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What to Eat May 17, 2010

Posted by The Barefoot MD in : Diet, Health , add a comment

When I stop to think about it, I find it amazing how much money people spend on this diet or that trying to trim off a few pounds here or there.  I do understand wanting to make eating, or rather figuring out what to eat, a little easier.  I don’t know the most recent numbers, but I’m pretty sure the money spent on “diets” is in the billions annually.  Here’s the problem I see.  If you’re not changing your lifestyle, it’s not going to last.  Think of this like exercise . . . if you don’t like it, you’re not going to do it.  What you need to do is develop a lifestyle you’re willing to live.  Eat certain foods and exercise a certain amount . . . then stick to it.

I had a conversation with my father-in-law over the holidays.  I explained to him that our bodies burn a certain amount of calories per day.  This number, often referred to as our basal metabolic rate (BMR) or basal metabolic expenditure (BME), is a function of our age, height, weight, and daily activity.  If you want to know your true BMR, you need to get hooked up to a machine that measures how much oxygen you burn.  Another way is to visit a website that has a BMR calculator and enter your information.  This will give you a good guide as to how many calories you burn in a day.  If you eat less calories than you burn, your body uses energy it has stored to make up the difference.  If you eat more calories than you burn, your body will store the excess energy.  Our bodies have an incredibly efficient way of storing energy . . . it’s called fat.

Now, what should you eat?  My recommendation comes from multiple articles I’ve read recently that talk about the benefits of a certain type of diet.  The Mediterranean diet.  It’s not a diet that has been put together by any company to make money from you, but rather a style of eating that has been shown to be very beneficial for your health.  Check out this site.  It’s a guide of how to adopt the Mediterranean diet and is from the Mayo Clinic.  So, there you have it.  Eat less calories than you burn and use the Mediterranean diet to make sure you are eating food that’s healthy for you.

By the way, since my conversation with my father-in-law, he’s lost 25 lbs.  It’s totally inspiring!

Winded After Five Measly Minutes May 13, 2010

Posted by Emily in : Health, Photo Shoots, Running, Shoes , add a comment

Hi!  It’s me!  Emily!  You know, the one who is “too busy and important” to write a little bio?

Yep.

I thought I would take a minute to share my experience with Vibram Five Fingers (VFFs).

Here’s the thing, I don’t like textures on my feet, so I’m not sure I will ever go completely barefoot (plus, I love well manicured feet too much to scruff them up running).  I’m the kind of girl that has to take deep breaths before walking onto the sandy beach.  I think to myself over and over, “The sand will rinse off, the sand will rinse off, the sand will rinse off . . .”  I’m not exactly the kind of girl that likes to get my feet dirty on a daily basis either, so I hope you understand.  I am happy to be a “minimalist” and maybe over time my husband will convince me to throw all caution to the wind and I’ll let my bare feet hang out (literally).  We’ll see.

I started running in my VFF’s a few weeks ago.  Sadly,  sitting in front of my computer for hours on end, editing photos, writing, and studying, has done nothing to increase my lung capacity.

Ahem.

I’m suffering from lateral spread at the moment, and I know all you women out there know exactly what I’m talking about!

When I first got on the treadmill, I thought, “Great!  I’m ONLY allowed to run five minutes a day for the first week!”

Hallalujah.  This is my kind of work out!

Sadly, my lungs were ready to give up before my feet were, and that is just pathetic all around.  I mean, who gets winded after FIVE MEASLY MINUTES!?

OK, so it happened to me.

I’ve been running here and there, but really, consistency in exercise is not my strong suit, (What gave it away?  The 20 pounds of baby weight I’ve been carrying around the last two years?) so VFF’s are worn on a casual everyday basis.

Mostly, I wear them on walks with the kids, to photo shoots,  out shopping, and to family gatherings.

I love them.  They are really comfy.

They are also a great conversation starter, and without a doubt, I end up talking about barefoot running with my clients at every shoot.

Take this for example: (her foot wear is about as opposite from barefoot as you can get)

I got into this box and demonstrated this pose for her (so she could clearly see my vision for the image) in my VFF’s.

Then, she pointed out the obvious and asked me about my “crazy socks.”  What you don’t see in this picture are four more ballerina’s and their mothers who were at the shoot,  all actively listening in.

You KNOW their feet are just CRYING for a pair!

Increasing Distance May 12, 2010

Posted by The Barefoot MD in : Health, Running , add a comment

I’m trying to increase my distance.  Tonight I ran 2.4 miles . . . 100% barefoot.  My feet aren’t quite there yet.  The balls of my feet are a little tender, but I didn’t cut my feet open or get a blister.  The soleus muscle in both legs is letting me know I worked them harder than I’ve worked them previously.  It feels good.  My endurance is increasing and I feel like I’m getting in better shape.

When I decided running was going to be my main exercise, I was worried about the impact and chronic running injuries.  Again, I’ve never been much of a long distance runner.  My events in track consisted of the 100, 200, and 400.  Kicking off the shoes has changed all that.  I took notice tonight as I ran of the lack of impact throughout my body.  It’s amazing how much shock absorption the arches, achilles, calf muscles, and quad muscles give.  I’m eagerly anticipating the time when my feet are adequately toughened up and appropriately strengthened.

I Was Called Out May 11, 2010

Posted by The Barefoot MD in : Running , add a comment

I told Emily this morning that I chickened out from running last night because the temperature was 49 degrees. She called me a whimp. So I pulled up my diapers this morning and hit the pavement . . . 43 degrees . . . barefoot . . . about a mile. I feel better.

So, You Want to Start Running . . . May 10, 2010

Posted by The Barefoot MD in : Running , 4comments

. . . and you don’t have the money to get Vibram Five Fingers (VFFs)?  Well, you’re in luck.  You have everything you need to start running the way we were designed . . . right now.  It sounds a bit different or strange to think you don’t need the latest, greatest, most high tech running shoes on the market often costing in excess of $100.  You were born with the perfect equipment for running . . . your feet.  Unfortunately, we’ve been weakening our feet most of our lives by putting them in shoes that over-support, over-protect, and therefore eliminate the exercise we should be getting from walking and running around in our bare feet.

We were born barefoot.  We learn to walk barefoot.  When you take your shoes off your feet, you feel the ground.  This sensory input gives us the feedback that shapes the way we walk and run.  The most common response I’ve gotten from people when I tell them I run barefoot is, “Doesn’t that hurt?!”  Well, no, it doesn’t.  Of course, to start running barefoot, you must remember this rule above all else . . . START SLOW!  Sorry to yell at you, but this rule is paramount.  If you don’t follow this rule, the benefits of barefoot running will be lost to you as you are not allowing enough time for your foot to recover from the solitary confinement of your shoes.  It’s just like having a cast . . . do you remember what your muscle looked like after coming out of a cast?  You lose muscle.  Another thing you don’t see is that without the appropriate stress on your bones, they get weaker.

The second response I get when I tell people about my barefooting is that people are worried about rocks, glass, etc. found on the ground.  I’ve chosen to predominantly begin running on the sidewalk which has a nice contrast with most pebbles, which can hurt if you don’t see them but that pain tells you to be more gentle until you get that pebble off your foot.  So far, my longest run barefoot has been 1.5 miles and I haven’t had any problems with glass shards, hypodermic needles, or used razor blades.

There is so much information out there to read about running barefoot.  Many blogs dedicated to barefoot running.  Recently, Michael Sandler wrote an instructional book about barefoot running.  His book is getting great reviews, but unfortunately I haven’t yet received my copy so I can’t give you my review.  His blog, runbare.com has a lot of great information on transitioning into barefoot running.

Don’t let the lack of VFFs stop you from running.  Get back to your natural form of running barefoot and “listen” to your soles.

1.5 Miles 100% Barefoot May 7, 2010

Posted by The Barefoot MD in : Health, Running , 1 comment so far

I went running around the neighborhood tonight. I ran 1.5 miles completely without shoes. It was awesome! My body wanted to run further, but I listened to my skin and stopped. It’s a good feeling . . . getting in and staying in shape.

Quality of Life May 6, 2010

Posted by The Barefoot MD in : Health , add a comment

In addition to my mortality, I’ve been thinking about the quality of my life.  I’m sure this has much to do with the information I’ve accumulated along the trail of becoming a doctor.  I’ve determined a couple of things as I’ve survived med school:

  1. I must maintain a “normal” body size throughout my life, if for no other reason, than to make it less of a difficulty for the surgeon who may need to operate on me at any point in my life.  During my surgery rotation, the only time the surgeon had a difficult time was when the patient was obese.  I made this decision while standing at the side of the operating table watching the surgeon struggle for over an hour on a part of a surgery that should have taken less than ten minutes . . . simply due to the size of the patient on the table.  Of course, maintaining a normal body size for my height has many other advantages, but this reason was poignant.
  2. I must keep my body in shape so I’m not inhibited in my movement by the side effects of decrepitude.  Our bodies function according to the “use it or lose it” principle.  Utilize what you have and enjoy it or give it away to atrophy.

I shared my first point with someone in the operating room the other day and he said, “What’s your definition of normal?”  Good question.  There is a measurement widely used to determine whether or not a body size is normal.  Body Mass Index or BME.  While this is a useful measurement for a population, much the same as certainly health policies, it doesn’t take into account individual variability.  BME can be an inaccurate measurement of body mass if the person has a large quantity of muscle.  As muscle weighs more than fat, a very muscular person would have a higher BMI than someone the same weight and a higher percentage of fat.  Here’s the calculation for BMI: Weight (kg) / (Height (m) x Height (m))

If you’d like to find out your BMI, try this link: http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

My current BMI is 25.2 which puts me just into the overweight category.  Like I said before, you need to consider a little more about your personal body makeup before you take the category too seriously.  I know I need to lose a few pounds and get more in shape.  My plan is that this will happen as I transition into running barefoot/minimalist and continue my effort to eat the Mediterranean diet (more about this later).  Maintaining a healthy body really won’t extend your life any more than the time you put into exercising, but what you will gain from living a healthy lifestyle is an increase in the quality of your life while you are alive.

Would you rather live a long life while being limited in your physical activity due to the poor choices you made on a daily basis or would you rather be able to enjoy life to its fullest?  Simple choice . . . now go do it . . . barefoot!

Sanuk May 5, 2010

Posted by The Barefoot MD in : Shoes , add a comment

After seeing one of my facebook posts about my new Vibram Five Fingers, one of my friends told me about a shoe company that makes a great line of minimalist shoes. Sanuk is a company that was founded the same month and year as my marriage.  They started out pretty funky, but have developed into a great “not-a-shoe” kind of shoe.  The “not-a-shoe” I got is called the Boardroom.  I instantly fell in love with these shoes as they truly allow me to have a “barefoot” experience while I’m at work.  There is no arch support so they are letting my foot develop properly.  The comfort is outstanding in these “feet covers”. . . so much so that I often have to remind myself that I’m not wearing slippers to work.

Funky shoe, great comfort.

“Barefoot” Golf May 4, 2010

Posted by The Barefoot MD in : Golf , 1 comment so far

Golf is an activity I enjoy.  In keeping with the theme of this blog, I decided to try it in my Vibram Five Finger (VFF) shoes.  My first exposure was the driving range.  It was certainly different than wearing traditional golf shoes.  Of course, the VFFs don’t have spikes, but I felt like I had amazingly good grip on the turf.

Another advantage to “barefooting” in golf is the increased balance.  According to Rick Martino, PGA Director of Instruction, the “key ingredients” in creating your ideal set-up position are, “The effective blending of ball position, body position, relationship of the club to your body and balance.” (Emphasis added.)  Most people I know will do nearly anything to give themselves an advantage on the golf course.  Amazingly, people return again and again to the golf course in an effort to improve/perfect their golf swing and lower their score.  As frustrating as it can sometimes be, we keep going back for more.  Spend a little time watching people tee off on the first tee and you’ll see countless frustrations.  You’ll hear multiple expletives.  Yet, you’ll see the same people coming back again and again.  I don’t want to delve into the reasons people continue to golf as it would probably take up several volumes of text.  My intent, of course, is to share a bit about my “barefoot” experience.

Let’s talk a little bit about balance.  While doing a rotation in Otolaryngology (Ear, Nose, & Throat), Dr. Bikhazi, my preceptor, described balance in the following way which I thought was very simple, to the point, and extremely relevant.  We have three inputs into our balance.

  1. Eyesight
  2. The vestibular system in the inner ear
  3. Proprioception or knowing where our body is in space

We need two of the three components functioning in order to have balance.

Where I feel this is relevant to golf and barefooting is that when wearing my VFFs, I have an increased sensory input from my feet, or increased proprioception.  I felt more aware of where I was in space in relation to the ground.  I have an increased sense of balance when I’m barefoot or wearing my VFFs.  My experience on the driving range was not scientific, but from my perception my golf swing improved.  I felt like I hit more straight drives and iron shots.  Traditionally, I would need to hit toward the left side of the range as my shots would sometimes have a wicked slice and either hit the fence or put other golfers, cars, or innocent bystanders in danger of being pelted by a rogue golf ball.  I’m sure there are many factors in my perceived improvement, but for me, it was a positive experience golfing in my VFFs.

Chalk up another activity you can do in your Vibrams or your bare feet.  Check out John Daly playing a hole in his bare feet.

Why Barefoot? May 3, 2010

Posted by The Barefoot MD in : Health, Running , add a comment

I’ll admit my shoes are somewhat . . . different.  They are certainly eye catching and always a conversation starter.  It’s no surprise I’ve been asked about them many times.  I try and wear them whenever I need to wear shoes and don’t have to be “dressy”.  I took the opportunity to wear my Vibrams on casual Friday on the radiology service I just completed.  Besides the radiologist telling me they creep him out, one of the patients asked me about my shoes.  Unfortunately I didn’t have a long time to explain all the benefits of wearing these shoes;  so, I’ll touch on that here.

My interest in going barefoot or wearing minimalist shoes stemmed from hearing about the Tarahumara in conjunction with my desire to incorporate a type of exercise I can do anywhere, anytime . . . an exercise I could enjoy.  The Tarahumara are a super athletic tribe of Indians found in the Copper Canyons of Mexico.  They have remarkably good health and are not plagued by the common Western maladies.  They run, and run, and run . . . sometimes hundreds of miles at a time.  Everything I have learned about the Tarahumara came from the book Born to Run.  I loved the book and thought it was well written.  Not so much of an instruction manual as it was an inspiring and educational read.

I ran track in junior high and my sophomore year of high school.  I was mostly interested in sprints.  Long distance running, in my opinion, was for crazy people . . . I never understood the desire.  I’m not reticent to admit I was wrong . . . or maybe I’m just crazy now.  I think another contribution to my distaste of long distance running was the fact that I was doing it the most incorrect and painful way . . . with shoes.  The next time you’re passed by a runner wearing shoes, notice the look on their face.  It’s painful.  The reason Chris McDougall, the author of Born to Run, wrote his book was the combination of his desire to run and trying to figure out why he was plagued with injury.  His investigation ultimately lead him to the Copper Canyons of Mexico and introduced him to their way of running.  Essentially barefoot.  The stride is completely different when you ditch the shoes.  When our feet aren’t shielded from the ground, our nerves do their jobs and let us know what’s right and wrong.  We have an incredibly powerful computer in our heads and when we have shoes on, we eliminate it’s ability to interpret the world beneath and tell us what we’re doing wrong.  The thicker soles on our shoes, the increased impact on our heel strike.  We are subconsciously looking for steady ground. In essence, the answer to the question as to why I wear these shoes or why I run barefoot is simple, it doesn’t hurt.