Meditation may help "Chemo Brain"

Meditation may help side effects of cancer treatment

by Kathleen Lisson

Does meditation help "chemo brain?" According to an article in Science Daily titled 'Mindfulness-based stress reduction diminishes chemo brain,' an eight-week meditation program helped men and women with breast and colorectal cancer to reduce chemotherapy's negative affects on their ability to pay attention and complete cognitive tasks. Both groups are close to my heart because my paternal grandfather died of colon cancer and my mother died from breast cancer. 

The mPEAK class I took from the UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness was based upon MBSR, the meditation program used in the study. UC San Diego offers MBSR programs to the public - check out their schedule here: 

http://health.ucsd.edu/specialties/mindfulness/programs/mbsr/Pages/default.aspx 

Read the Science Daily article here: 

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/12/151207131717.htm

Help! I pee when I run - How to stop urination during workouts

How to Stop Peeing During Running Workouts

by Kathleen Lisson

Physical Therapist Julie Wiebe shows female runners how to reduce urinary incontinence while running by changing their running posture in this video. 

As a half marathon runner, I have used pantyliners and folded toilet paper to keep my underwear relatively dry during long training runs. I am interested to see if changing my running position will reduce the leakage I have during exercise.

Watch Physical Therapist Julie Wiebe's video here: https://youtu.be/NtywY6DY-Us


Do you grip your abs when you run? Do you use your gluteus maximus to propel you forward or your hamstrings? Do you look at the horizon when you run?

A 45 minute Swedish Massage can help you stay healthier!

Results of a Study of the Effects of a Massage on the Immune System

by Kathleen Lisson, CMT, CLT

As a long distance runner, I am constantly looking for ways to improve my health so that I can stick to my training schedule.

The 1989 Loma Linda University study, 'Effects of Long-Endurance Running on Immune System Parameters and Lymphocyte Function in Experienced Marathoners' found that "exhaustive endurance exercise in marathon runners is associated with many significant perturbations in immune system parameters, most of which return to normal levels at 21 h of recovery." Even though I am not a marathon runner of ultrarunner, I am lowering or "perturbing" my immune system for an entire day after my long run. I want to do healthful things to improve my immune system the rest of the week.

I do not get a massage immediately after running, but I have included massage as one of my wellness practices, because of its positive effects on my immune system. A 2010 study from the Cedars-Sinai Department of Psychaitry and Behavioral Neurosciences found that healthy adults can benefit from a single 45 minute Swedish massage.

According to the article, "Adults Demonstrate Modified Immune Response After Receiving Massage, Cedars-Sinai Researchers Show" on the Cedars-Sinai website, results included "significant changes in lymphocyes ...a large decrease in Arginine Vasopressin (AVP) a hormone believed to play a role in aggressive behavior and linked to helping cause increases in the stress hormone cortisol ...a decrease in levels of the stress hormone cortisol (and) ...a notable decrease in most cytokines produced by stimulated white blood cells.

Read more about the study here: https://www.cedars-sinai.edu/About-Us/News/News-Releases-2010/Adults-Demonstrate-Modified-Immune-Response-After-Receiving-Massage-Cedars-Sinai-Researchers-Show.aspx

The Abstract of 'A Preliminary Study of the Effects of a Single Session of Swedish Massage on Hypothalamic–Pituitary–Adrenal and Immune Function in Normal Individuals' by Mark Hyman Rapaport, Pamela Schettler, and Catherine Bresee and published in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine on October 2010 is here: http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/acm.2009.0634

What do you do to improve your immune system during your long distance running training?

Adding Meditation to Your Long Runs

How Do You Overcome a Difficult Run?

by Kathleen Lisson

Meditation and Running

Brad Stulberg recently wrote about the link between meditation and long distance running in the Competitor.com article 'Is Running Meditation.' Stulberg interviewed San Diego ultrarunner Cameron Rentch and offered tips on how to add meditation to long runs. In the article Rentch states that he uses meditation during practice or a race if he starts to focus on the more painful aspects of the run. He focuses on his breath instead of the negative thoughts.

My favorite tip is to direct attention to your breath during a steady state run, then to different areas of your body and the nature surrounding you as you run.

I agree that 'flow' is different than meditation. When I experience 'flow' there is no choice and meditation is about choosing to focus on a certain thing, like the breath.

The article is here: http://running.competitor.com/2015/07/training/is-running-meditation_132201

Runners: A quick trick to increase your weekly mileage - remembering your rave runs?

Positive Memories Good for Improving Running Performance

by Kathleen Lisson

An amazing run in Washington DC a few years ago... 

A recent article on the Triathlete website by Mackenzie Lobby Havey titled 'Study Finds Recalling Positive Memories Can Impact Performance' discussed the effects of a study published in the journal 'Memory.' According to the study results, college athletes exercised more when they made a habit of remembering good training experiences.

I go through phases where I am super eager to get out there and log some miles, and periods of time when I have to drag myself into my running shoes to stick to my training schedule. I am interested to see if setting aside time to remember great running experiences will help me stick to a hard training schedule.

Read the article here: http://triathlon.competitor.com/2015/06/training/study-finds-recalling-positive-memories-can-impact-performance_117976

Read the abstract for the study, conducted by University of New Hampshire psychologists Mathew J. Biondolillo and David B. Pillemer and titled 'Using memories to motivate future behaviour: An experimental exercise intervention' here: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09658211.2014.889709

mPEAK 3 day intensive mindfulness training for athletes in San Diego

mPEAK Mindfulness Training 3 Day Intensive Meditation Class in San Diego

by Kathleen Lisson

mPEAK Intensive Particicpants - San Diego Meditation Class

I recently attended a 3 day intensive training in mPEAK mindfulness training in San Diego.  Before the training, athletes were asked to read three books about mindfulness, Resilience: The Science of Mastering Life’s Greatest Challenges, The Mindful Brain: Reflection and Attunement in the Cultivation of Well-Being by Daniel J. Siegel and Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm, and Confidence.

I have taken the 8 week mPEAK class, sponsored by the UCSD Center for Mindfulness, earlier in 2015, so I was interested to see how the teachings had been adjusted to fit into a 3 day format. For more information on the program, visit the Mindful Performance Enhancement, Awareness & Knowledge website here: http://mbpti.org/mpeak/

Kathleen Lisson Headshot and Bio

Kathleen Lisson is a Board Certified Massage Therapist and Certified Lymphedema Therapist with oncology massage training, a trained Veriditas Labyrinth Facilitator, MMI Certified Meditation Instructor and ACE certified Personal Trainer. She specializes in reducing swelling after plastic or orthopedic surgery. 

Kathleen has worked as a Primary Instructor at the International Professional School of Bodywork in San Diego teaching Mindfulness and Meditation and lecturing on Massage for Special Populations. She teached Peggy Huddleston's 'Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster' workshop at OASIS and in various locations around San Diego.