There has been alot of talk about stretching and if it is scientifically proven to be beneficial. Sports such as swimming, martial arts, and gymnastics rely heavily on flexibility, but what about general fitness? In an article from the American College of Sports Medicine Health and Fitness Journal Dr. David Nieman states that “there is no consistent link between regular flexibility exercises and prevention of injury, low back pain, or delayed onset of muscle soreness”. Science or not, I disagree. Maybe because most of our clients are 55+ they get more from stretching, but even we as trainers notice a major difference in our bodies during a only week of not stretching.
Here is my scientific evidence:
On two separate occasions while training clients, one sustained a minor muscle pull in the calf and the other in the ribs. Both of them are long time clients who have a normal routine (which we make mandatory) of warming up aerobically for 10 mins+ AND stretching problem areas for a few minutes following. Both of these incidents were on a day that the client was short of time and skipped their warm up. Note: Our normal injury rate is less than half of 1% !
The ASCM Journal does write however “Of all age groups, the elderly have the most to gain through regular flexibility exercise, with several studies showing improved range of motion and capacity for daily activities of living”.
If you want to play it safe, here are some general guidelines for stretching from the ACSM:
1. Hold each stretch for 10 to 30 seconds at the point of discomfort.
2. Repeat the exercise 2 to 4 times
3. Engage in flexibility exercises at least 2 to 3 days per week.
4. The major areas to stretch are shoulders, chest, neck, lower back, hips, front and back of the legs, trunk, and ankles.
5. Flexibility is most effective when the muscles are warmed up through light to moderate aerobic activity, or passively through heat packs or hot tub.
6. Stretch dynamically according to the specific activity about ot be performed. For example, if you are going to play golf, broomstick rotations as well as seated toe reaches can be beneficial.
So you love your elliptical sessions, but for some reason your toes get numb or tingle. I am asked this question often, so don’t think your the only one. Most of the time it is not a serious issue, but if any abnormal symptoms occur like dizziness or muscle failure - stop.
Typically your feet (especially the balls of the feet) are bearing all the weight of your body when using an elliptical. Treadmills won’t usually effect your feet in this way since they are not stationary. Seated bicycle also won’t trigger this type of discomfort (even though your feet are stationary) because most of your body weight is on your seat.
If you have ever gone skiing with boots that are too tight, you can better understand why this happens. Leaning forward on your toes as you ski causes the feet to slide forward and lodge into the toe box of the boot. Or think of somebody with big burly hands giving you a firm handshake for 45 mins strait. White knuckles and white toes are not that much different.
How about some solutions? Here are a few things to try.
Tie your shoe laces a little looser, and back your feet away from the kick plate
Try concentrating on standing taller, not leaning forward, and transferring the weight of your body with a heel-to-toe roll like running
Cross train. Split your allotted cardio time between several machines rather than just one
I came across this story in a fitness forum and I asked permission to share it here on NewbieFitness.com… Watch this slide show first
I suppose after seeing the same old obese face in the mirror my WHOLE life it is nice to hear so many people say they found it hard to believe its the same person. I recall as a 10-12 year old child praying that God would give me cancer, because cancer made people to sick to eat and made them lose a lot of weight. Then I would finish off my prayer with “then please make me healthy so I don’t die”. The hardest part of being pregnant is certainly the weight gain - mentally. But eating healthy has kept me from reaching a huge gain thus far.
My “experience” is a long one, spanning over 21 years now. I have had weight problems from as far back as I can recall. The first time I recall being made to feel “different” from other kids was in pre-k. We were all running up a hill to the play yard one afternoon, and I lacked behind the others. Some kid turned around and innocently told me I was slow because I was so fat. That’s the earliest memory I have of feeling out of place over how much I weighed. I am really the only person in my family with weight issues. My mother met her “life’s weight struggle” toping off at 180. Which to me would have been a dream come true. It was certainly hard to hear her walk around the house downing herself for being 180 - when my weight was climbing all the time. And for so many years I let myself think that “If I hadn’t let myself get so fat, my dad would love me”. Now being a mother myself I just don’t see how he had it within himself to tell his CHILD she was to fat to love.
When I was 17 my boyfriend - who I was always trying to push away, asked me to marry him. I turned him down twice. I guess you could say I had issues allowing men to show any kind of affection to me. On his third attempt - I said yes. Two months later we found out we were expecting our son Garren. Saying we sped things up after that is a understatement. I spent my 9 months of pregnancy being told by a OB how stupid it was of me to get pregnant at “your size”. It was a long 9 months of self reflection. Knowing how winded I got just getting up to use the restroom - let alone stairs, or chasing a young child. When my son was 6 weeks old we both went into the doctors for a check up. My doctor then told me (as I held my son) that if I continued down the path I was on that he didn’t see me living to see 30. I recall holding my 6 week old, perfect son and thinking forward to not being there to see him graduate, marry, have children. Why? Because I liked to eat? I swore that day to my son that he would never bury his mother because she couldn’t say no to a cheese burger. I swore to him I wouldn’t be a “side line” mom who could only sit and watch his life go by - and not be a part of it. That’s when my long road to my transformation started. I guess I have never loved myself enough to make such a commitment and stick to it. But when you are holding a new life - a new life YOU created and love more then life itself, its just something that is hard to even explain. It gave me a drive I never thought I would find on my own. Many people ask me “what I did”. I guess I always find that hard to answer. Because it is really the basic principles that “fad” diets seem to brag you don’t have to follow. I didn’t wave a magic wand - I didn’t drink a liquid diet - I didn’t order all my food for only 10 dollars a day - and I certainly did not find my answer in a pill. I think when I finally settled in my mind that all of those things were temporary fixes to what has been a forever problem, it was easier to let go of the “quick fix” hope. I started off by not being able to exercise. Lets face it - at 380 pounds it is hard to walk from one end of the house to another. Working out was a horrible experience for all of my joints. I can only imagine how much worse that pain gets the older somebody with weight problems get, since I myself at the time was 18! I started with simple things. I 100 percent cut soda (yes even diet) out of my life. It is something your body doesn’t need on any level. WATER WATER WATER… I was never a water fan. Food wise it was a matter really of not having to switch to everything low/no calorie - but learning how to live life every day with food in a healthy way. “No Amber, you cant eat a whole package of oreo cookies - but two or three is a nice treat ever now and again.” I feel like if you cut our treats 100 % you are setting yourself up to fail. Sooner or later you break, and when you do - you over do it. MODERATION was a word that took me a while to learn. Once I lost about 80ish pounds I was able to start working out. Walking seemed to be the best for me. I started off feeling like I could drop dead at 20 minutes of slow walking. I now can jog (me?jog?!) for 2 hours. I use to be the kid who would joke that I would burn in a house fire before “running” out of the house. Once I was able to start working out the weight started to FLY off. So really there is no magic way to do it, other then the same boring things I have been told my whole life. It just took me a long while to find the strength to DO those things. -Amber 21, North Carolina
Living by the beach is great. Walking on the sand is not only a stress reliever but good exercise. Almost every time I ask a new member what their current cardio program entails, they reply “I walk a few times a week”. Now understand that most people who join a gym and consult with a trainer are typically overweight. If walking a few times a week has not yet yielded results for that person, then there is only one answer. Here is my honest response: “You have been walking for how long now?” and answering for them, “since you were about two years old, correct?”.
The Human body adapts very well to repetition. In other words, walking for 30 minutes 2-3 times a week will not challenge you enough to burn the calories needed for weight loss. Don’t get me wrong however, because walking does have many benefits.
The bottom line is this: if you have limited spare time, exercise at a higher intensity. 40 minutes a day 6 times per week at 70%-80% of your max heart rate is a good initial goal. Try walking at a 10%-15% incline, or even jog/walk intervals. If time is not an issue, walk 75-90 minutes 6 times per week to obtain a similar level as above.
One important note: this is only one of three factors to becoming fit. The other two equally important factors are resistance (weight) training and of course, nutrition.
What should I wear to the gym? A great Newbie question. If you are reading this, chances are you’re either brand new to the gym or haven’t been in a while. Trends are always changing when it comes to fit wear. Maybe you remember (or even wore) the leg warmers and g-string leotards of the 80’s. Now, depending on the location of your gym, attire may be a bit more conservative. Our gym (EDGE Fitness Club) tends to lean that way since the average age is 55 plus, but take a trip to Westlake and you might see more flesh than the eye can handle. Here are some tips for fitting in.
Ladies, go for spandex pants (flared legs are in), a tank top that is fitted but loose enough to feel comfortable in. Dark colors or black is best because it is slimming, they don’t get dirty as easily, and it hides sweat marks. Short-shorts say “look at me”, so wear them if that’s your thing. Find a good pair of either running or cross training sneakers and you are ready to go. Oh and one more thing, save the perfume for after your workout!
Guys, find a loose pair of polyester-type pants or shorts. Cotton is too hot and sweat shows through to easily. Keep the short-shorts in the box of gym clothes from college where they belong. I can’t tell you how many times I have had to turn my head and gag because some guy’s junk was falling out while stretching! Tank tops or even a regular old t-shirt is fine, but unless you are at a meat-head gym save the “nipple T” for yard work. Same advice for shoe selection as I gave the ladies and it’s better NOT to exercise in sandals or work boots.
I find most of my clothes at the local outlet stores, so have a look and hopefully you can find something just right…
Meal 1.
Fruit Smoothie:
1 can light coconut milk
2 bananas
3/4 cup frozen blueberries
3/4 cup frozen strawberries
3/4 scoop (1 oz.) 100% pure egg white protein
2 tbsp ground flax seed
Meal 2.
“Greens+” energy bar
1/2 cup raw almonds
Meal 3.
hamburger (Grass fed, non-hormone or antibiotics)
sprouted ezekiel roll
tbsp bbq sauce
3/4 cup raw baby carrots
handful baked potatoe chips
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