Blog
Boost Immunity with Exercise
Amazing news! 43% of participants who reported 5 days of physical activity per week had significantly reduced days of URTI compared to largely sedentary participants who exercised less than 1 day per week. And when the higher physical active group did get an URTI the severity of symptoms were 32-41% less.
Older Adults Need to Exercise
There is overwhelming evidence that supports the benefits of physical activity for the older adult population.
Reduce Neck & Shoulder Pain with Four Exercises
There were four specific exercises chosen for the participants of the study to perform daily. 2 sets of 12 reps for each exercise. One rest day a week (Sunday). Exercises are challenging where you are 0-2 reps shy of failure. Equipment: resistance band
Movement Breaks During Prolonged Sitting
Expanding the Guidelines
Neutral vs Imprint
While neutral spine works well for many exercises—like lunges, bird dog, foot work, feet in straps—for many clients I often cue slightly imprinted spine for certain Pilates movements. Each client’s lordotic curve in their low back is unique, so this rule is not for everyone, but from my experience most benefit from an imprinted spine, especially in chest lifts and when legs are not being supported.
Pregnancy Exercise Guidelines
Chicken Salad Recipe
Strategies For Weight Loss or Maintenance
Different Ways To Resistance Train
Next time someone tells you Pilates Equipment or Barre or not lifting “heavy” is ineffective, proudly show them the studies in the resource section of this post and tell them your trainer intelligently builds your body strong, all the while preventing injuries and feeling good.
Lumbopelvic Stability
A great way to begin to connect with your outer and inner core muscles is a technique called bracing. This technique definitely provides stability to the lumbopelvic region. I have filmed a 3 minute video demonstrating how best to brace your core during standing lifts, planks, and abdominal exercises.
Scapular Retraction and Why It’s Important
Often I see shoulders rolling forward during rows and arm extensions, and while it’s unlikely to cause injury, it’s not maximizing the full potential of the exercise. By focusing on rolling the shoulder back as you begin to pull back, the shoulder blade will automatically slide towards the spine, which is called scapular retraction.
Neck Pain Help
Temporary neck pain relief from self massage, stretch, and strengthening.
Health Goals for Success
For fitness, consistency is best. The key is setting goals. SMART goals. Now before you roll your eyes, please let me lay out an important scientific fact about goal setting I recently discovered.
76% of people who wrote down their goals and provided weekly progress to a friend or trainer achieved their goals. WOW! That is huge! This study shows the value of taking the time to write down your goals, create an action plan, and develop a system of support to hold yourself accountable for achieving your goals.
Low Back Pain
The good news many studies show there is a way out of chronic low back pain. If we can find a balance of stress, physical activity, and healthy eating habits our cup will not over flow and/or we build a bigger cup.
Vitamin D & Omega-3s to Prevent Muscle Loss
Recent studies have revealed that vitamin D levels are positively correlated with muscle mass, strength, and physical performance in older adults. A meta-analysis by Antoniak and Greig indicated an additive effect of resistance exercise and vitamin D3 supplementation improves muscle strength in older adults. Between 70-97% Canadians demonstrate vitamin D deficiency, this seems to indicate why it's difficult gain and maintain lean muscle mass.
Protein Intake for Muscle Loss Prevention
Last week I wrote about a condition called sarcopenia, which is age-related muscle loss. Sarcopenia is associated with increased risk of falls, disability, poor quality of life, and premature death. It’s preventable by eating the right amount of protein, getting enough vitamin D and omega fatty acids, and resistance training 2-3 times weekly.
What is Sarcopenia and How to Prevent It
Sarcopenia is the loss of muscle mass specifically related to aging. It's normal to lose some muscle mass as we age, but most of this loss is preventable. People with sarcopenia often experience weakness and decreased stamina, which affects their ability to carry out physical activities. A reduction in activity leads to further muscle mass loss. Decreased muscle also affects the metabolism and is associated with increased body fat. Muscle loss starts around the age of 35, unless we do something about it.
The Mystery of Fat Loss
Not everyone has fat loss goals, and I promote loving your body regardless of size. And with obesity, people can reduce their health risks by simply exercising (I cite the study below). But many clients do have the goal to lose weight, and I wanted to dispel a few fat loss myths with some science.
National Exercise Guidelines
All recommend the same amount of exercise to increase our mood, bone density, lean muscle mass, cognitive function, and sleep quality, and to decrease risk of certain cancers, type 2 diabetes, depression, anxiety, chronic pain, inflammation, cardiovascular disease, and blood pressure.
Exercise is like healing medicine for our bodies. Amazing stuff right?!