to exercise on a regular basis. You need to exercise for at least, 20 minutes daily.

Study after study demonstrates that at least 20 minutes of exercise can help consistently and effectively reduce stress. For an ideal stress-relieving workout, we recommend that you exercise between 25 and 30 minutes each and every day.

Equally important as the time you spend exercising, is the type of exercise you choose.

While any exercise is effective and will help reduce stress, research has demonstrated that certain types of exercise are more effective at relieving stress than others; yoga is one of those exercises.

Yoga for Stress Relief

Yoga has come a long way over the last few years. It is now recommended for everyone, from kids to seniors; it’s great for your mental and physical health!

The majority of those practicing yoga consistently report experiencing significant reductions in stress after starting yoga. You don’t need to become a hard core yogi to experience its benefits; performing short, simple yoga stretches is often enough to help you start to feel your stress subside and your mood lift. So remember, at least 20 minutes a day of some exercise — it’s your choice.

Anxiety

So, if worry is a mental response and stress is a physical reaction, then what is anxiety?  Well, anxiety is actually the result of dealing with a combination of worry and stress — with one major difference. Anxiety is very similar to stress in that your body creates a physical response,  but, unlike stress, there is no actual threat. Anxiety often occurs when you assume something bad is happening (similar to worry) but you have a physical response like you experience during real stress — even when there is nothing actually to worry, stress, or be anxious about. In other words, anxiety is an excessive focus on something that might happen in the future (or, excessive worry and stress with no identifiable cause).

Let’s use the coronavirus as an example: sure, it’s normal to be concerned and worry about the coronavirus. But if you aren’t aware of your worry, this worry can quickly lead to anxiety — you watch the news, and as you hear more and more about the spread of the virus you continue to worry more about what’s going to happen or if you are going to contract it. Before you know it, every time you hear the word “coronavirus”, or someone coughs, sneezes, or clears their throat near you, your heart starts to race, your adrenaline starts pumping, your palms get sweaty — your body is physically responding to what your mind is perceiving as a threat, even when the threat isn’t real or isn’t present at that moment — that’s anxiety.

Natural Anxiety Treatments

Fortunately there are also several natural, effective treatment options that have been shown to calming the symptoms of anxiety, including:

  •  exercise (again at the very top)
  • Specific deep-breathing exercises
  • Limiting your intake of sugar, caffeine, and alcohol,
  • Address nutrient deficiencies. This is perhaps the most overlooked, but still a very important way to reduce anxiety. There is a clear link between deficiencies in specific vitamins and minerals and not only anxiety, but depression as well.

Actually, that last point is also true for worry and stress — one of the most common, but also the most overlooked, contributors to anxiety, stress, and worry are deficiencies in B-vitamins, magnesium, and zinc. If you are deficient in these vitamins and minerals, and most of us are deficient in at least one, your biochemistry is affected. This can manifest as increased worry, stress, and anxiety.

In addition, where you get your vitamins and minerals from also matters, because if they are not food-based and absorbed well by your body then you’re not going to get the benefit you want. You want to get the right amount of your vitamins and minerals from natural whole food, not synthetic “food grade” or “food equivalent” sources, which have such poor absorption rates that less than 5% of that nutrient gets into the body.

That’s why we recommend throwing that traditional, rock-hard multivitamin tablet in the garbage today because that’s where they belong. Instead, use a food-based multi that provides just the right amounts of the specific minerals and vitamins — like magnesium, B-vitamins, and zinc — required to support your mental health, including helping to reduce worry and lessen the symptoms associated with stress and anxiety.

Dr. Nancy uses the Smarter Multi, which is designed to provide the exact right amount of each vitamin and mineral daily required to improve brain function, helping to regulate your all-important neurotransmitters — those are the little chemical messengers that send messages and signals from the brain throughout the body and contribute to the production of specific hormones that contribute to stress and anxiety.

Smarter multi is also the only multi that delivers all its nutrients in a form you would expect to find in nature. That’s because wherever possible, all its vitamins and minerals are derived from real food — organic, natural fruits and vegetables like fresh okra, spearmint, sesame seeds, dill, plums, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, broccoli, peaches, and pears.  It really is different from every multi, and it’s super affordable too — less than a dollar a day and free shipping within the U.S. if you have a subscription.

Wrap-Up

We hope this has given you something to think about, and the tools to take action if you’re struggling with stress, worry, or anxiety. Remember: worry happens in your mind, stress happens in your body, and anxiety happens in both.

All three are distinctly different, but left unchecked, all three can contribute to serious health issues over time. You can reduce all three of these conditions by taking the steps we shared today. And do give Smarter Multi a try; correcting nutritional deficiencies is an easy and important first step

Exercising at Home During COVID-19 (Or Anytime)

“Now more than ever, it is so important to exercise!”

Exercise, better sleep, and vitamin D are the three best ways to boost the immune system, they’re also great ways to keep your mind sharp. On today’s live show, Dr. Nancy demonstrates her step-by-step home exercise program to keep us strong, flexible and pain-free during this stressful time.

Video Highlights

  • 00:06: Introduction
  • 11:53: Backward Lunges
  • 16:17: Curtsy Lunge with a Side Kick
  • 19:07: Squats
  • 21:43: Lateral Squats
  • 23:02: Spidermans
  • 25:14: Bear Planks
  • 27:42: Bicycle Crunches
  • 30:25: Skull Crushers
  • 32:12: Burpee
  • 37:23: Sun Salutation A
  • 43:27: Sun Salutation B
  • 49:28: Additional Yoga Poses
  • 01:02:11: Beyond Exercise: Supplementation
  • 01:05:59: Dr. Nancy’s 8-Part Exercise Series

The COVID-19 pandemic shutdown is really taking its toll on a lot of people. We hope you’re doing all you can to stay well —  washing your hands regularly, and practicing social distancing. We know it’s difficult, but these things are very important at this point in the progression. It also doesn’t look like we’ll have more universal testing very soon, and when it does become more available, they’re still talking about testing only symptomatic people.

That’s a problem. If we look at that Princess cruise ship as a case study, we see that over 50% of those that tested positive did not have symptoms at the time and many only experienced symptoms weeks (not days) later. So we’ve got a lot to still figure out before we’re out of the woods. That means it’s time to start living life again, and making the most out of our home spaces and home time.

Fortunately, many people aren’t letting the Coronavirus stop them from having fun-nights in, and finding ways to connect — Livestream story reading, celebrity home concerts, and virtual game nights are popping up everywhere. Dr. Nancy and her kids decided to participate in a virtual dance party to get their bodies moving!

And that’s what we want to talk to you about today — moving your body! Most of us aren’t leaving the house right now, and the temptation is very strong to sit on the couch and watch TV or bury ourselves in phones and tablets. If you’ve given in to this and been more sedentary over the last few weeks, then maybe you find yourself stiffening up a bit, and maybe some of your old aches and pains have come back — well, don’t be too hard on yourself. You’re not alone, but it’s time to get your body moving. Now more than ever, it is so important to exercise!

If you’re someone who is used to taking fitness classes or a more structured work out at the gym, this might be tough. That’s why in today’s episode, we’re providing a structured program you can do at home — no equipment necessary. It’s all free, and it works! You can get active and even build a killer body right in your own home.

Let’s Work Out!

Some of the most effective exercises you can do require no equipment at all and can be done anywhere. Of course, if you have a set of dumbbells or resistance bands, these are an excellent way to ramp up the intensity on any of the moves we’re about to show you, but they aren’t necessary to get a great workout.

NOTE: Do not overdo it, especially if you’ve been less active lately. Start slowly — you’ve got time to build up your strength and endurance. We aren’t going anywhere any time soon!

Backward Lunges

This classic move is a great way to strengthen your legs and butt. Plus, some find them a little bit easier than forward lunges.

  • Standing nice and tall with the tailbone tucked and the core engaged, step your right foot back so there’s about three feet between your feet.
  • Keep both feet pointing straight ahead and keep the front knee behind the toes — don’t ever let it move beyond them.
  • Place your hands wherever feels comfortable (on your hips, down at your sides, or clasped in front of the heart).
  • Draw your shoulder blades together slightly and your head in line with your spine.
  • Lower your back knee as far as you can before coming back up to standing.
  • Do 8, 10, or 15 reps before repeating on the other side with the left foot forward and the right foot back.

For an extra challenge, place a band around your thighs, just above the knees or hold a dumbbell in each hand, keeping them down at your sides or resting them, one on each shoulder.

If you’re using weights, really keep the core engaged and the shoulders pulled back.

Curtsey Lunge with a Side Kick

  • Stand with your feet hip-distance apart.
  • Step your left foot back, either behind your right foot or even a bit passt it and bend both knees into a lunge.
  • As you come back up to standing, step your left leg out to the side, bringing your left foot off the ground.
  • Repeat on the other side.

If you want to make this more challenging, place a band around your thighs, just above the knee. You can also hold a weight in the same hand as your standing leg. If you want to make this extra challenging – do both! Use the band and hold one weight!

You can also modify this by kicking your leg out to the side when you come up out of the curtsey.

Squats

This is another classic move that’s wonderfully effective and requires no equipment at all.

  • Stand with your feet a little wider than shoulder distance apart and your toes pointing straight ahead.
  • Bend your knees and sink your hips, keeping the back flat, head in line with the spine.
  • Try to keep weight more in your heels, especially as you press yourself back up to standing.
  • Do 10 to 15 reps.
  • Squats are a really versatile movement. You can use dumbbells for this move, too. As with the backward lunges, hold one weight in each hand and either keep them down at your sides or prop one on each shoulder.

Again, you can do these with a band around your thighs — but make sure you focus on pressing the knees out. You don’t want them sickling in, as that can injure your knees. If you find you’re having a hard time keeping the knees pressing out, ditch the band.

Lateral Squats

You can do these with or without the band:

  • Step out to the right and drop into a squat with your feet a little wider than shoulder distance apart.
  • Bring the feet back together, and, if you want lower into a squat with the legs together.
  • Repeat on the left side.
  • Alternate sides for a total of 10 or 16 reps.

Spidermans

Not to be left out, let’s work the upper body a little bit.

  • Begin in high plank, which looks like the top of a push-up. The head should be in line with the spine and you want to keep your gaze 3 to 5 inches out in front of you. Try not to look back at your toes while you do this exercise.
  • Bring your right knee toward your right elbow and step the right foot back.
  • Bring your left knee toward your left elbow and step the left foot back.
  • Alternate sides for a total of 8 to 10 reps.

For more of a challenge, you can place a band around the soles of your sneakers.

For an extra extra challenge, add a push-up as you bring the knee toward the elbow.

Bear Planks

This move works your upper body, your core, and even your quads.

  • Begin in a tabletop position with the hands underneath the shoulders and the knees underneath the hips.
  • Engage the core and lift your knees a few inches off the ground. Keep the back flat and the head in line with the spine. You want to try and keep your torso still throughout this move.
  • Bring your right hand and left knee together. Step back into that original Bear pose.
  • Tap your left hand and your right knee together. Step back into Bear.
  • Repeat, alternating sides, for a total of 10 to 16 reps.

If this hurts your knees, do shoulder taps instead. Alternate tapping your shoulders with your hands, instead of alternating hand-to-knee.

Bicycle Crunches

Start by lying on your back for this core exercise.

  • Bring the hands behind your head with your elbows pointing straight out to the sides.
  • Lift the head, neck, and shoulders off the ground, chin moving away from the chest.
  • Straighten your left leg and draw your right knee in toward your chest, twist your torso so your left elbow moves to meet the right knee at the same time. Keep the core engaged!
  • Alternate sides for a total of 10 to 16 reps.

If this hurts your neck or back, you can work your core out by doing forearm planks instead. Or, try a reverse plank, or a V pose.

Skull Crushers

If you have a set of dumbbells, this is a good tricep exercise.

  • Hold a weight in each hand directly above the torso and engage the core.
  • Bend your elbows, bringing the weights beside your let ear.
  • You want to imagine there’s a bar across your elbows and your bending your arms over it.
  • Do a set of 10 to 16 reps.

Burpee

  • Begin by standing up nice and tall, with feet hip distance apart, shoulder blades drawing together, tailbone tucked, and your core engaged.
  • Lower down into a squat until your hands touch the ground and jump back into a high plank. Make sure your feet are still hip distance apart and your hands are directly under the shoulders. Keep your gaze 3 to 5 inches out in front of you.
  • Jump your feet back up to your hands, and, as you come up, jump up into the air, taking the arms overhead. That’s 1 burpee.
  • If jumping is too intense, just take it out! Still lower into a squat but step back into a plank. Step one foot and then the other back up to meet your hands, and, instead of jumping at the top, rise up onto your toes and take the arms overhead.
  • Try and do 10.

Voila! There’s a total body workout with no equipment necessary that will really get your blood pumping!

Yoga

The above workout will get the joints moving, and your heart rate up, but there is also another type of movement that your body needs these days more now than ever — especially if you find that you’ve gotten stiffer with more aches and pains. It’s called yoga! And you can do it. When it comes to yoga, there’s an option for everyone, from mom’s getting back in shape, to serious athletes and advanced bodybuilders, as well as seniors of all abilities. Just do it at your own pace, to your own ability level.

Yoga is wonderful for strengthening the mind-body connection while also strengthening and toning the muscles of the body. Plus, it challenges your balance and improves flexibility, which is great for keeping your bones and your joints healthy and strong.

First, you want to warm up the body by doing a few Sun Salutations. The only equipment you’ll need is a mat. If you have a block or two, you can use those as well but if you don’t, that’s okay.

Sun Salutation A

  • Begin at the top of your mat in what’s called Mountain Pose. Stand with your feet together, tailbone tucked, shoulders down and back slightly, and the crown of your head lifting toward the sky. Your arms can be down at your sides or palms together in front of your heart.
  • Take about three slow inhales and exhales here. If you’re a more experienced yogi or if your balance is good, feel free to close your eyes.
  • Open your eyes if you closed them and take your arms overhead as you inhale.

  • Exhale and swan dive your hands to the ground and come into a forward fold. If they don’t reach – that’s perfectly okay. You can bring your hands to your shins or let them dangle toward the ground. Relax your head and neck.

  • On your next inhale, come halfway up with a nice flat back. Again, your hands can either be on the shins or you can come up on your fingertips on the ground.

  • Exhale and forward fold.
  • On your next inhale, step back so you’re in Plank Pose. You should look like you’re at the top of a push-up. You want your hands directly under the shoulders, head in line with the spine, feet hip width apart, and your tailbone tucked. You don’t want your hips to high or too low — engage your core to protect your lower back!

  • Now, you have two options here. On an exhale, either lower all the way down onto your stomach, or come halfway down into Chaturanga.

  • Inhale and come up into Cobra or Upward Facing Dog. To come into Cobra, you’ll place the hands underneath the shoulders and just lift the torso off the ground. For Upward Facing Dog, you’ll begin with the hands underneath the shoulders and slide forward a little bit as you lift your torso, hips, and thighs off the mat, pressing just the tops of your feet into the mat.
  • Exhale to Downward Facing Dog. You should look like an upside down ‘V.’ Again, feet should be hip distance apart and your hands should be shoulder-width apart. Press into the mat evenly with all ten fingers, especially the middle knuckle of each hand. Shoulders should be down out of your ears even though you’re bending forward and you want to reach your hips up toward the ceiling.

  • Look up at your hands and on an inhale, walk or step your feet to meet them.

  • Exhale and fold.
  • Inhale all the way up to standing, arms overhead.
  • Exhale your hands down to your sides.

Think you’ve got it? Don’t worry if you didn’t entirely sync your breath with each movement. As you practice more and more, that will come more naturally over time. Repeat Salutation A a few times.

Sun Salutation B

  • Begin in the same position as you did in Sun Salutation A — in Mountain Pose. Inhale the arms overhead and at the same time, bend your knees and sink your hips as if you’re sitting in an invisible chair. Right away, if you feel any pinching in the shoulders, release your arms to more of an angle or even straight out in front of you. Check in with your low back — you don’t want to stick your booty out. Tuck the tailbone so you have a nice flat back.

  • Straighten the legs as you exhale and come release into a forward fold.

  • Inhale halfway up and exhale, stepping back into Plank Pose.
  • Lower all the way or halfway down on an exhale, and inhale up into Cobra or Upward Facing Dog.

  • Exhale to Downward Facing Dog. Breathe here.

    • Up until this point, this has been really similar to a Sun A, right? Well, here’s where it’s a little different. Look up at your hands and step just your right foot forward. Drop your back heel down so your foot is at a 45-degree angle, left toes pointing toward the top left corner of your mat. With the right knee bent and the left leg straight, inhale up to Warrior I pose. Hips should be facing toward the front of the mat and your arms should be overhead.

  • Exhale the hands down to frame your right foot and step back to Downward Facing Dog.

  • On your next inhale, come into Warrior I with the left foot forward the right foot back. Stay here for a breath or two, release the hands and find your way back to Downward Facing Dog.
  • Look up at your hands, and on an inhale, step, walk, or even hop to the top of your mat.
  • Exhale and fold.
  • Inhale all the way up to standing — arms overhead.
  • Exhale your hands to your sides.

After all this you may be feeling tired, so you can always take a rest in Child’s Pose.

Alright, now that you’ve created a little heat within the body and the muscles are all warmed up, let’s move through a short sequence that is both strengthening and calming at the same time.

Warrior II Pose

  • From the top of your mat, step back with your left foot so your feet are about three feet apart. You want your legs to be in the same position as they were in Warrior I pose during Sun Salutation B. The difference here is you want to keep your torso facing to the left. Your shoulders should be directly over the hips, the core should be engaged, and the tailbone should be tucked.
  • Inhale your arms shoulder height and take your gaze out over the middle finger of your right hand. Try and keep the arms plugged into their sockets while you reach out in both directions with your hands. Keep the shoulders down away from your ears.
  • Take 5 even breaths here before straightening the right leg and switching sides, bending into the left leg.

Next, come into Triangle

  • From Warrior II on the left side, straighten your left leg, and at the same time, pull your right hip back slightly. Tip your torso, bringing your left hand anywhere along the left leg — except the knee. Avoid putting any excess pressure on your knee. This is also where that yoga block comes in handy if you have one. Place the block behind the left shin and bring your left hand to rest on it. Extend your right hand toward the sky and either look up at your hand or look down at the floor, especially if you have neck issues.
  • Again, hold for 5 breaths before coming up. To do so, feel as if someone is pulling you up by that right hand.
  • Keeping the arms shoulder height, turn the right toes toward the front of the mat, left foot at a 45-degree angle and find Triangle on this side.

  

Bound Ankle Pose

  • Bring the soles of the feet together and take the hands around the ankles, sitting up nice and tall.
  • Feel free to stay here and breathe. This might be enough for you. You never want to feel pain in yoga – you want to feel what I like to call “the good hurt.”
  • If you’d like to go further, start to hinge forward at the hips, maintaining a nice flat back. You can use your elbows to gently guide the legs open a little more by pressing them into the inner thighs or the calves.
  • Wherever you are – take 5 deep breaths. You can even close your eyes if you’d like.

 

If this is too tough, you can extend your legs out in front of you, and slowly walk your hands forward between your legs.

Bridge Pose

Slowly, come to lie flat on your back.

  • Bend your knees and bring your feet flat on the mat, hip distance apart. Your arms should be down along your sides.
  • In this pose, it’s really important to keep your face turned toward the sky. You don’t want to move your head side to side because you could injure your neck.
  • Inhale and curl the tailbone off the mat, lifting the hips up toward the ceiling. Imagine you have a block between your thighs — keep the knees hugging in toward each other, don’t let them wing out. Engage your glutes and press into the mat with the inner edges of both feet. If you can, gently press the back of your head into the mat.
  • Hold for 5 breaths.

Spinal Twist

Finally, let’s find a nice relaxing Spinal Twist to restore balance to the body before you take rest in Savasana.

  • Extend the legs long and breathe here for a moment, noticing how you feel.
  • Inhale and bring your knees into your chest. Give them a little squeeze.
  • Bring the knees across the body. You can use your left hand to gently press on the outside of the right thigh to deepen this twist a little bit. Or feel free to just rest the hand there.  Extend your right arm out to the right, shoulder height. You can take your gaze toward that right hand.
  • Hold for 5 breaths before rolling onto your back, extending the leg down, and repeating on the left side.

Savasana

At the end of every yoga practice, no matter how short, it’s always a good idea to come into Savasana for a few minutes. This gives the body the opportunity to absorb the wonderful practice you just gave it. All you have to do is simply lie on your mat with your arms down at your sides, palms facing up, and breathe naturally with the eyes closed for anywhere from 2 to 5 minutes. Your body will thank you for it.

Beyond Exercise: Supplementation

Exercise does so many great things for your body, not just your immune system. It can also  reduce inflammation, which probably began to set further in over the past weeks. So in addition exercise, focus more than ever on eating a healthy, more plant-based diet, and consider supplementing with Smarter Curcumin every day to help fight inflammation at its core and help you better deal with stress.

If you don’t know about curcumin, it is the concentrated active ingredient inside turmeric, and the form curcumin Smarter uses is the most bioavailable — meaning it absorbs into your body quickly and completely, so you get the most bang for your buck. Smarter Curcumin is a must for your joints, but it also helps keep your heart healthy, and even boosts the immune system in a different way than vitamin D does.

Speaking of which, you should also be taking Vitamin D3 each day — a full therapeutic dose of 5000 IUs. As Dr. Nancy mentioned in her last show, Vitamin D is a proven nutrient for boosting immunity. Studies even showed that people who regularly take a therapeutic dose of vitamin D daily had 40% fewer respiratory infections than those who take a standard dose (like you get in a multi). That’s something else that we all need right now.

Smarter Vitamin D3 is really different from traditional D3 supplements:

  • It’s 100% plant-based, which you won’t find in most stores
  • It gives you the full therapeutic dose of vitamin D3 — the 5000 IUs
  • It comes in a coconut oil based softgel, since Vitamin D is fat soluble it needs a carrier oil to work best.
  • Plus the added vitamin K2 means extra bone support.

Dr. Nancy’s 8-Part Exercise Series

We know how hard it is to stay motivated to exercise at home, and how helpful it is to have a structured program that’s both challenging and fun to keep you moving.

So we’re making Dr. Nancy’s 8-part “at home” exercise video series and 60-page workout guide available to all of you for free. This will be available very soon so stay tuned for more information!

Stay safe, stay motivated, and stay home.

5 Exercises to Relieve Chondromalacia Patella Knee Pain

“If you’re suffering from knee pain and you think it might be chondromalacia patella, check out these five exercises.”

The condition we’re talking about today is one you may not have heard of, but many people experience its effects. Chondromalacia Patella is a painful disease involving cartilage in the knees. Today Dr. Keller Wortham, MD, will explain more about how the knee works and how this condition can affect it, and demonstrate five easy exercises that can help prevent it or bring relief. If you’re suffering from knee pain or know someone who is, make sure you tune in.

Video Highlights

  • 00:32: Chondromalacia Patella
  • 02:11: Anatomy and Motion of the Knee
  • 04:20: Symptoms of Chondromalacia Patella
  • 05:04: Diagnosis
  • 06:48: Chondromalacia Patella Grades
  • 08:14: Five Strength and Alignment Exercises
  • 15:45: Exercises to Avoid
  • 16:46: Other Knee-Friendly Exercises
  • 17:18: Reducing Inflammation
  • 18:20: Wrap-Up

Chondromalacia Patella

Chondromalacia patella is a disease of the cartilage underneath the kneecap that causes knee pain. The medical word for the kneecap is the “patella”. The term “chondro” refers to the collagen or the cartilage, and “malacia” indicates disease.

Chondromalacia patella causes pain and a burning sensation in the knees, usually in the anterior knee. Unlike the more traditional arthritis, this can happen in younger, and more athletic people. It’s often referred to as “runner’s knee” or “jumper’s knee.” If you play a sport that has a lot of repetitive motion, and creates a lot of stress on the kneecap, you may be at risk of developing this condition.

While chondromalacia patella tends to be an overuse injury, it’s also one that can develop over time. There are a few things that can lead to an increased risk of this particular condition in addition to athletic activities that put pressure on the knees, including some alignment issues that could lead to the kneecap becoming irritated.

Anatomy and Motion of the Knee 

There are several components that make up or surround the knee area: the femur (the upper part of the leg), the tibia (the lower part of the leg), and the kneecap, which is the fulcrum that allows you to get leverage across that joint. At the bottom of the femur, are some smooth mounds encased in cartilage, with a groove in the middle of them called the trochlear groove. The underside of the kneecap has cartilage as well, and it’s supposed to glide in that trochlear groove to give you a nice, smooth range of motion, and the leverage that you need to move your leg.

Unfortunately, some people can start to get poor motion or range of motion of the kneecap in that little groove at the bottom of the femur. Sometimes that can happen because congenitally, they were just born with incorrect alignment, or perhaps the groove is just too shallow, so the kneecap isn’t able to sit snugly in it, and it can rub the sides.

Muscle imbalances can also lead to this. Sometimes people have weak hamstrings or weak quadriceps — the muscles on the anterior and posterior portions of the thigh. An imbalance may also exist in the abductors, which are the muscles that help you open and close your legs. Many of these muscles attach directly to the kneecap, so muscle imbalances can pull the kneecap out of its proper alignment in that groove. So, those are some of the anatomical things that can lead to it, as can repetitive motion from some sports, which can inflame the cartilage on the underside of the kneecap.

Symptoms of Chondromalacia Patella

If that cartilage becomes inflamed, it can get very painful. You might notice a little bit of a burning sensation, or feel a grinding sensation. Often, you might feel pain just sitting, especially for long periods of time, like in a car, or at the theater. That’s because the way your legs are configured in that position puts more tension on the kneecap and holds it more tightly against the femur underneath. You may also notice a decreased range of motion or pain along that range of motion.

Diagnosis

If you start experiencing these symptoms, the best thing to do is get to your doctor for an assessment. Your doctor will likely first do a physical exam — inspect the knee to see if it’s swollen or red. Usually, with this particular condition, you don’t get a lot of swelling or redness, and your range of motion, although  it’s usually a little sore, is not quite so limited. However there is sometimes a grinding or cracking that you can hear and sometimes feel. So, if you put your hand on your knee and extend it, you might hear the sound, or even feel it vibrating under your hand, and your doctor will feel it as well. They might notice some relative weakness in parts of your quadriceps muscle, on the front of your thigh, or an imbalance in the muscles on the interior and exterior part of your thigh. They can also watch the way your kneecap tracks in that groove to see if it appears to pull to one side or another.

If any of these signs are present, you can then move forward and get some imaging to help confirm a diagnosis. Usually, that involves an x-ray to rule out other more serious conditions like arthritis. The best way to evaluate cartilage and inflammation in a joint, is Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). That’s where we can really see what’s happening within the knee itself and specifically what’s happening on the underside of the kneecap where that cartilage is. That imaging will help you determine how severe your chondromalacia patella is.

Chondromalacia Patella Grades

How serious this condition is, can be measured in grades.

  • Grade 1 — there’s a little bit of a softening of the cartilage underneath the kneecap.
  • Grade 2 — In addition to softening, there’s some kind of disruption or change in the texture and smoothness of the cartilage.
  • Grade 3 — the condition is more advanced. Not only is there softening and a rougher texture, you’re also experiencing some cartilage loss or thinning of that protective cartilage.
  • Grade 4 — at this stage, you are actually seeing a bone underneath that cartilage. So, you’ve lost so much cartilage that the bone is now exposed. When it starts to rub on other areas or other bones, that’s when you really start to get into advanced arthritis and pain.

Five Strength and Alignment Exercises

There are some techniques that you can do to help correct for those alignment issues if you have any, and help strengthen some of the muscles that might be weaker. These five exercises can help correct chondromalacia patella and strengthen your legs.

Straight leg lift

  • Start by lying down on the floor or a mat.
  • Keep one leg just bent with your foot flat on the floor
  • Extend the other leg out, keeping the foot flexed
  • Raise the leg at the hip joint, about 45 degrees, and hold for about two or three seconds
  • Lower it back down, keeping your movement controlled
  • Repeat 20 times on each side

This should engage the quadriceps and strengthen the anterior part of your thigh. You don’t want to go fast. That doesn’t really help you. You’re using a lot more energy and getting a lot more strength if you perform this exercise slowly, with control.

Clam Exercise

This movement will really strengthen the adductors and abductors of your legs.

  • Lie on your side to start, with your knees bent
  • Open your legs and raise the upper leg up, keeping the knee bent. Your knee should now be pointing at the ceiling.
  • Hold it there for two or three seconds
  • Slowly go back down, again, with control
  • Repeat 15 times on each side

Roller Leg Lifts

The third exercise is a little bit like the first one, but in this case we’re going to use a roller, or a rolled up towel under your knees. You can do it just under one knee if you don’t have a long one.

  • Lie on your back, legs extended, with the roller or towel under your knees
  • In this exercise, you’re just extending at the leg. So, you’ve got a little bit of a bend in the knee this time and the extension is happening not at the hip but within the quadriceps to raise the lower part of the leg.
  • Hold this for 5 or 10 seconds
  • Lower back down with control
  • Repeat 10 or 20 times per side

You could alternate sides, but you may get more continuous use of the muscle and build more strength by doing all reps on one side before switching to the other.

Wall Slide

  • Find a wall and stand with your back to it. Place your feet about six inches to a foot away from the wall, hip-width apart and your bottom against the wall. You can place your hands against the wall as well.
  • Slide down the wall, until you reach a 45-degree angle. You don’t have to go all the way to 90 degrees, and if you have issues with your kneecaps, definitely don’t go that far.
  • Hold that 5 to 10 seconds, and then push yourself back up the wall slowly
  • Repeat 10 to 15 times, holding 5 to 10 seconds a piece.

Dumbbell Lift

This sixth exercise is a little more intense, so if you do have bad knees or are a little bit worried about form, be a little more cautious with this one.

  • Stand with your feet hip-distance apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand. You can use whatever weight you think is comfortable for you.
  • Bend over at the waist, leaning forward with your chest and head up, making sure that your knees do not go in front of your toes
  • Come back up.
  • Repeat 10 to 15 times

This is not a squat. You don’t want to be sitting back on your heels and going into deep squat. This is leaning your chest forward, bending your knees, again, about 45 degrees, holding it, and then, pushing back up, tightening your core, tightening the small of your back, and your abdomen. If you’re keeping your alignment strong — your knees safely over your second toe and not in front of your toes, holding it, and then you’re pushing back up slowly — this exercise is going to strengthen a lot of those muscles in your thigh, and upper leg, that are going to basically help balance out and protect the alignment of your kneecap.

You can do all five of these easy exercises you can do at home. Most of them take no equipment, and they can help strengthen the muscles of your legs and your thighs to help keep your kneecap in alignment.

Exercises to Avoid

Some things that you definitely don’t want to do if you’re working with knee pain or chondromalacia patella include:

  • Deep squats where you’re going down past 90 degrees. That puts a lot of pressure on your kneecap.
  • If you’re at the gym, be very careful about the leg extension machine. Especially when it’s coming from a very low angle, that’s a lot of fulcrum pressure on your knee that puts a lot of stress on the underside of the kneecap. Some of these machines are adjustable, so if you can position the bar so that you’re only doing the last 10 to 15 degrees, that would be okay.

Other Knee-Friendly Exercises

Other healthy activities include yoga and Pilates. You might have to modify some of the poses, so make sure that you’re working with a teacher who can instruct you there. Swimming is also great for the knees. It’s very low impact and doesn’t put a lot of pressure on the kneecap at all. But you want to avoid things like running, jumping, and sports like volleyball and basketball that put a lot of impact on your knees. You want to make sure that you get the kneecap well balanced and healed before you start putting additional stress on it.

Reducing Inflammation

You can also add some nutritional products to your regimen, to help reduce inflammation and improve joint health:

  • Curcumin, a natural inflammation-fighter, which is the active ingredient in turmeric. Smarter Curcumin is formulated with curcumin in its most active and bioavailable form. This is a great option for people who prefer natural inflammation fighters to NSAIDs, which have some serious side effects.
  • Smarter Joint Food is another natural supplement that can nourish and increase the health of your cartilage, and improve joint mobility.

Wrap-Up

We hope this overview of chondromalacia patella was helpful. If you’re suffering from knee pain and you think it might be chondromalacia patella, check out these five exercises, try them at home, and go see your doctor!