Fitness & Wellness

Feet are extremely complex. There are 26 bones in the feet, 33 joints and over 100 tendons, ligaments and muscles. When one part isn’t doing its job, it can affect all the other moving parts. You don’t have to sit and suffer. In fact, sitting may be the worse thing for you. You can relieve foot problems with exercises. There are so many painful conditions, from bunions and flat feet to plantar fasciitis that can put your workout to the side, but with a few exercises done on a regular basis, you can be back to the gym in no time.

Plantar fasciitis is extremely painful.

That first step in the morning can be excruciating when you have an inflammation of the plantar fascia ligament. It can come from small tears in the ligament that attaches to the heel or from an imbalance caused by other areas being tight near the sole. While you should stay off your feet when it’s extremely painful, you can do some stretches that will help relieve the pain and reduce the risk of a future episode. Since some of the problem occurs because of tightness in the Achilles tendon, stretching it and your calves help. Sit in a chair with a foam roller in front of you and roll your foot over it. You can use a frozen bottle of water for more pain relief. While seated, create a strap from a folded towel and place it in the arch of one foot, holding an end in each hand. Pull the top of the foot toward you gently and hold for a half minute. Repeat three times.

Flat feet cause a number of problems.

When all of your foot touches the ground, even the part that’s supposed to create arches, you have flat feet. It’s painful sometimes not only to the foot, but to the ankle, calf, knee back, lower leg and hip. It throws your gait off balance, which is demonstrated by the uneven wearing of your shoe soles. You can build the muscle tissue with a many different exercises. One of them is to use your feet to bring a towel toward you. Put the towel on the floor, curl your toes and release, leaving your heel planted on the ground, pulling the towel toward you. As your muscle strength improves, put a weight on the other end of the towel. You can also build the muscles by putting your foot against a wall, toes on the wall pointed upward, bring your knee toward the wall stretching the muscles of the foot.

Bunions can be a painful problem faced more by women than men.

Those sexy high heels look pretty fantastic until you notice a redness and swelling by the big toe joint. As the lump at the side gets bigger, you’ll notice the foot starts to look different. Even small toes seem to be affected, curling under, with corns and callouses at the side of the foot. It’s not just ill-fitting shoes that cause bunions, genetics and abnormal foot structures do too. How do you relieve the pain and maybe even help the problem? Exercise is the first course of action. Limber up that foot by making circles in the air with your big toe while you’re seated and barefoot. Stand with feet flat on the ground, raise your heel up, hold for three seconds and then lower. These heel raises should be done ten times every day. Toe crunches, as you did with flat feet, also help.

• You don’t have to have a specific problem to benefit from any of the exercises. They’re good for achy foot muscles from overexertion, too. Stretching helps keep all the muscles toned and fit.
• You don’t have to have a formal program of exercise to address tired achy feet. Rolling and stretching them, arching then lifting the front of the foot towards you can bring relief, while building strength in muscles you haven’t used in a long time.
• If you’ve had bunions for a while, you may not be able to correct the problem with exercise. Try exercises for a four week period. If you don’t see improvement, it’s time for professional help to see if there’s permanent damage.
• Keeping your feet fit is just as important as keeping your body fit. If your feet are sore, it can change your stance and posture, causing other problems in your body.

You can improve your mood naturally, especially when you live in Raleigh NC. One of my favorite ways is to take a break and get back to Nature. I love taking a walk in one of the parks in Raleigh. My favorite is Neuse River Trail. I like to go early in the morning after my workout to wind down and take in all the beauty of nature. Studies show that getting outdoors can lift your spirits, plus the sun boosts levels of serotonin. If there’s an opportunity, I like to walk barefoot for a short time in the grassy areas to get the benefits of grounding.

Get moving to lift your spirits.

Exercise is the greatest mood changer available. When you exercise, you not only burn off the hormones created by stress that can cause a bad mood, you also boost the happy hormones that give you a feeling of peacefulness and contentment. Exercise also stimulates circulation taking important nutrients and oxygen to every cell in your body. You feel good when you’re done and have a sense of accomplishment, too.

Play a bit.

Playing, whether with the kids, spouse or a pet brings out the child in you. You’ll be creating bonds with both human and furry friends when you do it and that can be spirit lifting. If you have a dog or cat, studies show that even if you just pet the animal for 15 minutes, hormones like serotonin, prolactin and oxytocin are released, while cortisol, the stress hormone that causes visceral fat—that fat around your belly—is lowered. You’ll make your pet happy, you’ll be happy and you’ll whittle down your waistline in the process.

Eat happy foods.

What you eat does affect your health. Studies show that an imbalance of Omega-6 to Omega-3 actually promotes aggression. (https://polytechnologiesinc.com) While the balance should be 4 to 1, the average American diet has as 25 to 1 balance of Omega-6 to Omega-3. Fatty fish and flaxseed can add extra Omega-3 to your diet. Foods like avocado and grapes also boost your spirits, just as raw nuts, shitake mushrooms, sesame seeds and strawberries. Get organic strawberries for the healthiest punch, since they’re number one on the dirty dozen list. (The dirty dozen list identifies fruits and vegetables that contain the highest pesticides in non-organic foods.)

• Act as though you’re happy. Laugh, smile and get into the act. Smiling activates centers in the brain for happiness.
• Change your mind. Whatever put you in a bad mood shouldn’t have control over you. You can decide whether to hold onto it or not. If it’s a person, you’re turning over your personal control by allowing them to put you in a bad mood.
• Get adequate sleep. When you maintain a regular sleep/wake schedule, you’ll be ready to take on anything without it putting you in a tizzy.
• Eat a square of dark chocolate. That doesn’t mean eat the whole bar or box of chocolate, one will do. It contains tryptophan that boosts the production of serotonin, a happy hormone.

Before you can conquer bat wings, back fat and thunder thighs, you have to know what causes them. First, bat wings, those flabby underarms that seem to flap in the wind when you’re wearing short sleeves, are the product of lack of muscle tone, aging skin and accumulation of fat. Back fat and thunder thighs, also come from excess weight and lack of toned muscles. You can help bat wings, back fat and heavy thighs by exercising those muscles groups, but ultimately, you can’t eliminate the fat that may be covering the muscle tissue unless you lose weight all over your body. Spot exercises will help tone the underlying muscles and burn calories, but it won’t destroy specific fat cells.

Start with the easiest to remedy, bat wings.

Sometimes, excess fat can also be part of the bat wing syndrome, but normally, it’s just a flabby underworked tricep muscle that’s the cause. Older people or those who have damaged skin with little elasticity often suffer from batwings, but they can still benefit from exercising their triceps and other muscle groups in the area and a healthy diet to lose weight and improve skin elasticity. A triangle pushup, is a regular push up, but your hands are on the ground in front of you with the index fingers and thumbs touching, which creates a triangle. You can even work on triceps in your office cubicle by performing a few chair dips. (www.nasstive.com) It will definitely get your blood pumping and be a welcomed break for the body.

Getting rid of back fat isn’t impossible, but it isn’t easy either.

If you hate the look of swimsuits and lightweight summer clothing because of the bulges and rolls around your back, you’re not alone. Back fat affects both men and women and isn’t remedied by exercise alone. The back muscles are part of the core muscle group, so exercising the core muscles is a start. Bad posture increases the potential for back fat, improving your posture can help. Weights, kettlebells and HIIT workouts that focus on core muscles help, but no matter how buff you get your back muscles, if they’re hidden by a thick layer of fat cells, you’ll still have rolls of back fat. Eating a healthy diet and shedding pounds is an important part of eliminating back fat. Exercise helps by not only toning muscles but burning more calories.

If you have large thighs, with excess cellulite, you have thunder thighs.

I know it’s not the most flattering name, but all my clients refer to their large thighs as thunder thighs and I latched onto that name. Large thighs are frustrating. Women are actually afraid of exercise for fear they’ll get even larger. What they don’t realize is that the problem isn’t the muscle, but the layer of fat tissue that hides the muscle. The solution for this problem is weight loss and exercise. Squats, lunges and even just walking or running can help build the muscle tone in your legs, but eating healthy, lowering caloric intake and shedding weight is also mandatory.

• Foods that can help eliminate cellulite include green tea, hot chili peppers, foods rich in Omega3 fatty acid—such as salmon, sunflower seeds and cilantro. Drinking plenty of water also helps.
• Just avoiding fried food, sugar, highly processed foods and alcohol can help you shed weight and eliminate any cellulite cottage cheese look on your back, thighs and arms.
• If you’re having trouble with cravings and overeating, improve your sleep pattern. Lack of sleep or a poor sleep pattern can lower leptin levels, the hormone that tells you when you’re full.
• Get plenty of fiber in your diet, healthy fat and lean protein. All three will help fill you up without adding excess calories. Consider avocado, nuts or cheese, it only takes a little to produce satiety.

You wouldn’t think that something as simple to get as a dose of vitamin D, could ever be deficient in people, but it is. In fact, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about 32 percent of the population suffers from it. Vitamin D is created by converting the the ultraviolet B rays via the exposure to the skin. Some scientists and researchers suggest the deficiency is even worse and that 95 percent of US seniors also suffer from it.

People at risk for vitamin D deficiency have some characteristics.

If you have darker skin, it takes more exposure to the sun to get the effects of the rays. People who use sunblock or sunscreens with high SPF levels all the time are also putting themselves at risk. Seniors are also at risk. Not only do they spend more time indoors, their skin doesn’t make as much vitamin D and their kidneys aren’t as efficient at converting the amount made into the vitamin D the body can use. People with stomach problems who have difficulty absorbing fat may not have the absorption levels, since vitamin D is fat soluble. Obese individuals also need more vitamin D than thinner people, so they require more exposure to the sun.

Symptoms of a vitamin D deficiency are varied.

You might find you’re always tired, no matter how much rest you get or get sick quicker. Vitamin D not only boosts your immune system, it also helps your energy level. Too little vitamin D can cause lower back pain and achy bones. It’s mandatory for good bone health and absorbing calcium. Too little vitamin D can attribute to osteoporosis. Depression and anxiety are also symptoms, just as slower healing is. Hair loss and muscle pain are also part of the symptoms of a vitamin D shortage. Stomach issues can also crop up with a shortage of vitamin D. The symptom that doctors look for in infants and is also a tale-tell sign of a shortage is profuse sweating, particularly out of the top of the head.

The best way to tackle a vitamin D shortage is nature’s way.

Mother Nature provided an avenue and that avenue is simple exposure to the sun. The amount of time spent in the sun varies by your climate, skin color and other factors. If you know you’ll burn with just a half hour exposure, 15 minutes a day is what you should get. (jrjewelers.com) The idea is to expose yourself to half the amount of time it takes to get a mild sunburn. That amount of time will increase as you tan. The time of day will also make a difference. The closer to noon the exposure, the more vitamin D your skin makes.

• People who live in frigid climates may need to supplement their sun exposure during colder months with vitamin D tablets, just as older people may.
• Vitamin D reduces high blood pressure and the risk of atherosclerotic heart disease, stroke and heart attack. A deficiency increases the risk of a heart attack by 50 percent.
• Vitamin D modulates the immune system, boosting it when necessary or aiding in preventing auto-immune disease.
• Talk to your health care provider if you think you have vitamin D deficiency. He or she can arrange for a blood serum level check. One quick way to avoid it is to enjoy the rays of the sun daily.

Whether it’s used as decoration for the salad bar or the brilliant magenta kale that adds color to the landscape, doesn’t detract from the nutritional value of this superfood. Kale has been underrated for years and often underused at the dinner table. It’s loaded with nutrients and low in calories, making it a perfect addition for a healthy diet and one that could aid you in weight loss. Even the ornamental kale that adds to the appearance of your landscape has nutritional value, but since it’s bred for appearance, rather than taste, needs to be boiled first before use or it’s too bitter.

Kale contains loads of nutrients.

No matter how you cook it, the queen of greens can provide a host of nutrition. It’s high in vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, copper and manganese. It also contains vitamim B1, B2, B3, B6 and vitamin E. If you’re looking for a source of folate, calcium, copper, potassium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous and Omega3 fatty acids, kale should be in your salad, soup or as a side dish. It’s one of the most nutrient dense plants available.

Give your immune system a boost and include kale.

Kale has some potent antioxidants from the vitamin A in the form of beta carotene and vitamin C to the flavonoids and polyphenols, you’ll be protecting your cells and giving your immune system a boost. Not only do they give your immune system a boost, they also protect cells from oxidative damage, which can cause serious diseases and even aging. Flavonoids in kale, quercetin and kaempferol, have anti-inflammatory, anti-depressant, anti-viral and anti-cancer benefits. They help lower blood pressure

and protect the heart.

Kale can help with weight loss.

Kale is filling, while being low in calories. That’s a good start for weight loss. It also has a protein and fiber that can prove beneficial for weight loss as well. The fiber is one reason kale is filling. You can add it to a salad to boost the nutrition, throw it in a smoothie or cook it as a side dish or extra ingredient for soup. It adds to the flavor no matter how you cook it, while helping you shed those extra pounds.

• Kale may help you stay more alert by slowing mental decline as you age. It reduces the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s. Cook some up and sprinkle with turmeric for a perfect blend.
• If you’re on blood thinners or suffer from hypothyroidism, check with your health care professional before adding kale to your diet. It contains vitamin K that helps blood clot and high amounts of goitrogen.
• Unlike spinach, kale is low in oxalate—oxalic acid. Oxalate can reduce the amount of nutrients absorbed by the body. For instance, even though spinach is high in calcium, the oxalate prevents the body from absorbing it, so it’s not bioavailable. Foods high in oxalate can also cause kidney stones.
• Kale contains cholesterol lowering bile acid sequestrants. This can lower cholesterol.