A low carb high fat (LCHF) lifestyle/diet doesn't totally remove all the carbohydrates (carbs) from your diet. It reduces them to a small amount. However, some people go the "whole hog" and reduce their carb intake to next to nothing (<30g) and rely on a metabolic state called ketosis to fuel the bodies needs. The evidence suggests that a low carb ketogenic diet is very effective for weight loss. Some believe weight loss is caused from a reduced caloric intake (due to satiety from protein consumption) whereas others contend it is due to a more advantageous metabolic state. For those not worried in the science of how it works, the result is the same - WEIGHT LOSS.
Tag: Leinster Physical Therapy
Back in May 2015 I was waiting to catch a plane to New York for my sister's wedding. I had some time to kill in the departures lounge so I ambled into the book shop. I'm always drawn to the sport or non fiction sections. Within a couple of minutes browsing I came across Christoper McDougalls' latest book, "Natural Born Heroes". Having really enjoyed the concept of his previous book "Born to Run" I decided to give this one a shot.
Fuel for endurance is a hotly debated topic. Understanding your bodies energy and nutritional requirements is a difficult task. Fueling this demand can be even trickier. As an endurance athlete I am constantly researching and experimenting with new and old training techniques. I believe fuel along with physical/mental strength, flexibility and recovery are all components of a good training lifestyle. Endurance athletes have traditionally favoured diets high in carbohydrates (pasta, bread, rice, potatoes etc.), moderate in protein (meat, fish) and low in fat
Why does my back hurt? My neck is killing me. My arms have no strength in them anymore. Why after a long day at work does my whole back feel so tired? These are a few common questions we sometimes ask ourselves from time to time. Most of us don't have the answers to them and therefore suffer on until it "eventually" goes away, only to come back again!, or gets so bad that we go to a healthcare practitioner to look for help.
Tendinopathy is described as an overuse tendon pathology. The Achilles, rotator cuff, patella and elbow extensor tendons being the most commonly affected. Much research into how to best manage tendon pathology is currently evolving. This research is based on the continuum model presented by Cook and Purdam. This model describes 3 stages of tendon pathology (tendinopathy). Reactive, disrepair and degeneration stage. (Cook et al, 2008).
Static stretching (SS) has been used as part of a warm up protocol for many years. It is common to see teams of every code, athletes, cyclists, etc, stretching before their chosen discipline. It is also common among all levels of athletes to incorporate SS into their cool down regime. This methodical approach has been indoctrinated into us for many years by well meaning parents, coaches, teachers, etc. However there is very little evidence to show the benefits of stretching. The supposed benefits of static stretching (SS) are to:
Low back pain is one of the most common complaints I hear about as a physical therapist. On the positives, 80-90% of episodes of low back pain resolve within 2 -3 months (Hides et al. 1996). Of the 5-10% that do develop chronic low back pain, 85% are classified as "non specific low back pain" (Dillingham 1995). This infers that there is no specific entity that anyone can point to, and say this is causing your pain.
The etiology of hamstring injury fall into two categories. The sprinting type injury and the stretching type injury. Hamstring injuries affect a wide variety of sports from track & field to soccer, rugby, GAA, gymnasts, and martial arts. Despite recent research into rehabilitation, recurrence and time to return to play, injury recurrence is high. It is thought that the injury mechanism resulting from sprinting is caused by overload of the biceps femoris and semitendonis intramuscular tendon while decelerating, during the terminal swing phase of the gait cycle. Injuries affecting dancers and gymnasts, result in the proximal free tendon(semimembranous) being put in a position of extreme stretch. This can occur at fast or slow movements that involve simulatenous hip flexion and knee extension.