I know that summer is still a few weeks away, but don’t you think it’s been nice here in Boston lately? Sure, the weather has been just about perfect, but I have also been noticing that the traffic has improved, more people on the streets are smiling and even the air seems a bit fresher. I have even noticed the cab drivers aren’t honking at other cars nearly as much.

Or, maybe it’s just that my outlook has changed.

Ever since I started riding my bike to work, life has been grand. I get some exercise while I take care of my commute in a shorter amount of time and with a very low level of stress. I am reducing my “carbon foot print” and saving a bunch of money on “T” fare. But the best part is: I feel great. Not only do I have more energy during the day, but when I go out on a bike ride on the weekends with friends, I am a stronger rider.

I am not alone as a bicycle commuter here in the city. There has been an initiative in Boston to make the city easier to navigate by bicycle. With the addition of more bike lanes and a focus on education, great strides are being made to allow those of us who are a little timid on a bike to pedal around town a bit more comfortable and safe. Check out the link to this website for more information about events, safety, improvements and other resources:

http://www.cityofboston.gov/bikes/default.asp

Here at OMBE we are dedicated to being an eco-friendly business AND helping you achieve your personal transportation dreams. If you already use your own body power to get to work, we can help you stay in tip-top shape. If you are having trouble getting places the way you want to, let us know and we can help your body. If you need advice on the logistical challenges, we may even be able to give you some pointers in that department too!

By decreasing stress, improving cardiovascular health and making the smile on your face grow, biking to work really has the potential to do great things for you, your friends, your family and the planet. Now… doesn’t that sound nice?

Erik S. Vose D.C.

Doctor of Chiropractic

Erik Vose is a Board Certified Chiropractor in Massachusetts. He holds a Doctorate of Chiropractic from Palmer College of Chiropractic West in California and a Bachelor of Arts in Kinesiology and Applied Physiology from the University of Colorado. After earning his doctorate degree, Erik received two years of additional chiropractic and sports therapy training in Walnut Creek, CA. Erik is a member of the Massachusetts Chiropractic Society and the American Chiropractic Association.

Dr.Vose treats patients for a range of conditions from sports injuries to chronic pain by focusing on the entire musculoskeletal system. Erik combines soft tissue therapy with ultrasound, electric stimulation, stretching, and chiropractic adjustments. He is proficient in the diagnosis and treatment of extremity injuries as well as those associated with the spine. Erik develops comprehensive treatment plans that focus on both alleviating symptoms and helping his patients achieve optimal strength and well-being.

What is the Farmer’s Market Tour?
This is a practical session designed to help clients learn how to integrate everything they know about food and translate that into smart shopping and meal planning. I have clients complete a health history just as they would for a regular session and touch base with them before we meet about their most important goals. I travel to meet them at their favorite Farmer’s Market or a market that I will suggest if they’ve been searching for something local. Then we spend about an hour walking through a question and answer session while we shop. We’ll discuss how to select produce, the nutritional benefits of seasonal foods, issues such as organic versus local foods, reading food labels, and developing meal plans for their family.

Why a Farmer’s Market Tour?

Finding real food that’s free of chemicals, preservatives, and other unrecognizable ingredients is becoming harder and harder. It’s impossible for even the savviest consumer to determine which products are truly green and nutritious. We want to help shoppers develop the confidence to find local products that also satisfy the dietary needs and palettes of individual family members whether they need low-sugar, gluten-free, or vegetarian options. Summer is also the perfect time to find your favorite farmer’s market, organic CSA, or local food co-op.

Is there anything clients need to bring with them to your session?

I usually carry a clipboard to make notes along the way but they may want to bring a notebook to help them remember what we discuss. Other than that, just some sunscreen, a healthy appetite and an interest in trying new foods!

Q: How do you approach the relationship between food and people who want to be healthy or need to lose weight?

A: People need to reconnect with the foods they eat. I encourage my patients to eat whole foods or minimally process foods; however, they do not need to eliminate their favorite foods from their diets because over-restriction leads to binging – the most common cause of obesity.

Q: What are the biggest mistakes you see in people’s diets that are aimed at fat loss or healthy eating?
A: The biggest mistakes are going on a diet and eliminating whole food group.

Q: Could you describe your coaching philosophy and what your clients expect to get from your sessions?

A: My coaching method is very collaborative. Patients who come to me won’t get meal plans or calorie counts. They won’t be told what to eat, but how to eat. I help my patients reconnect with food and rediscover their best eating patterns. I talk to people and try to figure out their problems. My patients end up with a satisfying way to eat without guilt that makes them feel more energetic and well, both physically and psychologically. What’s better, the great feeling translates into other areas of their lives; for example they make better decisions in their relationships and at work.

Q: What are the most common problems or concerns for your clients?
A: The most common problem is the chronic, yo-yo dieting. In other words, the vicious cycle of weight-loss and weight-gain. During my counseling, I guide my patients with the “Intuitive Eating” Principle. The basic concept is “eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re no longer hungry”. I help my patients to reconnect to their own bodies’ wisdom and throw out the whole dieting mentality.

This week the Daily Obsession mentioned OMBE as part of its Marathon Day coverage. Here at OMBE, we work very well together as a team, helping runners, triathletes, and (of course) all of our favorite weekend warriors complete their next big event-even if that means sitting at their desk for the next 8 hours. Here’s a link to the write-up below and our team’s collective “Top 10 Ways to Train for Your Next Big Sporting Event”

www.thedailyobsession.net/2010/04/yoga-for-runners-at-ombe.com

Start on the Right Foot
How do you prepare for an endurance event that will test all of your physical and mental mettle? Take a moment to consider your overall health and well-being. Find a sports medicine specialist to evaluate your physical condition, address biomechanical imbalances, or perform a gait analysis to prevent future injuries. Developing a pre-training plan with an expert will help you reach an optimal training level and address any underlying issues before you begin to add up the miles.

Get Well
Instead of waiting for the first signs of injury, schedule a “well” check-up every four to six weeks to identify signs of physical stress. Check-in with a training coach, chiropractor, or strength and conditioning specialist to help you develop a self-care routine during your training. Athletes are often afraid to seek treatment when they notice the first sign of pain or discomfort. Treating an acute injury optimizes your chance at recovery and minimizes the risk of long-term damage or chronic pain.

Cross Train
Cross-training by incorporating multiple physical modalities will help you customize a routine, prevent over-training and address areas of weakness. Substitute different forms of cardiovascular exercise, strength training, speed intervals, or exercise rehabilitation. Don’t forget to rest. If you’re training for 26.2 miles or any endurance event, you need one to two days of hard-core rest combined with one cross-training or light training day.

Build Core Strength
Core strength training refers to the conditioning of the stabilizing muscles of your spine, pelvis, and torso. These muscles provide a foundation for all physical movement. When you increase their strength, you increase your power, speed, and stride efficiency. This training season, substitute a Pilates class for crunches. Pilates is one form of exercise that builds core strength as well as being a powerful tool for injury prevention and increasing athletic performance.

Stretch Yourself
You’ve heard it before but you still can’t touch your toes. Would you try stretching if it restored your muscles to their normal length so that they contract at their optimal resting potential? Would you try stretching if it increased your range of motion? You know the routine: warm-up, hold each stretch for 30 seconds, do not bounce, and spend at least 15 minutes focusing on lower-body muscle groups. Here’s the alternative that we love just as much: the foam roller. Spend 5-10 minutes rolling out various muscle groups, paying attention to trigger points. The massage and myofascial release may just help your stride whether or not you can touch your toes.

Don’t Bonk!
Bonking, otherwise known as “crashing” or “hitting the wall” is the dreaded, race-day phenomenon causing endurance athletes to suffer from exhaustion, extreme muscle fatigue, and symptoms of hypoglycemia. In addition to carbohydrate loading, watch for signs of overtraining as you prepare for your event. Symptoms include a higher resting heart rate, low appetite, high blood pressure, weight loss, difficulty sleeping, irritability, and generalized fatigue. If you notice any of these signs, reevaluate your training or see an expert before you get deeper into your workouts.

Discover Massage
If you’ve never had a good excuse to treat yourself to a regular massage, here’s your chance. Regular massage reduces lactic acid build-up that can cause cramping and contribute to muscle fatigue. A great sports massage can improve your range of motion while managing aches and pains. If you can’t find the time to get regular massages during your training, schedule a session one to two weeks before your event, visit the massage tent after you cross the finish line, and have a massage within seven days after your big race.

Belly Up to the Pasta Bar
It’s time to make friends with complex carbohydrates. Incorporating a nutrition program customized for your refueling needs can be more challenging than completing your first 10K. Some of you should belly up to the pasta bar, while others will focus on electrolyte replacement, hydration, and increasing essential fatty acids. Sitting down with a nutritional counselor can take the guess work out of what to eat for those 1,000 meals each year. Don’t forget those post-run snacks to help refuel your glycogen stores. Start with a nut-butter and a banana for your muscles (and belly) will thank you.

Stay Local
Sign up for local events to help keep you on track. Choose races that correspond with the mileage you are working towards. The anticipated races will keep you motivated to work towards short-term goals and it’s always good to get SWAG (Stuff We All Get). Hello, goody bags, t-shirts, energy bars, and coupons!

Try Sport Psychology
Endurance training is all about mental preparation. To prepare for your next event, experiment with different forms of relaxation such as meditation, visualization, and body awareness. If you don’t know where to begin, try yoga. Each yoga session, will help you clear your mind, develop powerful breathing techniques, and visualize your sweet race-day success.

You have ‘graduated’ to the next section of Occupational Hazards! As I said in my previous post Occupational Hazards 101 (February 9, 2010), your job should come with a warning. The demands of your job - whether you sit at a desk all day or walk around the city wearing a sandwich board - can affect your body’s health, comfort and productivity. So let’s use this time to address the risks (hazards) associated with your job function, provide some solutions (remedies) and offer some self-care practices for ongoing support. Each entry will feature a different job or occupation. My hope is to help increase your awareness of how you move your body relative to your job responsibilities each day. In doing so, you can work towards preventing discomfort and ward off injuries so that you have more time for the fun things in life!

I am open to requests! If you’d like to have your job featured, please send me an email at kristenwlutz@gmail.com.

Featured Job: The Health Care Worker.

This entry is definitely going to hit home. Many of us at OMBE have physically demanding jobs and are involved in patient/client care; whether it’s massage therapy, yoga or Pilates instruction, personal training, or chiropractic modalities to name a few. Physical demands come with the territory. This featured job extends its reach to those that work in other patient contact settings; hospital nurses, medical assistants, physical therapists, occupational therapists, exercise physiologists, physicians, EMTs, paramedics… the list goes on and on! While this entry is not intended to replace any OSHA or ergonomic training sanctioned at your health care facility, it simply provides some ideas to help bring you closer to occupational bliss… or something like that.

Check out the U.S. Department of Labor website on Healthcare Hazards and Ergonomics.
http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/hospital/hazards/ergo/ergo.html

The Hazard: Being on your feet all day is taxing on your whole body. Most people do tend to feel the stress settle in their low back, hips, legs and feet. OK, so this is not necessarily something you can avoid. You have 6 patient beds you must care for and unless you can shout “go go gadget arms!” there is no way you can do what you need to do without being on your feet.
The Remedy: I’m going to provide a few different options here. The first is to take a good look at your footwear. Here is a website you can check out: http://www.standingcomfort.com/shoes/shoes-for-standing.html. I would definitely recommend NOT wearing shoes that do not have a back to them. Test out the shoes and make sure that if you are not satisfied with them, you can return them and get your money back. Oh, and while you are at it, schedule a FREE alignment check for insoles with our very own Erik Vose, chiropractor extraordinaire! Most people have some degrees of hyperpronation and/or arch issues and these inserts can do wonders to help get your body back in balance. Second, when you do take a break, elevate your legs for 3-5 minutes. You don’t have to go into Trendelenburg position or anything, simply rest your lower legs and feet on a seat of equal or greater height. Third, do the opposite of what a desk worker would do. Find reasons to sit when you can. Utilize the times you need to enter lab requests, read a patient’s file or call for a referral to rest your body.
The Self Care: Take a seat and grab a tennis ball. With your shoes and socks off, place the tennis ball on the floor and simply roll your foot over it. The great thing about this is that you can adjust the pressure you place on the tennis ball. When you hit a sore spot, slow down and take your time with small circular motions. Remember not to overdo it. The intent is not to make your feet more sore, but to alleviate the soreness that has built up over time.

The Hazard: Leaning over patient beds, machines, desks, etc.
The Remedy: When possible, reposition your body so that you widen and stagger your leg stance. If you are moving along a bed or machine, try shifting your body weight from your back leg to front leg in a moving lunge position. If you are leaning straight in front of you try lowing your body so you are closer to what you are doing.
The Self-Care: While standing, imagine that your pelvis is like a bowl of water. When the spine is in a neutral position, the water stays in the bowl. When there is too much forward lean or an exaggerated lumbar (low back) curve, the bowl tips forward and water pours out the front. When there is too much of a “flat back” posture, the bowl tips backwards and water pours out the back. The goal is to keep the water in the bowl. So check your posture often during the day and keep this metaphor in mind. Remember, don’t spill!

The Hazard: Lifting and moving patients.
The Remedy: While this can cause many bodily aches and pains over time, let’s focus on the low back. The lifting and moving can cause excessive stress on the low back and can lead to postural imbalances especially when we do not lift from our legs. What we can do is strengthen an important muscle that can help protect our backs and prevent injury. It’s called your transverse abdominus muscle and it acts like a belt that cinches right around your waist.
The Self-Care: Be aware that the following movement is very small, but it reaches deep down to the transverse abdominus muscle. Lie on the floor with your back flat, knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place your hands on your lower abdominals, just below the naval, and place your thumbs touching the naval. Now pull your naval in towards your spine. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds. Relax, take a deep breath and repeat a few more times.

BIOGRAPHY

Kristen Lutz, a Nationally Certified Licensed Massage Therapist, is a graduate of Cortiva Institute - Boston (formerly Muscular Therapy Institute) in Watertown, MA. As a member of the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) and Cambridge Who’s Who Among Executives, Professionals and Entrepreneurs, her work is centered upon supporting clients in achieving optimal health and well being through listening and understanding individual needs . She integrates various massage techniques into each personalized session. These techniques include Swedish (relaxation), deep tissue, sports massage, neuromuscular (trigger point) therapy and myofascial release along with stretching, range of motion and breath work.

Clients benefit from Kristen’s approach that each client is unique and no one treatment is alike. This customized approach leads to a more effective treatment. Kristen, a New England native, has been living in Boston for the past six years. She graduated with a B.S. in Exercise and Sport Sciences from Colby-Sawyer College in New London, NH while playing collegiate women’s volleyball. She continued with her education and graduated with a M.S. in Clinical Exercise Physiology from Northeastern University in Boston, MA and has worked in the health and wellness field as an exercise physiologist.