The weather is heating up and you’re feeling the pressure to get “bathing suit ready.” The June Trainer Column, full of explosive exercises, resistance and stability techniques can get you there. Four weeks from now, you’ll be ready to hit the sand in killer form.
by Steve Hole, MD 2012
Though he’s under a 2-year, $15 million contract with the World Series champion San Francisco Giants, Brian Wilson wears several hats: tattoo canvas, captivating interview star, and closer extraordinaire. The relief pitcher led the majors with 48 saves in 2010 and pitched his best in the biggest moments, striking out Ryan Howard in Game 6 of the NLCS to send the Giants to the World Series, and striking out Nelson Cruz to clinch the team’s first title since leaving New York in 1958.
Despite his obsessive year-round workout program, odds were “less than 50-50” that Mr. Wilson would be ready to play on Opening Day 2011. In a Spring Training game against the LA Angels on March 17, he strained an abdominal muscle during an otherwise routine 7th inning appearance. Pitch counts are an essential part of baseball at all levels, and Mr. Wilson was not beyond his expected workload for this point of the preseason. The injury was undeniably a result of the pitching motion; Mr. Wilson might have felt the strain emerge during one single throw, or emerge gradually over hours or days.
According to Giants manager, Bruce Bochy, an MRI taken after the game showed a “mild strain of the left oblique muscle” but did not show any tears. Fans might remember Mr. Wilson missed time earlier in the spring with a sore back; this injury appears to be unrelated.
by Brenton Bauer, MD 2012
One word: Psychosomatic. Think about it…what comes to mind? The majority of people, at least transiently, see the words “crazy” or “it’s all in your head” flash across their internal teleprompter. To clarify, psychosomatic is not medical speak for “crazy”; in fact, there is an entire subspecialty of psychiatry that deals with psychosomatic medicine. The field of psychosomatics is interested in the interface between the mind and the body and the dynamic interplay that goes on between the two. Recently, the Los Angeles Times published an article that discussed a particular psychosomatic link between depression and heart disease. We’d like to discuss this association and illuminate the topic with the latest research publications (not that we have anything against the way the LA Times covered it. We just thought you might be interested in the hard science).
Courtney Walberg, RD, NASM-CPT | CW Nutrition for Body & Mind
It’s time to get “beach ready” as the temperature starts to heat up this spring. If you feel that you are really pushing yourself with each workout but aren’t seeing any results, you need to change the speed, duration or intensity of your workout. All of these components are key to training different muscle groups and increasing your stamina.
by Tania Houspian, PharmD 2011
Once upon a time, you were told that soft drinks like Coca-Cola or Pepsi were bad for you because they are packed with sugar and empty calories. Being the intellectual, health-conscious individual that you are, you made the switch to the diet version of your favorite soft drink. The after taste took some getting used to but you stuck with it and gave yourself a pat on the back for the change. Now your favorite news outlet is telling you that a recent poll found that people who drink diet drinks are twice as likely to suffer strokes. Your world has been rocked and you don’t know what to do. Let’s take a look at what the poll really found and where to go from here.
