DrStephenPrice

Any time Timmer

Wow. Now I see why weight loss is a multibillion dollar industry. As you can see, there are as many opinions on how to cut weight as there are people in the world. It takes 3500 calories to make up a pound of fat. Your metabolism and activities determine how many calories you burn. So how you eat, what you eat, when you eat, can all be a factor. The most important thing for cutting fat is that you must burn more calories than you take in. It's a math equation. Not magic. Best, Dr. Price

Sorry for the delay Monitoring heart rate to determine workout intensity is one of the best ways I know to determine when you have reached your limit of healthy endurance training. Muscle confusion (changing exercises often) prevents the body from adapting and becoming too economical. However, when it comes to riding or any other sport, you want those muscles to have high endurance without fatigue. So maintaining the main muscles of riding on a regular basis is advised. Studies have shown that working out/exercising every day will cause a sports injury within the first year. At least one day per week of rest allows safer exercise and better progress. Oh and one more thing ...muscles are connective tissue like the skin. It takes approximately 6 or 7 days to fully recover from a strenuous workout. The same amount of time it takes your skin to recover from a scratch. I found for best results to work one muscle group very hard once a week allowing it to fully heal before you work it again. Best, Dr. Price

tthelin, Salt does not cause high blood pressure. However, a salt deficiency causes low blood pressure, fatigue and headaches. So, if someone has high blood pressure and you take them off salt they will manifest salt deficiency symptoms which then lowers their blood pressure. If salt caused high blood pressure then anyone who took salt would have high blood pressure. Best, Dr. Price

Sorry Cobie I'm finally here......everyone waits in a doctors office The first exercise I went over with Cobie was to build the adductors and hip flexors. -Start in a sitting position with your knees a little wider than your shoulders. -Bring your right knee towards your left shoulder. Bring it up until it stops. Continue pushing towards the shoulder with your knee for 5 to 10 seconds increasing the contraction as you do that. -Note this is not a fast pace exercise. -It's best to alternate sides.

aslcbr600, First off, your fat distribution tells me that you have a chronic thyroid weakness. Specifically for you, you need 2500mg of L-tyrosine per day (it's an amino acid). And you will need 10 Kelp tablets per day. This will help stimulate your metabolism and help burn weight off the belly and thighs. Reducing calories is really the only way to cause the body to burn excess fat. Eliminating bread or "wheat", potatoes, rice, and pasta will make your weight loss more rapid. Consuming the correct amount of protein (see my post on Protein in the Muscle and Joint Supplements forum) will make it even easier. It's eat whenever you're hungry but only eat the amount of calories that you way in body weight. So if you're 180 pounds, whenever you get hungry you would only eat 180 calories.

KP.Craig That seems like a really great exercise and I would recommend that as well.

Protein: In order to get the maximum benefit from protein it needs to be consumed in small quantities and frequently throughout the day. This allows for complete digestion and less of a need to supplement with protein drinks and/or capsules. Because each persons protein requirements are different based on body weight and activity level I will give you a rough guideline to show you how much you will need each day... For Endurance Exercise: Take your body weight in pounds and multiply it by a range of .54 to .63 (if your doing lighter work it would be .54 up to .63 for heavier workout) If you're Weight Training or trying to Build Muscle: The range would be .77 to .81 In Kilograms for Endurance: You would multiply 1.2 to 1.4 In Kilograms for Weight Training or Building Muscles: You would multiply 1.7 to 1.8 For the Non-Athlete: The minimum daily requirement for protein is .37 for pounds and .8 for kilograms So basically 150 pound man should eat 55 grams of protein per day. (A wide range of protein is good. It can be chicken, fish, red meat, beans, lentils, eggs, etc.)

Well done IndianFighter! Happy to hear that it worked. Best, Dr. Price

Timmer, Protein ideally in the form of free form amino acids, soy or whey protein as this is used to rebuild tissue after stress. Vitamin E is important to allow better blood oxygenation. B-Complex for cellular metabolism and it helps generate energy and nerve conductivity. Multiple minerals for joints and muscles. Hydration Glucosamine Sulfate and Chondroitin to assist in cartilage repair. Also, to strengthen the connective tissue taking one to two packets of Nox Gelatin (found in the grocery store). It is unflavored gelatin for cooking. The benefits will be seen in stronger finger nails, skin and hair. Best, Dr. Price

Great question Cobie..let's see if we can tackle this. It appears by the act of transition (from one side of the bike to the other) that the first movement seems to be that of a deep squat. The main muscles you use seem to be the quadriceps and the gluteus. The exercises for that would be of course squats but a simple way to do it at home would be to get into a position similar to skiing, with knees bent deep and slowly sway side to side for 2 minutes straight. The next major muscle used after transition is the adductor group, to squeeze against the bike using the hip flexors to assist. The quadriceps and gluteus are main movers and are able to tolerate large amounts of repetitive contraction. However, the adductor group is considered to be synergistic or are the helper muscles and are not designed to take large amounts of constant contraction. When a muscle is over used it becomes slightly damaged creating areas of microscopic scar tissue in the muscle fibers. This prevents proper contraction of the muscle leading to more stress and more scar tissue. I found that many people walk incorrectly, causing a constant stress, especially on the adductors. To detect this abnormality simply walk and observe if your toes point out when you take a step. They should point straight ahead, if they do not, then you are putting stress on your adductors. In order to improve the performance of any muscle 3 things should be done on a regular basis. First you must locate and compress any tender spots within the muscle using a foam roller or a pilates type roller. Place the roller on the floor and place the muscle to be treated on top of the roller. Using your body weight compress the muscle onto the roller. Move around until a tender spot is found. Once it's found press down and hold that spot for up to one minute. This causes the chemistry to change relieving the localized spasm. After you have thoroughly rolled the muscle the second thing would be to stretch it. It is preferred that it is a moderate pressure held for 1 to 3 minutes allowing the recently compressed muscle fibers to elongate breaking down the micro scar tissue. Thirdly, the muscle group needs to be exercised with relatively light weights and high repetitions. An example would be 3 sets of 25 repetitions. You can be creative on your exercises as there are many ways and machines available to create a resistance.

By the way, Brad VanHorn, that's awesome! Let me know how it works for you. Best, Dr. Price

ktk_ace, Yes, loading salt and potassium prior is a good idea. However, it is very important that you do not take the hydration formula without at least 16oz of water per scoop (500mg of salt, 300mg of potassium). Too much salt without enough water can cause reactions such as nausea, vomiting and mental fatigue. It is best to replace all the water you sweat with the proper balance of salt and potassium even after the ride. The water that is lost through urination should not be replaced with salt/my hydration formula. It can be replaced with fresh water or a weak sports drink. Best, Dr. Price

T-McKeen, If you have enough electrolytes and enough liquid, like water, full hydration should take place in about 6 hours. The factors of absorption: If you have too many non-absorbed minerals, such as magnesium and calcium, the body will hold water in the intestine and you can actually get diarrhea (so you don't absorb that water). Otherwise, in most cases, the water can be absorbed as fast as you can sweat. However, drinking too much at one time can cause a reaction of nausea and weakness. So spreading it out and drinking often should prevent any problems. If you have food in your stomach, the water will pass around and under it to be absorbed. The stomach is designed to allow hydration even with food in your stomach. The human body is always striving for a dynamic balance (homeostasis). So if you have too much of something it moves to eliminate it and if you don't have enough it will conserve and or crave it (hunger, thirst, etc.). The body will tend to average out its hydration the best it can with the available material. Drinking too much water can be harmful. If the body can not eliminate it fast enough it will imbalance the fluid flow in the body. And in extreme cases can cause death. Best, Dr. Price

Cobie, Great to hear you are doing better on the mix. Each person will have slightly different requirements for the balance of electrolytes and water. Headaches can be caused by both a lack of water or a lack of electrolytes. And also, here is the link www.DrPricesVitamins.com The main products that can be looked at are the Daily Power Vites (basic vitamin mineral formula), Energy and Metab (for improved energy and focus), Super Hydration (electrolytes), and Cal-Mag (6 different calciums able to dissolve in water and easier to absorb).

Indian Fighter, It is great to take the calcium in the morning but calcium is one of the most difficult minerals for the body to absorb. So, most of those mgs pass through without being absorbed. It is far better to use a lower dose and consume it 3 to 4 times through the day.

It is my pleasure to assist the athletes on this site. This may seem a little vain but my website is www.DrPricesVitamins.com

Also, When you urinate it does not count as sweating and added electrolytes are unnecessary. So for every full bladder you urinate, you can have fresh water if you have been taking electrolytes to replenish your sweat.

In general, There is a ROUGH estimate for your hydration. A gallon of water weighs 8 pounds. If you weigh yourself before the ride and weigh yourself after the ride you can get a rough concept of how well you maintained your hydration during the ride. If you lost weight you did not hydrate properly. If you gained weight you simply drank too much while you were riding. Because there are so many variables, this is not an accurate scientific indicator. But it can give you a very good idea of where you stand in hydration.

Hotfoot, Rehydration is electrolytes and water. Recovery, I have found, is fruit sugar i.e. fresh fruit. Because it goes directly to the muscle and does not need insulin. So it does not affect the blood sugar adversely. You also need to include protein. But it needs to be light protein. Something around the lines of fish, chicken, eggs, tofu, beans, lentils, etc. Red meat would be considered a heavy protein. You will also need calcium. Small doses of calcium and frequently. A liquid calcium is preferred so that it can be sipped on every half hour during recovery until you feel recovered. Calcium will help reduce the soreness and good protein will allow the muscles to heal. And proper hydration will allow the lactic acid to be removed more quickly speeding recovery. To clarify high fructose corn syrup is not fructose. High fructose corn syrup acts just like sugar and affects insulin levels. And drinking gatorade after is not necessarily that good because it affects blood sugar levels adversely and can actually prolong recovery. The solution would be fresh water and fruit. For fruit it can be apples, bananas, citrus fruits, and berries. Along with the calcium and other electrolytes. Best, Dr. Price

Pepsi Drinker, First read above. Then, because your cramps are not all over the body your main electrolyte deficiency is not only salt and potassium (as you pointed out the ratio in gatorade is insufficient) it is calcium as well. So, you should be taking a calcium supplement the day before, the morning of, and during your rides. Along with your salt and potassium. It has been shown that pepsi, coke and other high acid drinks take calcium from the body and will cause a calcium deficiency. And based on what you said I believe that that is what your problem is. When it comes to food I am a great believer that you should eat a wide variety of foods. Protein is used to repair muscles and tissues so there should be some protein in every meal. The high fructose corn syrup and other simple carbohydrates are basically sugar. Sugar is used to produce energy in the cells. So, it isn't what you are eating or drinking it is how much of it. Too much sugar can cause a reaction that produces great weakness and fatigue called hypoglycemia. So, moderation in all food types is recommended. Best, Dr. Price

IndianFighter, The main reasons for cramping over the entire body is salt deficiency and/or dehydration. You would be shocked at the amount of salt you require to maintain proper hydration. There are no sports drinks that I know of that have sufficient electrolytes to maintain proper hydration for high performance athletes like yourself. The human body has the capability to sweat one gallon per hour. It requires 500mg of salt for every 16 ounces of sweat lost. So it would require 4,000mg of salt for every gallon of water you drink to replace the sweat lost. Also, potassium is important because it allows the body to manage salt better. So the fact that bananas help you could be because you need potassium as well. My Super Hydration formula can be mixed in 16oz of water or added to a sports drink to bring the proper amount of salt, potassium and minerals you need. The five main electrolytes that the body requires for good hydration are sodium and chloride (salt), potassium, calcium, and magnesium. Salt (sodium and chloride) and potassium are the three most important. My opinion is that you don't have enough electrolytes and water and that's why you cramp. And also salt is just salt. There is no special salt that you need. Any salt will do. Best,

Cobie, Salt is mainly lost when you sweat at a rate of 1,000 mg per liter of sweat. Replenishing it in that exact balance prevents too much salt or too much water from being consumed. So that would be 500mg of salt for every 16oz of water when you're sweating. Potassium is mainly lost in the urine and needed to balance salt concentrations in the body. The exact dose of potassium is not that important as the body will manage it on its own. I like approximately 300 mg of potassium for every 500 mg of salt when sweating. The main symptom for potassium deficiency is an unquenchable thirst with frequent urination. Some of the latest research suggest that a bloated athlete has simply consumed too much water and possibly not enough electrolytes.

Csmith12, Once your body is hydrated you only need to replenish what is lost. An average person on an average day in an average climate will lose about a half an ounce per pound that they way. Under your workout routine you will be losing about a half an ounce per min. that you are working out. So you would add approximately 30 ounces per hour of hard workout. Also, 1,000mg of salt to replenish what is lost during sweating. Dr. Price

I have arrived! This is my first forum and I am excited but there will be a learning curve so bear with me. Let's start off talking about hydration as Cobie mentioned above. Hydration is basically how much water can be held in and between the cells in your body. The things that hold the water there are called electrolytes. There are five main electrolytes. Salt, which is sodium and chloride, is the most important. Salt is lost when you sweat (you can taste it). Without enough salt in your body the body will die. So there are mechanisms in place to prevent this from happening. To make it simple, when you become salt deficient your adrenal glands stop making adrenaline and start making a hormone called aldosterone. Aldosterone prevents salt from leaving the body through sweat and/or urination. Because adrenaline is no longer being produced you will feel extremely fatigued, exhausted and weak. Your muscle response time becomes worse and you become mentally fatigued as well. It is important that you have the right balance of electrolytes and water when sweating. Let me know if you guys have any questions regarding this or any other topic. Best, Dr. Stephen Price, D.C.