Archive for Fitness
Why Exercise Is Important As We Age
Posted by: | CommentsYou know that exercise is important. However, you may not know why exercise increases in importance as we get older.
As we get into our middle years (and on), our body goes through a number of biological changes. One very significant change is the decrease and loss of muscle mass. A reduction in muscle mass leads to weight gain. This is one of the reasons why I always encourage my clients to incorporate strength training into their personal training program.
Muscle Mass and Weight Gain Explained
A recent news article by National Public Radio on why we gain weight as we age provides a good description of what happens to muscles with the passage of time. Here is a quick summary of what they have to say:
- As we get older, muscle mass decreases and the muscles that are left over are smaller and weaker than those of a younger person. Young muscles repair naturally. That is not case for older muscles. We are not sure why this happens – we know it just does.
- Muscles are the “energy powerhouse” of the body. It is where the calories get burned and where your metabolism plays out.
- If your percentage of muscle mass decreases as you get older, then your ability to burn the incoming calories also decreases over time. And this is why we gain weight as we age. As a muscular 25 year old, you we able to easily consume (and burn) 2500 calories a day without gaining any weight. As a 45 year (who has not been on a regular exercise program), those same 2500 calories per day have lead to a noticeable weight gain.
- Exercise, at any age, causes muscle cells to get bigger and stronger. And bigger, stronger muscles burn calories.
Key Takeaways
Now you can see why I encourage my clients to make strength training a component of their personal training exercise program. Many people come to me because they want to lose weight and look trim. Frequently, they have had injuries in the past or feel that their bodies cannot take the stress of exercise. As a Physiotherapist, I complete a full medical assessment of their fitness level and gauge what they are capable of doing. As a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and fitness professional, I develop safe and effective exercise programs that let them achieve their fitness goals over time and free of injury.
Now that you know the affect muscle has on weight gain, here are some takeaways that I would like to suggest:
- Exercise is not just for the young. It is important at any age and the benefits of strength training extend beyond being strong to weight maintenance.
- Do not delay starting an exercise program. The NPR article talks about the benefits people get from starting an exercise program late in life. I agree that there are benefits, but what I have noticed is that some of my older clients who have been de-conditioned for an extended period are limited in their development. I have younger clients who are also de-conditioned, but I have noticed that they are able to turn it around faster and achieve a higher level of fitness than my older clients. To my knowledge, there is no definitive scientific study identifying the relationship between age and ability to achieve specific fitness levels. However, my suggestion is the sooner you start, the better you will be throughout your life.
- It is important you follow a safe exercise program tailored to YOU. What you are capable of will be determined by your fitness history, medical condition, the presence of injuries and other factors. Your personal training program needs to include a thorough assessment by a medical and fitness professional and only then can a program be prescribed.
- Your exercise program needs to account for the risk of joint inflammation and injury. The NPR article makes note of the frequent result of joint inflammation as a result of an exercise program. Unfortunately, they do not describe how this can be avoided. An exercise program needs to include a medical assessment so that the fitness professional understands the limits of your joints. Once this is understood, the exercise program should be designed to stress your muscles to grow without aggravating the joints.
- Your exercise program should grow with you. The NPR article refers to a lady who started a Yoga program and quickly experienced more endurance, a loss of weight and an improved outlook on life. This is good news. But one needs to keep in mind that there will be immediate benefits to any exercise if you start from a low level of fitness. Your exercise program will need to challenge you as you make progress in order to continue on the path to fitness and to keep you engaged and interested.
If you are interested in the NPR article you can find it here:
How to Stay Fit On Your Vacation
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Leading an Aquafit Class
Can you stay fit when you are on vacation? A growing trend in the hotel/resort industry is to offer fitness programs, such as Yoga, as part of the experience. ”Yoga is becoming a must have amenity on the order of internet access,” according to Chekitan Dev, a professor of marketing at Cornell University School of Hotel Administration.
This is good news. Staying fit (or starting a fitness program) is probably the last thing on your mind when you head off on a vacation. But this is probably the ideal time to make a change, reduce your stress level and get started on a fitness program.
I just got back from two weeks in Jamaica where I was the guest Fitness Professional for the Hilton Rose Hall Resort and Spa in Montego Bay, Jamaica. (That’s me in the photo on the top step leading an Aquafit class.) It was great to experience the warm sun and it was fun to work with the guests at the resort.
My experience tells me that you can go to a resort and do the relaxing fun things you like to do on a vacation (sit by the pool or on the beach, read a book, enjoy the food, take a tour, enjoy an evening cocktail with family and friends) and still participate in some fun fitness activities.
Here are some guidelines that you can follow to see if the vacation facility you are choosing will be fitness friendly:
- Look for a facility with a range of fitness activities to accommodate your tastes and the preferences of your family members. You may like going to the fitness centre to do weights (or mix weights with group activities), some family members may prefer group activity classes such as Yoga, Tai Chi, spinning, aquafit, step, etc, while the younger members of your family may want to participate in games such as volleyball, tennis and basketball. For many people the key recreational activity while on vacation is golf. But many times golfers like to supplement their golf with other fitness activities. Many resorts realize that they need to offer a wide range of fitness programs and activities, and I expect to see more of this in the future.
- Ask if the facility has a Fitness Professional. Some have resident Fitness Professionals. A growing trend is to invite Fitness Professionals from different parts of the world to run the programs at a resort. That was my arrangement with the Hilton Rose Hall in Jamaica. Just keep in mind that the quality of Fitness Professional can vary. The industry has not figured out how to establish quality controls just yet.
- Check the schedule for the activities. I noticed that morning classes are popular and that when the mid day sets in, people are reluctant to participate in a class. I am not sure why that happens. My guess is that when the afternoon comes around people are focussed on relaxing by the pool. My suggestion is to ask about the timing of the classes and see if they are concentrated in the morning.
- Check on how demanding the activities are. Several years ago I was the Fitness Professional at a small resort in Montego Bay and the Power Walk was a leisurely stroll along the beach. This time, at the Hilton Rose Hall in Montego Bay, the Power Walk was a rigorous 5 kilometre hike of the back nine on the adjoining golf course. I had to advise several guests (who I was concerned about) that the Power Walk may be too strenuous.
If you come across any resorts that you think are doing interesting things in the area of fitness and wellness, drop me a line or comment on this blog post. Maybe I will see you at a resort in the near future!
Improving Your Balance
Posted by: | CommentsI feel unsteady when I walk on uneven surfaces, is there something I can do?
Yes, with some testing Margaret will be able to identify what areas you need to work on to improve your balance. As the saying goes, unless you use it you lose it! Just 5 minutes of balancing exercises a day will make a significant improvement in our stability.
How does my balance system work?
In order to balance, we rely on three systems in our body:
- Our vestibular system or inner ear.
- Our visual system or our eyes.
- Our somatosensory system also known as our joint and muscle position sensors.
The exercises listed below are to help train your joint and muscle sensors. These exercises use very little or no equipment and can be done in the comfort of your home. Margaret can do testing to determine if you need vestibular training.
How do I prepare myself for working on my balance?
Stand in stocking or bare feet. Keep the arch of your foot dynamic and not flattened out. Keep your knee over your feet. Stand with your ear, shoulder hip and ankle all in alignment. Imagine your tucking your belly button into the small of your back with your pelvis in a neutral position. Maintain this position whenever possible throughout the program.
Can you take me through some exercises that work on my balance?
Start by standing between two chairs.
1. Place your feet together holding the chairs, let go of one and then the other chair. Hold this position for 20 seconds.
2. If you feel steady with your feet close together then do the following steps a – c with your feet together otherwise stand with feet shoulder width apart to do the following:
- Sway your body side to side; keep your body straight and do not pick up your feet or bend your knees – move as though you were a solid structure from your ankles to the top of your head.
- Sway your body forward and backward (onto the balls of your feet then onto your heels).
- Imagine that your body is cone shaped with the point of the cone at your feet and the round part at your head, keeping your feet still – see how perfectly round you can make the circle- circle in both directions.
3. Holding the top of each chair transfer your weight to one foot and pick up the opposite foot. You should not let your raised foot rest on your supporting leg.
When you feel confident release the chair with one hand, then the other and hold this for up to 30 seconds with your eyes open. Repeat the test standing on the opposite foot. If you are successful you can go to exercise #7. If you cannot hold for 30 seconds go to exercise #4
4. Staying between the chairs you can now take a full step forward and hold that position. Repeat with the other leg forward.
5. Step forward with your feet on a line but several inches apartas if walking a tight rope, with one foot directly in front of the other. Repeat with the other leg forward.
6. Now bring your feet closer together so that your heel of your forward foot is touching the toes on the back foot. Repeat with the other leg forward.
7. Keeping your left foot in place during first half of the exercise; step forward onto the right leg as if to take a step, transfer weight onto the right leg and then step backward onto the right leg; repeat the motion 6 times. Repeat on the other side
8. Repeat as in #7 but now step in line—as if walking a tight rope.
9. Standing on one foot as in the 2nd exercise; move the opposite leg in slow controlled movements forwards, return to your side, sideways, return, backwards return. Build up to repeating the sequence 6 times on each leg.
How do I make the exercise program more challenging?
You can modify any of the exercises and create new challenges:
- On a softer surface such as a thick carpet, an exercise mat, out on the grass or in sand!
- Keeping your arms crossed in front of you.
- You can also train with a partner and toss a ball back and forth, under hand, overhead, from the right, from the left.
- You can cover one eye or close your eyes.
Are there Gym Ball exercises that can help me with my balance?
The following exercises should be done once you have received personal instruction and have been fitted for the correct size ball.
- Sitting pelvic tilts, pelvic shifts, pelvic circles on the ball.
- Sitting knee lifts.
- Sitting leg lifts with extended leg.
- Four point balance on the ball.
- Three point balance on the ball.
- Kneeling on the ball.
Importance of Rest Days
Posted by: | CommentsWho doesn’t like to take it easy every once and while, especially after working all week, attending to your domestic affairs and working-out on a daily basis? However, you should view rest as an important part of an overall health regimen, encompassing specific programs that allow your body (and mind) to renew itself on non-workout days
What kind of activities should I do on my rest day?
The following activities help your body to prepare for your next workout and recover from the last one.
Remember : Work + Rest = Success.
1. Hot / Cold Contrast: If you do not have access to a hot tub you can get the same benefit by switching the shower settings. Alternate between 2-3 minutes of hot and 30 seconds to 1 minute of cold. Repeat 3 – 4 times. If you do this at the end of the day you may want to end with the hot setting. However, if it’s early and you are looking to start the day invigorated you can end with cold.
Why it works: In a hot tub or a hot shower your blood rushes towards your skin and away from your internal organs to help keep the internal organs from overheating. By contrast, a cold shower or plunge will cause your blood to rush away from your skin to keep your internal organs warm and safe.
2. Active-Isolated Stretching: Your rest day is a good time to spend extra time on your flexibility. This will optimize your muscle length, reduce your chances of injury and assist with recovery. Remember that AIS stretches are only held for 1-2 seconds and that you exhale with each assistance portion of the stretch. The rope should only add 10% range to your stretch. The movement should be very active.
Why it works: Improves oxygenation and nutrition to the muscles promoting growth and repair; stimulates your circulation and lymphatic drainage which helps eliminate metabolic wastes. Improves flexibility and health of muscles, tendons and ligaments.
3. Foam Roller: As per instructions use the foam roller for your quads, IT bands, quads, gluts your back and your lats. Talk to me about this if I have not covered it yet!
Why it works: Rolling your muscles acts as a gentle massage helping to increase the blood flow to the muscles, nerves and connective tissue.
Should I avoid all physical activity on my rest day?
No. I recommend that you have an active rest day: Go for a walk, an easy bike ride or a light jog. And remember to sleep and eat well to support your goals!
Function to Fitness Physiotherapy and Personal Training in Ottawa
