
	The Renkens Center Newsletter Volume 2; Issue 6

That Little Extra Somethin'

Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending the Track and Field Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon. It truly was an experience I will never forget. The venue was spectacular, the spectators and the buzz they created were fabulous, and the athletes were amazing to say the least. I came back with lots of memories as well as some thoughts. One thought in particular was the little difference there can be between qualifying for a final, placing top three to attain a spot on the Olympic Team, or even winning a gold as opposed to taking home the silver.

At first less than 1 percent may sound fairly insignificant. Whether you run 1 percent faster or slower in a race is immaterial, right? Wrong!

Consider this: American favorite Alan Webb missed out on Beijing in the mens' 1500 final. Winner Bernard Lagat won the race in 3 minutes, 40.37 seconds. Third place finisher (the final spot on the Olympic Team) Lopez Lomong ran 3:41 while Webb, finishing fifth, ran 3:41.62. How significant is the 0.62 second that separated Lomong from Webb? The 0.99 % difference between the two is what kept Webb from representing his country in next month's Olympic Games.

I bring this point up not only for the runners and racers reading this newsletter, but for non-runners just the same. Whether it be competing in a local 10-K, landing a contract in the cooperate world, meeting a deadline in the office, planning a birthday party, or being a better friend; the extra 1 percent effort we are capable of giving can go a long way. The extra 1 percent of thought we can put into our preparation can go a long way just the same.

There are of course many variables that go into a race like the 1500 at the world-class level. From race positioning to mental focus to pre-race warmup to name just a few. I use Alan Webb as an example here because he was fully capable of winning this race. He is the American record holder in the mile and last year ran the fastest 1500 and the second fastest 800 in world. I can't help but think that if Webb had improved his preparation in the months leading up to the race just 1 percent he would be landing in Beijing in less than a month. Maybe it could be eating better following workouts to enhance recovery...or mental imagery to see himself succeeding...or fueling himself properly during an extended workout to hit the last interval...again there are several things to consider...but 1 percent somewhere, somehow.

The above numbers are just one illustration of how very small differences (in this case, less than 1 percent) in performance can have an enormous impact on how well you place or on how successful you are in making your goal a reality. Don't wait until you fail or fall just short of a goal to ask yourself, "What if?"

Summer Flipflops

With summertime and the heat it brings here in the south upon us, nearly everywhere you look you can find many people sporting flip-flops as their choice of footwear. Although flipflops can be convenient and help keep you cool, wearing them for long durations can cause problems.

New research from Auburn University studied the biomechanics of the flipflop and determined that wearing thong-style flipflops can be painfully bad for your feet and legs. Findings derived from the study were recently shared at the annual American College of Sports Medicine summit.

It was found that when people walk in flipflops, they alter their gait. Researchers found that when individuals wear flipflops their stride length was shorter and they lacked dorsiflexion of both the big toe and the ankle. The reason for this could be as simple as when people wear flipflops, they tend to grip the flipflop with their toes to prevent it from slipping off the foot.

In past newsletters and when you have been in for office visits, you know I am constantly stressing the effect that one compensation has on the entire kinetic chain. An alteration in gait, therefore, can result in problems and resultant pain from the foot up into the lower leg, hips, and even lower back. Flipflops are best worn for short periods of time, like after a run in the park or at the beach. If you are wearing flipflops all day you may be setting yourself up for problems as they are not designed to properly support the foot and ankle.

Protect Your Health

In last month's newsletter I wrote about the importance of working to maintain the soft tissue quality of your body to not only help ward off injury, but also to enhance performance in all settings - road, athletic field, garden, workplace, etc...

In this edition I would like to throw in my two cents pertaining to health on an even higher level - our nation's health. Although the scope is large and much more can and has been written, I was driven to write this from something I recently read in the newspaper.

I read how just recently an influential group of doctors from the American Academy of Pediatrics is recommending children as young as 8 be given cholesterol-fighting drugs to ward off heart problems! The DRUGS will be targeted for kids who have too much LDL ("bad" cholesterol), along with other risky conditions, including obesity and high blood pressure.

Being a parent of two young boys myself, I know where I stand on this issue. There is no way I am giving my child, or any other child for that matter, a drug for something that can both be prevented and typically controlled with proper lifestyle changes. Notice I did not say never. I do realize there is a time and place for western medical practices and in certain circumstances drugs may be the best option. However, as a whole, I think prescription drugs are overprescribed and abused.

In addition, I feel the current healthcare system is flawed at its foundation. We put way too much emphasis on treating disease rather than protecting health in the first place. In a lot of ways we as a society are misled towards devastating lifestyle choices and perceptions of healthcare by industries that have much to gain in the way of money and power from doing so.

When most talk about prevention, they are quick to talk about screening for early detection of disease. That is NOT prevention! That's secondary. I am talking about what we need to be doing before we ever get to the doctor's office.

We can do much in the way of making ourselves healthier. Daily exercise, eating nutrient-dense foods, avoiding sugar-filled, processed, and fat-laden foods, getting adequate sleep, and having a network of family and friends for emotional support are just a few of the things we can work towards to achieve optimal health. Walk more. Pack a nutritious lunch. Drink more water. Quit smoking. Get the right supplements. Make the changes.

Instead of prescribing a drug to an 8-year-old with known and unknown side effects, why not prescribe daily exercise and a diet centered around low-fat, nutrient-packed fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins? Take away the Game Boy and Wii Station, and clean the fridge and pantry of all of the junk some call food.