Author: armstrong.wou@gmail.com

A common question a lot of trainers get from parents is “What should I feed my kid.”  This is a real challenge for parents, as kids seem to be the extremes—from picky eaters to eating you out of house and home.  In general, kids will eat when they need to eat.  The challenge is getting them to make healthy choices.

I commented recently on the movie, Greater, about Brandon Burlsworth.  He put on a tremendous amount of food trying to make it as an Arkansas Razorback.  He had to unlearn the eating habits that earned him the nickname “Cheescake”.  I did much the same in my days of yo-yoing between my high school football and wrestling weights.  If only I knew then what I know now—I would have consumed fewer of those nasty tasting weight gain shakes and been less inclined to cleanout the buffet at Pizza Hut.  John Belushi and I trained on little chocolate donuts.  Unfortunately, this is not the best fuel for young athletes.

For young athletes, the quantity of food is less of an issue than quality.  As parents, we are to make the healthy options most available.  Given the choice between an apple and Ho-Hos, a teenager is naturally going to go for the Ho-Hos.  Bag of chips?  Teens can somehow inhale the contents of the entire bag.  The key to healthy eating is creating healthy habits and making the healthy choice the easy choice.

Parents, it is probably not the best idea to take your kids grocery shopping—especially to Costco/Sam’s Club!  Otherwise, you will come home with a cart full of sweets and junk food.  If the choices are only healthy foods, the kids will eat these rather than starve.

In general, the same rules apply for kids as for adults who are managing their weight.  In general, calorie balance is the same: hypocaloric losses weight, hypercaloric gains weight, eucaloric maintains weight.  If the child is getting overfat, assess the activity level and quality of what they are eating.  A kid who is eating healthy will not likely gain excessive fat.

Macros are of second greatest importance.  The balance of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins will greatly affect the quality of the weight they gain, as well as affect performance in sports and school.

Protein is very important to growing bodies.  Kids should be getting plenty of protein.  Eggs are a great source.  Meat should be of good quality—don’t consider hot dogs or baloney a protein source!  I am a carnivore, and so are my kids.  For a variety of reasons, some families don’t eat meat.  This is okay, but make sure the athlete is getting a balance of protein from many non-meat sources.  A protein supplement might be wanted for vegan athletes.  Don’t assume.  Track the proteins.  While the average individual needs only 0.6-0.8 g per pound of body weight.  Athletes need more—especially growing athletes.  For most, 1 g per pound of BW should be sufficient.

Carbohydrates should be complex rather than simple sugars.  Kids are going to want sweets and, generally, this is okay—within reason.  Sweets should be thought of as a special treat rather than the mainstay of the diet.  In most cases, they aren’t going to have to worry about the ocassional sweet.  The bulk of the carbohydrates, however, should come from whole fruits and vegetables.  As with adults, about half the dinner plate should be fruits and vegetables, one-quarter can be starchy carbs, and one quarter should be protein.  I like to plan carbs based on activity level.  If we are talking about an athletic, active, growing kid, carbohydrates should not be an issue unless they are of poor quality or weight gain is excessive (i.e., mostly fat).  Remember quality is the issue with carbs for most young athletes.  Better to eat too many strawberries than a box of Gummy Bears (but, still, avoid “too many”)

And don’t forget the fats.  Roughly a thumb size serving of fat may be included with each meal.  Fats are necessary for hormones and nervous system development.

Breakfast seems to be a troublesome meal for families.  We have grown to enjoy high carbohydrate breakfasts in the US.  We are usually rushing to catch the bus and to get to work, so sugary convenience foods have become the norm.  This is the worst time of the day for carbs and the worst way to start off the day.  Insulin levels spike and a crash follows—not the best scenario for school-aged kids.  Protein and slow digesting carbs are the best breakfast for young athletes.  It doesn’t have to be the traditional breakfast.  Leftovers are quick and can be healthy.  My son loves quesadillas for breakfast.  This is not ideal, but it gets him to eat.  The cheese will last him a quite a bit longer than a donut or bowl of Sugar-O’s.  He goes through phases of liking a protein shake—which I more prefer.  If you have time and can get them to eat, omelets are great breakfast food.  Sometimes, the best I can do with my daughter is turkey bacon.  Something is better than nothing, but avoid the sugar.

Lunches?  School lunches can be good, but they have no reputation as being healthy.  I prefer to send my kids with a packed lunch.  I try to include a lot of options so they don’t go hungry, if the get finicky.  Again, I try to get them eating more protein.

Kids are going to want snacks.  Keep healthy choices around.

Bottom line, kids are going to eat what is available to them.  They don’t do the shopping.  You, the parent, does.  So, you make the choices.  If you want your athlete to eat healthy—you must eat healthy.  Eating habits are developed in the home.  If you let them, your kids will eat junk.  If you lead them well, they will make healthy eating choices.

If you want to keep sweets around, first, make healthier choices; and, second, keep them out of reach.  Kids are going to eat what is most accessible, so keep the healthiest choices where they can be accessed, and keep the worst of the junk food and sweets hidden.

If time is an issue, skip the McDonald’s Drive-Thru and use the slow-cooker.  On a budget?  Buy smart.  Buy in bulk and make healthy choices.  Frozen vegetables keep and are reasonably healthy—certainly better than Family Deal at the Fast Food Restaurant.

Most important, healthy eating is a family issue.  Who knows?  If we, as parents, provide our kids with access to healthier food, we might just get healthy ourselves.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow!

Carpe momento!

Image source: https://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/10/07/sports/07NCAAFOODweb/07NCAAFOODweb-master1050.jpg

I have written, recently, about James C. Hunter’s “3 F’s of change”, Maslov’s Hierarchy of Needs, and subjects relating to education.  Today, I continue.

Education is important to me, as an educator, of course.  After all, it pays the bills (to some extent).  But my passion for education runs deeper than vocation.  I see education as a fundamental societal need.  This is why I am often critical and emotional about education and educators.  If education is the backbone of our society, teachers are the muscles that support the back.  As my chiropractic friends would agree, when the spine is out of alignment, it affects the health of the body and the pain radiates throughout.

Our approach to education is in need of an adjustment.  We are long overdue at the chiropractor.

We seem to have forgotten the role of education.  Schooling, from Kindergarten to University, tends to focus on meeting a list of requirements on the path to a diploma rather than meeting a greater societal role.  We keep statistics on graduation rates, but we fail to evaluate the quality of the graduate.  As students, we see a list of courses required to complete a degree.  As parents, we see a price tag on a diploma.  As educators, we see a need to fill classrooms and preserve tenure-track positions.  Few ever really examine the question of “what are we trying to accomplish here?”

It is education—real education—that advances societies.  I am blown away by the amount of knowledge we have gained in my lifetime.  This came from having arguably the best educational system in the world and sharing the knowledge.  Somewhere along the way, though, we have lost our way.  We need to get back on track.

Universities should not be advanced vocational training schools.  (Nor should it be expected that every get a college degree.) They should not be places where faculty merely pass on information.  Information is now available at the stroke of a key on a computer.  Universities need to be a place where current ideas are challenged and understanding of the Universe is advanced.  It is no place for labels and confined thinking.  It is a place for opportunity.  It is not where we train for jobs, but where we inspire job creators.

We were with family friends recently and met two friends of the eldest son who will be attending the University at which I teach.  Neither was quite sure of what his major would be.  They are not likely to end up in one of my courses, but, nevertheless, my thoughts were led to the experience they are likely to have and the responsibility that I and my colleagues have to prepare them.  These were two bright young men who will do quite well, whatever path their education takes.  There are many, however, who are less prepared for college—financially and academically.  These are told they need a college degree, but don’t quite know why.  They will select a major, because it seems interesting, or because it can lead to a high-paying job (not considering that tens of thousands of high school graduates are also seeking that degree in pursuit of that high-paying job that in four years may very well be saturated and thus highly competitive).  They will see an advisor and, in too many cases, never discuss what they are passionate about or why they are in the major.  They will receive a list of courses and attempt to complete the list in four years.  It is quite possible that the faculty member, as well as the student, has never considered why the student needs to take the courses on the list.

I am big fan of a liberal education.  Education must broaden the student’s world and provide the necessary skills to make an impact on the world.  I have enjoyed my 9-year-old daughter’s recent interest in the television show, Girl Meets World.  An extension of the classic, Boy Meets World, the grown Cory Matthews has taken the torch from Mr. Feeney and is bringing life lessons to his history class.  To me, this is education at its finest.  History is more than names and dates.  It and all disciplines of education (there are even episodes where the science teacher, and even the PE teacher, teach life lessons) are meant to enlighten and expand one’s view of the Universe.

Education has somehow lost its ability to create a hunger for knowledge for the sake of knowledge.  Perhaps, standardized teaching receives much of the blame.  Maybe we have just lost sight of our purpose as educators.  Maybe it is the parents.  Whoever or whatever the cause, we need to renew the fascination and the desire to explore and conquer the unknown.  We need to let students struggle and learn that they can accomplish whatever they put their mind to doing.  We need to worry less about self-esteem and more about self-efficacy.  We need to heat up the Bunsen burners under our young and awaken their creativity and inquiry.

Personally, I would love to hear students shift away from asking “Will this be on the test?” toward asking “How will I use this in my life?”  When we can make this shift, and make it early in the education system, we will see a great change for the better in our society!

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

Remember Maslov’s Hierarchy of Needs?  In 1945, Abraham Maslov published “A Theory of Human Motivation”.  In it, he details a five-tier model of human needs.  These included physiological, safety, love/belonging, esteem, and self-actualization, often depicted as a pyramid.  He later added a sixth tier: self-transcendence, i.e., the self can only find its actualization outside him/herself through altruism and spirituality.  In other words, “transcendence refers to the very highest and most inclusive or holistic levels of human consciousness, behaving and relating, as ends rather than means, to oneself, to significant others, to human beings in general, to other species, to nature, and to the cosmos” (Farther Reaches of Human Nature, New York 1971, p. 269).  Each tier represents a need that must be met in the progress toward self-transcendence—or what I would call “well-centered fitness”.

Honestly, it has been a while since I have considered Maslov’s ideas, and I not studied his work in detail.  However, it should be quite apparent that such needs are present and, if unmet, we will not realize all that we are intended to accomplish.

The wellness model has its roots in Maslov’s foundational work.  While the hierarchy might seem to be step-wise, Maslov, himself, concluded that these are interrelated as opposed to distinct.  Given that we can view these as interrelated, it is easier, then, to see “well-centered fitness”—i.e., the balance of the Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, and Social dimensions—as more hierarchial than as a divided pie.

“Self-actualization” is at the heart of my theme: be your best today; be better tomorrow.  It is the recognition of Purpose.

“Self-transcendence” is the realization that we are not the center of the Universe and that our Purposes of interconnected.  It is the realization that there is more beyond our self.  This is that asymptote I call “well-centered fitness”.  It is the intersection of the Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, and Social.

I place the Physical and Spiritual at the base of my ever-expanding, interrelated pyramid of “well-centered fitness”, because these form the motivation and the means to our “self-transcendence”.  A human body that cannot function cannot succeed, let alone survive.  Having no sense of Purpose provides no incentive to pursue “self-actualization” or “self-transcendence”.  Thus, the Spiritual cannot be separated from the Physical.  As well, we are, at the very basic Physical level connected and one.

My thoughts recently led me back to Maslov, as I considered the paths our divided nation is taking politically and socially.  I considered that the success and advancement of our society is dependent upon providing all persons with access to the basic physiological needs—and essentially the first four tiers of Maslov’s Hierarchy.  We cannot, however, stop there.  Herein, is one of the fundamental philosophical divides in our society.  On one hand, there are those who, rightly, want to assure that everyone’s basic needs are met.  On the other hand, there are those who, rightly, feel everyone needs to take personal responsibility and pull themselves up by the bootstraps, so to speak.  (Now, the issues are a bit more complicated and detailed than this, but, for the reader’s sake, I will keep it overly simplified and hope I cause no offense or misunderstanding.)  Notice, I have attributed correctness to both sides.  The thing is that both sides (if there are just two sides) fail to connect with the other.  We need to realize that we cannot simply provide for one’s basic needs without giving one the boots with which to pull him/herself up.  In such a case, we continue to trap people in poverty, leaving people dependent upon assistance or feeling entitled to the assistance.  Likewise, we cannot stand on the side and watch as people struggle to survive without offering some level of help.

In my opinion, most critical to “self-actualization” are opportunity and desire.  Society cannot thrive if either is lacking.

Carpe momento!

Of James C. Hunter’s “3 F’s of change” (foundation, feedback, and friction), I believe friction to be the most under-utilized.  We often set forth an understanding of the standards and provide some level of feedback, but it is generally hard for some to administer and/or receive a healthy dose of tension in the home, workplace, or community.  We either avoid it altogether or we miss apply friction.

Friction should really just be an extension of honesty.  It is to be truthful when it hurts.  Now, obviously, there must be a certain wisdom in how one offers the truth—the movie, Liar, Liar, with Jim Carrey comes to mind.  Truthfulness, i.e., friction, needs to be constructive.  Friction should be intended to shape and polish the recipient.  Thus, friction—healthy tension—is an act of love.

Our society seems to be at the extremes of the friction continuum.  On one end, we have talk of “safe spaces” and “triggers” in universities where healthy tension should be encouraged rather than discouraged.  On the other end, everybody seems to have their signs painted ready to protest at the drop of the hat.  Rarely, do we see a willingness for the diversity of thought to be welcomed at the table.  Friction is not “you v. me” or “us v. them”.  Friction—healthy tension—is open and honest discourse that leads to growth and understanding.

I believe we are going too far in shielding our young (and our adult selves) from any emotional pain.  Now, don’t misunderstand, I am not condoning bullying, but I do believe the label, “bully”, is being overused in schools and other areas of society.  “Zero tolerance” policies are well-intended, but often misapplied.  On the one hand, our young need to learn to deal with people at all levels—and jerks don’t disappear just because you want them to.  On the other hand, there are reasons why people bully others.  Something is often going on in that person’s life that warrants addressing.  I am no psychologist, but it seems to me that many of the social problems we are seeing in adults is a result of how we are teaching children to deal with conflict.  It should not be the wild west on the playground, and fighting should not be tolerated, but it is essential that we learn to deal with conflict effectively.  I want my children to understand that they are to do no harm to others, but that I support them when they stand up for themselves or step in to protect another.  After all, isn’t that what we want to see in healthy adults?

I don’t get the trend on college and university campuses toward creating “safe spaces” and other policies that, while perhaps being well-intended, silence discourse and discourage the open discussion of ideas.  Now, again, I don’t welcome hurtful behavior, but saying it can’t exist does not make it go away.  Our institutions of higher learning should be places where the diversity of thought is encouraged and openly discussed—respectful discourse.  Instead, “diversity” becomes a series of labels that further divide rather than unite.  I have observed faculty literally spending years to create a definition of “diversity”.  Personally, I want to see diversity looked at as more than racial, ethnic, and gender classification.  We are more diverse than such labels permit.  True diversity is the understanding that we are all individuals with unique ideas and qualities to bring to the table.  Until we can learn to accept one another for who we are, we will never have diversity, nor will we be a truly educated people.

On the other hand, we are teaching our young that the only way to have your voice heard is to protest.  At a college meeting this past year, a comment was made that it would be nice to see our students protest more.  Of course, I had to speak up.  Mostly alone in my opinion, I contended that we need to see less protesting and encourage our students to meet at the table and talk through their conflicts.  It bothers me that we don’t allow for conflict—friction—in the classroom.  I expect my students to challenge what I teach, but they best have a sound argument for their side.  This is honest, respectful discourse—a foundation, I believe, to a liberal education.  One response I received was to the effect of “someone has to speak up for the marginalized”.  Speak for the marginalized?  Doesn’t that further marginalize them?  Doesn’t that say “You have no voice in society, so let me speak for you”?  Maybe I am wrong, but this bothers me.  We should stand with the marginalized and neglected in our communities, but we mustn’t stand for them.  We must give them the opportunity to speak and give them the ability to speak for themselves.  We diversify by inclusion not by exclusion.  Protests create a live of division and rarely resolve conflict.

We cannot function as a society without friction.  Any good woodworker, however, knows that there is a time to use course sandpaper and a time to use fine sandpaper.  Wisdom comes in knowing when to use the appropriate grain.  Thus, it is with the sharing of ideas and resolving differences.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

Talk.  (Where did you think this was going?)  Talking is something that we just don’t seem to do well anymore.  We communicate in less than 140 characters and convey emotion with cartoon-like characters.  We sometimes say words but we rarely talk anymore.

I am often saddened, when I walk the hallways between classes at the university, to see any number of students sitting or standing and staring at their phone screen.  Plenty of interesting people around them, but they choose to text, tweet, e-mail, or just scroll their social media accounts.  During classes, when I offer a break, the phones come out.  The same occurs everywhere in public.  I find it particularly offensive in restaurants—a group of people sitting around a table staring at small screens.  Have we lost the ability to communicate verbally?  (Of course not, but it would seem like we are heading in that direction.)

Talking, however, is more than just speaking.  There are some who have mastered the art of vocalization, who miss the better half of talking—listening. 

Winston Churchill once said: “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.”  Wisdom is to know when to stand up and speak and when to sit down and listen.

We are living in a time when communication seems to be disappearing from our skill set.  We have become one-sided in our discourse.  We yell (or more often, type in all capitals), demanding to be heard, but refuse to listen.  We need less protesting, less Twitter, less e-mail, less Facebook, and more using the phone for what Alexander Graham Bell intended.  We need more time being present and having face-to-face conversation.  This is hard in our fast-paced, digital age, but it is not impossible.

We have a problem with people texting while driving (and walking, too—I actually get bothered more by the person slowly meandering in front of me on the sidewalk staring at his or her phone).  Why not simply call?  How much faster and more clearly can we have a conversation vocally?  As well, how much better can we actually convey emotion using our voice?  This is communication!  I, personally, struggle with trying to keep up with text communications.  Before I can complete a sentence with proper punctuation and check my spelling, the person on the other side has moved on.  My responses always seem out of place.  (And being a sarcastic person, it is challenging to convey when I am joking.  It is so unnatural to write “LOL” or “HaHaHa” or choose the appropriate smiley-face emoticon.)

How well do we listen to others?  Listening—really listening–is an important skill.  How many of society’s problems could be solved by simply listening to one another—hearing and understanding what the other is saying.  We need to listen between the words.  I don’t think this can be adequately achieved in print/digital communication.

One of the most important things I have started to do with my wife is to take our “15-Minute Check-In” at the end of every day (well, nearly everyday—circumstances don’t always permit us to sit).  It is important that we do this.  Otherwise, we just keep running and never stop to really talk.

It is challenging sometimes to just listen, and it takes effort to care what the other is saying, but we must.  It is helpful to consider that maybe the other person is struggling to listen to what we have to say.  As well, it is important to allow the other time to speak.  In other words, if you are talking, you aren’t listening.  According to Dr. Joyce Brothers, “Listening, not imitation, may be the sincerest form of flattery.”  There is much truth in this.

Perhaps we can commit to using our thumbs (or index finger, if you text like me) less and our ears and mouths more.  And, in doing so, remember that God gave us two ears and only one mouth for a reason.

Carpe momento!

“Listening is an attitude toward people.  It is developing the willingness, even the desire, to hear people out, better understand them, and learn something new.  Has anyone ever learned anything while he or she was talking? Empathetic listening is one of the best ways I know to build trust with another human being.”—James C. Hunter, The World’s Most Powerful Leadership Principle (p.115)

I have heard both extremes of the Spiritual discussion.  On one hand, I have had an atheist student claim that there should not be a Spiritual component of wellness.  On the other hand, I have heard religious people put down someone for saying they are “Spiritual but not religious”.  Let’s remember what it means to be Spiritual.  The Spiritual dimension of “well-centered fitness” refers to the understanding that there is purpose to our existence and requires only that one believe in something greater than oneself.  We look beyond ourselves and consider that we are not the center of the universe.  It is not necessary to believe in a God.  Nor is it necessary to practice any specific religion.

I have known many nonreligious persons who are quite the model of Spiritual well-centeredness.  This may be conflicting to my Christian friends and cause them upset, but religion can actually get in the way Spiritual well-centeredness.  Religion can also, however, be the means by which one grows more Spiritual.  At the very core of the Christian faith, after all, is the command to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” and “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:30-31, NIV).  Even the go-to verse, John 3:16 sets the tone for being Spiritual, especially when one goes the additional step in reading the verse that follows: “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”  This is Spiritual—to view the world as something greater than oneself.  This is the very message and example of Jesus.

Nonetheless, our claims to understanding faith, God, and our religion does not give one superiority—as this is the complete opposite of Spirituality.  Rather these heighten the responsibility of one who professes to be religious to “do unto others.”

There are some who profess to be scientific and, therefore, dismiss the Spiritual.  As I have addressed before, as one begins to break down the very matter that makes the Physical, we come to an increasing connectedness among all that is physical.  Thus, whether religious or non-believer, we are one.  One who seeks to be “well-centered” understands this and, thus, seeks to move from self to selfless.

Carpe momento!

Girls do sports?  Girls lift weights?  Girls sweat?  Yep!  And so they should.  Title IX should be a no brainer, though I still think we have a way to go in executing it.  Nonetheless, there are quite the list of benefits to sports and exercise for women—particularly young women.

I make no efforts to hide my criticism of our educational system for stripping Physical Education (and the Arts) from the curriculum to allow more time to teach to the standardized tests.  If only the Department of Education would set standards for physical fitness… (the “Common Core” might take on a new meaning).  There is absolutely no reason to think that women should not have the same opportunities as the boys when it comes to physical exercise and sports.  Indeed, I might argue that it is critical to get girls into sports conditioning early rather than later, for many reasons.

Self-Confidence.  Sports and physical readiness do wonders to support a child’s self confidence.  Girls need not be sidelined or relegated to academics and the arts while boys get celebrated for athleticism.

Body image.  Isn’t it time that we dump the frail image of beauty and welcome the many shapes of women?  Isn’t it time for athletic to be the new standard of beauty?  Perhaps, rather than encouraging extreme weightloss and disordered eating, we could encourage healthy eating and body composition?  Sports and exercise make positive changes to the body that can enable women to improve themselves rather than trying to look like an unrealistic ideal.

Bones.  Weight-bearing exercise prior to the first menses has been demonstrated to substantially increase the woman’s bone mineral density.  The more minerals in the bones at a young age, the less risk of osteoporosis in later life.

ACL protection.  Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears are increasingly prevalent among young atheletes (particularly) females.  As a female matures, the hips widen and increase the angle between the femur (thigh bone) and the tibia (shin), i.e., the “Q-angle”.  The greater the Q-angle the greater the potential for an ACL injury.  Protection of the ACL, however, comes from the hips and not the knee, per se.  Thus, it is critical to emphasize hip strength in developing females (and males, as well) and watch for the signs that might indicate an increased risk of an ACL injury.  In particular, parents and coaches should watch the athlete’s knees during jumping and landing.  If the knees move inward as the athlete jumps or lands, this is a sign of weak hip muscles.  The hip is not strong enough to stabilize the femur.  In a perfect storm, the ACL is unprotected.

Sports performance.  Let’s face it.  We want to see our daughters do well in sports, too.  Proper conditioning in the off-season (and training in-season) will maximize performance and reduce inury.  As with the boys, the girls should be encouraged to participate in multiple sports and to allow time for physical conditioning.  Sadly, it seems that the sports most commonly participated in by girls are the ones (in my experience) that are most likely to demand year-around participation—soccer, volleyball, basketball, and softball.  These also tend to have coaches that want to control all aspects of the athlete’s participation.  Parents, simply, need to stand up to these coaches.  It is, of course, the athlete’s performance and ability to progress that will be most desired by college recruiters—not what club your daughter played for or the number of tournaments she plays in to “be seen”.

So, what should your female athlete be doing?  General conditioning, of course.  On top of this, she can keep up with the boys in the gym.  The same recommendations I made recently apply equally to girls as boys.  Lifting weights is healthy for girls.  On top of the weights, girls should apply added emphasis to the hips.  This is not to put an emphasis on “shapely butts”.  Rather, the emphasis is on the deeper gluteal muscles and on multi-directional hip movement (abduction, adduction, flexion, extension).  Additionally, the application of “reactive neuromuscular training” is useful.  Without getting too technical, this is simple coercing a muscle to contract by applying pressure in the direction you don’t want the body part to move.  In the case of the hip and ACL protection, we pull the knee toward the midline of the body.  In response, the hip muscles contract to counter this movement and drive the knees outward.  This can be done with rubber bands or tubes around the knees during the squat.  It is a great way to activate and strengthen the hips.

In addition to weight training, girls should be doing agility training that requires a great deal of multi-directional acceleration and deceleration.  Lateral bounding and agility circuits are great and can be fun for the athlete.   Below is a link to a video of the ACL Injury Prevention Exercises (PEP program) recommended by the Santa Monica Sport’s Medicine Foundation.  There are numerous techniques that can be effective.  I would strongly recommend that female athletes (as well as males) participate in an off-season conditioning program implemented by a qualified strength and conditioning professional at least once a year—if not throughout the year.  I emphasize “qualified”.  There are a lot of hacks out their.  Just because they played college sports and have a great physique does not mean they are qualified.  Look for a background in exercise science and sports medicine.  Ask questions.  Know what they intend to do.  Make sure they are doing the things that will have long-term benefit for your athletes.  Also, don’t wait until the weeks before the season starts!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Lag8uNU6AQ

Be your best today; be better tomorrow!

Carpe momento!

Yeah, we all heard of the “3 R’s” of education—reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmetic.  First, can we trust a system that can’t spell “writing” and “arithmetic”??  Second, these, alone, do not provide our young with all the fundamental skills they need to be productive members of society.

In the last couple of posts, I mentioned James C. Hunter’s “3 F’s of change”—Foundation, Feedback, and Friction.  Today, I would like to examine these as the essential components of education.  At least one of these is sorely missed in academic preparation.

Foundation.  Minimally, the “3 R’s” are indeed the foundation of any education.  Then, of course, we graduate from Kindergarten.  (Literally.  I honestly don’t get the graduation ceremonies for Kindergarten.  They are cute, and it is a pivotal year for the child, but….)  As our education progresses, the foundation needs to be strengthened.

Critical to education are the so-called STEAM disciplined—Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (and, of course, physical education!).  For the less academically inclined, these can be intimidating.  If so, then, whose fault is it?  Of course, not everyone will study these disciplines to their full extent, but every educated person should have the basics.  Life and progress demands it.  The scientific method isn’t just for men and women in white lab coats.  Technology is advancing at an accelerating rate.  If one cannot keep up, he/she will quickly become unemployable.  We are all engineers in our own way.  How else can anyone shop at Ikea??  Not everyone is Picasso or Monet, but we can all have an appreciate the arts.  Educators, as well, need to recognize the contributions the arts make to society, but also the role that these play in learning.  And Math?  Oh, how I tire of hearing students say they “can’t do math” or “I’m not good at math”.  Indeed, this angers me.  In most cases, I am not asking students to do integral equations.  I am usually asking them to solve basic plug-and-chug algebraic equations.  Somewhere along the line they have been told that they are not able to do these things or that it is not important to learn.  This is no foundation!

Feedback.  Remember, according to Hunter, feedback is where we “identify the gaps between the set standard and current performance”.  It is a sweeping judgement and mostly over-stated, but, in many cases, our education system has closed the gap by lowering the standards to meet performance.  We worry about self-esteem.  We worry that, if we are critical, it will somehow damage a child’s psyche.  And where has that gotten us??

I have been told, as an educator, that I should not use a red pen to grade, that I should not make tests hard as to test the students beyond their capacities and grade on a curve, that I need to teach to the least of the students, and so on.  I am glad I never pursued a degree in higher education.  I would not have survived.  I believe students should be challenged to expand their capabilities.  I will not hold hands, but I will guide you.  My goals as an educator is to teach you what you need to know, show you what you don’t know, and give you the skills to close the gap.

Feedback in education need not be all warm and fuzzy.  Nor does it need to be excessively harsh.  Feedback need only be constructive.

It angers me to hear faculty say that “our students are not capable of x because of y”.  It also angers me to hear (as I actually have) from students that “This is hard…. You need to bring it down to our level.”  No, I do not!  As an educator, I am responsible for bringing you up to the level you need to be to succeed in your profession.  This leads me to the third F—Friction.

Friction.  Because I had Physics with Mr. Ian Smith (one of my all-time favorite teachers) in high school, I understand the role of friction in our everyday lives.  Friction is an absolute necessity.  Try walking of driving without it.  It shapes things.  It polishes things.  Likewise, friction is an absolute necessity in education—albeit and often forgotten piece of education.

Friction might also be referred to “healthy tension”.  Unfortunately, we seem to be moving away from healthy tension in education.  Young people are being taught to hide from ideas that challenge them.  Both ends of the political and societal spectrum are guilty.  Education should be a place where ideas and beliefs are challenged.  This is in no way meant to imply that educators are to force their ideas upon students.  Rather, it means that the foundation to a liberal education is respectful discourse.

One of my favorite teaching experiences came when one of my many favorite students, Addison, challenged what I was teaching about rolling friction.  He insisted, as he was taught in Physics that there was no such thing as rolling friction.  We went back and forth.  For some, who do not know Addison or our relationship, he may have appeared disrespectful.  One student chimed in: “Dr. Armstrong, just tell us what you want I to know.”  No.  That is not what I want.  I was confident in what I was saying, but I was not a physicist. I acknowledged that I could be wrong and Addison correctness in challenging my instruction.  I presented my case for why I believed that I was correct and promised the students I would confirm what I was teaching.  I was, indeed, correct, and Addison and I brought ice cream to the next class so the humble pie could be served ala mode.  Addison is now a physician, and there are few doctors that I would trust more.  Why?  Because Addison is someone who welcomes the friction that comes with learning.  What he knows and practices has been challenged and is not taken lightly.  THIS is an educated person.

In the Internet age, there is no information that I can deliver that my students can’t get faster by Googling it.  My job is no longer to feed them information.  Mine is to teach them the processes of mastication, digestion, and absorption of information.  My job is to teach them how to ascertain fact from fiction.  Science from broscience.  For this, I love my job.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow!

Carpe momento!

Image source: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/wUnsniksBWM/maxresdefault.jpg

I shared, yesterday, the “3 F’s of change” (James C. Hunter)—Foundation, Feedback, and Friction.  These have inspired quite a bit of thought about a number of things that I am sure I will be sharing over the days to come.  Today, it will be giving some of my thoughts on education.

I am an educator and have a number of great teachers in my family.  I support education.  I am also highly critical of education.  I sometimes appear overly critical of education.  I appear so critical because 1) I am passionate about it, and 2) I see the product of education.  I intend to be constructively critical, but it doesn’t always come across as such.  (So, please, if you continue reading, understand this to be my intent.)

Change is essential—particularly in education.  “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results” (Albert Einstein).  Education in the United States has remained virtually unchanged for generations.  It hardly keeps up with our changing society.

I believe that education is the root solution for every problem that is facing our world today.  So, yes, I am passionate that about it!  We rightly consider education to be a fundamental right.  I support public education.  I do not, however, take access to education lightly.  In other words, I believe that as educators we have a moral obligation to provide more than a degree, and students have an obligation to do more than just show up.

A diploma might have its greatest value when one runs out of toilet paper—unless it leads to a better society.  Recent graduates often complain about the lack of jobs and opportunity, as well as the mounting debt that higher education causes.  There is certainly some truth to these concerns, however….

Education is expensive.  There is no denying this.  In many cases, going into debt to be educated is necessary.  Wisdom, however, is warranted.  Questions need to be asked.  What am I getting in return for this debt?  Can I afford this now?  Would I be better to postpose my education and save some money?  Is this “stuff” I “need” (e.g., new phone, computer, car, clothes, etc.) necessary?  For what am I being educated?  Will there be a career for me when I complete the degree? Et cetera.

If you are not going to be able to pay the debt because the field of choice is a low-paying field, then, well, Forrest Gump nailed it: “Stupid is as stupid does.”  On one hand, the student has responsibility, here.  On the other hand, we educators have to take some of the blame.  Believe me, as an exercise science professor, I often ask myself: “What the hell am I doing?”  (Kiplinger.com recently listed Exercise Science as the #10 “Worst College Majors for Your Career 2016-2017”.  In the March 2009 issue of Professionalization of Exercise Physiology online, respected chair of the Department of Exercise Physiology at The College of St. Scholastica and editor of PEPonline, published an article, “Exercise Science Is Not a Sound College Investment”.)  Now, certainly, there is much truth to the Kiplinger ranking and Dr. Boones’ statement about the degree.  Kiplinger looks at exercise science as a route to a career as a fitness trainer.  Dr. Boone addresses that the majority of exercise programs are designed to prepare students for advanced degrees—more debt.  I see the points being made, but I also see the great opportunity in an exercise science degree.  (I personally believe it should be the preferred route to all advanced medical degrees, e.g., MD, DO, DPT, PA, etc.  I also see that, for students preparing for these professions, there are other career options, if they fail to obtain admission to medical school, etc.)  The key to making an exercise science program (or any academic program) successful and valuable is in taking care not to merely prepare students for a job (e.g., fitness instructor) or for graduate school.  Rather, education—and this should be understood as the role of all education—is to prepare students to become a creative member of society.  In other words, education should—must—not merely prepare students for jobs.  Instead, education should be preparing job creators.  Unfortunately, educators—particularly in higher education—are too focused on their own disciplines and fail to see the broader connections that should be made during a college degree.  Often educators train students from their perspective of the discipline for the purpose of preparing one for a career in said disciple.  Decades ago, this may have worked.  Times, as Bob Dyan sang, “they are a changin’”.

I believe that education needs to be more flexible.  Information is so easily accessible to all levels of society through the Internet and books.  The traditional lecture/notetaking format must give way to developing critical thinking skills.  I expect my students to challenge what I teach and what society attempts to teach.  There is so much discussion, lately, or “fake news”.  The fitness industry, from my perspective, is more driven by marketing than physiology.  Educated people must be discerning.

Education (Kindergarten through PhD) must provide more than a certificate of completion (i.e., diploma).  Education is to be the foundation for future life.  It should prepare students to become productive members of society.

It is important to note that “educated” is not limited to scholarship.  Indeed, we would be nowhere without people skilled in trades or willing to take on the physical labor that builds the thinks that the thinkers create.  Such persons are critical to society and should me considered for their contribution.  Without the creators, though, there is no hope for the laborer.  We must produce creators!

I support STEAM education.  There is much talk of STEM education in schools—Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics—but there is also a critical contribution to be made by the Arts (and, of course, I demand that Physical Education be included).  As educators, no matter what our discipline, we need to understand the role that each of these—each of us—play in producing a well-educated society.

I propose a system that broadly educated at all levels to provide the skills for everyone to succeed.  Rather than teach to a battery of tests or to an antiquated degree plan, we must focus of delivering the skills that will ultimately add value to the educated.

A diploma is expensive and should be thought of as more than a purchase.  An education is an investment in our society, as well as the student.  The value of an education must appreciate with time or it is money wasted.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow!

Carpe momento!

I recently started my (almost) 12-year-old son and his friend lifting weights.  Many parents question when to start their young athlete in a weight training or sports preparation program.  So, I thought I might address the idea of beginning weight training for children.

It has been within the last 20 years or so that we (exercise scientists) have even begun to explore starting kids lifting weights before high school.  And there still remains some resistance among coaches in some sports to have the athletes lift at all.  (I had heard a story from one parent a couple of years ago about a coach who threatened to cut any players who participated in any outside conditioning.)  On the other hand, there are the coaches who insist on year-around “sport-specific” training and having complete control of the athlete.  I don’t have too much favorable to say for such coaches.  Fortunately, the science has begun to demonstrate the benefits of preparation for youth sports.  Indeed, the evidence is mounting, in my informed opinion, that it is essential.

We discuss the age at which a child can/should begin resistance training in several of my courses.  My instruction is always that a child should begin resistance training from birth.  Notice, I am saying resistance training.  This is not weight training, per se, and not all weight training is appropriate fro children until they reach the appropriate stage of development (note: “stage”, not “age”).  What I mean by resistance training from birth is that muscle responds to the resistance to its contraction—e.g., lifting something provides resistance and pushing against a limb as one is attempting to move it provides resistance.  Take note of what happens when you grab a baby’s foot.  What does she do?  She pushes back.  Resistance training.  Such play is essential for building the strength to sit, stand, walk, etc.  Adding weights is just a progression.

So, to the question: “At what age can a child should start ‘lifting weights’?”  When they reach a stage of readiness.  When they ask, and when they can maintain the level of focus and enthusiasm to perform the movements safely.  (For the sake of the professional’s sanity, please, don’t force your athletes into conditioning programs.)  In my experience, this comes around the age of junior high school (7^th or 8^th grade)—possibly younger in some.  I have seen kids as young as 8 be focused and ready, but this is atypical.

So, your athlete wants to start lifting weight?  Where do you start?

My preference for all beginning weight trainers is to start on machines, if possible.  This gives the exerciser a “feel” for how the muscles need to contract when performing specific movements.  From here, one can progress to less and less stable movements using free weights.  The challenge for young athletes, however, is that, at nearly all gyms, these machines are built for average sized adults.  There are machines out there that are designed specifically for kids, but good luck finding access to them.

This leaves us with body weight exercises and free weights.  In my opinion, body weight exercises and calisthetics should be part of physical education from the start, and, thus, the athlete should have a foundation prior to starting with weights.  (I say “should” because most kids are not getting adequate PE in school.)

Over the years, there was an unwarranted fear of free weight exercises for prepubescent children.  The concern was for the risk of injuring the growth plates.  While injuring the growth plates is serious (the growth plates are cartilage and cartilage takes longer to heal than bone; so, an injury could result in impaired growth in the bone), the likelihood from performing free weight exercises in proper form is unlikely.  Indeed, bone is strengthened by the forces applied to it (i.e., “Wolff’s Law”).  For prepubescent girls, in particular, weight-bearing exercise is important for strong bones and minimizing the risk of osteoporosis later in life.  (There are a number of benefits for young ladies that I will save for another post).

So, the only danger in children doing free weight exercises is in doing them with poor form and without proper supervision.  Before a child starts lifting heavier weights, he or she should demonstrate mastery of the technique.  With any strength training, strength increases first come from improved neuromuscular coordination (e.g., motor unit recruitment and synchronization).  Thus, I prefer to stick to the basics before getting crazy with variety.  As well, the exercises can be performed with greater frequency (even daily) because the stress is to the nervous system not the skeletal muscle tissue and recovery is fast.  There is some evidence that more frequent training, in beginners, will increase the strength gains.  (It is not until someone is lifting really heavy weights that maximal recoverable volume becomes a more significant concern.  So, don’t worry that you have to stick to an every-other-day schedule—at least initially.)

In sticking to the basics, I have settled on five exercises: squat, deadlift, bench, lat pulldown, and overhead press.  For the squat, I have found the “landmine” squat to be a good start.  The spine does not bear the weight, and the athlete can focus on keeping a neutral spine and sitting back into the squat.  The deadlift can seem intimidating, but it is an essential exercise and learning the techniques is better earlier than later.  Of utmost importance is that the athlete learn the proper hip hinge and to pull the weight with the glutes (butt) and hamstrings.  Once the athlete masters these, (s)he will be ready to add some variety (but know that the notion of “muscle confusion” is a myth—stick to the basics!)

The repetitions (reps) don’t need to be high (i.e., >10-12 reps).  Too high of reps is likely to lead to a breakdown in technique, which will defeat our purposes.  I like to keep the squat and deadlift at about 8 and 5 reps, respectively, to start.  The bench, pulldown, and press can go as high as 10.  Three working sets (you might want a couple of unweighted sets to “practice” the movement and warm up before adding weight—remember we are keeping it light to start) should be sufficient.  The weight used should be challenging, but not cause a breakdown of technique.

Don’t rush adding weight or expect your 12 year-old to start looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger to quickly.  Keep the focus on proper form and enjoying the activity.

You might also notice that I didn’t include “curls for the girls”.  First, these are considered accessory lifts.  Second, the basic five will involve the biceps and triceps, so they will develop, as well.  Third, curls are not athletic movements.  Finally, we don’t want to develop lifters who spend their focus at the gym on bench and curls.  Overall, athletic performance is the goal.  Asthetics will follow with proper lifting.  Later, if the athlete wants to pursue bodybuilding more refined movements will be necessary.  Until then, the K.I.S.S. principle applies.

Keep it fun.  Keep it simple.  Above all, keep it safe.

In addition to weight training, don’t forget that there are other aspects of conditioning to consider—e.g., cardiorespiratory endurance, muscle endurance, agility, speed, etc.  (More on these to come.)