| PILATES
the TRX way
NEED SOME SPECIFIC EXERCISES ?Come and spend an hour discussing and trying out exercises tailored just for you.
Whether its for fitness, weight loss, flexibility for a particular sport or that 'feel good' factor. Furthermore you may wish to have a personal program tailored for your individual needs. This could also be 'burnt' onto a DVD. Ever heard of the
' TRX PILATES' system ?Apart from providing rehabilitation exercises as part of your treatment (which are now available on video via e’mail) there will also be one to one exercise classes available to suit individual requirements which can be booked at your convenience. These individual programs can be provided to you on a DVD at a small cost after your induction. I will also be providing ‘sport-specific’ programs for golf, tennis, swimming, running, walking etc using the very latest techniques in ‘TRX’ training;-
Check out the site; www.fitnessanywhere.com
‘TRX’ is the perfect way of exercising for everyone regardless of your physical ability or fitness levels. It is simply the best means of tailoring any workout to meet the demands of the individual for building general functional fitness. What is Functional fitness ?Functional fitness is a way of incorporating everyday activities into an exercise routine. We can mimmick our actions and make them more flexible and stronger by engaging the same motions in exercise form. The important thing to remember is that during the exercises, we incorporate our 'core' all the time, with every exercise so, gone are the day's of doing
hundreds of abdominal crunches ! Too good to be true ?
well it really is ! There are hundreds of functional exercises you can perform on the TRX with whole body movements.The TRXs ingenious design allows you to instantly, infinitely scale resistance with a simple step towards or away from the TRX. This provides the perfect amount of resistance every rep,every set, every workout ! The vast majority of exercises prescribed typically involve moving the body in a single plane of motion. These are fantastic whole body exercises, but in the real world virtually every movement the human body makes engages all three planes of movement-forward and back, side to side, and rotational. The TRX trains the body in all three planes of movement.This is known as ’planar’ training. This ’suspension training’ concept makes it possible to move your body in training exactly the way you do in the real world.
For further information, call me for a chat or check out this website www.fitnessanywhere.com and take the first steps towards changing the way in which you take care of your body.......the TRX way
ALZHEIMER'S RISK'
According to recent research, regular exercise reduces the risk of dementia and Alzheimers disease by up to 40% !
The studies found the more frail the person was, the more exercise was likely to help them. A regular workout of gentle exercise was enough to produce a positive effect-even for those aged over 65.
Walking for 15 minutes three times a week during mid-life was enough to significantly cut the risk of dementia. Not only did regular exercise cut the risk, but the results suggested it might also help to delay the progression of the condition in people who begin to develop symptoms. Those genetically prone to Alzheimers could experience a reduction in symptoms of about 60 %. It is believed that exercise may improve brain function by boosting blood flow to areas of the brain used for memory.
GLUCOSAMINEA three year study at the Prague Institute of Rheumatology has confirmed that Glucosamine appears to spot the narrowing of the space in the knee joint that typically uccurs with arthritis when cartilage that normally covers the ends of the bones is damaged so the bones can rub together. More than 100 men and women suffering with mild to moderately severe knee arthritis for at least a decade took 1500mg of Glucosamine or a placebo, one a day for three years. X Rays were taken at the beginning and every year thereafter to show the critical space where the bones of the leg meet.The actual result was; 14 of the 56 placebo subjects had severe narrowing, a sign that Arthritis had become worse, compared with only 5 of 66 taking the supplement.SUGAR-FREE ALERT !
This very condensed article is about a lady suffering from a progressively debilitating condition. She suffered from stomach spasm's, walking difficulties which eventually led to her being subjected to a wheelchair. After douzens of test's it was decided that she must have 'MS'.
The final outcome after she realised she was dying a slow death was just incredible. She was suffereing from 'Methanol Toxicity' which is found in artificial sweetners (namely 'Aspartame' )
If you are using Aspartame (Nutra-Sweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc) often found in 'diet soda drinks' and you suffer from 'Fibromyalgia' symptoms, spasms, shooting pains, numbness in your legs, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, blurred vision or memory loss.......you may have 'Aspartame poisoning'.
This 'Methanol Toxicity' mimics the symptoms of 'MS' and 'Systemic Lupus'.
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BITS AND BOBS
DIET is a nasty '4' letter word which implies a short-term fix for 'weight issues'. Weight management is not something that can be addressed overnight, so forget 'diets' and instead think about long-term nutritional planning.99% of dieters fail to reach the goals they've set for themselves. Why ? Because most diets are unrealistic, unpleasant, overly restrictive ans boring.
FIBRE is calorie-free food. Vital for digestive health, it makes meals more satisfying and keeps us fuller for longer. Seek out higher fibre foods such as wholemeal bread, pasta and rice and leave skins on fruit and vegetables.
HYPERTROPHY When muscles get bigger (hypertrophy) they burn more calories at rest and improve their capacity to work. Engage in regular resistance training and turn your muscles into fat-burning furnaces.A 0.45kg increase in lean muscle equates to around 300 extra calories burned a week.Doesn't sound a lot, but over the course of a year that could equate to 4 lbs of fat.
BACK TO BASICS
As featured in the May edition of the
'Blablablah'.
Never had back problems before ? So why did your back suddenly become problematic and how can you prevent this from occurring in the future ?
Poor Posture;
We all know how important good posture is but sometimes overlook the obvious. Check out your position whilst sitting and watching TV, whilst at the computer and how you carry out everyday tasks such as cleaning, gardening etc.
If you wake up every morning with a sore back, take a look at your mattress, is it getting too old or perhaps it just doesn't suit your back. What about your chairs and sofa's, or indeed your car seats !
A little thought can save you a lot of grief.
Foot Posture;
Our posture is hugely influenced by our feet and our footware. If you have a persistant back problem, you may benefit from having your feet assessed by a professional.
Lack of Flexibility;
The joints of the human frame work at their most efficient when allowed to move through their fullest range. In order to maintain this movement, one must keep muscles stretched. Tight muscles lead to weak muscles.Upon movement, fluid is secreted into the joints which keeps them lubricated and mobile.If we don't maintain these fluid levels, our joints become dry and painful which in turn encourages less movement. The joint can become arthritic and more painful and there your viscious circle begins.
Muscular Weakness;
In particular, the 'core' muscles (the ones all around your middle) need to be strong to support the skeleton and in order to carry out everyday activities without straining. This is known as 'functional fitness', whereby one can 'mimmick' an activity in the form of an exercise to improve one's ability to perform the activity with ease.If we don't do these simple exercises, 'overloading' occurs and this can then lead to muscular spasm and the dreaded 'bad back'.
In a 'nutshell';
Maintain good all-round posture, flexibility and agility. Build some 'core' strength and functional fitness.PILATES is a great/fun way of achieving this but be sure that the classes are small enough that the instructor can watch your every move and advise you of any alternative should it be necessary. You may consider 'one-on-one' sessions to begin with if you don't have enough experience of this exercise technique.
So remember, to MOVE, MOVE, MOVE !!!
BACK
PAIN
THE FIRST 48 HOURS !
as featured in the April edition
of the
'Blablablah'.
Have you ever wondered
why your back is hurting and what exactly brought on the pain in the
first place ! Well, more often than not it is an accumulation of several
factors which, when combined over a period of time, can cause you a
great deal of pain and immobility. Many years ago, if you went to the
doctors with a 'bad back', he would have advised you to lay flat on your
back for 6 weeks. We now know this to be detrimental to your
recovery-this does not work !
The first 48 hours of the onset of
back pain is the most crucial time for the recovery of this
debilitating problem which affects us all at some point in our lives.
1.REDUCE THE INFLAMMATION AND THE MUSCLE
SPASM. Locate the point of pain and place an ice pack (or frozen
peas) on the area for 10-15 minutes and as often as every hour
depending on the severity of the pain.Always place either a paper tissue
(kitchen paper), or apply some oil to the skin to prevent the ice from
burning.
2.KEEP GENTLY
MOBILE. Attempt to keep as much movement as possible within a
'pain-free' range.If you produce pain with movement, you will increase
inflammation and so hinder your recovery. Tense muscle causes pain, so
in keeping good flexibility, will reduce your pain levels.
3. POSTURE. Be aware of keeping
good posture with your shoulders nicely relaxed.Whatever you are doing,
give yourself a 30 minute time limit. Change what you are doing, take a
break, have a walk around, particularly if you are working at the
computer for any period of time.
4.ANTI-INFLAMMATORIES. If you feel so inclined,
and have no adverse effects,you can take a course of anti-inflammatory
tablets and can also apply the cream to the affected area to speed up
your recovery.
This is a brief summary of what can be
done within the first 48 hours of the onset of back pain however, if
you are unduly concerned, you should consult a professional to obtain
advice specifically for your particular problem.
HOW IMPORTANT ARE OUR FEET !
The human foot was originally designed to travel on soft, natural surfaces like earth and sand. Unfortunately, instead of soft earth, we now spend everyday walking and standing on unnatural hard, flat surfaces like pavements and floors. These surfaces force our feet to roll over to gain ground contact and our arches to flatten. Rolling over the foot, or 'excess pronation' is believed to affect over 50% of the population ! Interestingly, although the foot rolls inwards, often the shoe will wear excessively on the outside edge of the heel. This is because the foot normally 'lands' on the outside edge first and consequently rolls over causing excess pronation as a compensatory motion. Just like the tyres on our cars, poor alignment of the feet can cause wear and tear on other parts of the body. 'Excess pronation' often disrupts normal knee and hip alignment and increases forces on the muscles in the lower back. Subsequently, excess pronation can cause a wide range of common complaints including;
back, knee, heel and shin pain, tired and aching legs, bunions, corns and callouses.
HOT OR COLD ?
As first aid after sustaining an injury
Here are some useful basic facts to help you decide which treatment to take.
ICE;
Reduces pain, spasticity, muscle spasm and swelling and promotes repair.
HEAT;
Increases metabolism, blood supply and induces relaxation and appears to produce a sedative effect.
When any kind of injury is sustained, it is imperitive to recognise whether there is an inflammatory response present (heat, swelling and pain ), or whether there is just fatigue, ie in the muscles.
If inflammation is apparent, then one must apply 'ice' treatment for a minimum of 48 hours or whilst inflammation is still apparent.
A combination of hot/cold contrast treatment can be of benefit at a later stage of recovery, as can heat once the inflammation has diminished and an increase in the range of movement, stretching and relaxation is required.
MIGRAINE HEADACHES
Migraines are caused by abnormal dilation and contraction of blood vessels in the brain that can also cause temporary disturbance to vision, as many sufferers will be only too aware. Increasing intake of 'riboflavin' (vitamin B2) and 'Herb Feverfew' has been found helpful by some. There is also interesting research reported in 'Cephalalgia' stating that daily supplement of 150mg of co Q10 has brought about a marked improvement in the frequency of migraines.
ARE YOUR FEET CRAMPING WHEN EXERCISING ?
Some people experience cramp in their feet when they exercise. This can occur if people have not had sufficient water to drink, when they take off their everyday shoes to work out in a class like Pilates, for example or perhaps when they get into the pool. The pool temperature can play play a major factor and the cramping usually occurs after we work the hamstring or undertake repetitious foot exercises incorporating large leg movements. By engaging these muscles, which may not have been warmed or stretched properley, a foot ache or cramp can occur. This is due to slow blood flow and the muscle being unable relax. Since regular physical activity can help circulation, it is recommended to stretch out the muscles in the legs and the feet. Also massaging your feet each day can alleviate many ailments. The lack of calcium and dehydration in a person's body can be major factors in contributing to cramping. A person experiencing cramping should consider a calcium supplement, and eat food containing potassium an hour before attempting exercise.
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