The Horse Stance is an excellent exercise to build deep core spinal stabilization. I encourage many of clients who visit me at Function to Fitness Physiotherapy and Personal Training in Ottawa to incorporate it into their training program.

If you saw my Horse Stance - Part One video and did not find the exercise challenging enough, then you are ready for the more advanced (and challenging) positions demonstrated in Horse Stance - Part Two. Even if you are not ready for the more advanced and demanding poses in this video, your should still take a look so that you can see how you can progress with this exercise.

One important note: It is important that this exercise be executed properly to receive the maximum benefit. As a result, it important that you work with a Personal Trainer or Physiotherapist that knows how you should do this exercise and understands your personal capabilities.

Labels: exercise. fitness, horse stance exercise, personal training ottawa

You have to stay in shape. My grandmother, she started walking five miles a day when she was 60. She's 97 today and we don't know where the hell she is.

Ellen Degeneres

While most have you have enjoyed the Holiday Season, a number of you are most likely thinking that you need to get your fitness and nutrition routine back on track. Whether it is losing the "last 15 pounds" of fat or wanting to kick start a program to get you on your path to your ideal weight goals, The Last 15, a book by Joey Shulman (a Chiropractor and nutritionist), provides sound advice on achieving your healthy weight.

Labels: exercise. fitness, nutrition, protein

I'm so tired, I haven't slept a wink.
I'm so tired, my mind is on the blink.
- John Lennon

Lack of Sleep

Lack of sleep is a health problem that affects a large portion of the population (and yes, John Lennon did have problems with insomnia). Following a proper exercise program is a foundation to establishing a regular sleep pattern and I work with many of my clients to get them on the right path to a good night's sleep.

The first step is to diagnose the source of your sleep problem. You should consult with your physician if you regularly have problems getting a good night of sleep. Your sleep problems could be due to conditions such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) or restless legs syndrome.

One of my clients was recently referred to the Royal Ottawa Hospital by her physician where they have a Sleep Disorder Service. She spent a night at the clinic and the diagnosis was OSA. A Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) system was prescribed and now she is able to sleep through the night.

Insomnia

If your sleep is a result of insomnia, there are several options available to you. A client of mine has tried Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) and has successfully reconditioned his sleeping pattern back to normal. He had chronic insomnia for over five years and was unable to conquer the problem until he followed a CBT program.

One of the challenges with a CBT program is finding a qualified therapist in your area. In addition, a long therapy program can be quite expensive.

My client was able to follow a program developed by Dr Gregg Jacobs, an insomnia specialist at the Sleep Disorders Center at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Dr Jacobs has written a book "Say Goodnight to Insomnia" and offers an online therapy program (for a fee) at his web site.

If you were wondering about the effectiveness of self administered insomnia treatment programs using an online service, several recent studies have confirmed that they do work with patients and can change sleep patterns in a positive fashion.

I have read Dr Jacobs book and basically his message is this:

1. Medication is not the long term solution to insomnia.
2. You need to create the right conditions to encourage sleep
3. A regular exercise program is critical to regular sleep.
4. Change your Negative Sleep Thoughts (NST) to Positive Sleep Thoughts (PST)
5. Use stress reducing techniques like Relaxation Response

Let me know your thoughts and experience with sleeping problems and treatment options.

Labels: exercise. fitness, insomnia, sleep

The holiday season is magical. It is a time filled with family, food, gift giving ... and, at times, stress. Learning to manage stress during the holiday season (and throughout the year) is an important skill. Many people consider starting meditative activities like Yoga and Tai Chi.

But taking on a new activity this time of year can add to your already elevated anxiety level. Instead, I encourage clients to take on an easy stress reducing activity such as breathing properly or practicing the relaxation response.

Breathing Properly

I wrote an article earlier this year on the benefits of breathing properly. The article also described how to become an effective breather. I prepared it because so many of my clients have "forgotten" how to breathe.

When you have the opportunity, look at how an infant breathes. The breathing motion comes from their abdomen. As we tense up, we breathe from our chests. This is inefficient and compounds the anxiety. Many times, you can breathe out and reduce your stress level by following the steps in my article.

The Relaxation Response

The Relaxation Response is a technique developed thirty years ago by Dr Herbert Benson, Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, to improve the wellness level of his patients. He describes it as "a physical state of deep rest that changes the physical and emotional response to stress and is the opposite of the fight or flight response." I took his course a number of years ago and have found it to be very effective. He has posted the Steps to Elicit the Relaxation Response on his web site.

During sessions with my clients, issues associated with their stress levels and sleeping patterns occasionally come up. High stress levels and poor sleeping patterns will hinder their fitness goals. The guidance I give them will be addressed in later blog posts.

I hope that you and your family have a safe, happy and low stress Holiday Season.

Margaret.

Labels: breathing, exercise program for osteoporosis, exercise. fitness, relaxation response, stress

Who 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!

Labels: exercise. fitness, stretch

Most of us are in the habit of starting the morning with an orange juice or stopping at Starbucks for a coffee on our way to work. However, one beverage that we should make part of our daily drinking ritual is water. It is an important part of your health regimen and care should be taken to ensure that you are drinking adequate amounts of the right water on a daily basis.

Why do I need to drink water?

Water’s main function is to maintain a stable environment inside and around your cells. Water helps you get sufficient nutrition and helps in elimination of waste in cells.

How drinkable is municipal water?

Many municipal water supplies are contaminated by a variety of chemicals. Drinking unfiltered water out-of-the-tap is not advisable.

What type of water should I drink?

You can consider installing a whole-house filtration system to reduce your exposure to toxins, heavy metals or chlorine. Alternatively, you can install a filtration system under your sink and use individual carbon filters on your shower heads.

How much water do we need?

One of he leading authorities on water and its affect on the human body is Dr. F. Batmanghelidj, M.D. In his book, Your Body’s Many Cries for Water, he suggests the following formula for a normal hydration level:

Your body weight in pounds ÷ 2 = Daily intake of water in ounces

Sodas, fruit juice and coffee contain water. Is that good enough?

Coke (or any other soda), tea and coffee are not proper water replacements. In fact, coffee, tea and sodas are diuretics that draw more water out of your system than they put in. Consumed in large amounts they are also responsible for drawing calcium from your body.

Juices are high in sugar and calories and so they should be used in moderation.

How do I get started?

If your water intake is much less than the recommended amount you calculated above you should increase you water intake gradually over a period of two to three weeks so that your body has time to adjust to the re-hydration process.

Does it matter when I drink water?

Yes. Here is what is recommend:

• Drink two eight-ounce glasses of water first thing in the morning and before eating or drinking your coffee, milk, juice or tea. This will replace what you lost at night and start your day hydrated.
• Drink one eight-ounce glass of water 15 to 20 minutes before each meal or snack. This will assist your digestion.

Labels: exercise. fitness, nutrition, water, workout

You just started a bone-healthy exercise program that incorporates all the important ingredients to address bone health. Excellent work! You are already well ahead of the game.

Most of you have either read or heard about weighted vests. Are there any additional benefits if you use a weighted vest while exercising? A recent article published in the July 2007 edition of the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity supports the use of progressive exercise training using weighted vests in postmenopausal women. *

Summary of Study Findings

The article reports on the effects of a twelve-week exercise training program using weighted vests on bone turnover and isokinetic strength in a randomly selected group of postmenopausal women. The intention of the study was to design an exercise-training program of progressive resistance that could be easily adapted to home and community settings, and, at the same time, diverse (and interesting) enough to appeal to a large number of postmenopausal women. The program was composed of exercises that do not require the use of specialized machines or free weights.

The results of the trial indicated that within the group of postmenopausal women who followed the exercise program over the twelve-week period:

• Bone resorption (breakdown) decreased significantly.
• Bone formation activity was unchanged.
• There were improvements in percentage of body fat, fat free mass, and ankle plantar-flexor strength.
• 80% of the group stayed on the exercise program throughout its twelve-week duration.
  

What does this mean for you?

A weighted vest would be a great alternative or adjunct to holding free weights during your exercise program.

How heavy should the vest be?

The study demonstrates that there are significant benefits if you progressively increase the weight in the vest. An initial weight of 3% of your body weight is a good start, eventually progressing to a maximum of 15% of your body weight.

Which exercises are most suited to wearing a weighted vest?

A weighted vest would be a good adjunct to following exercises in the MelioGuide programs:

• Marching (Beginner level)
• Heel Drops (Beginner level)
• Reverse lunge (Beginner level)
• Squats (Active through Elite level)
• Lunges (Active through Elite level)
• Step Ups (Active level)
• Band walks (Athletic level)

It would also be a good adjunct to a walking and balance training program.

Our Exercise Programs are available free of charge and we encourage you to sign up.

What weighted vest does MelioGuide recommend?

There are a number of weighted vests on the market. The vest I like is from www.walkvest.com. It is sporty looking and breaths well.

If you have experience with other brands and have liked them please share the information to us. You can reach us through our Contact Us page.


* Effects of Exercise Training With Weighted Vests on Bone Turnover and Isokinetic Strength in Postmenopausal Women. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, July 2007, 15, 287-299. This study was conducted by Panagiota Klentrou and Brian Roy at Brock University’s Faculty of Applied Health Sciences in St. Catherines, Ontario, Jill Slack with the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Nursing, and Michel Ladouceur of the University of Iowa’s Department of Exercise Science.

MelioGuide receives no compensation or consideration from Resistance Wear or any other weighted vest manufacturer or distributor.

Labels: exercise. fitness, osteoporosis, osteoporosis treatment