Revamp Your Routine: 4 Exercise Absolutes #4

During the month of March, despite the cold and dreary weather of Southwestern Pennsylvania, I managed to get myself to the gym Monday through Friday at 5am, getting a complete workout in 5 days per week.

We know that all workouts are not created equal; and everyone will tell you they have the best one for you.  Quality workouts will always have a couple of things in common. Here are the four exercise absolutes to help you shape your routine that I have implemented over my past month of successful exercise. 

4.       Recovery Time

Many injuries that I see in my office are related to chronic overuse of a specific muscle group or joint. Our bodies need time to heal. When you exercise, you are stressing the muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, and bones. That stress weakens the tissue temporarily. The body needs time to repair that stressed tissue. Given the proper time, the tissue will become even stronger and that's how we build muscle. So many of us want to be macho men and women picking up the intensity of our workouts day after day. In the long run (no pun intended), your body will break down to a point of injury, which will essentially force you to take the time off that you should have been taking in the first place.

When it comes to resistance training, I never recommend working out a muscle group more than twice in one week. Even when I was training for my marathon, I never did the same type of running workout more than 1-2 times per week. That is why varying your workouts is so crucial, because you can still work out daily while giving muscle groups a chance to heal and become stronger.

Stretching is also a key factor in your recovery. I do not have a specific stretching time or routine that I stick to; but I can tell you that I stretch several times throughout my day. If I feel my muscles are tight, I stretch that muscle group. Depending on the muscle group, I will hold a stretch for 5-20 seconds (holding longer on large muscle groups).  You don’t have to be a yogi master to take the time to stretch. One to two minutes 3 times a day would make an amazing difference in the strength, flexibility and recovery of your muscles.

This is the final exercise absolute to help you revamp your routine and get the most out of whatever exercise routine you choose. Check back next week for a new healthy topic. (Do you have a burning health question or topic you'd like to hear more about? I'm always open to suggestions!)


Dr. Dan Turo is the owner and chiropractor of Turo Family Chiropractic located in the North Hills of Pittsburgh, PA. Follow him on facebook and twitter.

Revamp Your Rountine: 4 Exercise Absolutes #3

During the month of March, despite the cold and dreary weather of Southwestern Pennsylvania, I managed to get myself to the gym Monday through Friday at 5am, getting a complete workout in 5 days per week.

We know that all workouts are not created equal; and everyone will tell you they have the best one for you.  Quality workouts will always have a couple of things in common. Here are the four exercise absolutes to help you shape your routine that I have implemented over my past month of successful exercise 

3. Re-Fuel the Tank

I am always amazed at the misconceptions people have about what to eat before or after their workout. I actually had a personal trainer tell me once that it didn’t matter what I ate as long as I built the proper amount of muscle that could burn off the calories. This is so far from the truth that it took everything I had not to burst out laughing in his face. Of course it matters what we eat and how much of it! Just try putting diesel fuel into a Ferrari and see how well it runs (that is an expensive example - do not try that at home). There are three things that I am sure to re-fuel my body with daily, but especially on days when I hit the gym hard. 

a.       Water

I know you have heard me harp on this many times before, but so many people are chronically dehydrated. Drink as many ounces of water as you weigh in kilograms (Note: Take your weight in pounds and divide by 2.2 to get your weight in kilograms). It is really not hard to drink plenty of water throughout the day. Just keep a bottle next to you at all times and take a drink every few minutes. When the bottle is empty, go fill it back up. Do NOT count coffee, soda, or energy drinks toward your water intake. Water and only water should be counted. 

b.      B-Vitamins

Many people suffer from chronic muscle soreness and working out only aggravates that soreness. If you find a muscle group is still sore 3 or 4 days after you worked out, you most likely are not getting enough B-vitamins in your diet. They are important in so many body functions including nerve conduction, energy metabolism, and blood cell production, just to name a few. B-vitamins can be found in many healthy foods such as whole grains, beans, certain fruits and vegetables, eggs, and meats. I personally like to take a daily B-vitamin supplement (these are what I use) to be certain I am getting enough with my physically demanding lifestyle. Alcohol and processed sugar will affect the absorption and use of B-vitamins in the body, so minimize and avoid the use of these products if you wish to maximize B-vitamin utilization in the body. 

c.       Protein

Proteins are the building blocks of life. They are responsible for all the enzymes that assist in body functions and are the building blocks for our physical structure, including skeleton, skin, and muscle. There is much debate over how much protein is actually needed in our diet on a daily basis. This number, which can range from 40-100 grams per day, changes drastically with your weight, your health goals, and your gender. I like to focus more on the quality protein sources rather than the overall amount. Beans, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, eggs, chicken, turkey, and fish are all excellent sources of protein. Notice I mentioned some vegetables in there. Although they are not complete proteins, they still offer much needed protein for the body. Be sure not to consume more than 10-15 grams of protein in a single sitting, because your digestive tract can only absorb about 10 grams per hour. Focus on eating the quality foods I mentioned above in small meals throughout your day and you should not have an issue with eating the right amount of protein for you.

Re-fueling is an important part of your exercise routine, so don't forget about it until you are running on empty! Giving your body the right nutrition is an important key to getting and staying healthy.

This is the third of four exercise absolutes to help you revamp your routine and get the most out of whatever exercise routine you choose. Check back next week for the fourth and final absolute. 

Dr. Dan Turo is the owner and chiropractor of Turo Family Chiropractic located in the North Hills of Pittsburgh, PA. Follow him on facebook and twitter.

Revamp Your Routine: 4 Exercise Absolutes #2

During the month of March, despite the cold and dreary weather of Southwestern Pennsylvania, I managed to get myself to the gym Monday through Friday at 5am, getting a complete workout in 5 days per week.

We know that all workouts are not created equal; and everyone will tell you they have the best one for you.  Quality workouts will always have a couple of things in common. Here are the four exercise absolutes to help you shape your routine that I have implemented over my past month of successful exercise!  

2. Resistance

Exercising should not be a chore! It should be something you enjoy doing and I am adamant about finding that activity you love. However, settling into that special kind of workout won't get you to where you want to be!  It is imperative that you add resistance training to your exercise program. Aerobic workouts (i.e. running, jogging, spinning) are great for cardiovascular endurance, but by themselves, they leave a huge gap in your training. By adding resistance, you increase calorie burning both during and between your workouts.

How does this work? When adding resistance, you are actually increasing the intensity of your workouts, consuming more oxygen, and burning more calories. When you work your different muscle groups, the muscles take time over the next few days to rebuild and by doing so, you continue to burn more calories (increasing resting metabolism) between your workouts. 

How do I add resistance? 

a.       Use Weights/Resistance Bands

Resistance comes in many forms

Weightlifting is one of the most common forms of exercising and there are an infinite amount of ways you can customize it to meet your needs. I have personally been using weight training for over 15 years and it is great to complement any activity you may currently participate in. If you have never used weights before, I strongly recommend you find an experienced individual to customize a program to meet your personal needs. You can contact my office directly if you need direction in finding that person. 

b.      Use Hills

Adding hills to your workout pushes your cardio and muscles to a new level.  What if I told you that I burn over 700 calories per hour by simply walking? I walk at 3 mph but increase the treadmill incline to a 10% grade. Working against gravity by walking up hills or steps will always increase resistance and thus improve your workout without having to increase speed. 

c.       Use Body Weight

There are entire exercise routines sweeping the country right now that are built around using mostly your own body weight. Squats, pull-ups, push-ups, lunges, and planks are 5 of the most universal exercises that can be done just about anywhere without any equipment and can still provide an excellent workout. Every one of those exercises can also be modified to meet your personal goals and needs.

If you truly want to work your body the way it was designed, then increasing your resistance is a must for your training routine.

This is the second of four exercise absolutes to help you revamp your routine and get the most out of whatever exercise routine you choose. Check back next week for the third absolute.

Dr. Dan Turo is the owner and chiropractor of Turo Family Chiropractic located in the North Hills of Pittsburgh, PA. Follow him on facebook and twitter.

Revamp Your Routine: 4 Exercise Absolutes #1

During the month of March, despite the cold and dreary weather of Southwestern Pennsylvania, I managed to get myself to the gym Monday through Friday at 5am, getting a complete workout in 5 days per week.

[I do not share this to brag. I am not one of those people that jump out of bed at 4:30 in the morning without any alarm. (Quite the contrary; there are days when my alarm goes off and after getting out of bed to take care of the dogs, I will make my way back under the covers for another hour or two.) I share this because I want you to understand that I have the same struggles that many of you deal with when trying to implement efficient exercise programs.]

We know that all workouts are not created equal; and everyone will tell you they have the best one for you.  Quality workouts will always have a couple of things in common. Here are the four exercise absolutes to help you shape your routine that I have implemented over my past month of successful exercise! 

1.       RE-Think Your Strategy

How was I able to get to the gym by 5am? I have a good friend and workout partner who was there to work out with me. Every elite performer in the world has a coach. The best athletes, musicians, actors, and business owners have coaches or mentors that hold them accountable for what they say they are going to do. If I told myself I was going to the gym at 5am and was not meeting my friend there, I could roll right back into bed without anyone getting on my case. If I miss a workout and my friend is there, you better believe I am going to hear about it. 

Not everyone has to work out first thing in the morning (please don’t - I like my quiet and UN-crowded gym in the morning), but find a partner that can exercise on the same schedule as you and then stick to it.  Having an accountability partner significantly reduce those number of missed exercise days because when “I was too tired” or “I will do it later.” To prove this to you, my friend had off work this week and was exercising around 8am instead of 5am. Out of three days, I have only made it to the gym at 5am once this week. Why? Because I knew that he wasn’t going to be there and hold me accountable.

If you don’t have a friend or a spouse that is congruent with your exercise goals, then hire a personal trainer or attend a fitness class where the other participants will hold you accountable.  The bottom line: no one in life is a success without the help of others and your exercise routine is no different. Your partner/coach/trainer will push you to the next level, so go out and find him!

This is the first of four exercise absolutes to help you revamp your routine and get the most out of whatever exercise routine you choose. Check back next week for the second absolute.

Dr. Dan Turo is the owner and chiropractor of Turo Family Chiropractic located in the North Hills of Pittsburgh, PA. Follow him on facebook and twitter.