Get out there and get active! Enjoy our beautiful Squamish weather.
When the sun is shining….
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Tag Archives: posture
Sometimes laughter is all you need….
WARNING: the following link is crass, but funny none the less. View at your own risk.
Stretching: new research
A new study (Batista LH, Vilar AC, Ferreira JJA, Rebelatto JR & Salvini TF) has be published on the effect of stretching and it impact on fitness, specifically in application to older adults. Here is a brief overview of the important factors:
Deficits in muscle strength and range of motion are common in older adults but not to exclusive to, due to a decrease in overall flexibility. Reduced flexibility is generally caused by shortening and increased rigidity of muscles. These viscoelastic changes in muscle fibers have deleterious functional consequences, such as aberrant gait patterns, and hampered ability to rise from a seated position, leading to a greater incidence of falls and loss of independence.
Stretching is an exercise performed in clinical settings and physical fitness facilities used to increase range of motion. Research has shown that stretching can cause morphologic change in muscle fibers and connective tissue, ultimately leading to an increase in overall muscle strength.
Previous studies have shown that similar results can occur after a stretching intervention implemented every day for 6 weeks straight. This study showed that flexibility training twice a week for 4 weeks is as efficient as a 6 week training protocol
According to this group of researchers, it is conceivable that stretched muscles are stronger because both passive and active forces add to strength production. Previous research concluded that the increase in stored energy and ranges of motion after stretching is important because it can increase the elastic recoil capacity of a muscle. However, this notion is not completely agreed upon in the fitness industry.
Regardless, stretching is a vital component of fitness, equally so as cardiovascular endurance and muscular strength, which not only has benefits in its own right but improves all component of fitness.
February is heart month!
Many causes have designated months to raise awareness about their plights. For example February is black history month, as well as heart month (as per the heart and stroke foundation). This is the one with more relevance to our purposes and a cause close to my heart since heart disease is prevalent in my family.
Check out the Heart and Strokes website, be ready for lots of fun and interesting heart facts this month.
Happy heart month!
Moderation, rest and it place in creating sustainable change.
mod⋅er⋅a⋅tion /ˌmɒd
əˈreɪʃən/
–noun
| 1. | the quality of being moderate; restraint; avoidance of extremes or excesses; temperance. |
| 2. | the act of moderating. |
| 3. | moderations, British. the first public examinations at Oxford University for the B.A. degree in mathematics or in classics. |
—Idiom
| 4. | in moderation, without excess; moderately; temperately: to drink in moderation. |
There is such a thing as too much of a good thing, even the healthiest foods, exercises can become dangerous and harmful when we abuse them, not only can it become an obsession, but it can also have detrimental effects in the body, thus in the energetic system and so on. Often when trying to maintain healthy habits we begrudge ourselves small slip ups, we feel we must be on the ball one hundred percent of the time, when in fact our changes would be more sustainable if we accept that we will falter, thus we should take it easy, be kind to ourselves and start with small steps. Taking breaks and taking stock are an important part of the process. It is comparable to what happens in the body when exercise training. There is a prescribed rest interval for different types to training which yield different adaptations. When training for increased strength and size, you would not use a rest time appropriate for endurance training. Furthermore you would not for go the rest period all together since it would limit the change in the muscle over time.
If we apply this principle to life and making changes in our lifestyle or perception then it stands to reason that depending on our goals and aspirations, different paths will be appropriate for different types of people. Do not compare your journey to that of another, we are all unique. take your time, as a wise person once said it is not the destination that matters but the journey there.
This gives me hope for the future… just amazing
I was in the grocery store yesterday and I picked up a copy of the new National Geographic because the feature interested me. The article looks at bionics; have a look yourself, truly amazing. Some people really are changing the world.
Do not forget to post a comment, and send me your testimonials. 🙂
Preparation/Determination: Getting ready to change
In the preparation/determination stage, people have made a commitment to make a change. Their motivation for changing is reflected by statements such as: I have to do something about this, this is serious. Something has to change. What can I do?
This is sort of a research phase: people are now taking small steps toward change. They are trying to gather information (sometimes by reading things like this) about what they will need to do to change their behavior. Or they will call a professional, trying to find out what strategies and resources are available to help them in their attempt. Too often, people skip this stage: they try to move directly from contemplation into action and fall flat on their faces because they have not adequately researched or accepted what it is going to take to make this major lifestyle change.
Warm ups, cool downs and stretching
When you are participating in physical activity and or exercise it is important to make sure you warm up, cool down and stretch.
Warming up prepares the body for more strenuous work, or exercise. It takes a few minutes for the body to gear up to work optimally during an exercise bout. Firstly blood has to be redistributed from your internal organs to your working muscle, your heart and lungs. The movement of blood to your muscle warms them which reduces your risk of injury as your move your body more strenuously. Therefore a warm up is important to prepare your body for exercise and reduce your risk of injury.
Similarly a cool down in important because as you exercise your heart rate is increased, and your body temperature is higher. A gradual cool down is an effective way of reducing post exercise muscle soreness.
Stretching is an important part of a cool down down for many reasons. Stretching is important in maintaing range of motion around a joint a.k.a. flexibility. It also reduces muscular tension built up in the muscle during exercise, thus improving recovery time. Stretching must be done while your muscle are still warm to prevent injuring yourself, and is a great way to cool down; you are still moving, but you are giving your body a chance to recover gradually.
Welcome to my new blog!
Hello and welcome. I am stating this blog to share my thoughts, experience and expertise on health and wellness. Check in weekly for updates. If you have specific topics you would like me to cover feel free to e-mail me questions and comments.
There is 30 day exercises challenge starting April 1st. It is organized by reach physio. I will leading a chat room discussion Tuesday nights for those taking part. To sign up go here.
Enjoy the sunshine.