Stretching Routines: Gogi Tendon Organs ?

Stretching Routines: What Do Your Gogi Tendon Organs Have to do with it?

Stretching RoutinesStretching: What Do Your Gogi Tendon Organs Have To Do With It?  
Here’s a little video with the answer.
Have you tried to pick a coin up off the ground lately? How about tying your shoes? Have you switched to slip-ons? What about reaching over the coffee table to scoop some dip on the other side? Remember when you didn’t think twice about those maneuvers?
Sounds like decrepitude is setting in. Or maybe you’ve just lost some Flexibility.Flexibility is range of motion around your joints.
There are two types. Static flexibility – how far you can stretch and hold a body part, and dynamic flexibility – how much range of motion you have when you move.
Both are important. In fact I consider Flexibility one of the 3 main components of fitness, along with Aerobic Capacity and Muscle Strength.
I recommend a flexibility program that incorporates slow dynamic movements like Tai Chi, as well as static stretches like Yoga.But in my experience, Flexibility is the most ignored component of fitness. We do our Cardio and our Strength training but, unless we’re regular Yoga or Tai Chi, practitioners, Flexibility is not on the menu.
Why not? I think there are a couple of reasons. First, I think we don’t get it.It doesn’t make our muscles stronger or our figures shapelier. We don’t realize how valuable flexibility is until we try to do something we used to take for granted, like reach around to the back seat to get our sunglasses. Even then we toss it off with, “Well, I guess I’m getting older”. We somehow don’t connect with the thought, ” If I’d been doing a little stretching all these years, it wouldn’t have felt like I was going to rip something just then”.Secondly, there’s been lots of press about conflicting studies on the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of stretching.
Some studies say stretching improves athletic performance. Others say they’ve proved the exact opposite. Some studies say stretching helps prevent injury. Others say it has no effect on injury prevention. There’s enough conflicting buzz to make you not want to bother.That’s too bad because all that buzz masks the fact we do know stretching does help you gain and maintaining flexibility.
Does stretching help prevent injury or aid athletic performance? I DON’T CARE.
I want to stay flexible as I age. I want to be able to pick up coins, tie my shoes and grab my sunglasses. Give me my dose of flexibility training!Even if we were flexible as kids, as we get older, connective tissues, our tendons and ligaments, tend to lose water, shorten, and become stiffer. So we get less flexible. But it’s not too late.Even if you’re not interested in the fine practice of Yoga or Tai Chi, barring some medical issue, there’s a simple way to help hang on to the flexibility you have, and work on getting some of that youthful flexibility back. A few easy stretching exercises may be the difference between living tight and living flexible.I stretch every day. Easy for me to say, I teach a stretch class. But just a few minutes, three times a week, can make a real difference. I’ve seen students of mine go from really stiff to pretty darn flexible in a few months, without trying hard.Stretching, when done right, feels delicious while you’re doing it, and even better when you’re done. The kind of stretching I do is relaxing and meditative. I find it melts my stress and energizes me while keeping me flexible. I’ve developed a stretch exercise technique I call Moving Free. It’s evolved some over the 30 years I’ve been teaching it. I use a fusion of modified static stretches from Dance, Yoga and classic fitness as well as dynamic movements adapted from Dance and Tai Chi and Kinesiology.Here’s a video with some lower body stretches you can try at home.  As if that weren’t enough, There’s more to stretching than just flexibility. I think stretching is a form of meditation that creates a sense of well-being and promotes peace of mind. When I finish my stretching routine I have a more positive outlook as well as the feeling that my body is more alive, more accessible to me. Try it and see.

Chances are that pretty soon you’ll be able to find your shoes simply by looking down.

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Holiday Exercise!

Holiday ExerciseHoliday Exercise!

With the holidays around the corner again those old familiar fears are rearing their ugly heads. For me it’s: how am I going to get through this with my sanity and how am I going to keep from gaining a ton?

Exercise has always been my catchall solution, like Windex for the father of the bride in that movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

As those of you who read my column know, during the holidays I pretty much throw up my arms and prudently sample every goodie that comes my way. But I emphasize the word SAMPLE. If I come to the table hungry those samples could get quite large, so I use my Windex (I mean holiday exercise; I don’t use real Windex) to help me through.

Holiday Exercise Tips:

Here is a short video to kick start your Holiday Exercise:

Endorphins make you feel like all is right with the world. Maintaining sanity becomes much easier after a good workout.  They also tend to suppress your appetite. 30 minutes or so of aerobic exercise is enough to get your body to release those endorphins and it burns about 200- 300 calories. Strength training about a half hour every other day burns about 200 calories. It also raises your metabolism and keeps it up for hours after you’ve finished exercising. You see where I’m going here?

If you get started now you can stay sane, get in shape, reap all the health benefits daily holiday exercise has to offer, maintain or even lose weight, and get a jump on the 2 most popular New Year’s resolutions: Get in shape and lose some weight. Not bad.

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Holiday Moderation: Bah, Humbug!

Holiday Moderation? Really.

It’s starting again. All that advice about how not to gain weight, how to reduce stress and how to stay on your fitness program during the holidays. Well good luck with that. For years I’ve been giving out advice of my own. Moderation I’ve always say, “Just take a little taste of everything”.

Exercise on holiday mornings. Huh? Well, I’m throwing up my hands this year, kind of.
I’m not going to tell you to just take a little taste of pie when you really want to eat the whole piece, nor to bypass that great stuffing that you only eat once a year. Life is short and this behavior is not the culprit anyway. The fact is holidays are a time to embrace life, be social and enjoy activities bordering on the excessive.
And when you come right down to it, it’s not what you do during the holidays, it’s what you do the rest year.

Holiday Moderation Tips:

So, if you really need to hear about holiday moderation in your daily life, here goes.
Know that every pound equals 3500 calories and all calories are not created equal. Some are more nutritious than others and some are downright empty. Try to make healthy food choices, watch your portion size and read your labels.
Get at least a half an hour of moderate exercise most days of the week.
Take a few minutes to do something for yourself, something you like, every day.
For instance, every morning when I get up, I kiss my cat.

If you’re already doing this then you’ve got nothing to worry about this holiday season.
If not, you have my humble suggestion for a New Year’s resolution.

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Orthopedic Injuries: Prehab To Avoid Rehab

ORTHOPEDIC-INJURIES_web-4-iOrthopedic Injuries. Here’s one of mine. This picture is real. It was taken by my husband a few years ago.  That’s me unable to lower my arm without passing out. I’m on the phone with my orthopedist. Orthopedic Injuries are a real drag. This one took me 3 months to rehab.

Nobody wants to grow old, least of all boomers. But we’re turning 65 at the rate of 10,000 a day, and will be for the next 17 years.

We’re running a little scared. We want longevity, but we’re scared of losing our mobility and independence. So we’re trying to stay active, or get active, in order to avoid decrepitude. With that many older bodies on the move, orthopedic injuries are on the rise. Once you’re injured, there’s excellent treatment and rehab available

But there is a lot you can do to prevent orthopedic injuries.
If you want to stay active and mobile in the second half of your life, consider prehab today to avoid rehab tomorrow. Here’s a quick video to tell you more:

Who gets up in the morning thinking: I feel like getting a nice orthopedic injury today. What can I do to help that along? But we have them anyway, even if we’re disease free. We over use our bodies or use them wrong. We break hips and legs. We get strains and sprains. We get hurt at work, at home or playing sports.

Vintage Bodies Prone For Orthopedic Injuries 

No matter how active we’ve been, our bodies are not the same as they were when we were younger. They’ve got miles on them. And like vintage cars, it’s not wise to drive them flat out. Those of us, who’ve used our bodies for a living, know we’ve had to make adjustments for our aging muscles and joints. Many of us are favoring old injuries that have left those body parts weakened and vulnerable.

We may be nursing over use injuries from repetitive actions. These can be anything from back problems from years of standing all day, to shoulder issues from years of manual labor, to carpal tunnel syndrome from constant mouse pushing. But it doesn’t have to take years. Raking leaves, shoveling snow or playing tennis all weekend when you’re out of shape can be an express ticket to Overuse Ville. And being overweight puts extra stress on your musculoskeletal system. But, there’s a simple fix that can reduce your risk for orthopedic injuries, give you more energy, stamina and even help you live longer

Prehab to Avoid Orthopedic Injuries

Two Types of Prehab

There are two main types: general and sport-specific.

General Prehab for Daily Life

Every day, we run for the bus or the phone, load groceries in the car, pick up children or pets and a million other things we take for granted. These all carry a risk for injury and I’ll bet we can all remember being injured doing them. Luckily for most of us the, injuries were limited to a little pull or sprain. But people do fall and break bones, dislocate limbs, have heart attacks and worse because they’re not fit enough for that activity at that moment. Being inactive and overweight adds to the mix. A simple fitness and weight management program may be all you need to help prevent orthopedic injuries during everyday activities.

General rehab for daily living as part of a personal wellness program: looks at the body as a whole, and develops it as a whole to maximize quality of life. This often includes strength training, cardio conditioning and core training, as well as some proprioceptive exercises.

Avoid Orthopedic Injuries with Fall Prevention

Falls are the number one cause of injury death in people over 65. One in three people 65 plus will experience a fall each year. And poor proprioception, not knowing where your body is in space is a leading cause of falls. Proprioception degrades with age but proprioceptive exercise can slow that down and help prevent falls. Add exercises like Tai Chi, and balancing exercises to your fitness routine. They feel great to do and can help keep you vertical into old age.

Sport-Specific Prehab is designed to get you ready for the rigors of a particular sport or physical endeavor. Good activity specific exercises pay special attention to the body parts most involved in that activity or sport with regard to use and form without ignoring the concept of training the body as a whole. Sport specific training is available at many gyms and community centers.

So I hope you’ve become a believer in the little proverb I’ve coined to remind my clients “An ounce of prehab is worth a pound of rehab.”

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New Sneakers: The Right Pair For You

Sneaker-Test-WEB_6209When Spring is just around the corner I get lots of emails saying, “ I’d like to get a pair of new sneakers. What type of athletic shoes should I buy for walking or jogging outside? ”
There’s no one answer. There are just about as many types and brands of new sneakers  as there are feet. Yours are unique, but one rule applies to all. This is how to treat your feet!

New Sneakers: How To Choose Your Next Pair

New sneakers need to feel great right out of the box. No break-in!  They also need to be sport specific. Stick with a shoe that’s designed for your particular activity.

So how do you pick a shoe? Ask your feet.

Check out the regular shoes you have at home. Where are they worn down?

If they’re worn on the inside edge you have low arches and point your feet inward. Try athletic shoes with good arch support.

If your shoes wear on the outside you point your feet outward. You need a shoe with more cushioning and good lateral support.

If you have even wear on your heels, you walk and run with your feet mostly straight ahead. You can buy any quality shoe that feels good on your foot.

What is a quality shoe anyway?

  • Heel box needs to be on the stiff side and comfortably keep your heel from popping out
  • The toe box needs to flex but not so much as to let your foot twist. Your big toe shouldn’t hit the front of the shoe
  • The upper needs to surround your foot and give it the amount of comfortable support your particular foot needs
  • The shoe should have enough cushioning to absorb impact but not so much as to make it unstable
  • You should be able to get a good pair for under a hundred bucks

But what about toning shoes? The principle behind these is that the design of the shoe’s sole keeps you off balance; and because you’re always working to keep your balance, you work harder, burn more calories, use your muscles more and therefore get a better workout and a more toned body.

I can’t speak first hand about these because I’ve never worn a pair.  But I do have a close friend who swears by them.   Her enthusiasm peaked my curiosity and got me Goggling.  I found a study by the American Council on Exercise. This is the non-profit organization that tests and certifies fitness instructors throughout the US. They tested all the major brands of toning shoes against regular athletic shoes.

Their study found no significant difference between the Toning shoes and the regular shoes.

The bottom line is there is no silver bullet. A lot of this is trial and error.  It’s all about the fit; and if the shoe fits, it will be a treat for your feet when you wear it.

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Body Types: Best Exercises For You!

hdr-bodytype.jpg

Body Types

Whether you are just beginning to exercise, getting back to exercise or wanting to refine your exercise routine, your body type should play a role in how you exercise.

If you eat right and exercise religiously, you can transform that body of yours into the perfect shape, right? Well, not exactly.
The truth is, there is no perfect shape except in our dreams. Any of the women you’d gladly trade bodies with will tell you about the parts they hate, and the parts they constantly work on. Genetics has determined us all to be basically one of three body types. You made be one of these or a combination. They are:

Body TypesMesomorph: Thick bones and generally muscular physique. It is easier to develop muscle and the look of a body builder. Meso’s muscles are shorter and tend to be bulkier. Great for heavy work and bodybuilding. Best type for sports that require quickness and strength like tennis. Not as naturally suited to long distance endurance sports like marathon running. Also, tends to be less flexible; stretching can help.

 

 

 

Mirabai_Holland2_1 ECTOEctomorph: Slender, thinner, longer bones, more difficult to build muscle mass but easy to sculpt a model-like body. Ecto’s muscles fibers are longer and well defined.  Best for endurance and cardiovascular activities like aerobics, long distance running, or swimming. Ecto’s are generally more fragile and more prone to injury in contact sports.

 

 

 

Mirabai_Holland3_1 ENDOEndomorph: Rounder or more pear shaped body. Easy enough to build muscle but more tendency to gain and retain body fat, which often obscures musculature. This body type needs constant physical activity to maintain a healthy weight and an attractive physique. However, because of the uneven distribution of body fat, endo’s can be more prone to lower body injury. Be careful with activities like high impact aerobics.

 

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When NOT To Exercise

When Not To ExerciseWhen Not To Exercise, I ask myself.

Well, for a couple of days now I have been nursing the flu. I’ve been mostly in bed and its very frustrating. I can feel the fitness juice draining out of me. Several times I’ve thought of getting out of bed, putting on my sneakers and each time, my body, my lungs and my head have said “whoa maybe this is a bad idea”.
So, resting on an elevated pillow, feet up, I’ve resigned myself to the fact that there are times when not to exercise because being physically active can do more harm than good.
Now that I have nothing else to do I’m making a list.

When Not To Exercise

When You Are Sick
If you’ve got a cold and it’s not severe you CAN exercise without making yourself sicker. Your body will probably tell you to back off the intensity and you should listen. So just do a maintenance workout.
The Flu however is not to be messed with. Influenza kills several thousand people a year. Your body is under siege from a virus and you need to win that battle. Rest. Don’t exercise.
With A Fever The Flu is often accompanied by a fever because your immune system is fighting off infection. Any time you have a fever you need to be resting to give your body a fighting chance. No exercise.

When You’re Tired

How tired? It you’ve got the fatigue and brain-block that comes from a long day at the office, some moderate exercise after work may help you relax and recharge. But if your body is telling you go home and go to bed, that’s what you need to do.
When A Chronic Condition Flairs Up
Most people with chronic conditions or injuries can exercise with doctor’s permission between flair-ups. But many make the mistake of trying to exercise when their condition is acute. When your condition flairs up, wait it out. Don’t exercise. It only takes a moment to cause permanent damage. If your flair-up persists, go see your doctor.

When You’re Pregnant

Most pregnant women can exercise but ability to exercise varies greatly from person to person. Make sure you talk to your doctor about any exercise you’re planning to do.

When You Have Pain

Patient: “Doctor it hurts when I do this.”
Doctor: “Don’t do that!”
It really IS that simple. Pushing through the pain is nonsense even for most professional athletes. If you’ve got pain don’t exercise. See your doctor.

This list is a work in progress and since I’m lying here, I’m sure I can think up some more stuff. How about you? If you’ve got some good reasons not to exercise, please send me your comments.

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Clicking Joints: Should I Worry?

Clicking JointsClicking Joints: Should I worry? What are those clicking, popping and crackling sounds in my joints? Is it Arthritis? Have I overdosed on breakfast cereal? No, it’s probably Crepitus. Sounds like a precursor to decrepitude, but it’s not. Crepitus is just the word used to describe the clicking sounds.

In fact, in most cases, if there’s no pain associated with those sounds, it’s nothing to worry about. Many people live their whole lives with some clicking joints and popping without any ill effects.

 Clicking Joints?

Clicking Joints have closed bags of synovial fluid, called bursa, between them. They cushion joint movement so we can walk and work painlessly. That fluid has a little bit of air or gas dissolved in it. Through our daily movement, that gas can form a bubble or cavity in the bag. The fancy term is Cavitation.

When you move your knee, elbow or shoulder, the bubble bursts and makes a click or popping sound. Cracking your knuckles is a good example of breaking those bubbles on purpose. So, the rule of thumb is: no pain, no problem.

Snapping however is another story. That rubber band-like sound is often accompanied by pain. It’s a sign you have an injury, or that some muscle, nerve or connective tissue is out of place.

In this case you should see your doctor. A good way to promote healthy joints in general is to strengthen the muscles around them. Regular strength training can make a difference at any age. If you haven’t been exercising in a while, start slowly and build up. Last thing you want to do is hurt the joints you’re trying to strengthen.

So, what’s the takeaway here? Well, next time your friends have clicks and pops in their joints, you can tell them they probably have Crepitus!

TAKE CHARGE OF THEIR HEALTH NOW!

by Mirabai Holland MFA Certified Health Coach, Certified Exercise Physiologist.

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Can Sleeping Less Equal Weight Gain?

Can Sleeping Less Equal Weight GainCan Sleeping Less Equal Weight Gain

Eating fewer calories, exercising more and still having a hard time getting those extra pounds off? Here’s a question for you: How’s your sleep?

I for one, every time I travel, seem to gain a couple of pounds just when I want to look my best.

I noticed that I tend to sleep less and intermittently when I am on the road. Once I settle again in a place, my sleep gets more regulated and I am able to drop those pounds.

I’ve adjusted my sleep pattern, as I have gotten older to help myself sleep better. The earlier I get up in the morning the better chance I have of getting to sleep that night and staying asleep for a longer period of time. I’m more energized, and when I eat, I eat less and feel more filled.

Can Sleeping Less Equal Weight Gain

It turns out that there are many studies that indicate that sleeping less then 7 hours can increase body weight. One recent study with several pairs of twins, found that the twin who slept more than 9 hours was about half as likely to gain weight as the one that slept only 7.

Sleep deprivation affects your hunger urge. If you sleep less, you feel like eating more and you probably do. That’s because not sleeping increases your body’s level of gherlin, the hunger hormone and decreases leptin the “I’m full” hormone.

A sleep study in Finland with middle-aged adults who had sleep problems found that women had greater sleep related weight gains than men. Though men were also affected. The study indicated that it seems the fewer hours you sleep the more calories you tend to eat the next day.

If you want a good night sleep here’s are some things to consider:

  • Exercise: Don’t exercise too late in the day. So many of us go to the gym after work but it can keep you up at night. Late exercise can prevent the body from making sleep-inducing melatonin for several hours.
  • Caffeine: It can take 6 or more hours to wear off. Having that cup of coffee after dinner, even with a low fat dessert, may not be such a good idea.
  • Alcohol: A couple of drinks with dinner can wake you up in the middle of the night and make it hard to get back to sleep. I have a friend who swears by a glass or two of wine at lunch but never alcohol after 2pm. She says she sleeps like a baby at night. I think if I had a glass or two at lunch, I’d sleep like a baby at 2pm and be up for the night at 5.
  • Stress: And then there is our old buddy stress. We all have some level of stress and how we deal with it can keep us up at night. Getting yourself relaxed in quiet, dark, temperature controlled environment can relieve stress and induce a desire and ability to sleep.

So what’s it going to be, wide awake at 3am or getting that beauty sleep and waking up lighter and brighter on your toes? Learning to get a good night’s sleep is a process.

Can Sleeping Less Equal Weight GainDon’t stress over it, it may keep you up at night.

 

 

 

 

Autumn Weight Loss PlanTAKE CHARGE OF YOUR HEALTH!

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Cooking Healthy

Cooking Healthy Cooking Healthy is what my husband and I both love to do together. It was a challenge at first because he’s one of those ’60s kids who became a vegetarian at 14 and never went back. He’s been a vegetarian for 53 years. I, on the other hand, enjoy chicken, fish, and lean beef in moderation. Luckily he’s not one of those anti meat people, and he has no problem helping me cook it. He just has no desire to eat it. That’s fine, to each his own.

The interesting thing about this cooking healthy relationship is that we’ve developed a bunch of recipes that can be either vegetarian or not or both.

If you like Asian Fusion, here’s one of our favorite recipes to try at home.

The recipe makes 4 servings.

Cooking Healthy Recipe

4 cups, skinless chicken breast, chopped small
1 cup, brown rice                                                                                                                1.5 cup of snap peas                                                                                                          1 cup, sweet red pepper, chopped
2/3 cup, Vidalia onion, chopped
1 tablespoon, garlic, minced
4 tablespoons, low sodium soy sauce.

Here are the steps.

1. Start your rice in a separate pot with about 1 2/3 cups of water. Keep an eye on it, and flip it occasionally as it plumps

2. Sauté the chopped chicken breast in a large saucepan in about ¼ cup of water and 1 tablespoon of low sodium soy sauce. Add a small bit of water if chicken starts to stick.

3. When the chicken looks like it’s starting to cook, add the tablespoon of garlic

4. When the chicken is about 1/2 cooked, add the Sugar Snap Peas, (peel the the stem end of the pea and remove the string) and add the chopped pepper, cooked onion and 2 tablespoons of low sodium soy sauce

5. When the dish is nearly cooked, add the cooked rice and one more tablespoon of low sodium soy sauce.

You can substitute wild rice or white rice if you don’t like brown rice. And you can spice it up with a pinch of dried crushed red pepper and/or a ½ teaspoon of graded fresh ginger if your taste runs that way. Or add some fresh cilantro if you so desire.

The whole dish takes about half an hour from start to serving. It’s less than 500 calories per serving. If you’re a vegetarian, omit the chicken (this will drop the calorie count to about 300 per serving). Hope you’ll try it.

BTW, an hour of vigorous aerobic exercise should burn it right off.
For more info on at home exercise programs and wellness info visit www.mirabaiholland.com

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