Article de La Presse: Martin Brodeur plus flexible et plus endurant à 37 ans!

Martin Brodeur semble avoir trouvé la fontaine de Jouvence.

Mathias Brunet
La Presse

Le gardien québécois, qui a égalé lundi le record de blanchissages en carrière, 103, détenu par Terry Sawchuk, connaît l'un de ses bons débuts de saison en carrière malgré ses 37 ans.

Son secret? Des capacités physiques extraordinaires, évidemment, beaucoup de sérieux à l'entraînement et une passion toujours bien vive. Mais un changement radical de son régime alimentaire, il y a deux ans, pourrait aussi expliquer ses succès à un âge où Patrick Roy s'est retiré du hockey.

Le gardien des Devils du New Jersey a croisé le chemin du préparateur physique et naturopathe Éric Falstrault il y a deux ans. Falstrault se chargeait des entraînements de l'un des actionnaires de la pizzeria appartenant à Brodeur. Curieux, Brodeur a écouté ses idées et s'est lancé à fond dans l'aventure.

«Plus la carrière avance, plus on doit prendre des moyens supplémentaires pour rester au sommet de sa forme, a expliqué Falstrault au bout du fil. Il fallait d'abord baisser son taux de gras et augmenter sa force. Il avait d'ailleurs un taux de gras d'environ 18% au début et aujourd'hui, il se maintient entre 10% à 12%. Il se sent deux fois mieux, il a plus d'énergie, il a moins de hauts et de bas. Les trois quarts des résultats qu'on a obtenus sont liés à son changement d'alimentation. Perdre du gras l'a aidé à gagner en flexibilité, mais aussi en endurance. On peut perdre une vingtaine de livres inutiles. Il fait des mouvements qui prouvent qu'il est beaucoup plus flexible qu'auparavant, surtout au niveau des jambes.»

Falstrault a modifié complètement les habitudes alimentaires de Brodeur, mais il précise que le gardien des Devils ne mangeait pas nécessairement mal. «Il s'agissait plutôt de mieux équilibrer son régime alimentaire pour qu'il ait les bonnes vitamines. Par exemple, j'ai tué le mythe qu'il fallait manger des pâtes avant un match. Quelqu'un qui mange des pâtes sans protéines va peut-être ressentir une baisse d'énergie pendant son activité physique. On a coupé le pain et modifié sa consommation de fruits. J'ai privilégié les bleuets et les framboisese plutôt que le melon pour stabiliser son taux de sucre. Et je l'ai incité à manger beaucoup plus de protéines pour qu'il ne perde pas sa force musculaire. Mais chacun est différent. La diète de Martin ne serait pas nécessairement bonne pour Zach Parise.»

Falstrault a aussi modifié le programme d'entraînement de Brodeur, un autodidacte dans le domaine. «Il faisait beaucoup de cardio et d'étirements. Mais le cardio, ça ne se perd pas. On peut en faire trois semaines avant le début du camp d'entraînement et revenir au niveau de la fin de saison précédente. Alors, on met l'attention ailleurs. On travaille sur la force et la puissance en gymnase. C'est là qu'on peut prévenir les blessures.»

Au plan physique, Falstrault est surtout impressionné par la flexibilité et les réflexes de Brodeur. «On fait certains exercices et il est vraiment sur une autre planète. On ne peut pas vraiment améliorer davantage cet aspect de son jeu parce qu'après 12 ou 14 ans, on ne peut pas améliorer les réflexes de plus de 2 à 5%, mais on peut les maintenir à ce niveau pendant encore plusieurs années.»

Brodeur peut-il conserver un tel niveau d'excellence longtemps? «Je le crois, a répondu Falstrault. Surtout qu'il a toujours une grande passion pour son sport. On en a parlé un peu cet été, il tient à jouer au moins jusqu'à la fin de son contrat qui se terminera dans trois ans. Il aura alors 40 ans. Après, on verra. Il faudra s'assurer dans son cas que ses articulations et ses ligaments demeurent en santé parce qu'il a déjà eu une blessure (au tendon du biceps). Alors, il est toujours susceptible d'en avoir une autre. Mais contrairement à une majorité de gardiens, ses genoux et ses hanches ont été épargnés grâce au style qu'il pratique (qui n'est pas le papillon). Il faudra plutôt faire attention à ses coudes et à ses épaules.

«Dans le cas de son biceps, il a été chanceux dans sa malchance parce si le biceps avait déchiré, l'absence aurait été beaucoup plus longue et ça aurait été difficile de revenir. On a replacé le tendon au bon endroit et depuis, il a beaucoup augmenté sa force au niveau des biceps.»

Bootcamp

6 tips for a fat free holiday

With Christmas just around the corner, I see trainees getting anxiety attacks about it. They train hard but have to give in when it comes to family brunches and diner parties. All those hard earned hours in the gym will go to waste in a matter of days. But it is possible to minimize the damages done by this repeated partying. The number 1 and quite obvious trick for over doing it is moderation, so with that in mind, here are my top 6 lists.

1. Take a week off during the holidays: If you are as serious with your training as you are with your food intake, chances are you will keep the cheating to a minimal. But overtraining and serious dieting has its drawback. That’s why holiday season can help your results more than impair them if you are this type of training advocate. Planned cheating can help rebuild those glycogens stores, thus increasing your energy levels, improve your results in the gym, and believe it or not still lose body fat. It can trick your body to use his own stored body fat as energy. If you’ve been on a diet for more than 6 to 8 weeks, don’t be surprised to shed 1-2% bodyfat in a matter of 24 hours.

2. Keep the fat off with planned overtraining: trick #1 was oriented towards the serious trainees, the ones that life turns around their gym time. This one’s for average people who go 3 to 4 times a week, watch closely what they eat, but cheat once in a while. Hitting the gym harder for 4 to 6 weeks prior big parties will help deplete those glycogens store. So when cheating time comes, the body will store the excess calories as energy instead of fat. You can even shed a couple of pounds on the scale.

3. Stay away from the booze: Let’s be honest, last time I checked, few people have just one drink. So you could be looking at 4 or more ounces of alcohol in a typical “Social” evening, clocking in at a likely total of somewhere between 256 to 328 calories and I’m being conservative. But as long as the carbs are zero, do we need to care? You bet. Think of alcohol as a kind of presidential motorcade. All the other cars pull over to the side to let it through, and traffic can’t continue moving till the “all clear” signal has been given. Similarly, the body can’t store alcohol, so it has to use it up first. The metabolizing of fat and glucose has to be put on hold while the body gets rid of the alcohol. Once the “motorcade” has left the street, things can proceed normally. But during that time fat– like traffic– isn't going anywhere. Unsexy as it is, Moderation is the answer. Drinking with food lowers the possibility of hypoglycaemia for most people. Sticking with red wine and unmixed drinks is also a good idea. “In small amounts alcohol is benign”, says Dr Bernstein. “ But if you’re the type who can’t limit drinking, it’s the best to avoid it entirely “
''The dose makes the Poison'' There is more than an accidental connection between sugar addiction and alcoholism. Some people just can’t manage moderation. If this is you, forget about the health benefits, they don’t apply to you.

4. Stay away from simple carbs, keep the meat coming: The big problem during holiday time is the carbs and excess sugar from booze, cakes, pastries, you name it. People, who can hold the temptations, can stick with meats, cheeses, and veggies go without saying. This trick alone will keep your weight stable and hard earned muscles without any effort, and will keep the results coming.

5. Do not starve before the big meals: One of the biggest mistakes I see is people who starve before big meals. They do not eat at all during the day just because they want to make sure that they don’t max out their calories, or make place for the nice meals to come, or whatever the reason is. That’s just making matters worse. They are so hungry when they get to the party that they snack on hors d’oeuvres before the meal and get bloated even before the fun starts. If they pass on the small snacks, when meal time arrives, they go for the easy stuff, breads and pasta. You usually find those people sleeping on the couch while the woman does the dishes, I’m not sexist, it’s what happens.

6. Stay on track with your supplements: The most important supplements during the holidays are HCl(hydrochloric acid) and multivitamins. HCl is highly corrosive but is of great use when it comes to digestive aid. Our body is protected from this acid by the mucosal barrier in our intestinal tracts. Many times people think they have too much acidity when in fact they have too little barrier and not enough acid. The main utility of HCl is to help us break down the food we eat into usable nutrients. That is why so many people think they have excess acidity when they eat big meals, especially in the holidays. Taking OTC acidity blockers will only decrease your ability to absorb essential nutrients and create an environment that is prone to disease. Even if you don’t use these drugs, studies have shown that our ability to secrete acid decreases as we age. Multivitamins on the other hand will make sure that every organs, glands and immune system will be in optimal shape for the holiday beatings.

It goes without saying that the holiday season is the best time to overeat, less rest, lots of bacteria and germs in the air. So making sure everything works properly in your body will keep the doctor away, and keeps the party going and going and going....

Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrochloric_acid
H.A. Rafsky and M. Weingarten, “A Study of the Gastric Secretory Response in the Aged,” Gastroenterology May (1946): 348-52
D. Davies and T.G. James, “An Investigation into the Gastric Secretion of a Hundred Normal Persons over the Age of Sixty,” Brit J Med i(1930): 1-14
J.H. Baron, “Studies of Basal and Peak Acid Output with an Augmented Histamine Meal, “ Gut 3 (1963):136-144
M. Murray and J. Pizzorno, Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, Rocklin, CA. Prima Publishing, 1998 pps. 134-137

Weight training for her..

It’s about 15 years I’m training people of all walks of life, but no matter who comes through the door, it always seems like the same questions come back time and time again. Half of my clientele are females so I’m seeing a lot of hormonal, lifestyle management, never their fault, it’s because of my husband, it’s the time of the month, the kind of remarks I learned to deal with. Through research, in speaking with my coworkers, and ongoing accumulated data, I’m still learning everyday how to deal with some of these female issues. I’m going to share with you some of the issues that I’ve come across throughout the years by making a little collage of answers for the most asked questions by my female clients.

1. No matter what you do, train like hell, eat like a bird, do hours of cardio, etc. If you don’t get your sh... together and eat a balanced nutrition plan, that fits YOUR needs, You will
never get the results you want, end of the line.
Case #1. Lory did hours of cardio when she was 20 y.o. and weight trained 5 hours a week. Nonexistent daily stress, life was easy. Mom was cooking the meals, no boyfriend; the only stress was school, studying and where their next evening out would be. Shape wise, couldn’t be better, felt great, could stay out all night and drink the amount of booze they wanted with no repercussion the morning after.
10 years later, things are different, a lot I might add. With an executive job, payments, a routine and responsibilities, life hits hard. Let me tell you something, if you were to do the same workout program you did 10 years ago, and had amazing results, thinking you would have the same results 10 years later you would be mistaken. You are 10 years OLDER, it’s a fact that your metabolism slows down; your stress levels aren’t the same as before. Stress has the biggest impact on your ability to lose weight/bodyfat. So adapt your lifestyle with your conditioning program. Some people can do 2-3 hours a week and some could do 5 hours a week. Instead of doing more, try to do less. And again, if you don’t change your eating habits, forget it.

Case#2. Alexia had an accident that left her with minor pain in her back for at least 3-4 years. She tried everything, from Chiro, physio, light aerobics to strengthen her lower back but nothing seemed to work and the pain seemed to get even worse. Every time there is a nagging pain, your body has inflammation, and this is a usually the result of acidity in the system. You can compare the body to a pool. When the body has some sort of foreign bodies, or allergies, it raises it`s acidity levels and produces inflammations where it needs too. So by taking out sources of food allergies, you take out, or at least reduce the release of cortisol and inflammation. An allergy doesn’t always result in sneezing, watery eyes and bad reactions; it can go silently for months. There are also other symptoms, like water retention, unexplained rashes or secretions, bloatedness, bad digestion, bad breath, mental fog, inability to lose weight, etc.

Man made food are the main culprit, so eliminate, foods like pasta, breads,and some nuts. If nuts are eaten repeatedly for a long period of time it can produce allergies without big reactions. That’s exactly what I did with case#2 Alexia and with fast results, in less than 4 weeks; her back pain was almost nonexistent.

2. Weight training is for everybody, and woman should weight train as much as men, without the fear of gaining muscle mass. Men have the ability to gain mass because of one thing, TESTOSTERONE. Some woman have shown to have a very, very small amount of this hormone but not near enough to build muscle as fast as men. Because of this they usually end up having more hair on their arms, face and lips. Unless you take steroids, you will never have big muscles, and even if you did take them, it would take years of training and dieting, it’s no overnight results, even with steroids.

When you weight train, it helps you burn fat for as much as 72 hours after your workout. A pound of muscle mass helps you burn 50 more calories a day, so gaining muscle mass is a must as it speeds up your metabolism. Gaining 5 pounds that won’t even show on your body will not only change your overall shape, but will help you burn an additional 250 calories a day, that’s the equivalent of a small meal.
To calculate your basal metabolic rate (how much calories you burn in a day, use this formula.

BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) - ( 4.7 x age in years ). Then you base your caloric needs by multiplying your activity factor;
• If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
• If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
• If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
• If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
• If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9

So for Juliette, with a BMR of 1285 Calories a day, with an activity level of 3-5 days a week, she would need 1992 calories a day to maintain her weight. When I want them to lose fat, I take out between 300 to 500 calories of those 1900 calories a day. So a nutrition plan with the bio-signature protocol of 1500 calories a day would be ideal for keeping one`s lean muscle mass and losing fat in those unwanted places. Following a plan like this for 12 weeks, would give you more results than you’ve ever imagined.

3. Fat does not contract....So spot reduction is a matter of diet, not the exercise you are doing. I see so many woman doing hip abductions (lifting your leg sideways with your ankle attach with a low pulley, or lying on your side and lifting your leg with a weight attached to your ankle). The problem is that it adds bulk to the gluteus medius, the upper side of the buttock, in other words, more junk to the trunk.

What I use for spot reduction is a system called Bio-SignatureTM. Extensive research done by world renowned strength coach Charles Poliquin has shown that our bodies are ruled by the hormonal system, and depending on where you store your bodyfat, it indicates a condition or a problem that your body may have. For example, woman who retains more fat on their triceps will have problems with their progesterone while others will have excessive amount of estrogen and retain fat around the hips and legs. Your nutritional habits will greatly influence your hormonal profile. Eliminating manmade foods and high glycemic index carbs will help balance and boost your metabolism 10 folds, while losing those love handles.

4. Cardio makes you fatter!! Read the sentence again....Cardio makes you fatter!!!Doing cardio for extended period of time wrecks havoc on your sympathetic system which elevates cortisol. And when cortisol is high, the body does not function properly, digestion, growth hormones, metabolism,etc. If you can’t digest your food properly, nutrients won’t help you recuperate from your workout, and everything starts to fall from there. Adrenal fatigue is usually the final step, but unfortunately, when it happens, it’s too late. We are talking of a 3 month timeline. That’s the reason why so many people fail to continue their membership at the gym for more than 3 months when they sign up. They do so much cardio, thinking that this will get rid of the weight faster than the weights, that after 2 weeks they are exhausted and the motivation is gone. I’ve been in gyms for 20 years, seen people coming and going. People who do weight training regularly, get the most results, and are very successful in and out of the gym. So next time you go to the gym cut down on the cardio and hit the weights harder.


5. Do not starve yourself....Let me put it this way, would you rather lose 10 pounds on the scale or 10 pounds of bodyfat, but no weight loss on the scale? Let me explain to you what happens in those 2 different cases.

You lost 10 pounds on the scale; Wow your weight went down, but you didn’t lose on your tummy, your bum is falling down, you lost energy, can’t stay focused, always have cravings, why? You simply did not eat enough calories to maintain your lean body mass (muscle). Being in starvation mode tells your body that he needs energy and pronto. Unfortunately he won’t go automatically dig in your stored bodyfat for energy; he usually goes for the muscle mass. The first sign your body burns muscle mass as energy is sagging muscles, and the first one to go is the buttocks. That’s why you see a lot of runway models with no ass; they are all champions in the starvation categories. On top of that, you slowed down your metabolism so much by losing those 10 pounds of muscle (remember, gaining 10 pounds of muscle would speed your metabolism by 500 calories, but losing them would slow down your Basal Metabolic Rate by 500 calories, that’s huge) that when you’ll resume your normal eating lifestytle, I can bet you anything that you’ll gain more than your 10 pounds back, and feel even sicker, depressed and fatter.

You didn’t lose on the scale but lost 10 pounds of fat; you feel like a freak, in a good way. You are asking yourself why you have so much energy. You are so focused that even your boss noticed it and complimented you on it. Your life has changed for the better, in every aspect of it, and you don’t even feel like cheating, you turned on your metabolism as well as your husband. What I’m telling you is not fiction, its reality. You just told your body to function at 120% and he likes it. On top of that, the scale didn’t go down but your clothes fit you nicely and you even have to throw some away because they feel too loose. I think you get and feel the picture.

The one special thing about my career that is so rewarding is seeing someone come in my office, with the fire in their eyes, full of joy because they have succeeded in changing, not only their shape, but improved their quality of life, performance at work, relationship at home with the husband and kids. In my eyes, it’s priceless.

The truth about fat burners

As the saying goes, if I was paid 1 dollar every time someone asks me if fat burners are worth the investment, I would be rich. In our quest for a better physique we try to find the fastest ways to lose our body fat. Often times, results aren’t coming in as fast as we would like them to and we search for short cuts. We stumble upon a muscle and fitness magazine full of advertisement for some sort of fat burners, with the official poster boy, a chiseled son of a gun who has our dream shape. Sometimes they are so lean that we could see their pancreas secrete insulin.

They try to make us believe that the fat burner could give you the shape of a Greek god. The truth is that you’ll need a good diet and an effective exercise program, no cheating allowed, to achieve those kinds of results. By the way, do you really think that those poster boys in the magazine only take this fat burner to get lean? I can assure you that they take all kinds of OTHER supplements aids, the kind Ben Johnson and Barry Bonds got busted for.

First, there’s the question of diet. People are left with the impression that it’s a magic pill, it will do the work by itself and you can still eat what you want. They could not be further from the truth. You absolutely need to be on a strict diet to have any kind of descent results. By strict diet, I mean a well balanced diet, with the right kind of food, not the kind of diet that starves you. The biggest problem with some fat burners is that they have some type of appetite suppressant in the formula. If you already took them you know what I mean, you train much harder just with the added energy they give you, or maybe it’s the caffeine (and sometimes ephedrine) in high dose. But if you work like a horse and eat like a bird, something is bound to happen. The appetite suppressant cuts your cravings (good) but cuts also your general appetite. Since you work harder, you should eat more calories, good ones I must say, and to do that you need to eat 5 to 6 small well balanced meals a day. In my experience, most people have a hard time to deal with 4 meals a day while on fat burners.

There is also a problem with the adrenal glands in the long term. By training harder, you put your system through a lot of stress, and most of the times, even if you are able to eat the adequate amount of nutrient and calories, you won’t get enough of the necessary micro-nutrients to recuperate properly. Often times, people fail to reach the necessary requirement for protein and water intake, which should increase proportionally with the intensity you are putting in the gym. Adrenal fatigue syndrome is also known in the training world as overtraining. Too much weight training and cardio with a lack of sleep (which is a big problem when people take fat burners) or/and a good nutrition plan could lead to much bigger problems on short and long terms. Adrenal fatigue is a major concern.

Symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue appears as follows:
• Fatigue, lethargy
o Lack of energy in the mornings, and also in the afternoon between 3 and 5 pm
o Often feel tired between 9 and 10 pm, but resist going to bed
• Light-headed (including dizziness and fainting) when rising from a sitting or laying-down position
• Lowered blood pressure and blood sugar
• Difficulty concentrating or remembering (brain fog)
• Consistently feeling unwell or difficulty recovering from infections
• Craving either salty or sugary foods to keep going
• Unexplained hair loss
• Nausea
• Alternating constipation and diarrhea
• Mild depression
• Decreased sex drive
• Sleep difficulties
• Unexplained pain in the upper back or neck
• Increased symptoms of PMS for women
• Tendency to gain weight and inability to lose it – especially around the waist
• High frequency of getting the flu and other respiratory diseases – lasting longer than usual

All of these symptoms might be caused by an inability of your body to produce enough cortisol – the root cause of adrenal fatigue syndrome.

Unfortunately, some could and probably will have psychological effects after the fat burner stack is done, commonly known as ‘’the downer’’. It could be caused by the adrenal shut down or just by the lack of energy for the workout. While on the stack, you feel energized, even possessed, you can’t understand what drives you like that, it’s like 5 coffees in a pill. So when all is done, and you resume your training without the fat burners, you feel drained, no energy, you can’t even be close to the weights you were using while on the stack. You feel depressed and don’t even want to go train anymore. Bad habits start again and you put most if not all the weight (fat) back.

There’s some other alternative you can take as a supplement that will not only help you burn fat naturally, but also improve your overall well being. When someone wants to lose bodyfat, I try to identify what is the worst habit in their eating lifestyle. Usually, it is the reason why everything else falls apart. For example, someone that eats a lot of refined carbohydrates, will not only have symptoms of insulin resistance, but could also have trouble sleeping, chronic fatigue, depression, etc. By taking out the major culprit of a problem, your results come faster. If the bad habit was there for a couple of years, than it will probably take longer to see some improvement. My approach is the fatter you are, further back we go in time, evolution speaking. Meaning that if you are overweight, you should eat like a caveman, hunters and gatherers. They had to eat whatever was available, meat, berries, leafs, etc.
To determine what should be the appropriate protocol for someone, I do a thorough nutritional evaluation and a BioSignature Modulation. It’s a systematic approach to losing unwanted body fat in specific locations like the hips or the love handles. The science behind BioSignature Modulation comes from skin fold data Charles Poliquin has gathered over the past 20 years and comparing his data against blood, urine and saliva tests to determine a clients specific hormone imbalance Charles Poliquin has discovered 12 specific sites that can be measured to scientifically determine what hormones need to be optimized and which herbal supplements can be used to achieve rapid results in fat loss.

Results can come as fast as you want them to come. A simple change of habits could lead to a better lifestyle and dramatic results, lasting ones. Not only will you benefit from a change in body composition, but you’ll feel healthier than you’ve ever been.

Bodhi

Always feel bloated after a meal? here’s why....

Do you have the sensation that food sits in your stomach, creating the effect of fullness or bloating during or after a meal?

Do you skip meals or eat erratically because you have no appetite?

Do you feel hungry an hour or 2 after eating a good sized meal?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, read on.

A month ago, I was in a conference on Gastro-Intestinal health restoration ‘’the next revolution’’. I have the privilege of being invited to those conferences, with numerous doctors and health practitioners. I’m usually very anxious to go to these conferences, because I know that at least one client will benefit from these new research. But as I found out later on in the following week, I would benefit myself from this new information.

The presentation was given by Dr. Micheal Wald, nationally recognized speaker on natural medicine, and is supervisor of nutritional services at Integrated Medicine. Dr. Wald believes that the ability of the body to maintain healthy gastrointestinal (GI) function, and to heal the GI barrier when its integrity is compromised, is necessary for healthy aging and protection from many diseases and disorders. Research has shown an association between impaired GI function and various conditions, such as gastritis, peptic ulcers, colon cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, eczema, metabolic bone disease, allergies, nutrient malabsorption, and oesophageal reflux. There are many factors associated with impaired GI function including food allergies, excessive stress, and the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and corticosteroids. GI complaints are presently the most common reason for hospitalization, with over 70 million Americans suffering from some form of serious GI disorder.

Fortunately, recent work has been carried out to define a systematic approach to support optimal GI function. Based on the concepts of Remove, Replace, Reinoculate, and Regenerate, the 4R GI Restoration Program promotes overall GI health by removing unhealthy bacteria from the intestinal tract and allergenic foods from the diet, replacing supportive stomach acids and digestive enzymes, reinoculating the intestine with healthy bacteria (probiotics), and regenerating the intestinal lining with targeted nutritional support ⁽⁶⁾.

Here is one of the case studies of the conference;

37 years old woman with complaints of hair loss, dry skin, mild depression, poor sleep quality, fatigue, occasional constipation, with feeling of fullness, post-prandial food intolerance(within 30 min. of a meal) including bloating, flatulence...

She was given a supplement called Metagest . It features the acidifying factor betaine HCI and the proteolytic enzyme pepsin, along with gentian root — an herbal bitter traditionally used to support healthy digestion. After a 3 month treatment, her hair loss lessened, dry skin improved and no more constipation, no bloating or fullness after meals.

The next case is a client of mine. She came in with a major case of Crohn’s disease. For those of you who are not familiar with Crohn’s, it’s a disease of the digestive system which may affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract from mouth to anus. As a result, the symptoms of Crohn's disease can vary significantly among afflicted individuals. The main gastrointestinal symptoms are abdominal pain, diarrhea (which may be visibly bloody), vomiting, or weight loss.^[4][5] Crohn's disease can also cause complications outside of the gastrointestinal tract such as skin rashes, arthritis, and inflammation of the eye.^[1]

The precise cause of Crohn's disease is not known. The disease occurs when the immune system attacks the gastrointestinal tract and for this reason, Crohn's disease is considered an autoimmune disease. This autoimmune activity produces inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract, and therefore Crohn's disease is classified as an inflammatory bowel disease.

Weight loss was her major concern, but I wanted to take care of the disease first and then the weight loss. By doing that, it would probably help her lose weight anyway. I took a chance (of losing her as a client) and explained to her that if I tried to make her lose weight, her condition was going to deteriorate. So I went on and changed her eating habits, gave her a weight training program, and a supplement protocol. She saw a major difference in her symptoms within a month. She even went for a routine check-up with her physician, and even she was amazed with her improvement.

Remember, this is an extreme case but almost everyone could benefit from a healthier Gastro-intestinal tract. I even forgot how it did me good years ago. An old shoulder injury from my Jiu-jitsu days came back a year ago and was always holding me back in my training efforts. After the conference, I started taking Metagest again (I took it a year ago for the same reasons) because of symptoms of fullness and indigestions after meals. After a week on Metagest, everything came back to normal, but mostly no more shoulder pain. By not assimilating all my essential nutrients to help me recuperate and nourish my muscles, ligaments and tendons, my body was too acidic. When you are too acidic, inflammation starts to kick in. There was my shoulder problem.

It’s very important that you don’t close your eyes on any symptoms you may have, you just have to listen to your body. Remember that what you do now has a major impact on how you are going to live the rest of your life.

1 Nicotine and IBD - Smoking and IBD

2 Loftus, E. V.; P. Schoenfeld, W. J. Sandborn (2002). "The epidemiology and natural history of Crohn's disease in population-based patient cohorts from North America: a systematic review". Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics 16 (1): 51–60. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2036.2002.01140.x. PMID 11856078.

3 Bernstein, Charles N. (2006). "The Epidemiology of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Canada: A Population-Based Study" 101 (7): 1559–68. doi:10.1111/j.1572-0241.2006.00603.x. PMID 16863561.

4 Mayo Clinic: Crohn's Disease

5 National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse

6 Gut Dysfunction and Chronic Disease: The Benefits of Applying the 4R GI Restoration Program : McCarthy DM. Comparative toxicity of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Am J Med 1999;107(6A):37S-46S.

Interview with online woman magazine divine.ca

http://www.divine.ca/en/fitness-and-nutrition/articles/c_11_i_3670/getting-back-into-shape-1.html

Entraînement en force pour les jeunes guerriers de la glace

Dernièrement, je discutais avec un vieux copain et client, Mauro Simonetti (www.tmscoutingservices.com), du fait que le hockey a évolué (par rapport à l’entraînement et aux entraîneurs) partout sauf au Québec. Un entraîneur veut gagner des parties, mais il ne faut pas oublier que celui-ci est aussi responsable du développement du jeune joueur. Alors qu’ils utilisent leurs meilleurs talents, ils laissent de coté ceux qui on besoin de plus d’encadrement et d’expérience sur le terrain. Bien qu’ils n’aient pas les mêmes ressources que les équipes professionnelles, leur meilleur option serait de s’entourer de différents types d’entraîneur spécialisé. Ils doivent faire comme Mauro et référer à d’autres professionnels comme des préparateurs physiques, thérapeutes et nutritionnistes qui peuvent superviser et travailler sur les faiblesses que le jeune peut avoir. Si vous voyez que l’entraîneur de votre enfant manque de compétences et/ou ressources, n’attendez pas qu’il se décourage. Maintenant la question est que faut-il regarder comme entraîneur/thérapeute/nutritionniste? Voici quelques exemples pour mieux vous diriger dans votre quête.

Débutons avec la nutrition. Pas besoin de nutritionniste car un bon entraîneur peut très bien se débrouiller dans ce domaine. Saviez-vous que 75% des résultats proviennent d’une saine alimentation? Si aucune attention n’est portée à la nutrition, de plus gros problèmes risquent de se présenter éventuellement. L’été dernier, lors de mes entraînements avec Martin Brodeur, nous avons eu une discussion sur l’alimentation dans les vestiaires de la ligue Nationale. La plupart des joueurs sont laissés à eux- même au niveau de la nutrition, aucune attention particulière n’est portée sur le sujet. Il a fallu que Martin suggère à l’entraîneur Brent Sutter que quelque chose soit fait, surtout avant et après les pratiques et parties officielles. Les changements ont été faits, les pâtisseries ont été remplacées

par des légumes, des sandwiches santé et des protéines. Ce n’est pas un secret. Lorsque l’on parle de hockey, le nom Brodeur est synonyme d’excellence et de leadership. Il savait que pour être les meilleurs, il faut avoir les habitudes d’un champion, ce qui veut dire, avoir une bonne alimentation et un mode de vie sain. Cela va sans dire que tout le monde devrait s’assurer de combler leurs besoins en calorie. Un excellent équilibre de protéines, hydrates de carbones complexe (je ne parle pas d’un gros plat de pâtes après une partie), et de gras essentiels sont nécessaires pour une bonne récupération après les pratiques sur et hors glace, et en saison régulière. Si ce régiment ne fait pas partie du plan de votre préparateur physique ou entraîneur hors glace, je suggère d’aller voir ailleurs.

Maintenant, au sujet de l’entraînement musculaire. Lorsque j’accueille un client pour la première fois, je fais une évaluation exhaustive de sa condition physique, équilibre structurel, alignement et flexibilités des groupes musculaires, analyse posturale, bio signature et analyse nutritionnelle. L’évaluation me permet de discerner les points faibles et de les mettre en priorité lors de la conception de mon programme d’entraînement individualisé. De cette façon, je diminue le risque de blessure de 90%. L’évaluation nutritionnelle me permet aussi de discerner certains problèmes tels que l’intolérance de certains aliments et même des allergies (asymptomatiques) qui peuvent venir à l’encontre de la performance de l’athlète. En descellant ces petits problèmes dès le début, on s’assure que le retour sur l’investissement sera maximisé. L’évaluation me permet de faire des programmes sécuritaires, efficaces et individualisés au besoin de l’individu.

Ce qui m’emmène à parler d’un autre sujet, les entraînements en groupe. Les personnes désirant travailler la rapidité ou la puissance, sont groupées dans différentes stations. Le plus gros problème avec cette méthode est que chaque personne possède une structure musculaire unique. On donne un entraînement de puissance à un jeune qui a une chaîne postérieure (bas du dos, ischio-jambier et fessiers) faible et qui manque de flexibilité. Lors de ces épreuves, les groupes musculaires sont souvent poussés à rude épreuve, plus qu’à leur limite, au niveau de la force et surtout de leur amplitude et flexibilité. Alors, quelqu’un qui n’est pas balancé structurellement à d’énormes chances de se blesser et de mettre sa saison en jeu, ou du moins, ne pourra performer à sa pleine capacité à cause d’une blessure.

La blessure la plus commune au hockey est l’élongation de l’aine ou le ‘groin pull’. Les abducteurs (muscles sur le coté latéral de la cuisse) et les extenseurs de la hanche (fessiers, ischio-jambiers et biceps fémoris) travaillent ensemble lors de la poussée du coup de patin. Les muscles antagonistes sont des fléchisseurs de la hanche (psoas et adducteurs) et sont impliqués lorsque l’on retourne de la poussée. Une blessure impliquant un de c’est groupes musculaires est souvent, je dirais même toujours due à une faiblesse ou un manque de flexibilité de la chaîne postérieure. C’est à ce moment que l’évaluation vient valider son utilité. Une planification intelligente de l’entraînement hors saison est primordiale pour une performance constante dans la prochaine saison.

Les programmes de vitesse, agilité et rapidité sont la nouvelle mode dans le monde de l’entraînement athlétique. Laissez-moi vous éclairer sur certaines de leurs déclarations et leur slogan de vente.

Amélioration du temps de réaction;

en parlant de talent....

il est possible d’améliorer le temps de réaction chez un individu qui a déjà un talent énorme d’environ 10% et si on a de la chance, 20% si quelqu’un est vraiment moron moteur. C’est une fraude énorme que d’essayer de vendre aux parents qu’ils peuvent améliorer le temps de réaction de leurs enfants (des entraîneurs vont jusqu’à garantir une amélioration de 150%). Il y a trois types de temps de réaction, visuelle, auditive et kinesthésique. La définition d’une réaction kinesthésique est le temps de réaction après avoir été frappé. Est-ce que cela peut améliorer votre habilité à manier la rondelle?

Course avec haies (courses à obstacles) et travail sur lattes (échelle au plancher) : N’importe quel spécialiste en apprentissage psychomoteur peut confirmer cette affirmation, 95% de notre coordination est atteinte dès l’âge de 12 ans. Alors promettre une amélioration de plus de 10% serait un mensonge. Charles Poliquin, entraîneur de renommée mondiale, a ceci à dire sur le sujet ``S’entraîner à être meilleur aux lattes (speed ladder) va seulement vous rendre meilleur aux lattes. Est-ce que cette habilité peut se transférer à une autre? Probablement pas. C’est pour cette raison qu’un excellent Karateka ne peut devenir un grand boxeur et vice versa. Combien de joueurs talentueux au badminton peuvent l’être au tennis du même coup? ``

L’erreur la plus fréquente chez les entraîneurs est de donner le même programme de flexibilité à tout le monde. Au hockey, le joueur à toujours son centre de gravité projeté vers l’avant. Cette position entraîne le raccourcissement des muscles responsables de la flexion de la hanche, ce qui affaiblit la posture du haut de corps, aussi appelé ceinture scapulaire. Le résultat est une rotation pelvienne antérieure et une mauvaise posture. En d’autres mots, une rotation pelvienne réduit la vitesse, l’accélération et la puissance. Au niveau flexibilité, ce sont les muscles des fessiers et des ischio-jambiers qui sont affectés. Un programme d’entraînement musculaire et d’étirement spécial peut corriger ces problèmes.

Ceci n’est qu’une petite partie des problèmes liés aux entraîneurs et aux joueurs d’hockey. Un évaluateur de talent et un entraîneur certifié P.I.C.P. sauront vous aider à trouver ces faiblesses. La décision d’aller de l’avant et de régler ces types de problèmes est peut-être ce qui fera la différence lorsqu’il sera venu le temps d’offrir une performance devant des recruteurs. Les résultats sont dramatiques lorsque vous tombez entre de bonnes mains. Les bienfaits d’une planification annuelle de la nutrition et du conditionnement physique vont être visible rapidement. Votre enfant deviendra plus fort, sera plus confiant, aura de meilleurs habilités et améliorera ses performances. Votre enfant bénéficiera physiquement mais aussi mentalement d’un bon programme de conditionnement physique. Si votre enfant n’est pas fort et flexible, sa performance est affectée d’une façon ou d’une autre. Il ne pourra bénéficier d’aucun cours d’agilité ou de leçons de patinages avancées à son plein potentiel. Contactez-nous dès aujourd’hui pour une consultation privée.

Eric Falstrault est un préparateur physique de Montréal, Naturopathe, Thérapeute sportif certifié et président fondateur de BODHI Fit. Certifié niveau 3 ou programme PICP (Poliquin International Certification Program), une certification de haut niveau qui a fait ses preuves dans le monde du conditionnement physique haute performance. A fait de nombreux internats avec Charles Poliquin (Président fondateur du PICP et entraîneur de renommé mondiale) et Nelson Ayotte (Préparateur physique des blues de St-Louis) pour ne nommer que ceux-ci. Eric a travaillé avec des athlètes de différents niveaux, allant du junior aux professionnels de la LNH comme Martin Brodeur des Devils du New Jersey. Pour avoir une consultation privée ou un programme personnalisé, vous pouvez le joindre par courriel : bodhifit@gmail.com ou au bureau du Centre Leonardo Da Vinci 514-955-8370.