Fitness Archives - Page 3 of 4 - Dr. Susanne

Admit it, we all love jumping up and down. Be it on the ground, a bed, or a moon bounce at a party, there is no denying the fun of bouncing, which actually has many health benefits. When used as a form of exercise, the act of bouncing is called rebounding and is usually done on a small trampoline or exercise ball.

Rebounding has the power to help circulate blood and lymph flow, which is essential in delivering oxygen and nutrients into cells and tissues. It removes metabolic waste products and toxins out of tissues and ultimately eliminating the poisons out of the body through the immunctories- excreting organs such as the kidney, liver and bowels. An activity like rebounding helps pump the lymphatic system vertically in both directions, which usually runs in one-way vessels up the arms, legs, and torso. It has been said that rebounding can increase lymph flow by 15-30 times. Without proper lymph flow cells become stagnant and malnourished, and build up of wastes and toxins can ultimately cause headaches, nausea, joint pain and arthritis, and even cancer.

Among its many additional benefits, including stabilizing blood pressure, increasing aerobic activity for the heart, and stimulating the metabolism, rebounding is a simple activity you can do from your own home. You can get a mini trampoline or exercise ball and plop it down in front of the television or near your radio with some good music to keep you going. Trampolines are easy to use, start slow, stand on it and bounce up and down for five minutes. Exercise balls needs to be medium to large in size and pumped with enough air so you can sit on it and bounce with out losing balance. Rebounding also detoxifies the body by increasing sweating mechanisms, and in my opinion, it is a great pre-sauna workout!

References:
http://www.healingdaily.com/exercise/rebounding-for-detoxification-and-health.htm

Calf Stretching to Prevent Plantar Fasciitis

http://physicaltherapy.about.com/b/2007/02/11/calf-muscle-stretches.htm

The calf muscle consists of two muscles, the larger of the two is the gastrocnemius which extends from the back of the knee joint all the way down to the feet. Right under the gastrocnemius is the soleus muscle, which is a smaller muscle that starts from the lower leg and joins the Achilles tendon into the feet. The calf is an important muscle to stretch when exerting any kind of physical activity. Not only does it loosen up the muscle, but it also plays a large role in preventing inflammation at the bottom of the feet, which can spur a condition commonly known as plantar fasciitis.

Most of us spend a large part of our lives walking around and the bottoms of our feet and arch can become strained over time. Runners, walkers and people who work on their feet, put a lot of pressure on the heels and area of the feet where a very thick, elastic tissue called the plantar fascia attaches. This tissue spreads from the heel of the foot to the toe and cushions the impact each time the foot meets the ground. In the case of plantar fasciitis, the tissue becomes inflamed and tight, pulling at the insertion of the heel causing pain and difficulty in walking and standing.

Stretching the calf muscles and Achilles tendon regularly can prevent plantar fasciitis and also alleviate pain and inflammation. Simple calf stretching techniques like dropping the back of your heel off a step is a great for alleviating arch pain, and preventing plantar fasciitis from developing further. Another easy technique is to stand 1-2 feet in front of a wall, lean onto it with your hands outstretched in front of you, and bring one foot up to the base of the wall. This stretches the calf of the leg furthest from the wall, and you can pretty much do it anywhere, alternating each foot. Keep your heel of the back foot down on the floor to stretch both gastrocnemius and soleus muscles. Bend the knee of the back leg will relax the gastrocnemius and only stretch the soleus, giving you the opportunity to concentrate on the deeper muscle.

These exercises are relatively simple stretches with long lasting benefits if done often enough!

Gastrocnemius Stretch

Heel Drop Stretch

Soleus Stretch

References:

http://www.sportsinjurybulletin.com/archive/plantar-fasciitis-exercise.html

http://orthopedics.about.com/od/treatments/ss/stretch.htm

No Need to Hit the Slopes: Check Out the Nordic Track!

The Nordic Track is best described as a home fitness legacy. I can remember buying one when they first came out twenty-five years ago when at-home fitness equipment was only starting to emerge (yes- I still have the original one!). As a big fan of cross-country skiing, it allowed me to get a good workout both indoors and out, and I could not get enough!

Since the good old days though, newer and flashier models of the machine have come about delivering the same effects on the body: muscle tone, cardiovascular strength and weight loss which all leads to optimal health. While the Nordic product line now includes treadmills, elliptical machines, incline trainers, and exercise bikes, the original Nordic track is still my
favorite, and is an ideal fitness companion if skiing is your forte. It works a bit like an elliptical machine only you are gliding on wooden skis. You move your hands back and forth by pulling on cables that really give the feel of using ski poles. Everything is very low-impact with a good, cardio burn.

In fact, what I really love is the Nordic track’s most signature feature- being low impact. With the Nordic track skiing model you can definitely get the workout you need without putting high impact stress on your joints and body. Excellent for your legs, buttocks, abdominals, lower back muscles, arms and upper back. Interval training can be implemented too. On top of that, you do not have to wait around for winter to ski—you can bring the mountain to you!

References:
http://www.nordictrack.com/

Snowshoe For Health

Winter sports are the best activities to partake in during the holiday season. Inclement weather usually takes away our spring and summer activities like running and hiking, leaving us with what would seem like few options left. Mother Nature, however, always brings perks. Light to heavy snowfall anywhere from resorts to your own back yard provides the perfect platform to participate in a unique winter sport called snowshoeing.

Snowshoeing dates back thousands of years to the indigenous people of North America. If you have never seen a pair of snowshoes, the older ones look almost like mini canoes for your feet. Ancient snowshoes were originally made with leather or wood, while modern snowshoes are made of lightweight aluminum and look a bit like mini sleeping cots rather than canoes. The purpose of the snowshoe is to disperse your body weight over a greater area, preventing you from sinking into the snow and allowing you to hover and move with ease. They are used for hiking, running, mountaineering, and for recreation.

Recreational snowshoeing has gotten a lot more popular in recent years for its health benefits such as enhancing your endurance, flexibility, strength as well as your balance. Snowshoeing has to be one of my favorite winter activities because it is so easy to learn. If you can walk, you can snowshoe. Because it gives you just as good a workout as running on the beach, I always make sure to pack a small back pack with essentials like a BPA-free glass water bottle from Life Factory, protein bar, extra socks and my camera to capture the beautiful scenery. By the end of it you will be sweating in your snow suit!

USE THE BAR FOR THE BELLY

http://www.barmethod.com/

The Bar Method has been deemed the number one Los Angeles work out by Extra and is rapidly expanding in studios across the nation. While Yoga and Pilates are still regarded as “top” workouts in the world of fitness, the Bar Method has becoming one of the most talked about forms of exercise with its unique bar-assisted moves, and intense, fat-burning sessions designed to uniquely strengthen all muscle groups in the body.

Founded in 2000 with a small studio in San Francisco, the Bar Method was created by former journalist Burr Leonard. Her method consists of a series of dance-conditioning workouts that help you form a lean, firm and sculpted body by using both a bar and various mat exercises. It combines one of my preferred workout methods; interval training, with stretching techniques used in physical therapy, thereby elongating the muscles at an intense pace. The benefits include reduced body fat, improved posture, increased stamina, defined hamstrings, a lifted seat, and tight abs!

Currently the Bar Method studios can be found in popular locations like Brentwood, Hermosa Beach, Marina Del Rey, and Pasadena, along with many others. They have also expanded to several different states across the country, which are all listed on their website. Even if you do not have time to drive a few minutes away for one of the classes, they have workouts on DVD you can perform comfortably in your own home.

The Bar Method is definitely a test of your strength and endurance. It takes great effort to build muscle mass and reap the benefits of a highly caloric burn. In the end though, the tight buns and six-pack abs will definitely be worth it!

References:

The At-Home Sports Massage: Try the Foam Roller

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/flexibilityandstretching/ss/FoamRoller.htm

Massages speak to more than just our bodies, they release the built up tensions within us, and free up our minds and spirits from every day stresses. After a strenuous workout, massages are especially ideal for ironing out soreness that lingers in the body for days afterward. Also, consistent experimenting with different workouts can make you sore on multiple occasions, and weekly massages are not exactly cheap. In my opinion, the best massage tool you can use to remedy lingering soreness is the foam roller, a massage tool you can do in your very own living room!

About the size of a rolled up yoga mat, the foam roller is the best solution to relieve tightness in sore muscles. It also targets a tissue that holds together the muscles, bones, and nerves in your body called the superficial fascia. This tissue can sometimes form what is called an “adhesion” to muscles within the body if they are not stretched before a workout, or somehow get injured in the process. When this happens it can cause a severe decrease in flexibility and range of motion, not to mention a fair amount of pain and discomfort.

Not only is the foam roller the least expensive of any sports massage, it is diverse because it targets any muscle group, from your thighs to your gluts and hamstrings. For each muscle group, you must position yourself over the foam roller in a push-up position directly facing either the floor or with your hands behind you, facing the ceiling, and slowly roll the sore parts of your body over it in a forward and backward motion. This movement eventually alleviates trigger points in the body, and increases blood flow and circulation to the lower body muscles.

The foam roller has been a huge benefit for me when it comes to alleviating pressure points in the body. A few rolls over the foam cylinder I can release any muscle spasms I may have in my legs, hips, lower back and it helps with increasing lymph flow and flexibility. I consistently recommend it to my patients if they are experiencing any tightness and discomfort after arduous workouts, and it is also extremely convenient. Use the roller on rest days as well! Why spend money on a massage when you can alleviate muscle tension yourself in your very own home?

References:

/2 Comments/by Dr Susanne

Transform Your Core

http://www.crunchlessabs.com/linda_larue.html

Instead of pumping iron to build strength, it is high time you started pumping rubber. If you haven’t had any luck toning your core lately, a great fitness tool to try would be the Core Transformer, a 3-dimensional fitness strategy that strengthens your body through resistance.

The Core Transformer does exactly what its name suggests—it enhances cardio performance and transforms the core. An eco-friendly product made from sustainable rubber trees, the Core Transformer is a tubing system that is used to crank up Pilates and yoga-inspired moves by way of constant resistance. It is a long rubber band with handles on each end to pull and push in different directions, building your strength and working your core. The band is literally one of the best ways to strengthen your midsection without having to alternate between cardio training and body sculpting each week.

On top of everything, the Core Transformer is a cinch to pack up and take anywhere, be it hotels, parks, or the gym. The training is sport-specific and highly aerobic, so while golfers and baseball players can use it to strengthen their swings, the average person can use it to build muscle and shred fat. I use my Core Transformer regularly and love the fact that you can make up all types of new exercises with it. My favorite is to mimic different sports moves, such as swimming strokes, karate kicks and tennis serves.

So who is the developer behind this versatile band? Linda Larue, a registered nurse and athletic trainer with a Master’s Degree in Exercise Physiology and Sports Medicine. She is the creator of the “crunchless abs” methodology and has been featured as a Fitness expert in Shape and Fit Pregnancy magazine, and regularly contributes as a freelance writer. Her goal with the Core Transformer is to emphasize easy, fun and effective training that provides optimal health.

References:

http://lindalarue.com/

http://www.albertalocalnews.com/reddeeradvocate/news/local/Carrying_a_big_stick_98741989.html

Land Paddling for Upper Body

Fitness, Video

Imagine a surfboard on wheels. It’s a bit like skateboarding right? Now imagine incorporating the upper body work out from a sport like canoeing, and you’ve got an activity done by people all over Hawaii and even out here in the streets of Los Angeles—land paddling.

Land paddling is classified as a “board sport” like surfing or stand-up paddling, invented by Hawaiians thousands of years ago. Like stand-up paddling in the ocean, land paddling requires the same form and technique, except you’re on dry land propelling yourself forward with a big stick, commonly known by long paddlers as the Big Kahuna Stick. The Big Kahuna Stick is 1.5 to 1.95 meters long made of either bamboo or wood, with a layer of fiber fiberglass wrapped around it and a carbon rubber grip.

The great thing about land paddling is that you can get an intense core and upper-body cardiovascular workout, and do it almost anywhere there is flat land. Skate parks, out on the street, or in regular parks near bike trails are great places to land paddle. Especially trails with mini-dips, so you can get up some good speed!

While it is helpful to have some experience in skate boarding, it is something people of all ages can take up, and is definitely a more enjoyable work out than the average trip to the gym. I can guarantee after about forty minutes, you will definitely start feeling the burn!

Check out the video below for a breakdown of how land paddling works, and as the land paddlers of Hawaii say, carry a big stick!

References:

http://www.kahunacreations.com/

Whole Body Vibration: The Ten Minute Workout

http://www.powervibeusa.com/

What if you could build muscle mass, improve your balance, enhance blood circulation, and elevate bone mineral density from working out only ten minutes a day? Working out alone requires a lot of energy and a good amount of time. However, a technique called Whole Body Vibration (WBV) is a far more beneficial way to move that requires less time, and actually gives you better results!

WBV is typically done on a whole body vibrational machine. The power of a vibrational platform stimulates muscles by shaking them at a high frequency and low amplitude, forcing them to react and tone muscles more efficiently. Since the vibrations get transferred up through the body and neighboring muscle fibers, they do more than just stimulate them to action. Depending on what position you’re in, vibrational machines affect different body tissues, enhancing blood flow and circulation throughout the body, clearing lymphatic congestion, and aiding in bone mineral density. Additionally, this technique is hugely beneficial for people of all ages, and especially post-menopausal women with low bone density mass (osteoporosis).

While the benefits WBV can be gleaned from any vibrational platform, there are three to choose from: vertical, oscillating, and elliptical. Each platform targets a specific area of the body.

Vertical: The vertical platform is the most popular, which moves up and down in a uniform motion, similar to jumping on a trampoline 20-50 times a second. This method is best for toning muscles and aiding in the prevention of osteoporosis.

Oscillating: Alternatively, the oscillating platform moves in a seesaw motion, back and forth, left to right, strengthening the core and promoting fat loss. A “back and forth” movement is felt in the pelvic and hip region of the body.

Elliptical: Moving in an elliptical motion, this platform is best for balance, stability, and rehabilitation. These units tend to have more horizontal than vertical movement, with most of the vibrations stimulating muscles below the waist.

Stemming from research done over forty years ago during the space race, WBV has been used by astronauts and athletes as a means of increasing muscle flexibility, strength, balance, and coordination. WBV also plays a crucial role in regulating circulation in the body, which is important for tissue healing and eliminating the risk of disease. Within the last decade, the WBV technique has been established as a powerful way to enhance overall wellbeing with relatively little physical output.

The PowerVibe machine is one of the most popular if you’re looking to incorporate WBV into your work out regimens. I have the Vertical PowerVibe in our office for our patients and is regularly incorporated into their detoxification programs. Coupled with adequate nutrition, regular cardiovascular exercise and rest, WBV is a great technique to add to your recipe for health and wellness. Got to love those good vibrations!

References:

http://www.mywholebodyvibration.com/