Linebacker Training is originally from West Point Military Academy.  Linemen would go through high intensity training by alternating between running on a Stairmaster for 90 seconds and lifting weights.  Florida State men’s basketball has adapted this technique and calls it Metabolic Devastation.  UT baseball, basketball, and softball athletes also use this type of workout.

I tried this workout with Patta Murray on Friday morning.  I have two words: it works.  This high intensity workout is great for getting in shape.  I was nervous at first because I am no body builder, I can hardly do a modified push-up.  Patta works with you and your abilities.  If you are already strong, you will get stronger.  Many runners come to her and are able to shave off time in their races because of Linebacker Training. 

Why does this work?  Patta uses negative and body weight resistance to give your muscles a different type of workout.  Negative or eccentric training, puts resistance on your muscles when they are lengthening, which improves strength.  It forces you to recruit more muscle fibers which leads to more strength, coordination, and skill.

Summer is just around the corner and the YMCA Morse Center is offering a great deal for Linebacker Training to get you in shape, fast.  Now, UT employees that are not members of the YMCA Morse Center can get this training for $80 for 6, half-hour sessions.  This is a great deal! The going rate for personal training is around $75 for a one-hour session.  The package includes a free, optional linebacker evaluation.  Linebacker Training is designed for partners so, grab a friend to come with you!  To make an appointment contact Patta Murray at pmurray@ymcatoledo.org.

Just imagine, laying in the hospital, day in, day out, sick, bed-bound, no visitors, nothing to do except watch the Kardashians prancing around on TV. While lying there, not only is your body becoming weaker, but your brain is also missing out on the regular stimulation it needs to stay sharp.

That’s why the Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS) decided to start a volunteer initiative called the Well Read book cart program! This is an effort to provide patients with reading materials to help keep their minds active and to improve their stay at the hospital, however long or short it may be. Volunteers go from room to room and ask if the patient is interested in having something to read during their stay, and if so they are presented with a cart full of books they can choose from. The book is then theirs to keep forever and ever. They are also given a bookmark with information about the Well Read program, allowing them the opportunity to see what the program is about and learn how they can get involved.

This initiative was led by GHHS members Kiran Kilaru, Mark Tuttle and Erin Carlton; other key GHHS members involved in the groundwork were Benjamin Jacobs, Supriya Mahajan, Sharon Jackson, and Meghan Kapp. Their dedication has helped the Well Read program take off and become a very successful and exciting new volunteer project!

Well Read is a project that GHHS would like to keep alive and well in order to serve our patients and demonstrate humanism and compassion in the hospital. And it is not just a GHHS member activity—if you have had HIPAA training or have other clearance to interact with patients, you can volunteer! All UT students are invited to participate if they have the appropriate hospital clearance. In particular, PA students, nursing students, pharmacy students, clinical and pre-clinical medical students are all encouraged to participate in this uplifting program as a way to gain experience in humanistic interactions with patients, the people we have committed our lives to serve.

Not everyone will take a book, but many do, and they truly appreciate it! And if you don’t feel comfortable seeing patients in this type of setting, you can also volunteer to assist with book collections or other administrative tasks.

The Well Read program runs on weekends, so if you are interested in volunteering, you can sign up at http://www.utoledo.edu/studentaffairs/hsc/ghhs/wellread/signup.html . More information about the Well Read program can be found at www.wellreadtoledo.org .

Book donations are also greatly appreciated! You can drop books off at one of the designated locations on the Health Science Campus (Mulford Library first floor lobby, HEB lobby between rooms 100 and 110, Collier Building first floor by the elevators, or Wolfe Hall Pharmacy Building by the Dean’s Office), or you can arrange a drop-off by going to www.wellreadtoledo.org and clicking “contact us.”

Recently, there has been a continual influx of published articles about big football players who face heart risks, especially, defensive linemen. In a recent study published in the American Journal of Cardiology, researchers following 3,400 NFL players who were active between 1959 and 1988, found that defensive linemen had a 42 percent higher risk of death from cardiovascular disease compared with U.S men in general. The study looked at 498 defensive linemen, and found that 41 of them had died of a cardiovascular cause.
One can calculate their Body Mass Index (BMI) by using the chart below and comparing their body weight to their height.

The chart is useful for finding a relatively healthy weight, although often in athletes, muscle mass can cause one’s BMI to exceed the healthy weight and put them in the category of “overweight” or “obese”. The physician who completed the study suggests that a high BMI based on muscle mass is not so bad.

 
Researchers explained that once athletes graduate from college, retire from the pros, or simply no longer exercise at the same activity level, often continue eating the same number of calories and gain weight, which causes health problems such as high blood pressure, unhealthy cholesterol levels and obesity. NFL players in the study who had a BMI of 30 or higher during their careers were twice as likely to die of cardiovascular causes as their lighter peers. The fact is: size is important, especially once the athletes are no longer in the game- the focus should be to “Lose the fat” in order to maintain the health.

 
The average NFL lineman during a training session consumes between 5,500 and 10,000 calories per day, while burning about 2,000 to 3,000 calories during the double session practice days. The American Heart Association recommends that the average person should eat about 2000 calories per day and aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on most days of the week or, best of all, at least 30 minutes every day. The overall goal would be to spend as many calories per day as you consume. The average person burns about 77 calories per hour while they sleep and depending on your physical activity level, between 700- 1,200 calories during the day.

 
Most athletes enjoy a longer than average lifespan, but a study suggests that the bigger the athlete, the more likely that a long lifespan will be cut short by heart disease and cardiovascular complications. Of the 3,400 NFL players in the study, only 334 had died by 2007 which is about half the rate that would be expected based on the U.S norms- acting as evidence to support a longer lifespan in athletes. The best way to avoid becoming overweight as an athlete ages and becomes less and less active is to decrease the number of calories consumed, to adjust for a lifestyle with decreased activity levels.

Bibliography
American Heart Association. “Suggested servings from each food group.” American Heart Association. 14 Feb. 2012. The American Heart Association. 14 Feb. 2012. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/HealthyDietGoals/Suggested-Servings-from-Each-Food-Group_UCM_318186_Article.jsp  .  

“BMI Chart – Body Mass Index Chart .” Body Shaping tips. Body Shaping Tips. 14 Feb. 2012. http://bodyshapingtips.com/body_mass/bmi_chart/  .

Norton, Amy . “More evidence big football players face heart risks.” Chicago Tribune. 8 Feb. 2012. The Chicago Tribune. 14 Feb. 2012. www.chicagotribune.com/sports/sns-rt-us-football-heart-riskstre8172gq-20120208,0,6204013.story

Don’t miss out on your opportunity to sign up for Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) class!  You do not need any previous physical skills training.  This class is designed for average women.  The course is taught by Officer Jill Goldberg who has had much experience with self defense and safety.

RAD will be held every Monday evening from 5:30-7:30pm beginning February 20th and will end March 26th.  Class will be held on the Health Science Campus  in CCE-0111.  You must attend all six weeks to complete the course.  Spring break will be discussed at the first session.  There is a small fee of $20 for the six-week course.  You can register for the course by visiting utmc.utoledo.edu/rocketwellness.  If you have any questions you can contact Officer Goldberg at jill.goldberg@utoledo.edu.

The month of February is nationally known as “Heart Month”. To honor those folks that take care of your heart, the week of February 12-18 is known as Cardiovascular Professional Week. This year’s theme is Cardiovascular Professionals:  Allied in Excellence!  The Alliance of Cardiovascular Professionals has chosen this special week to recognize the lifesaving efforts of cardiovascular services professionals including those who serve patients in the Invasive, Non-invasive, Echo, EKG, and Cardiopulmonary Departments. 

The high quality clinical skills and compassion of the cardiovascular services professionals does not go unnoticed. UT Heart and Vascular Center has chosen to recognize its nine electrocardiograph (EKG) technologists:  Mindy Hilyard, Samantha Jakubowski, Robert Johnson, Debra Kwiatkowski, Julie Matuszewski, Nick Mazarek, Lisa McKay, Debra Walton and Veronica Williams as well as its 4 echocardiographic (ECHO) technologists:  Ann Anderson, Amy Lather, Tracy Potts, and Lavonne Trout.

Cardiovascular professional members specialize in electrocardiography, or EKG, stress testing, and perform Holter and Event Recorder monitoring procedures and give sonograms of the heart.  Whether it’s prevention, education, or treatment, cardiovascular team members play a vital role in saving lives.  They are always there and ready to care.  So how do we thank them? I’ll let you count the ways, however, if you do run into one this week, make sure you stop and give them that “pat” on the back.  I know, we all deserve that “pat”, but this is their week to shine   

“In every community there is work to be done. In every nation, there are wounds to heal.
In every heart there is the power to do it.”   Marianne Williamson

Done with biochem? Here take this survey! Anatomy? Another survey!! CDM?? Suuuurrrveeyy!!! I&I?? oh yeah a survey!!!! Done with 2nd year??? SURVEY!!!!! 3rd year clerkships???? EVERY SINGLE ONE HAS A SURVEY!!!!!! BOUGHT A PURSE ONLINE??? YOU NEED TO TAKE THEIR SURVEY TOOOOOO!!!!!!!

Ok….. yes, the point is, we med students get bombarded with a lot of surveys. Sometimes, we actually take the time to diligently fill out the survey with additional comments in order to hopefully see changes for the better. But let’s face it, the reality is that we are all constantly studying for exams/shelf exams/boards/not looking stupid in front of your attending/personal satisfaction (?), and therefore we don’t exactly have the time to fill out each and every survey as thoroughly as we ought.

But allow me to make a case for the LCME (Liaison Committee on Medical Education) survey–why YOU should take the time to fill it out, and to fill it out like you mean it:

First of all, there are several incentives that make it worth the 20 minutes to take this survey, including a $10 gift certificate to Plate 21, a chance to win a $100 gift certificate of your choice (depending on availability; there will be five $100 gift certificates raffled per class), and for each class year that has over a 90% response rate, UTCOM will put aside $500 - $1000, which students will then get to choose (via vote) how this money will be spent from a series of options (for example, new lounge furniture).

Secondly, and more importantly, the LCME  is the nationally recognized accrediting authority for medical education programs leading to the M.D. degree in U.S. and Canadian medical schools. And in this survey, they are assessing student satisfaction at different institutions, and what those schools are doing to improve student satisfaction.

This is kind of a big deal.

UTCOM plans to look at the very thorough survey results, see what areas need improvement to better serve the students, and act on those survey results. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT SURVEY YOU CAN TAKE DURING YOUR MEDICAL SCHOOL CAREER.

4th years, this means you too! As we prepare to graduate, consider the fact that The University of Toledo College of Medicine will forever be associated with the M.D. behind our names. By filling out this survey, you will not only be providing the school with valuable information to improve the experience of future UTCOM students. You are also contributing to the standards of excellence for which UTCOM is known, and which people will associate with your Doctorate of Medicine.

The deadline to take the survey is Sunday, February 19 at midnight. So, to all the medical students who have not yet done so, please take 20 minutes out of your day to fill out the survey. Your opinions are the driving force for improvement–UTCOM’s awesomeness depends on YOU!

RAD is a self-defense course specifically designed for women.  RAD stands for rape aggression defense.  It is a program of realistic self-defense tactics and techniques that helps with awareness, prevention, risk reduction and avoidance.  This class offers hands-on defensive training that is taught by a certified instructor.  The instructor offering this course is Officer Jill Goldberg who has had much experience with teaching women self-defense.

RAD will be held every Monday evening from 5:30-7:30pm beginning February 20th and will end March 26th.  Class will be held on the Health Science Campus  in CCE-0111.  You must attend all six weeks to complete the course.  Spring break will be discussed at the first session.  There is a small fee of $20 for the six-week course.  You can register for the course by visiting utmc.utoledo.edu/rocketwellness.  If you have any questions you can contact Officer Goldberg at jill.goldberg@utoledo.edu.  Hurry, there are only 20 slots in the class!

Join us to Launch…

Thursday February 2, 2012 in the Student Union Trimble Lounge (Formerly South Lounge) from 12p-2p. as we launch our online source for comments, complaints, questions and feedback.  This multi-engaging service is for YOU…the Students, so join Rocky, Office for the Student Experience Team and friends for some good food and music.  

We look forward to connecting with you…