“I saw a picture of myself at the Met last year in a magazine and I didn’t like it, so I wanted to get back in shape. I’ve always hated trainers, but Keith specializes in working with you to build beautiful, useful muscle for what you actually want to accomplish with your body in life.” – GQ Magazine /GQ.com

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See Patrick’s 9 other essential at www.GQ.com

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Watch the video to see the difference in running techniques.

A new generation of “barefoot” runners has hit the streets, turning traditional thinking about running shoes upside down. Instead of cushioned sneakers, these runners wear shoes that look like gloves for the feet, with no cushioning at all. Instead of insoles, heel supports and treads, barefoot runners let the natural musculature of their feet do the cushioning. Barefoot running is a ripple that’s turned into a wave, with major athletic shoe brands scrambling to offer consumers shoes that have little or no support–the exact opposite of what they’ve been selling for years. If this phenomenon is new to you, look up Christopher McDougal’s best selling book Born to Run, which spins a tale of a Mexican badlands tribe that runs 50 miles a day in sandals with ease. It’s a great story that sparked a tremendous amount of interest in barefoot running—but are the book’s claims about barefoot running true? Are we all actually designed to run without cushioned shoes? Do we run better and more efficiently without any shoes at all?

It turns out that there’s a lot of support for barefoot running technique—and not just from a small group of radical runners. There’s evidence to suggest that, as runners, we’ve actually gotten worse with more cushioned shoes. “Humans have run for millions of years,” says Daniel Lieberman, a professor at Harvard University, “but the running shoe was only invented in the early 1970s.” And for most of our history, we ran barefoot or in sandals, not in hi-tech cushioned sneakers. Running shoes have changed the way we run, and perhaps not for the better. Most people who run with shoes, says Prof. Leiberman, strike the ground heel first. They have a very different heel strike than barefoot runners, who strike the ground with the middle or front of the foot, thereby drastically reducing their impact with the ground. David Willey, Editor-in-Chief of Runner’s World, agrees: “Studies show heavy heel-strikers can’t efficiently absorb and dissipate the impact forces of running, which over time can take a toll on our muscles, tendons and joints.” Anyone who has ever jumped and landed on his or her heels knows that’s true—our feet are designed to absorb impact front to back, not heel to toe. [See video above for a demonstration of the difference between toe-strike and heel-strike running.]

We’ve run barefoot for most of human history, so it stands to reason that our feet have evolved to run most efficiently barefoot, not with cushioned-heel shoes that allow us to get away with a heel strike over and over. Shoes also change our kinesthetic ability to run. “When you run in socks, shoes, inserts, midsoles and outsoles, your body’s proprioceptive system loses a lot of input,” says Amby Burfoot in Runner’s World. Wearing shoes, your body “switches off” to a degree. It’s like putting a pair of mittens on your hands; your hands still function, but your ability to fine-tune a task is greatly reduced.

If you’re thinking about making the switch to barefoot running, we suggest you do it with a little caution and a lot of common sense. Daniel Lucas, co-owner of Nimble Fitness, says: “There’s important lifestyle differences between the way we live now and the way our ancestors did. We sit for much, much longer than in the past, and we don’t carry our bodies in the same way. This definitely has an effect on the conditioning of our feet, legs and hips.” In other words, if we spend most of our lives sitting and wearing soft shoes, we’re going to need some prep work before running barefoot!

Here are some key tips from Daniel Lucas on getting ready to run:

*Transition time is an important factor. If you’ve been running your whole life in shoes, don’t jump into barefoot running. Give your body time to transition, so you can adapt gradually. This transition time will be different for every runner. If you have the tendency to over-pronate while running, or have significant mis-alignment issues, then running without shoe support may not be for you. Start slowly—practice on the treadmill so you can understand how your stride will change without shoes. Keep in mind that over-striding leads to heel striking, so without shoes, you’ll probably need to shorten your stride.

*Use Micro-Progressions. It’s a good idea to progress your distance and speed in a methodical way. Don’t just make the leap! You want to be aware of how your body is going to recover from the new barefoot running technique, especially your feet. As Daniel says: “The studies out there point towards barefoot running being very good for you, but at Nimble we always add new loads and stresses to our bodies progressively. I’m also guessing those studies didn’t include many runners with poor form or dysfunction in their feet.”

*Start with Barefoot Training. At Nimble, we’ve found that performing strength training and soft-impact exercises barefoot has a profound positive effect on overall function and balance. Even walking barefoot for longer periods can make a difference. Work barefoot training into your program before you start barefoot running.

*We never say never…but if you’re thinking about running barefoot on pavement, that should be the last stage of a well-planned program! We ask you to think of the benefit of running barefoot on pavement versus the cost of damage to your ankles and feet—you’re probably better off saving barefoot running for the treadmill or natural surfaces like grass.

*The Bottom Line? A seasoned runner with good technique can benefit greatly from both running and training barefoot—especially as part of an overall strength and conditioning program. Conversely, a casual runner who has never run without the support of running shoes will risk injury by jumping right into barefoot running. Progress slowly into barefoot running.

For more info about training for barefoot running, or if you’d like to schedule a training session at our Manhattan studio, please contact us at info@nimblefitness.com

This month, I’d like to ask you to focus on the way you breath. Most of us never stop to think about breathing—it’s automatic, right? It is, fortunately, but there are different ways of drawing a breath, which depend on the situation we’re in. When we’re stressed or in an emergency, we react by engaging our shoulders to lift the rib cage and “help” oxygen in. We’re in fight or flight mode, and we need as much air as we can get. Many of us continue to breath this way, however, even when we’re not in a stressful situation.

Move your breath out of your shoulders and into your torso, and you can reduce your stress immediately. Begin by feeling your rib cage and abdomen expand. Instead of breathing by contracting your shoulder muscles again and again, you’re engaging your diaphragm to create space for your breath. You’re out of fight or flight mode, and into rest and repair. Just by moving your breath, you’re taking tension out of your neck and shoulders, and re-oxygenating your blood in a much more efficient way.

Sit in a comfortable position, with your spine long. Sit away from the chair back or bench, so your rib cage has plenty of space to move. Place your hands on your rib cage, and visualize your breath moving through your rib cage into your lower torso. Consciously slow your breath down, lengthening the space between each breath. Don’t strain, and don’t take too much air. Practice this for 5-10 minutes a day, focusing on your breath, on you, instead of everything else around you. It will have a significant calming and centering effect.

If you would like to learn more, I invite you to join me on Friday, October 15th at Nimble Fitness where I will be guiding a group meditation and performing music from my new CD, Sunyata.

CONTACT ME

Keith Paine

Ahh…Valentine’s Day. A celebration of love. A chance to spend cash on stuff that nobody needs, and often a cause of heartache. Love is tricky – both for those who are in a relationship and those who want to be in one.

If attachment breeds suffering, as the Buddha taught, then what should we do about love, the greatest attachment of all? Are we born to suffer if we don’t find a lover? We all long for the security of being with a person who’ll love us back. Our egos are satisfied when we feel loved. In our society, we’ve become attuned to acquiring things and judging our success by those things: money, a high-status job, a house. We can become attached to the idea of love in the same way, measuring our status as a person by our love lives. We’re flying high when our relationships go well, suffering when they fail.

Is it possible to experience love without attachment? Well…that depends on how we experience love. If we think of love as something that we have to get, than it can just as easily be lost, and we’ll suffer as a result. If instead we think of love as a way of being, the rules change. Love becomes active, not passive. Love becomes a daily experience, not something we have to find in someone else.

If this concept sounds kind of unrealistic, I believe it is much easier in practice. Whether it’s giving time to your kids or giving a donation to Haiti, we act with love all the time! Americans happen to be an incredibly generous people, especially when inspired by loss or need. Turn that same generosity towards yourself and those closest to you – in other words, act with love instead of searching for love- and you’ll be shocked at how much of it you get in return.

A:

The fact is, you’re burning calories all the time, even when you’re asleep. Those calories come from a combination of fat and carbs. The fat-to-carb ratio changes according to what your body needs, but the difference between a “fat-burning zone” and an “instant-energy carb zone” is less than you might think.

Here’s the deal: if you want to release weight, it’s not about where those calories come from, but how many you burn overall. So, the more active you are during your day, whether it’s a super-sweaty spin class, a challenging yoga session, or a climb up your office stairs, you’re still burning calories.  Check out these numbers:

*Average calories burned for an average hour Pilates or Tai Chi class: 200-250 cal

*Average calories for an average hour of jogging (not sprinting) 400-500 

If we do some simple math, we realize that there’s no difference, in calories at least, between 5 days of a medium intensity exercise, such as Pilates, Yoga, Tai Chi, or weight training, and 3 days of jogging. Now, jogging for an hour is more than most of us want or need to do, so create an ideal mix for yourself between lower and higher intensity exercise.

The key to really burning calories and releasing weight?  Consistent exercise and good food choices.

Keith Headstand Pose from Nimble Fitness on Vimeo.

That gentle reputation is taking a hit, however, as more and more Americans are getting injured in Yoga classes. Those injuries cover the full range of severity–from sore backs and strained hamstrings to torn knee cartilage and sprained necks. Roger Cole PhD., a scientist and Iyengar Yoga teacher in California, names the lower back, knees and the neck as the most prone to injury in Yoga. Injuries most often come from just being too aggressive—a forward bend that goes too far aggravates the back, for example, while falls from challenging headstands and forearm balances can cause neck injuries.

The Nimble team is here to remind you that though there are significant risks associated with practicing Yoga, there are some simple recommendations that can keep your practice safe and effective, regardless of the style of instruction:

*INTENTION—take a few moments to make sure your head’s in the right place before you step on the mat. Usually, we’re to blame for our injuries. We watch the rest of the class and let our egos take over—we want to be the best in that new pose, even if we’ve never tried it before! No amount of ego is going to help you if you push your body too far.

*3 KEYS—in Anusara instruction, there are 3 basic “checks” we use for each pose: foundation, alignment and breath. If your foundation is strong, whether it’s your feet, hands, shoulders, forearms, or hips, you’ve greatly reduced your chances of falling. Alignment basically refers to the spine, pelvis and joints. Be especially mindful of these areas—your body will let you know if you’re going too far out of your natural alignment. The last is obvious: if you can’t breath in a pose, we humbly suggest you back off and start over!

*PRIVATE INSTRUCTION—most people in the U.S. experience Yoga asanas for the first time in a crowded classroom, where there’s minimal instruction and minimal space. If you’re starting out, find an experienced instructor who can take you through the basics before you head into a class. You’ll feel more confident and enjoy it a lot more.

*GO AT YOUR OWN PACE—a Yoga practice should be built around your body’s strengths and limitations—you should never try to adapt your body to a form your body’s not ready for. What’s the point? Your body will react by trying to protect itself any way it can, and the results are usually not good. Slow and steady wins the race here—and you’ll surprise yourself at how far you progress when you’re consistent and attentive to what you’re ready for on the mat. Plus you’ll really start to enjoy yourself!

Please share your Yoga experiences with us!—submit a question or comment on our community board at www.nimblefitness.com. Also, stay tuned for more Yoga info in the coming months as we break down the keys to an effective practice. For those of you who are new to us, Nimble Fitness is a health and wellness company based in New York City that offers instruction in Anusara Yoga, either privately or semi-private groups.

Untitled from Nimble Fitness on Vimeo.