This Thai coconut beet soup with steal the show on any dinner table! It's a creamy, delicious way to get more beets into your life.
Read MoreDEXA Body Composition Assessments Available Starting in October at Custom Fit!!
Written by: Christina Lim, NASM-CPT,CES @tinaroni
We are excited to announce that Custom Fit now has a DEXA scanner in-house! This is an innovative, comprehensive, highly accurate, and useful body composition measurement system that can be used to monitor not only body fat percentages and lean muscle measurements, but also distribution of fat types and bone mineral density (BMD). In this article we’re going to introduce the technology and its uses, including weight loss, “bulking” or gaining muscle, assessing visceral fat levels (the kind we don’t want), and osteoporosis risk.
Body Composition as a Marker for Disease Risk and Progress Tracking
Recent studies have shown that the risks of all-cause mortality are significantly tied to body composition. Knowing our lean mass measurements, body fat percentage levels, and fat distribution throughout the body is extremely valuable information that can help us to monitor our health, prevent disease, and maintain vitality throughout our lifetime. And as we undergo a periodized training program or nutritional program, we are also able to use intermittent body composition measurements as tools for tracking progress, especially when we’re targeting certain body fat levels or muscle gains, so that we can use the results to adjust any variables - such as nutrition, rest, and exercise - accordingly.
It’s why we’ve always ensured that there’s an opportunity to measure your body composition here at the gym. Although you might be able to plainly see a certain amount of changes in your own body over time, or notice how your clothes fit differently, the numbers don’t lie. Having a concrete report also serves as a motivational tool, visually showing potential areas for improvement, and by informing a customized nutrition and fitness program.
Newer body scanning technology furthers this capability of reading your body composition by going deeper, discerning what types of body fat are present (there are essential and non-essential, less desirable types of fat), as well as determining your bone mineral density (BMD) - which can provide indicators for osteoporosis, as well as fracture assessment and risk. These tools further our ability to assess skeletal and metabolic health.
Introducing the DEXA Scan
The DEXA body scanning machine, widely considered the gold standard for body composition testing, encompasses all of these capabilities in one system, capturing dual x-ray absorption data for each image pixel, accurate to +/-1.5% error, and in one 6-minute scan, collects all of the necessary data to provide a detailed body map and numerical readout of lean muscle mass, body fat percentage (including fat types), and bone density levels, both overall and segmentally, within each body part. It is able to recognize the detailed anatomy of the body, including subcutaneous fat, for example, or the inner abdominal muscle wall, as well as the visceral cavity of the body.
The body composition report, in addition to providing lean mass (differentiating between muscle, body water, internal organs, and connective tissues), fat mass, and bone mass measurements, provides waist to hip ratio, ideal weight, basal metabolic rate (BMR), and total caloric expenditure, which can assist with nutritional planning. The reports also provide a percentile ranking of body fat percentage, lean muscle percentage, and visceral fat against the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database of age, gender, and race matched norms.
In addition, the DEXA scan can help you see if there are asymmetries present between the left and right sides of the body, any imbalanced limb lengths, and if there are indicators of overtraining or relative energy deficiency syndrome (REDS) - which cause reduced training response, decreased coordination, impaired judgment, and increased irritability and depression.
This system was traditionally used in radiology clinics at universities and labs to assess bone mineral density for aging populations, and more recently it has been developed to provide body composition measurements that are useful for athletes and non-athletes alike in the pursuit of health and fitness assessment, sports performance, mitigation of injury risk, and longevity.
How It Works
DEXA (Dual x-ray absorptiometry) works by emitting two low-dose x-rays which are absorbed differently by bones and soft tissues. The radiation emission is less than 0.1 uSv, which is less than 1/80th of the natural background radiation you would receive in a day from natural elements like sunlight and soil, which is around 8 uSv.
As you can see from the chart below, the radiation is significantly less than that of a dental or chest x-ray.
A Weight Loss Tool and Health and Fitness Tracker
The DEXA scan is safe for all adults, however it is contraindicated for women who are pregnant or may be pregnant (as with a regular x-ray). If you have had other imaging procedures in the past 14 days, you may have been given a contrast media which could affect your scan results, so it may be best to wait until two weeks have lapsed.
Having a DEXA scan is a great way to establish a baseline before starting a new exercise or nutrition program. They’re recommended for people who are looking to lose weight, gain muscle, rehabbing an injury (you could compare left and right sides of the body for leg injury, for example), wanting to assess osteoporosis risk, or generally wanting a health assessment, as it can highlight relative health risk. Intermittent scans can help monitor visceral fat levels to keep them low, as well as muscle growth and fat loss, especially when assessing progress against specific goals.
You may want a tailored nutritional strategy for specific diets such as Keto, Zone, Paleo, Low-carb, Bulking, etc. Based on your DEXA scan, a customized recommendation can be developed by a nutritionist or dietitian, to prescribe nutrient-specific foods and supplements for you to meet your body composition goal and boost skeletal health/bone density.
The same can be done in a customized training program that focuses on, for example, core strength and functional fitness, in order to support healthy levels of lean muscle mass, bone density, and body fat.
Scans are typically recommended to be spaced apart about 12 weeks to allow the body enough time to go through physiological changes in muscle and fat mass that are detectable to the scanner. Note that your nutritionist, dietitian, personal trainer, or coach may have a specific recommendation for you.
Visceral Fat vs Subcutaneous Fat
The DEXA scan differentiates between subcutaneous fat, which acts as stored energy, and visceral adipose tissue (VAT), which accumulates in our abdomen and around organs, and is a metabolically active, pathogenic fat that releases inflammatory proteins that can contribute to heart disease, hypertension, and cholesterol abnormalities over time. High levels of visceral fat are oftentimes found in cases of fatty liver, insulin resistance, and elevated glucose levels.
In fact, visceral fat is considered to be the largest endocrine (hormone-producing) organ in the body. Since we commonly see inflammation alongside pathologic processes such as atherosclerosis, dementia, Alzheimer's, cancer, and many chronic diseases, reducing visceral fat can significantly mitigate disease risk.
What’s more, visceral fat may not be seen. A person could be what’s called TOFI (“thin outside, fat inside”) and have generally low body fat levels, but carry high levels of visceral fat deep inside the abdominal cavity. Equally noteworthy is the fact that visceral fat also increases when body fat accumulates, so it is important to consider healthy body fat levels overall.
In this way, understanding measurements of different types of body fat and where they are distributed on the body serve as an indicator for disease risk. For example, even normal weight individuals with a healthy BMI (body mass index) can have significant amounts of visceral fat and insulin resistance, thereby increasing the risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Thankfully, the DEXA scanner can help us to see some of these additional potential risks.
Ready for Your Scan?
We’re excited to start providing more detailed body composition reporting and customized recommendations for everyone at Custom Fit. Please schedule your appointment using our DEXA scan appointment system online - found here.
If you’re getting started with exercise and planning meals after taking a hiatus, we get it - it can be overwhelming! Feel free to reach out using our Contact Form and the team at Custom Fit SF will set you up with a personal trainer, coach, registered dietitian, or nutritionist to best meet your needs.
About Custom Fit SF
Custom Fit SF is San Francisco’s premier personal training facility, with two studios totaling approximately 4,000 square feet. We’re located at 1844 Market Street. We have complimentary towels, a shower, lockers, air conditioning, great music, easy Muni access, street parking, and an incredible amount of natural light. Our staff is fully vaccinated, and we maintain stringent COVID-19 cleaning protocols for everyone’s safety. We’ve got an arsenal of specialized equipment ready for your personalized program. Come check us out! Fill out the intake form here.
*Disclaimer: Women who are pregnant or possibly pregnant are not advised for a DEXA scan. If you are not able to determine the safety of a DEXA scan, do not do it without having cleared it first with your physician. The suggestions included on this website are not a substitute for medical advice. You are responsible for seeking medical advice and attention as appropriate.
Decompression for Pandemic Stress and WFH Lifestyle: 7 Stretches for Low Back Pain, Tight Hips, and Leg Cramps
Written by: Christina Lim, NASM-CPT,CES @tinaroni
As the surge of the Delta variant in the US compels us into mask-wearing etiquette once again, many of us are carrying our vaccination cards to enter public indoor spaces, keeping an eye on the Delta Plus variant (46 cases have been reported in Santa Clara county as of August 7th), and some of us are feeling hopeful even as return-to-office dates are delayed and we continue to work from home - all while continuing our daily activities with extra care. We may be feeling reassured by lower numbers of COVID cases among the vaccinated (about 60% of the US population is now fully vaccinated, including 78% in the San Francisco Bay Area), but we’re also seeing an alarming 7-day average of 129,000 new cases per day as of August 14th, a number that has risen everyday since July 5th (as reported by John Hopkins University), more breakthrough cases (COVID-positive cases among the vaccinated), and epidemiologist Larry Brilliant was recently quoted saying that America is ‘closer to the beginning’ of the pandemic than the end. In case this wasn’t enough bad news, the San Francisco Chronicle just reported that the West coast’s wildfires could be responsible for thousands of COVID-19 cases.
If you’re feeling anxiety, burnout, exhaustion, or despair from the unrelenting, so-called “pandoomerang” reality of the COVID-19 virus, you are not alone - according to a recent Harris poll, more than half of vaccinated Americans are “extremely concerned” about the Delta variant. In addition to acknowledging your feelings of stress, practicing deep breathing, halting consumption of too much social media and news, perhaps considering taking time off for mental health, the team here at Custom Fit SF hopes that you will continue your daily self-care, including regular exercise, eating nourishing, immune-boosting foods, and mentally staying balanced with a gratitude practice, meditation, or yoga. (If you feel you or a loved one is in crisis, you may want to keep the NAMI hotline on hand).
In addition to frequent breaks, adequate sleep, participating in enjoyable activities, and connecting regularly with loved ones, we suggest a regular decompression session of stretching to assist with tension release, stiffness, or muscular tightness, which can result from prolonged periods of sitting, limited movement, and chronic stress. This week’s post will cover a few recommendations on exercises and stretches for the back, hips, and legs. If you are having low back discomfort or leg cramps, you may benefit from these stretches as well. Note: Do not push in stretches to a point of pain, and do not bounce while in a stretch position. If you have an injury or chronic pain in these areas, consult a doctor or physiotherapist first.
(1) Half-kneeling hip flexor stretch
This stretch can effectively help us to counteract prolonged hip flexion (like a seated position). Kneel on a mat with both knees, then bring one leg in front with a larger than 90-degree bend in the front knee. Maintaining an upright torso, lean forward until you feel a stretch in the front of the hip of the back leg. For a deeper stretch, squeeze the glute muscle of the back leg. Hold for 20 seconds, with deep breaths. You can time your exhale breaths with further deepening into the stretch.
Add a TFL stretch: To target the tensor fasciae latae (TFL for short, it’s the small muscle on the outside of the hip connected to your IT band) in this stretch, raise the arm on the same side as the back leg while in this half-kneeling position and reach sideways over your head to the opposite side of the body.
Add a quad stretch: To target the top-of-thigh muscle a bit closer to the knee, gently grab the ankle of the back leg and bring it up to your glute. If you’re not feeling a stretch, lean forward more with the torso as you do this to target more of the quad.
(2) Deep squat or Malasana (“Garland pose”)
This pose is traditionally used in India to prepare for long periods of seated meditation, as it assists with blood circulation in the pelvic region. It is a hip and groin opener that can also help relieve low back discomfort and assist in maintaining good ankle mobility.
Come into a squat position with feet planted about hip distance apart, toes slightly turned out, and thighs apart - wider than your torso. Bring your upper arms inside your knees. Pressing your elbows into your knees, bring your palms together into a prayer-like position. Reach with your hands towards your heart center until your forearms get close to parallel with the floor. Keep the shoulders relaxed and lengthen the torso, keeping your spine straight. Hold for 20 seconds, taking deep, relaxed breaths.
Optional regression: If a flat-footed squat is too difficult, try placing a rolled yoga mat or blanket under your heels.
(3) Seated saddle stretch
Start in a seated position with legs apart approximately 90 degrees, with toes up towards the ceiling, and maintain an upright torso, with your head aligned with your spine. Slowly bend forward at the hips, reaching with your hands, while striving to maintain a flat back (bend at the hips, not at the low back). You should feel a stretch in your inner thighs, hamstrings, calves, and in your back. Hold for 20 seconds, with deep, relaxed breaths.
(4) Shin box
This is a great hip mobility exercise that gets us moving in internal and external rotation at the hip capsule, lengthening the hip flexors, lubricating the hip and knee joints, and activates the glutes (if you’re consistently seated or driving a lot, your glutes may become deactivated, weak, or have difficulty turning on when they’re needed, which can increase the chance of injury.)
In a seated position, have one leg in internal rotation at the hip, and one leg in external rotation, separated slightly, with both knees at a 90-degree bend.
While activating your glutes, lift at the knees to swing over into the alternate position, and practice flowing back and forth for 10-20 reps (on each side). Lean back onto your hands if you need assistance, and try to eventually progress to doing this without your hands.
(5) Extended puppy pose
This pose elongates the spine and abdominals, opens up the shoulders and chest, stretches the upper arms, and releases neck tension. Start in a tabletop position, with hips aligned above the knees, and shoulders aligned above the wrists. Have the tops of the feet rest on the floor, with the toes pointed straight behind you. Slowly walk the hands forward, allowing the chest, and then the forehead, to sink to the floor, while reaching with the hips upwards and behind you. Hold for 20 seconds, taking deep breaths, sinking deeper into the floor while elongating the spine with each exhale.
(6) Seated spinal twist
This is a great way to stretch the glutes and back. In a seated position, place the sole of your left foot on the floor just outside of your right thigh and twist to your left, placing your right elbow against the outside of your left thigh, and reaching behind you with your left hand and planting it on the floor. Place pressure on your left thigh with your right elbow as you focus on lengthening the spine upwards and rotating your chest open. Hold for 20 seconds, taking deep breaths, then switch to the other side.
(7) Alternating knee hugs
Knee hugs alleviate low back pressure and lengthen the spine. While lying on your back, alternate knee hugs, one at a time, holding each knee for 2-3 breaths, pulling the knee in a tiny bit more on each exhale. Alternate left and right, completing 8-10 knee hugs for each side.
In addition to performing these stretches and exercises throughout the day when taking breaks, these are all great additions to a warm-up prior to weightlifting or an aerobic exercise such as running or cycling, as well as for cool-down post-workout.
As we cope with not only the physical stresses on the body but also the mental stress, it is important to note the mind-body connection. When we are stressed, we innately configure our body for a fight, flight, or freeze response. This means we position the body to be prepared for defensive movements like kicking and punching, running away, or withdrawing into a fetal position, all of which require the hips to become tightened, bringing the knees in close to our body. This is similar to clenching your jaw or tightening your fist when angry. In addition, if a seated position (hips flexed), for example, is held for long periods of time, emotions of stress that are felt during this time may become stored in the hips. It’s important to note that even if we are in an otherwise calm and peaceful mental state, by closing the hips and chest (as in the fetal position), we signal to the body that there may be danger or a looming threat. Opening the hips not only allows the release of stress and negative emotions, but it also signals to the body that all is well. During hip opening stretches, if there is a purge of emotions, it will help to maintain an attitude of acceptance and staying in the present moment so that the discomfort may pass.
As you may have noticed, some people are coping with this pandemic lifestyle better than others. As Anna North from Vox writes, as we see folks around us in high stress, “we can all do something for one another: have a level of understanding and empathy for the ways that many of us are, nearly a year and a half into the pandemic, very much struggling,” and we couldn’t agree more. Having compassion for those in our community as we pass each other in the grocery store, get our workouts in at the gym, and hike the parks around us can help us to collectively stay hopeful, positive, and supportive of each other through this challenging time. We are always stronger together.
If you’d like more guidance on exercise and stretches that are best for you, or if you are interested in a customized meal plan, fill out our contact form and the team at Custom Fit SF will set you up with a personal trainer, coach, registered dietician, or nutritionist to best meet your needs.
About Custom Fit SF
Custom Fit SF is San Francisco’s premier personal training facility, with two studios totaling approximately 4,000 square feet. We’re located at 1844 Market Street. We have complimentary towels, a shower, lockers, air conditioning, great music, easy Muni access, street parking, and an incredible amount of natural light. Our staff is fully vaccinated, and we maintain stringent COVID-19 cleaning protocols for everyone’s safety. We’ve got an arsenal of specialized equipment ready for your personalized program. Come check us out! Fill out the intake form here.
*Disclaimer: Not all exercises, stretches, self-massage techniques, tips, or maneuvers mentioned here are suitable for everyone. Before attempting anything new, take into account your flexibility, strength, and overall health to determine whether or not a particular recommendation is appropriate for you. If you are not able to determine the safety of a recommendation, do not do it without having cleared it first with your physician. This is particularly important if you are overweight, pregnant, nursing, taking regular medications, have injuries, have had a recent surgery, or have any existing medical or health conditions. The exercises and instructions included on this website are not a substitute for medical advice. As with any exercise program, if at any point during your exercise you begin to feel faint, dizzy, or have physical discomfort, you should stop immediately. You are responsible for exercising within your limits and seeking medical advice and attention as appropriate. Any injury sustained from proper or improper use of the exercises contained herein is solely the responsibility of the participating individual. Custom Fit SF, its trainers, coaches, staff, partners, and affiliates are not responsible for any injuries that result from participation in the recommendations shown.
Instant Pot Korean Short Ribs
This Instant Pot Korean Short Ribs recipe is from Michelle Tam at nom nom paleo. I just adjusted cooking times to account for a freezer meal portion of it. Her blog has some amazing paleo style healthy recipes and she also has some great cookbooks that I often refer clients to! I especially love her Instant Pot recipes.
These tender, melt in your mouth, short ribs, braised in a delicious sweet and spicy sauce are a dinner dream!
The fact that this can be made as a freezer meal with no cooking required, and then it can be cooked FROM FROZEN straight in the Instant Pot just takes it to the next level...Dinner Bliss.
How to Meal Prep Korean Short Ribs
What I like to do when I make this dish is double up on ingredients. I make one portion to cook and serve that day, and while I'm prepping that, I also prep a freezer meal portion. Work once, eat twice.
Check out this video to see how Korean Short Rib meal prep is done.
Freezer meals are just such a great way to consistently eat healthy, delicious food.
Even on the nights when you know you won't be able to cook. I can promise that you will not be disappointed to bust this out of your freezer after a long day with no dinner plans. It's even a great meal for entertaining guests because all the work is done for you and you can just hang out with your guests and then serve them a delicious, impressive and healthy meal.
If you're not feeling red meat tonight, check out our Golden Healing Chicken Soup freezer meal recipe.
What pairs well with Korean Short Ribs:
Rice or cauliflower rice (buy the frozen precooked version -you can get it at TJ,s and Whole Foods- if you really want to save time)
Cilantro
Kimchi (this is my favorite brand and I love the daikon radish one)
Sliced Scallions
Sesame seeds
Pickled cucumbers or sliced cucumbers
Sliced avocado
Grated carrots tossed in lime juice and olive oil
A green salad
Roasted shitake mushrooms
Sauteed spinach
Are Korean Short Ribs Healthy?
Short ribs are a higher fat cut of meat.
Ok, so we have established that these short ribs are delicious and easy. But, let's talk a little bit about what they are doing for us. One thing to note is that they are a higher fat cut of meat which means higher calories. However, it's important to keep your diet varied. This means eating a large variety of plant based foods but it also means keeping your protein sources varied.
It's important to vary your protein sources.
We often see clients eating a lot of chicken breast, day after day because they know this is a lean protein. Eating the same thing every day is not only boring, but increases the likelihood that you are not giving your body the wide spectrum of nutrients that it needs to thrive! Each specific food contains different nutrients and an optimal diet includes a wide variety of foods.
Short Ribs contain glycine and proline, which help your body build collagen.
Short ribs (as well as other cuts of meat that are typically braised) contain a high amount of glycine and proline, which are amino acids that help your body build collagen. This is great for muscle and tissue repair. Whether you are an athlete, recovering from an injury, or just had a baby, this is what you need! Also, because the ribs are attached to the bones and then braised in liquid (that delicious blended sauce), you are also getting all those amazing nutrients from the bone marrow and bones. This includes minerals like zinc, iron, selenium, potassium and magnesium.
Lastly, short ribs and other tough cuts of meat require long but gentle cooking methods to make them more tender. The braising/slow cooking process gently breaks the meat down while still retaining much of the nutrients. One thing to note is that slow-cooking meats causes loss of some B vitamins into the cooking fluid. Use the fluid to make a sauce and this problem is solved.
Instant Pot Korean Short Ribs
Yield: 6
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 1 H & 15 MTotal time: 1 H & 20 M
These Instant Pot Korean short ribs are tender, flavorful and super easy to make.
Ingredients
- 5 pounds short ribs
Marinade
- 1 apple or pear, peeled and chopped
- 6 cloves garlic
- 4 green onions, roughly chopped
- 2 inches fresh ginger, peeled
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup coconut aminos
Instructions
Meal Prep
- Add all marinade ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
- Pat short ribs dry with a paper towel and sprinkle with 1 tbsp salt and some fresh cracked pepper. Place ribs in freezer safe container and pour marinade all over, making sure they are fully coated. Freeze!
Instant Pot Instructions
- From frozen, add everything to Instant pot insert and add 1/2 cup broth of choice (I did beef broth). Cook on high pressure for 75 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally.
- Remove the ribs from the sauce. Skim the fat from the top of the sauce using a turkey baster or big spoon. Discard fat.
- Serve ribs with a nice spoonful of sauce over them along with garnishes and sides of your choosing. Here we served it with precooked frozen rice, chopped scallions, sesame seeds, kimchi, sliced cucumbers and shredded carrots.