Pre-work out rituals: warm up or stretch or both?

When exercising plays such a large part of one’s lifestyle, you do not want to compromise that passion/necessity by risking an injury. As it is known that it is essential to warm up before a work out, we need to also understand and be aware that some stretching after warming up before a work out can be just as beneficial. The emphasis on ‘after’ warm up is emphasized because stretching a cold muscle will increase the risk of injury and is therefore discouraged.

Being able to select the appropriate stretching exercises is equally important as over stretching might actually be detrimental for your work out. One would stretch to increase mobility and flexibility in body parts like your hamstrings and calves so as to perform better. When you have been sitting all day with limited movements, or been in a bad posture for a certain activity, it is advised to perform some stretching exercising not only before your work out but as part of your daily regime. Stretching will help your spine achieve a proper realignment and neutral posture. It also helps with potential build up of muscle tightness from exercising.

Examples of pre-work out warm up exercises and post work out stretching will be illustrated in different posts.

At Crossfit Fibre, we recommend the following pre-work out / daily stretch exercises:

Squat stretch

Benefits:

  • Loosens tight structures around the leg mainly ankles, achilles tendons, calves, hamstrings, glutes, quads, lower back, posterior chain
  • Improves Squat Depth
  • Improves balance at bottom of the squat

 

CrossFit_Fibre_Mobility_Squat_Stretch_Front_1

 

Weighted ankle stretch

Benefits:

  • Improved dorsiflexion angle which gives you a better ROM at the ankle. A better ROM at the ankle will mean a better squat position that is more balanced.
  • Better bottom squat position

CrossFit_Fibre_Mobility_Weighted_Ankle_Stretch

 

Hamstring stretch

The Hamstring Stretch is an important posterior chain stretch that needs to be part of your daily routine. It is far too common now to notice that many are very tight in this muscle structure. The effects of this is detrimental to the squat posture and causes a “butt wink” that is undesireable.To allow a good squat, the hamstrings need to be flexible enough to allow the pelvis to be in anterior tilted and the lumbar curve maintained.

Benefits:

  • Increased flexibility of muscle
  • Improved squat depth without butt wink

 

CrossFit_Fibre_Mobility_Hamstring_Stretch_1

CrossFit_Fibre_Mobility_Hamstring_Stretch_2

CrossFit_Fibre_Mobility_Hamstring_Stretch_Side_3

CrossFit_Fibre_Mobility_Hamstring_Stretch_Side_4

Stick rotator cuff stretch

Benefits

  • Loosens up rotator cuffs and allows external rotation
  • Improves rack position

 

CrossFit_Fibre_Mobility_PVC_Rotator_Cuff_Stretch_1

 

CrossFit_Fibre_Mobility_PVC_Rotator_Cuff_Stretch_2

 

Angry cat /  happy dog

The Angry Cat and Happy Dog is a movement to mobilise your spinal column. This exercise allows us to keep our spinal column mobile and moving so that our muscle structures do not seize up and cause unwanted aches and pains. Perform each movement up to 10 times.

Benefits:

  • Moves and unlocks tightness in the spinal column and muscle structures around
  • Mobilises lower back and reduces stiffness
  • Allows movement in the spinal column

CrossFit_Fibre_Mobility_Angry_Cat_Stretch

CrossFit_Fibre_Mobility_Happy_Dog_Stretch

 

 Sources:

http://www.crossfitfibre.com/mobility/

http://livehealthy.chron.com/stretches-align-spine-5360.html

http://sportsmedicine.com/

 

Creamy Cashew Nut Cheese (raw, GF)

Creamy cashew but cheese

Tonight we had friends over for a Sawarak laksa night. Not quite happy with the laksa only on the menu, I proceeded to make a batch of buckwheat crackers and some cashew cheese. They literally took me half an hour to make and were so delicious. I am pretty sure I have mastered the crackers recipe by now! As for the cheese, it was seriously full of goodness. I sprinkled some hot paprika for a spicy twist. I will most definitely make more of it and have it as a dip for crudites or even to stir into pastas. The best part? There’s only one step in the method. Too easy 🙂

Enjoy xx


Creamy Cashew Nut Cheese (raw, GF)

Ingredients

(makes one bowl of cheese)

  • 1 cup of cashew nuts
  • 1 tablespoon of tahini
  • 1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast (optional – I didn’t use it)
  • 1/4 of a cup of water – add extra if you want it less thick
  • 1 juiced lime
  • salt and pepper to taste

Method

Simple place all of the ingredients into a food processor and blend until creamy, this should take about 5 minutes.

 

Source:

http://deliciouslyella.com/creamy-raw-cashew-nut-cheese/

Chet Faker Built on Glass

Chet Faker

Some of you might have been extremely lucky to watch Chet last night at Astor in Perth. I am KICKING myself for not having bought the tickets earlier. There’s still be some around, I told myself. All hope is not lost though, as I find out yesterday that Chet will be back for the Listen Out concert in September! YES! Turns out Chet the man is pretty popular in this side of the country. Chet is definitely one of those artists who just have a special way to my heart. With mellow, smooth, and almost lazy vocals, and smart arrangements, the tracks are pretty varied and as NOW Magazine perfectly sums it up ‘However varied the influences, there’s one thing the songs have in common: they all make you feel some type of way.’ If I WERE to pick a favourite, it would be ‘Talk is Cheap’ followed closely behind by ‘To Me’ and ‘Cigarettes and Loneliness’; actually no, totally scratch that, let’s rectify this, choosing a favourite would just be controversial here as I do love the whole album with a passion. The more I listen to it, the MORE I love. Yes such a thing is possible.

Faster Louder did a pretty accurate review of the album:
http://www.fasterlouder.com.au/reviews/music/39039/Chet-Faker–Built-On-Glass

Sit back and let this masterpiece of an album engulf you, transport you. You will be transfixed by how amazing it is, I promise.

 

 

Built On Glass tracklisting

Release Your Problems
Talk Is Cheap
No Advice (Airport Version)
Melt (feat. Kilo Kish)
Gold
To Me
/
Blush
1998
Cigarettes & Loneliness
Lesson In Patience
Dead Body

The truth about gluten

gluten_free_foods

Two years ago, I did not know what gluten was nor did I pay much attention to the health aisle at the supermarket or a gluten free option at the cafe. These days I do pay attention whether intentional or not, because gluten free food is everywhere and places have revamped their menus to include gf options and you have half a supermarket aisle stacked with gf options. I remember clearly when one of my friends mentioned to me she was going gluten, dairy and sugar free. Nuts I thought. But that was when my awareness was raised about gluten. A few months later, hubby found out he was gluten and yeast intolerant. These days I usually opt to have gf food and by that I mean I have less of wheat and all food containing gluten or what you call processed food, so less pasta, cake and biscuits in general. It’s a lifestyle which encourages less processed food and has its benefits. Do not confuse this with opting for a rationally gluten free diet that includes gluten free brownies or pasta over wholesome, unprocessed food.

Read ahead.

What is gluten?

Gluten is a protein found in grains wheat, barley, and rye.  It makes dough elastic and helps it rise – when yeast is added to bread dough, it produces carbon dioxide, which becomes trapped in the network of gluten proteins. In some people, eating or drinking anything containing gluten can cause an unpleasant reaction. This is known as non-coeliac gluten sensitivity, gluten sensitivity, or gluten intolerance. Gluten sensitivity can lead to similar celiac symptoms such as stomach cramps, diarrhea, and bloating. But unlike celiac, sensitivity doesn’t damage the intestine. For years, health professionals didn’t believe nonceliac gluten sensitivity existed, but experts are beginning to acknowledge that it may affect as many as 20 million Americans. To people with a chronic digestive disorder called celiac disease, gluten is truly evil: Their bodies regard even a tiny crumb of it as a malicious invader and mount an immune response. Problem is, this immune reaction ends up damaging the small intestine, which causes both great gastrointestinal distress and nutritional deficiencies. If untreated, these responses can then lead to intestinal cancers as well as complications such as infertility and osteoporosis.

Should you go gluten free?

gluten-free-mintel-infographic-.ashx

If you are celiac or gluten intolerant, yes.

If you are not, then you need to understand what follows. It is important to understand that gluten-free doesn’t mean fat-free or calorie-free. “Without gluten to bind food together, food manufacturers often use more fat and sugar to make the product more palatable,” says Case. Consider pretzels: A serving of regular pretzels has about 110 calories and just one gram of fat. Swap them for gluten-free pretzels and you could get 140 caloriesand six grams of fat.

Lots of people think that they have some kind of gluten intolerance, or that gluten is evil, because they feel better on a gluten-free diet.  But there is little scientific evidence to support this, and it typically comes down to the types of foods that are being consumed.  Foods that contain gluten, like bread, pasta, crackers, etc. are often processed and contain sugars.  By avoiding such foods and replacing them with nutrient-dense whole foods, it makes sense that you would feel better.

People who eliminate wheat will often turn to gluten-free foods, that are not made with wheat gluten but are instead made with corn starch, potato starch, rice starch, brown rice starch or tapioca starch. Research has found that the only foods that raise blood sugar more than whole wheat are corn starch, rice starch, potato starch, and tapioca starch. These are flagrant, rapidly-digested carbohydrates when they’re in the powdered form as presented in gluten-free foods.

It’s not uncommon for someone to go on a gluten-free diet and find that their diarrhea and cramps are now gone. Only now, they’re diabetic and fat. While those foods don’t trigger the immune phenomena, they trigger the carbohydrate phenomena worse than table sugar. So “gluten-free, multigrain bread” or ‘gluten free brownies’ sounds for all the world like a great thing but it’s actually still something you still want to avoid.

If you are after a healthy/healthier diet (and have no gluten intolerance), a vitamin-enriched and wholegrain foods diet is the way to go. Eat real food instead of ultraprocessed packaged food. Best skip the gluten-free goodies and focus on fruits, vegetables, lean protein, dairy, and gluten free grains like amaranth and quinoa. Having less/no gluten will mean having less of the processed food which is a great way to steer away from processed food. Cutting wheat products also help to reduce appetite, accelerate weight loss, and can help one feel clearer, more energetic and happier in general.

So, next time you reach out for the gluten free product or order those gluten free brownies just because they are ‘gluten free’, ask yourself whether they are the healthier option instead. Let’s be smart consumers.

 

Sources:

http://sciprose.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/keep-your-fad-diets-out-of-my-body-and.html

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/gluten-free-diet

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/against-the-grain-how-wheat-wrecks-your-health.html

http://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/nutrition/nutrition+tips/is+going+gluten+free+healthyr,24143

http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/03/28/farewell-to-gluten-free-why-we-are-so-easily-fooled-by-pseudoscience-and-marketing-gimmicks-when-it-comes-to-food/

Ikonika: Beach Mode Keep It Simple feat Jessy Lanza (Hyperdub 2013)

Loving this album right now, right up my genre alley. Below is the review from RA, could not have put it in a more eloquent manner. One of my favourites is Beach Mode, go on, listen to it.

‘Aerotropolis is nicely punctuated by “Completion V.3” and “Cryo,” two moments of sombre contemplation. But overall, the vibe of Aerotropolis is one of contagious optimism. While her trademark brash, over-exposed synths, snapping snares and bubbling drums remain, Ikonika has decluttered her beats and brought fresh new influences into play. Equal parts ’90s R&B, ’90s garage and classic Ikonika, “Beach Mode (Keep It Simple)” is the most convincing house revivalism you will hear this side of George Fitzgerald. On “Manchego” the fat, electro-funk bounce that has always been a part of Ikonika’s sound is more prominent than ever. That track, a seeming conveyor belt of irrepressible hands-in-the-air hooks, is one of several on Aerotropolis that could cause mayhem at this year’s festivals.

On “Eternal Mode,” “Let A Smile Be (Y)our Umbrella” and “Lights Are Forever,” Ikonika makes like Gui Boratto, revelling in the kind of soaring, shamelessly euphoric melodies that made Chromophobia sonic Prozac. To put it in simple terms: Ikonika has delivered one of 2013’s definitive summer albums. It’s time to get happy.’

http://www.residentadvisor.net/review-view.aspx?id=13237

IkonikaAerotropolis

Tracklist 
01. Mise En Place
02. Beach Mode (Keep It Simple) Feat. Jessy Lanza
03. Mr Cake
04. Practice Beats
05. Eternal Mode
06. Completion V3
07. Manchego
08. Let A Smile Be (Y)our Umbrella
09. Lights Are Forever
10. Mega Church Feat. Optimum
11. Cryo 1
12. Backhand Winners
13. You Won’t Find It There
14. Zen Sizzle