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Bryan Haycock is the creator of hypertrophy specific training or HST for short. In this episode, we take a deep dive into:

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Nerd neck. Tech neck. Computer neck. Text neck. Forward head posture.

You might not be familiar with these terms, but you almost certainly know what they describe. Picture someone sitting on a bus or park bench looking at their phone. See in your mind’s eye how their head juts forward of their shoulders and droops down? That’s forward head posture.

Before we were all sheltering at home, you couldn’t go out without seeing it everywhere. In coffee shops, restaurants, public transportation, even walking down the street, person after person hunched over their device. That’s not a natural posture for humans, and it’s taking a toll on our collective health.

Nerd neck, tech neck, text neck, text neck, and computer neck are interchangeable terms that denote the pain and other symptoms that come from spending too much time in this position. It’s not clear exactly how prevalent it is, but a quick survey of my friends revealed that every single one had experienced neck, shoulder, or back pain that they attributed to spending too much time on their devices. When the Pew Research Center polled American adults last year, 28% said they’re online “almost constantly.” Various surveys estimate the average person spends 3 to 5 hours a day just on their phones. This doesn’t count hours in front of a computer, watching TV, or playing video games. Teens’ and college students’ usage is considerably higher.

All this is to say, tech neck is undoubtedly widespread. I’d bet it’s become even more prevalent in the past few months as people are spending more time at home with their devices.

The good news is that it’s not terribly hard to correct and prevent. A few simple changes, plus easy daily exercises, and you’ll be standing tall once more.

What Causes Tech Neck?

Many modern activities cause you to pull your head forward and/or look down:

• Using cell phones, desktops, laptops, and tablets
• Reading
• Driving
• Cycling
• Playing video games

Your head weighs somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 to 12 pounds (4.5 to 5.5 kg). Your spine is designed to hold that weight balanced and centered above your shoulders. As you jut your head forward and down, the load on your cervical spine (the vertebrae in your neck) increases. Every inch of forward head posture places an additional 10 pounds of force on the spine.¹ When you look down at a 45-degree angle, your head exerts around 50 pounds of pressure on your cervical spine.

To compensate for the added weight, the muscles in your neck tighten, putting more pressure on the discs between your vertebrae. Eventually, they can bulge or rupture, and then you have much bigger problems.

Forward head posture also pulls your shoulders up and forward, rounding your shoulders and upper back. This leads to upper crossed syndrome, a condition that a doctor or physiotherapist can diagnose. With UCS, you end up with tight pectorals, suboccipitals, upper traps, and levator scapulae; and weak rhomboids, middle/lower traps, and neck flexors.² In addition to pain, joint dysfunction, and even numbness, the misalignment can also cause your pelvis to tilt, affecting the entire posterior chain. While it all starts with the head and neck, forward head posture leads to all sorts of issues if not addressed.

Symptoms of Tech Neck

Symptoms of tech neck include:

• Pain or tightness in the neck, shoulders, upper back, or chest
• Weakness in the neck
• Restricted movement through the neck or shoulders
• Headaches
• Jaw pain
• Numbness or tingling in the upper arms

Do You Have Tech Neck?

If you have any degree of neck pain, especially if it’s worse after using your computer or phone, you probably have some degree of tech neck. Frankly, I’d venture to guess that almost everyone does nowadays.

Here are two easy tests you can do at home:

1) Have a friend take a picture of you from the side, standing in your normal, comfortable position. Look at where your ear is relative to your shoulder. It should be directly above the middle of your shoulder. For many people, the ear will be slightly—or considerably—in front of that midline. Also ask your friend to photograph you using your phone or computer.

2) Stand with your back to a wall, feet shoulder-width apart. Slightly pinch your shoulder blades together and try to get them to touch the wall without arching your back. Visualize lengthening your neck, reaching the crown of your head toward the ceiling. Then, try to reach the back of your head to the wall. Can it touch? Does it feel at all difficult or unnatural? Some people with severe forward neck posture and UCS won’t be able to bring their heads back at all.

How to Fix Forward Head Posture

To fix forward head posture, you must do two things: correct existing posture issues, and take steps to avoid putting yourself in the same position in the future.

Remedies for Tech Neck

First, the necessary disclaimer: If you’re having pain, the below exercises cause you any pain, or you have other head, neck, or shoulder problems, talk to your doctor or physical therapist before proceeding.

Here are four exercises you can do at home. Even though they seem simple, you may need time to work up to them depending on your current posture. It’s helpful to have someone watch you do these exercises to tell you if you are in the proper position. Have them take pictures so you can see how you look and to track your progress.

1. Chin tucks

• Sit or stand straight—no slouching.
• Gently tuck your chin so you’re looking straight ahead.
• Move your head back without tipping your chin up. Imagine you have a ponytail in the middle-back of your head, and someone pulled it straight back.
• Hold this position for 3 to 5 seconds. Repeat up to 10 times. Do 2 to 3 sets.
• Variation: Place two fingers on your chin and apply gentle pressure as you pull back your head.

2. Isometric contraction

• Once you feel what it’s like to move your head back using the chin tuck exercise, try this one.
• Interlace your fingers.
• Looking straight ahead, place your hands behind your head with your elbows pointing out to the sides.
• Do the same chin tuck as above, then gently press your head back into your hands. Hold your hands steady to provide resistance. Hold this position for 3 to 5 seconds. Do 2 to 3 sets of 5 to 10 repetitions each

3. Wall sits

• Stand with your back against a wall. Walk your feet out about 12 inches and slightly bend your knees. Don’t get too low. This isn’t a quad exercise.
• Make sure your lower, mid, and upper back are all touching the wall—no arching.
• Do the chin tuck exercise and, looking straight ahead, gently pull your head straight back toward the wall. The back of your head should touch, not the crown. If it doesn’t quite touch, hold it at your point of tension.
• Hold for 2 to 3 minutes. Repeat a few times per day.
• Variation: Do this exercise sitting on the floor with legs extended.

4. Wall angels

• Stand with your back against a wall.
• Move your head straight back so the middle-back of your head is touching the wall.
• Bend your elbows and raise your arms to shoulder height. Place your arms flat against the wall with your thumbs pointed toward your ears. This position is also called “goalpost arms” or “cactus arms.”
• Slowly raise and lower your arms like you’re doing jumping jacks, keeping your elbows bent and the back of your hands on the wall.
• Do this for 30 seconds or until your arms feel fatigued.

Do these exercises throughout the day. It might take a few weeks or even months to remediate your tech neck. Stick with it. If you don’t see improvement, make an appointment with a chiropractor or physical therapist.

Avoiding Nerd Neck In the Future

The above exercises can help you fix existing misalignment and relieve pain. Just as importantly, you must address the root causes.

First things first, stop looking down to use your devices. That means:

• Hold your phone in front of your face rather than in your lap. Yes, you’ll look nerdier doing that, but your neck will thank you.
• Elevate your computer monitor so it is at eye level. Laptop users might want to invest in a separate keyboard so they can elevate their laptops and still type comfortably.
• Use a desk chair that reclines 25 to 30 degrees and supports the back of your head.
• Consider standing desks and ergonomic workstations designed for this issue.

Limit your screen time and take frequent breaks. You should be doing this anyway. Set alarms on your phone or use a Pomodoro app that reminds you to stand up and move at least every 30 minutes. This is the perfect time to do some neck exercises and stretches.

Keep your neck and shoulders mobile using exercises such as:

• Yoga poses, like cat-cow, downward dog, and cobra
• Shoulder rolls
• Turn your head side to side, nod up and down, and do gentle neck circles

Other things that make neck pain worse are carrying heavy backpacks and sleeping on pillows that bend your neck too far.

Primal Movements

You know we’re doing something unnatural with our bodies when tech neck is even a thing. I know our phones and computers aren’t going anywhere, nor would I want them to. (Don’t underestimate the tremendous power of totally unplugging once in a while, though.) Since devices are here to stay, we should all work on finding ways to use them that don’t wreck our bodies.

With that in mind, I’ll end by putting in a plug for Primal movement practices. The Primal Essential Movements—push-ups, pull-ups, squats, and planks—offer full-body movements that promote strength, mobility, and flexibility.

Engaging in low-key aerobic exercises, especially walking, is great for overall health and increasing circulation. Moving through different archetypal rest postures throughout your workday challenges your body and prevents the imbalances and injuries that come from staying in the same position day in and day out. Being sedentary is a killer.

My hypothesis is that if everyone started incorporating these practices into their daily routine, maybe through microworkouts, tech neck would be much less prevalent. We’ve certainly got nothing to lose by trying.

The post Do You Have Tech Neck, or Nerd Neck? How to Fix Forward Head Posture appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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In each and every day of your life, you will face challenges of varying complexity and significance.

Some challenges will be so small and so easily overcome that you’ll barely consider them to be a challenge at all. But, every so often, you must face a challenge in your life that may be so significant that it feels as though you will never overcome it–and if you do, it may feel as though your life will never be the same because of it.

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Antioxidants serve as a powerful first line of defense against damage to your cells from aging, stress, and inflammation. Moreover, antioxidants appear to contain cancer-fighting properties and to support the immune system (among many other benefits).

Many, many foods, especially colorful vegetables, contain a range of valuable antioxidants. We’ve listed a few of the most potent and popular choices for each class of antioxidants. Here, we’ll go through the most important ones.

What Do Antioxidants Do?

Antioxidants are molecules that capture free radicals, or harmful oxygen atoms, that occur in response to normal body processes and environmental conditions. Even the simple act of digesting your food produces free radicals.

Over time, an overabundance of free radicals can slowly damage healthy cells, and then healthy tissues and eventually organs. You want to minimize the damage as much as possible, and antioxidants can help protect you.

Your body can make some antioxidants, and you get others from food.

Antioxidants can be broken into two general categories: antioxidant enzymes, and antioxidant nutrients, which include vitamins, minerals and the various -noids detailed below.

Antioxidant Vitamins

Antioxidant vitamins can be broken down into flavonoids and carotenoids.

Flavonoids

Flavonoids (also called bioflavonoids) are polyphenol pigment compounds that are present in most flowering plants. They are commonly grouped under anthocyanidins, proanthocyanins, and phenolics. The coolest fact about flavonoid antioxidants: they offer a double-punch because they improve vitamin C’s antioxidant capabilities.

Foods that contain flavonoids include tea, citrus fruit, citrus fruit juices, berries, red wine, apples, and others.¹

Carotenoids

Carotenoids are fat-soluble vitamins. (Beta carotene is the most studied, but there are 600+ carotenoids we know about so far. Other popular ones include lutein, zeaxanthin and lycopene.)

A lot of sources will say that one particular carotenoid, beta carotene, is the same thing as vitamin A, which isn’t exactly true. A percentage of beta carotene converts to vitamin A in the body, but not all of it. It’s best to get vitamin A from foods like liver, salmon, and others.

Foods high in carotenoids include apricots, beef liver, beets, broccoli, cantaloupe, carrots, guava, mangoes, salmon, and others. Fruits and vegetables that are orange, red, and yellow tend to be sources of carotenoids²

Antioxidant Enzymes

The antioxidant enzymes are superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx).

SOD: Cruciferous vegetables are a must!

CAT: Get enough iron from beef, mushrooms and sturdy greens to ensure proper catalase production.

GPx: Selenium activates this enzyme, so get plenty of eggs, chicken, and fresh garlic in your diet. If you’d like to supplement glutathione, you can take n-acetylcysteine, or NAC, a building block of glutathione that gives your body what it needs to make more.

Super Food List: The Best Antioxidant Foods by ORAC Value

Foods’ antioxidant quality is measured as an ORAC value, which stands for Oxygen Radical Absobance Capacity. Here is a list of some of the best antioxidant foods with the the highest ORAC values according to the USDA:

• Prunes: 5770
• Raisins: 2830
• Blueberries: 2400
• Blackberries: 2036
• Kale: 1770
• Strawberries: 1540
• Spinach: 1260
• Raspberries: 1220
• Brussels sprouts: 980
• Plums: 949
• Alfalfa sprouts: 930
• Broccoli flowers: 890
• Beets: 840
• Oranges: 750
• Red grapes: 739
• Red bell pepper: 710
• Cherries: 670
• Kiwi fruit: 602
• Grapefruit, pink: 483
• Onion: 450
• Corn: 400*
• Eggplant: 390

*Corn is a grain, which may not work for people following a Primal lifestyle.

These lists of antioxidants and antioxidant foods are certainly not comprehensive, as there are thousands of phytonutrients currently being studied and more are discovered every year. Bottom line: the more you get, the better. A combination of prudent supplementation and plentiful, colorful vegetables is your smartest bet.

The post What Do Antioxidants Actually Do? appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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Thongs, are they really a necessary staple in your wardrobe? Let’s face it, thongs have a magical way of making you feel fabulously sexy — regardless of what you choose to wear on top of them. But here’s the thing; while most women (and men) wear thongs to prevent panty lines, those same thongs are […]

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Power could be the most neglected attribute in the gym besides skipping your warm up. People often think they don’t need to train power because they’re not an athlete. They have no need to dunk a basketball or to sack the quarterback.

However, they would be wrong.

The Benefits of Training Power

Power is determined by force and acceleration (P = F x A). Think of force as a push or pull from the object’s interaction with another object, such as the pull of gravity or the concentric phase of a push up.

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All raw. All cooked. A little of both. With meat, or without. Artfully arranged in a pretty plate or thrown together in a to-go container as your run out the door. There are infinite ways to assemble your “Big Ass Salad.”

What’s the best way to make yours?

The best “Big Ass Salad” is the one you’ll make, and the one you’ll enjoy eating.

With flavorful veggies, sweet BBQ chicken, and salty pickles, this version of the BAS keeps your taste buds interested. It’s easy to put together, and you can easily adapt it with the veggies you have on hand.

Here’s how to make it.

Hawaiian BBQ Chicken “Big Ass Salad” Bowls with Quick Pickles Recipe

Serves: 2-3, depending on bowl size

Time in the kitchen: 15 minutes

Ingredients

For the Chicken

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3/4 cup Primal Kitchen® Hawaiian BBQ Sauce, divided
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice

For the Quick Pickles

• 1 medium cucumber thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves smashed
• 5-8 peppercorns (optional)
• 1 tbsp fresh dill
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp salt

For the Bowl

• 1 head romaine lettuce, torn
• 1 cup cooked riced cauliflower (frozen and rinsed to thaw, for ease!)
• 1 beefsteak tomato roughly chopped
• 1/4 red onion diced
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese shredded (optional)
• 1/4 cup Primal Kitchen Cilantro Lime Dressing and Marinade

Directions

For the Chicken

Season chicken with a salt and pepper to taste and marinate in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk 1/2 cup of the BBQ sauce, and lime juice. Pour the sauce over the chicken and marinate for an hour or two.

Sear chicken on medium-high heat until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. Once cooled, slice against the grain into strips.

For the Pickles

Fill a jar or large bowl with dill, cucumber, garlic, and peppercorns. Heat the water, vinegar, and salt in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Once the liquid starts to bubble, remove from heat and pour into the jar with the cucumbers. Allow to cool  then refrigerate.

For the Bowls

Arrange the salad ingredients in each bowl. Layer on the cooled and sliced grilled chicken, then top the bowls with the remaining BBQ sauce.
Garnish with cilantro and pour on a generous amount of Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette. Enjoy!

Recipe courtesy of guest contributor Abby Rice, wellness blogger at Everyday From A. Adapted for the Primal lifestyle from the original version, featured here. Many thanks, Abby!

The post Hawaiian BBQ Chicken “Big Ass Salad” Bowls with Quick Pickles Recipe appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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Tooth decay and gum disease can be extremely painful, not to mention unsightly and expensive to treat. Luckily these conditions can be prevented with solid oral health practices. Here are a few ways you can help keep your teeth and gums healthy naturally. Chew xylitol gum Although most mainstream chewing gums contain artificial sweeteners, xylitol […]

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Cheating in sport is as old as the dawn of time. We all grew up hearing the news of a fallen superstar athlete cheating their way to infamy, but usually it was always performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) that were the issue. Sooner or later people always get caught. Even Lance Armstrong was found out after many years of testing and denial.

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Research of the Week

Animal protein beats plant protein for seniors who want to retain strength and daily functionality.

Workouts make music sound better.

Mineral water rich in magnesium sulfate can help against constipation.

Kids and teens with depression should definitely be exercising.

Low-dose alcohol is beneficial for mice.

New Primal Blueprint Podcasts

Episode 434: Brett Lloyd: Host Elle Russ chats with Brett Lloyd, a carnivore coach who fixed a ton of health issues by going meat-only.

Primal Health Coach Radio, Episode 69: Laura and Erin chat with Dr. Stephen Cabral about how genes are not your destiny.

Media, Schmedia

This is rather tragic. Are we heading in this direction?

South Africa bans alcohol to reduce alcohol-related hospitalizations and free up space for COVID-19 patients.

Interesting Blog Posts

Smaller farms, more biodiversity.

A Navy SEAL’s take on MovNat.

Social Notes

Friendship.

Everything Else

See? Pork heals.

The changing role of livestock in agriculture.

It’s not just sugar.

Things I’m Up to and Interested In

Phrase I liked: “Feral grapevines.”

Interesting important article: Have we been thinking about pain all wrong?

Sad to see: The rise of “broken heart” syndrome.

A topic that’s endlessly fascinating: What happens right before and after you die?

Scenario I’m imagining: Crafting and relying on bone tools for basic daily life.

Good news: It’s much harder to catch the coronavirus from inanimate objects than previously thought. And in gyms.

Question I’m Asking

Read that article on Korean loneliness culture. Do you think that’ll be the trend for the rest of the world?

Recipe Corner

• Chunky monkey ice cream bon bons.
• Mexican style prawns.

Time Capsule

One year ago (Jul 11 – Jul 17)

• Collagen vs Whey: Which Protein is Best For Your Needs?  – Which whey should you go?
• Tips for Doing Keto Without Dairy – Is such a thing even possible?

Comment of the Week

“The guy I buy my beef from has cattle that live their entire life on his ranch, and eat only grass and hay except for some silage in winter that he also grows organically on his ranch. He plays music for his cattle in the barn, and when he takes them to slaughter takes them two at a time in his trailer, playing the same music as in the barn. When he arrives at the small processor, he drops his cattle himself as he’d never entrust that to anyone else.
I buy a quarter of a cow for about $900, or I think about $8.50 a pound.
Small processors abound and more and more of us are seeking them out.
We grow many of our own vegetables and everything else we buy local whenever possible. I have a masticating juicer and drink intense amounts of greens, of course along with my well-designed supplement regimen.
At age 69 I have been low carb for almost 23 years and keto for almost 3 years. Yesterday morning I did a 41 mile road bike ride in Colorado where I live, fully fasting. I hadn’t eaten for 16 hours at the start of the ride, and averaged 16.5 computer average speed, riding alone in heavy breezes.
I don’t even think about food on rides. Even at 10% bodyfat I have plenty of fat to burn.
Keto rocks.”

– Greg’s doing things right.

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