Understanding Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar fascitiis is the most common cause of heel pain, affecting approximately 2 million individuals in the United States each year. Clinical manifestation and diagnosis is well recognized based on physical examination and symptoms. This condition occurs along the long plantar fascia ligament, which is a fibrous tissue that spreads across the bottom of the foot connecting from the calcaleus (heel bone) to the proximal phalanges (toes). This structure takes tremendous stress with each step we take. Repetitive activation or irritation of the fascia can lead to mechanical overload and micro tears.
Risk factors which may predispose one to development of fasciitis include decreased ankle flexibility, improper mechanics of the foot, wearing incorrect shoes, being overweight, repetitive activities such as athletes participating in running and jumping. Other causative factors may include standing workers, sustained repetitive stress, and calcaneal heel spurs.  
Typical presentation is heel pain that has been slowly progressive and most noticeable with the first step in the morning or after being sedentary for extended periods. Pain is often sharp or shooting with each step and a progressive dull ache throughout the day. If signs and symptoms are not clear, further diagnostic modalities or consulting with your health care provider may be warranted.
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Ground Turkey or Ground Beef?

Ground turkey usually contains fat and skin when it is ground.  3 oz. can contain triple the amount of fat than ground beef*.  The full fat version of beef contains about 3 grams more fat and 100 calories more than turkey.  However, lean ground beef actually has about 20 less calories and only 3 grams of fat total compared to 10 grams in ground turkey.  Look for lean ground turkey, or stick with beef!  Be careful with ultra-lean ground turkey as it is easy to dry out when cooking.
*Courtesy: Fitness Magazine 2/10

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• Tip of the Month

  June 2010

  Abdominal Workouts: Frequency, Intensity, and Duration

  Over the past 15 years, there has been countless advice on how to “properly” train your abdominals, or core.  There isn’t a fitness magazine out there that doesn’t publish a different abdominal workout each and every issue.  Opinions and research may change over time, but there are a few things you should look at before you alter your workout with each Fitness Magazine you read!
  First of all, it is important to know what your overall fitness and health goal is before designing a strength program for any body part, especially the mid-section.  For overall fitness, it is smartest to treat your abdominal muscles as you would any other muscle group.  The tried and true guidelines for most exercise programs is to work specific muscles to fatigue within a 30-60 second set time limit (intensity and duration,) while giving the worked muscle group at least 24-48 hours of rest (frequency) before working it again.  The amount of sets you do in a given workout (frequency again) can vary from as little as 4 sets to up to 12 for the average workout.  The science behind these theories is sound.  While exercising, pushing your body significantly past the 60 second mark without fatigue generally incorporates aerobic energy, thereby not stressing the muscles most efficiently.  And rest is necessary so that your body can properly rebuild the muscle fibers that you have broken down.  Additionally, you want to be at 100% energy levels for your next workout!

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• Recipe of the Month

  June 2010

  Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole

  This healthy update of a traditionally rich ham-and-cheese breakfast strata is made lighter primarily by losing a few egg yolks and using nonfat milk. Gruyère cheese has a delicious, nutty aroma and flavor, which means that with the relatively small amount in this recipe you still get a big impact. To finish the makeover use nutritious, fiber-rich, whole-grain bread instead of white. The results: plenty of flavor, half the calories and one-third the fat of the original.

  4 large eggs
  4 large egg whites
  1 cup nonfat milk
  2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
  1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  5 cups chopped spinach, wilted (see Tip)
  4 cups whole-grain bread, crusts removed if desired, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 1/2 pound, 4-6 slices)
  1 cup diced ham steak, (5 ounces)
  1/2 cup chopped jarred roasted red peppers
  3/4 cup shredded Gruyère, or Swiss cheese
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