Fitex Conference 2016

In November, I attended the Fitex 2016 conference put on by Exercise NZ and was pleasantly surprised that the content was extremely forward thinking and relevant. There was definitely an underlying theme on the topic of fascia and fascial release or self-myofascial release. Most people are familiar with this in the form of foam rolling. No longer confined to Pilates classes and yoga studios, foam rollers and other mobility tools are very much a part most gyms now. But addressing myofascial restrictions goes way beyond a superficial pass over the ITBs with a foam roller. The guys from OD on movement gave a great talk on what they call fascial mobilising, which involves active movements targeted at releasing certain fascial restrictions and fascial freeing which uses the foam roller and/or other tools to release restrictions around joints and bony landmarks. Whereas most people tend to roll in the meatiest part of the muscles, these guys advocated working around joints and bony areas, as they have the densest concentration of fascial connective tissues and therefore you can affect the most change by working there.

There was a fascinating talk given by a structural integration practitioner on developmental movement patterns and how we unlearn these movements as we age which causes pain and dysfunction. The idea is that by revisiting these movement patterns learned in the first 2 years of life, such as rolling and crawling, people can overcome certain types of pain or injuries brought on by movement dysfunction. So what are you waiting for? Get down and start rolling and crawling on the ground. Or if you want to try a more gym friendly version of this kind of training, have a look for some videos on Zuu training.

I thoroughly enjoyed the talk, Inflate Your Intensity, on training with balloons. I thought it would involve something along the lines of inflating balloons in different postures, but was pleasantly surprised that it was in fact an extremely fun and engaging presentation with plenty of games that involved balloons. Now to be sure, this is progressive stuff, and wouldn’t go down well with every client, but it certainly gives an easy and effective way to get people in the zone and having fun. It’s amazing how much following a balloon with your eyes and then returning it to someone with your hands or feet gets you into the present moment. And the best thing about it was that we were squatting, lunging, bending and twisting without being told any specific movements to perform. So for people who have a hard time committing to traditional gym training this is a great idea. There was also a great talk on sandbells, a bag filled with sand that can be used like a kettlebell but offers a different kind of resistance as it has a shifting load. The talk focused on the differences between performing movements, like swings, with dumbbells, kettlebells and sandbells and also some creative ideas for making group training fun and interactive. 

Freediving: What It Involves And Why It Can Help You Achieve Your Goals

What is Freediving?

Freediving is the sport of breath-hold diving that involves diving under water for depth, distance or other goal or activity such as spearfishing, on just one breath of air. There are disciplines such as constant weight apnea (CWT) and constant weight apnea without fins (CNF) where the diver descends to a depth following a guide line they must not use for assistance and returns to the surface without dropping any weights. There is also free immersion apnea (FIM) in which the diver descends using the guide line for assistance but without the use of fins or ballast.

Breath Training

I have long been interested in training my breathing competency, capacity, altitude adaptation and breath-holding ability. I have experimented with breathing techniques, breath training devices used in physiotherapy and some forays into underwater swimming and rock carrying. From a training perspective there are 3 main ways to obtain respiratory related adaptations: Restricted breathing, resisted breathing and hypoxia. Restricted breathing is the equivalent to breathing through a straw, the air flow is reduced and it takes longer to inhale or exhale fully. There are benefits to exhaling this way, such as the pursed-lip breathing recommended to physiotherapy patients with lung disease, for expanding the lungs, controlling the breath and inducing a relaxation response. However, true resisted breathing to train the inspiratory and expiratory muscles, weight-training for the diaphragm, is what one would experience with threshold devices such as the Power Lung. In this case, no air can be inhaled or exhaled through the mouthpiece until the required force, or threshold, is generated by the inspiratory or expiratory muscles, at which point there is a free flow of air, providing the force is maintained above the threshold. Hypoxic breathing is what one would experience at altitude where the air is thinner, or atmospheric pressure is less, than at sea level. Hypoxic training can lead to biochemical adaptations such as increased levels of EPO that increases red blood cell production, and up regulation of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate that leads to oxygen binding less aggressively to haemoglobin and therefore being more easily delivered to the tissues of the body. Many devices on the market that restrict breathing claim to deliver the benefits of hypoxic training, whereas the reality is the user is still breathing air with the same concentration, but they are having to work harder for it. The masks also build up some CO2 in the dead space of the mask, so although surely intensifying a training session, it is not the same as breathing air at altitude.

My Experience with Freediving

I started structured freediving training in March this year with Auckland Freediving Club (AFC). During daylight savings hours there are training sessions in Lake Pupuke and more things going on in the ocean. As I started right at the end of summer I decided to throw myself into the pool training and breath holding side of it first, so that by the time I came to do any depth dives, I’d be at least somewhat familiar with the sport. My first mistake was thinking that you couldn't get cold in an indoor pool, but I quickly found out that you can when you're doing static breath holds. So after my first week, I went out and bought a 5mm wetsuit which is minimal requirement really for statics and probably a bit thick for dynamic stuff. 

I was approached in May about competing in the T3C competition in August and jumped at the chance to have something to aim for. There are 3 disciplines at a pool competition: Dynamic apnea with fins (DYN) and dynamic apnea without fins (DNF) where the goal of the dive is distance, and static apnea (STA) where the diver holds their breath as long as possible while motionless face down in the water. The training at AFC covers all of these areas during a normal training month but I thought the best way I could prepare for the competition would be to increase my breath hold as much as possible in the short time available. I found a four week training plan designed to take someone with a 2 min breath hold to a 5 min breath hold in just 4 weeks. In addition to what I was doing in the pool with AFC and by myself on dry land, I added in the apnea training from this program. A big part of this is completing sets of what are called O2 tables and CO2 tables both in the water and on dry land. 

BEWARE! It is crucial to always have a buddy when doing this kind of training in water as there is a phenomenon called shallow water blackout. This is a loss of consciousness due to cerebral hypoxia that can happen toward the end of a breath hold dive, even if the diver does not feel an urgent need to breathe.

O2 and CO2 Tables.

CO2 tables typically involve sets of a fixed breath hold time, of around 50% of your max breath hold time, with decreasing rest intervals between each starting with around 2 minutes and working down to 30 or 15 seconds. They are designed to increase your tolerance to elevated levels of CO2 in the blood.

O2 tables are based on several apnea sets, or breath holds, of increasing duration with a fixed rest interval between each. Typically you will start at around 40% of your max breath hold time and build up to about 80%, or closer to 100%,  in 15 or 30 second increments, with a fixed rest time of around 2-3 minutes between each. O2 tables are designed to allow your body to learn to operate under low O2 conditions and increase your maximum breath hold time.

First I completed 2 weeks of daily CO2 tables, usually with 7 or 8 sets of breath holding. I came to quite enjoy these sets and I was surprised to find they were becoming easier towards the end of the routine, as the rest time was decreasing. But I still didn't have any idea if I had increased my breath hold, as the apnea times were fixed to 2 minutes or under.

I then did 2 weeks of O2 tables where I was pushing my breath holding limits and trying to achieve a 5 minute dry STA by the end of it. I did not follow the program to the letter as I was mainly doing the tables dry as I did not have access to a pool or dive buddy every day of the week. I also did not stick to the physical training part and instead continued my normal training routine, somewhat modified to include more aerobic work. I was amazed by the fact that my best breath hold times were coming on the last round of the tables after multiple apnea sets with only short breathing times in between. By the end of the first week I managed a 3:30 hold and then at the end of the second week a 4:30 hold with the 5 min mark still elusive. 

Competition

When it came to the static day in the pool, I knew most of my preparation had been about that and, if I could improve my breath tolerance to high levels of co2 and low levels of o2, that the other disciplines would benefit too. I had adopted the practice of counting my diaphragm contractions in 10s while holding my breath to have a focus and I knew from my dry attempts that I could take 60 contractions but hadn't really been beyond that. In training on the Monday before the competition I was cold and shivering during the static sets but even so, managed a 3 minute and a 3:30 hold.

STA

On the day of the competition the contractions were coming on quickly, despite the fact that I was warming up with several rounds of shorter holds. When it was my turn in the competitors zone, I put my head under the water and was surprised to hear something I hadn't heard before doing a STA. The sound of my own heart pounding way too quickly and deeply in my chest. I put this down to nerves and tried to focus on relaxing and lowering my heart rate. This quickly came down and faded into the background while I listened to my coach and tried to relax every last muscle and let all thoughts leave my head. 

The contractions came on earlier than I would have liked so I dutifully started counting. 10, 20, 30, over 2 minutes and feeling good. 40, 50 starting to struggle, I was close at the 3 min mark, the minimum I wanted to achieve. 3:30 passed and i was happy, feeling like i could get to 4 min but I had reached 60 contractions and, even with my eyes closed, I could tell things were starting to get a little weird, so I pulled out and got a 3:38 time and white card. This was a PR for me in the water, although I had achieved more dry. In theory the MDR should allow you to get more in the water but everything else needs to be right, like environment, state of relaxation, body temperature…

DYN and DNF

The following day at the DNF in the 25m pool, I was feeling happy with my technique and aimed to complete at least 2 lengths. I went through the whole preparation, about a 45 minute routine of stretching, dry breath holding, getting wetsuited up and completing some practice dives. All that just for a dive that lasts close to a minute. It certainly helps though to be able to reach the right state of mind for the dive ahead. In fact, I’ve never been involved in a competition environment before that’s so chilled out, with each diver completing their own routine with a meditative-like focus. So when it came to my DNF I was calm enough to try to get close to my best attempt, but still struggled to get 2 turns in. I came up soon after the second push-off and achieved a score of 54m.

The following morning the DYN discipline was held in the 50m pool. I had only trained once in the 50m pool and I was apprehensive to complete at least one full length and start making my way back. All the prep went well and I felt comfortable in the water with a borrowed pair of long freediving fins to help propel me. My only worry was coming up close to the middle of the lane rope, where it would be at its slackest and having to hold my airway above the water to get a white card. However, the dive went well, I made a clean turn, and surfaced right after the middle of the pool. After kicking to hold myself up for 30 seconds, I was awarded a white card for a distance of 76m. 

Summary

In terms of performance gains from this experience, I made some initial gains mainly through improving my finning technique and streamlining through the water. I put this down to the host of neural adaptations and that any beginner goes through when introduced to a new sport. Although I can see that from here out, there are micro gains to be had in terms of correct weighting, gear such as wetsuit, mask and fins, and refined technique, it is obvious that from the breathing and apnea perspective, this is something that must be trained regularly to make improvements. In comparison to my raw potential when I first tried the sport, I haven't made any enormous leaps in performance or distance even with all the training. However, the health benefits of slowing down and focusing on the breath are well known and the freedom this training can afford us to experience the underwater environment is unparalleled. 

Vitamin D: What You Need To Know About Testing And Supplementation: Part 2

In my first article about vitamin D, you learned all about what it is, how you get it and why it is so important for optimal health and performance, from a physical and cognitive standpoint. In this article, you will find out how most supplements and multivitamins do not provide enough vitamin D to keep most people within ideal ranges during winter, or when there is less chance for sun exposure, and what you can do about it.

First Test

As I mentioned in the first article, I tested my vitamin D serum level in May this year and found it was 46ng/ml. Now, if you remember, the level under which you are classified as deficient in vitamin D is 30ng/ml and that the research points to the sweet spot as between 40-60ng/ml for optimum bone health, immune and cognitive function as well as decreased cancer risk and DNA damage associated with accelerated ageing. 

So, after 5 years of regular sun exposure in Rio de Janeiro, followed by a year of endless summer when we were in the UK followed by summer in New Zealand, my vitamin D level was in the low end of that sweet spot. With this level at the start of winter, I thought that without supplementation I would be well within deficient levels by the time spring and summer rolled around again. So I purchased some liquid vitamin D drops, for easier control over dosage, and have now spent the last 3 months of winter taking 5000IU a day based on an average of the recommendations per kg of bodyweight that I have seen. 

I wanted to make sure I was getting enough but also not mega-dosing the stuff as that can lead to an excess of free calcium in the body, which can end up in arteries or heart tissue instead of bones and teeth where it should go. Many people have heard that having healthy levels of vitamin D leads to better absorption of calcium, but what most don’t know is that vitamin K2, an essential vitamin found in butter and other animal fats, is necessary for shuttling the free calcium to the right places in the body and avoiding calcification of arteries.

Now, just to let you know, 5000IU is over 12 times the RDA of 400IU as stated on most multivitamins. Dedicated vitamin D supplements usually state the dose as 1000IU daily. However, as we now know, skin colour, age, body fat levels, sunscreen and how much sun you get all influence how much you would need to supplement to stay in the vitamin D sweet spot.

Spring Re-test

So, having spent 3 months taking 5000IU of vitamin D per day (This is the one I take that has vitamin K2 as well), I got a repeat blood test done and was keen to see if I’d hit 60 or 80ng/ml, or even higher. It has been 3 months of not very much sun at all in Auckland at 36 degrees south of the equator, with lots of rainy days, but still some warmer days with sun on the face, arms and legs. So I thought my levels would be fairly high, maybe too high.

So, I was surprised to find out that my current level is only 44ng/ml. If you remember, thats actually lower than what I tested before the winter (46ng/ml). From this I can assume that if I was not taking any supplemental vitamin D at all through the winter, I would be well into deficient levels by now.

I have seen many people being ill with colds and flu and all sorts of viruses, yet neither my wife, our two kids or myself have had any illness to speak of. So maybe there is something to be said for the immune boosting benefits of healthy serum vitamin D levels.

Sun Specifics

As I mentioned in the previous article, there are only very low levels of vitamin D in food sources, so we must rely on sun exposure to get most of it. However, not all sun exposure is created equal. The latitude of where you are, the time of year and the time of day or, more specifically, the angle of the sun above the horizon, all influence how much vitamin D your body can synthesise from UVB on the skin.

It was previously thought that the sun had to be at least 50 degrees above the horizon to for UVB rays to penetrate the earth’s atmosphere. However, experts in the field now suggest that we can synthesise vitamin D from the sun when it is as low as 30 degrees above the horizon. Or, as a simple rule of thumb, when it is warm enough outdoors to expose large amounts of skin. This is probably why we hear the recommendation that those living above or below 37 degrees of latitude from the equator should supplement with vitamin D. Because, on a mid winters day at 37 degrees of latitude, the sun will peak at 30 degrees above the horizon.

There is an app called dminder which can estimate how much vitamin d you are receiving from the sun. It asks your current level if you know it, and calculates vitamin d synthesis based on where you are and how long you spend in the sun each day, taking into account how much skin is exposed and your skin pigmentation. It doesn't take into account sunscreen use though. Personally I find it too much of a hassle to hit the app's button every time I go outside and tell it how much clothing I’m using. But it is a great resource for estimating what time of day you can make vitamin d wherever you are, and the rate at which you make it. You can also input the amount you supplement to add to the total daily dose from the sun. 

So to simplify all that information, get a good amount of sun exposure but don't get burnt. If you're interested, get tested for vitamin D levels, it's really simple, and you can be sure if you should supplement based on where you live and the time of year. Enjoy!

Any doubts, please ask questions in the comments section below and I will get back to you.

Vitamin D: What You Need To Know About Testing And Supplementation.

Vitamin D is a vitamin unlike any other, as we can make certain amounts of it in the body when exposing our skin to the sun. Adequate levels of it appear to be able to boost your performance in many areas, keep you from getting sick and slowing down the aging process. I became interested in vitamin D when a blood test during pregnancy showed that my wife had deficient levels of it, even though we were living in the tropics at the time, and would never have imagined that she was not getting adequate sun exposure. I have had several blood tests since then, at different times of year, and this year have experimented with supplementing vitamin D for the first time.

What is Vitamin D?

Vitamin D refers to a group of secosteroids responsible for increasing intestinal absorption of calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphate and zinc. The most important compounds for humans are vitamin D₃ (cholecalciferol) and vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol). [1]

Vitamin D controls the expression of over 1000 genes, 1/23 of the human genome, and helps balance your hormones. [2] Unlike other vitamins, your body can make its own vitamin D when you expose your skin to sunlight. Once the vitamin D is in your body it turns into a hormone. This hormone is sometimes called “activated vitamin D” or “calcitriol.” [3]

How do I get it?

The main source of vitamin D is from sun exposure which allows your body to produce it. There is also a very small amount in foods such as salmon, sardines and egg yolks. [4] It is not enough to rely on food sources though and for those at risk of deficiency, supplementation can help to achieve normal blood levels.

Why do I need it?

70% of people do not meet requirements for adequate vitamin D levels of 30 ng/ml which has been correlated with immune dysfunction, increased inflammation, weak and possibly deformed bones, brain dysfunction, reduced nerve growth factor, learning impairments, increased cancer risk and increased depression. Low vitamin D is also correlated with increased DNA damage and acceleration of telomere shortening which leads to accelerated aging. [5] 

How do I know if I’m deficient in vitamin D?

Factors that contribute to vitamin D deficiency are the use of sunscreen, skin pigmentation, excess body fat, age and living above or below 37 degrees of latitude where it is difficult to get enough in the winter months. [5] The use of sunscreen sometimes is necessary, but getting 15 minutes of sun exposure, at a time of day that you do not risk getting sunburn, may be more beneficial than using it all the time. Melanin is an adaptation that serves as a natural sunscreen, but it also blunts the body’s ability to make vitamin D from UVB. Those with darker skin have more melanin and therefore also have a harder time producing vitamin D. Vitamin D is a fat soluble and a large amount of body fat means less vitamin D available in your blood stream. A 70-year-old makes 4 times less vitamin D from the sun than a 20-year-old. [5] 

How much do I need to supplement?

Most multi-vitamins have around 250IU of vitamin D if they have any at all and stipulate that the recommended daily allowance (RDA) is 400IU. However this is a very low amount and to get enough vitamin D would mean taking in far too many of some other vitamins or minerals that are in the multi-vitamin. It has been shown that 4000IU of vitamin D daily were enough to bring the majority of adults who previously had deficient levels back up to non-deficient levels of 30 ng/ml without toxicity. This is about 6.5 times the adult RDA! [5]

Above all, the only way to know your levels is to get a blood test then use a vitamin D supplement and retest to see if you are supplementing enough. Ideal levels for lowest all-cause mortality are cited to be between 40 and 80 ng/ml. [5] It seems that the most effective way to supplement is with vitamin D drops so the dose can be adjusted easily.

My experience with Vitamin D testing and supplementation.

When I was living in sunny Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, my levels fluctuated between 40 ng/ml and 60 ng/ml with plenty of regular, year-round sun exposure. So, here in Auckland at around 36 degrees below the equator and with many winter days rained out or under full cloud cover, I’ve decided to experiment with taking a good vitamin D supplement for the duration of winter. 

At the end of summer my blood levels were 44 ng/ml, so by the time next summer comes around, after a long, dark winter, I expect those levels would be out of the sweet spot, if not close to deficient levels of below 30 ng/ml. I have never supplemented with vitamin D until this winter, but I have been taking 5000IU per day since I took the first blood test in May. I will continue doing so until the end of winter, when I will get another blood test and see if that seems to be enough for me.

As I’ve already outlined in this article, your ideal dosage will depend on the amount of sun you get, how much sunscreen you use, where you live, your skin colour, your age and your body-fat levels. So if in doubt, get tested, as the amounts of vitamin D found in most multi-vitamins probably won’t be enough to keep you in the sweet spot.

References:

1. Holick MF (March 2006). "High prevalence of vitamin D inadequacy and implications for health". Mayo Clin. Proc. 81 (3): 353–73.

2.   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4319252/

3.   https://www.vitamindcouncil.org/about-vitamin-d/what-is-vitamin-d/

4.    http://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/benefits-vitamin-d#Fixingdeficiency8

5.    https://www.foundmyfitness.com/vitamin-d