Archive for the ‘Exercise Tools’ Category

Self Compassion Breeds Success in Getting Healthy

Friday, March 4th, 2011

I have often been accused of being too nice to my clients! Such a problem! But, my feeling has always been that  guilt and self flagellation only produce feelings of worthlessness, not feelings of motivation. When you tell yourself that you are bad because you ate a cookie, or ugly because you are overweight, these words only create feelings of worthlessness. And, when you feel worthless, you are  telling yourself that you are not WORTHY of treating yourself well, or taking time for self care, or eating right and exercising consistently.

Many of my clients  have bought into the stereotype that a good trainer screams and yells and berates their clients…that this somehow will be motivating to them. This is one reason I hate The Biggest Loser, as it reinforces this ridiculous stereotype.  If I spoke to my clients the way Jillian Michael’s speaks to hers, I’d have no clients.  The producers of the show should be ashamed of themselves for the way the trainers act, and the way they portray the contestants on the show. Don’t these people deserve love and compassion?

On several occasions, I have blogged about the fact that many obese men and women are victims of sexual, physical or emotional abuse. Thus, when the trainers on The Biggest Loser  berate their clients, it is merely reinforcing the patterns that they grew up with. The contestants take it, because it is familiar and normal, not because it is right.  Clearly, it is not the way we should treat other human beings.

Last week, I gave a workshop on this exact topic to a group of women attending my lecture series, Today’s Superwoman- What To Do When Your Cape Is At The Cleaners?  Today, I was forwarded an article that appeared in The New York Times on Self Compassion and Eating.  The article quoted a study that showed that women who were told to be easy on themselves, to not feel guilty about eating something, ATE LESS than the women in the study who were not given this message. Truly, the universe is in agreement with the principle of self compassion for success. Perhaps it’s time you adopted this philosophy?

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Shape-Ups Should Ship Out

Monday, May 3rd, 2010

Yesterday was a beautiful day and all of Hudson was out walking. This is a good thing- like many communities, Hudson is struggling with obesity among its residents. But, I was very surprised to see how many people were sporting the new “Shape-Ups” sneakers that have been advertised so much over the last few months. So- WARNING! WARNING! Rant and rave begins here……..

The commercials for Shape-Ups, Masai Barefoot Technology, or any other mimic of these shoes are downright misleading. Do you really think that the 18 year old, 5’9 ,110 pound model wearing these shoes got her butt and legs from wearing Shape-Ups? Of course not. Do you really think that these sneakers will produce the same results as a gym workout without the effort? Of course not. These commercials are no different than any other misleading “Miracle Cure” pill, potion or exercise gadget. The commercial even goes on to say it will help with weight loss and tone legs and buttocks. ALL of these claims are false and an exaggeration. Let me tell you why…

Masai Barefoot Technology has been around for a decade or more. It is a shoe designed to mimic the rolling gait of barefoot Masai Warriors on soft sand and grass. The inventor surmised that Masai Warriors have a lower incidence of leg and hip injuries due to their barefoot walking. While this is most likely true (not to mention they don’t sit at a computer all day nor eat junk food)-there ARE many exercise physiologists who encourage barefoot walking- the idea that we can achieve the same healthy gait as the Masai by putting ourselves way up on a platformed shoe is ridiculous. Furthermore, the notion that you will “tone” (I hate that word) muscles and increase weight loss is so highly exaggerated it is close to a downright lie. A miniature study with only 22 participants showed a 2.5% increase in oxygen consumption while wearing these shoes. What does that mean for you? Nothing. This amount of increased oxygen consumption could be as little as a few calories! This same study showed an increase in neurological stimulation of some leg muscles- but again, this will NOT increase tone, act as weight training or substitute for a gym workout. The ONLY thing which the shoes may do is increase ankle workload and improve balance through increased neurological stimulation/proprioception- something that could easily be done by….. ready……. GOING BAREFOOT! WOW. What a revelation!

So- who did I see wearing the Shape-Ups around town? A woman smoking a cigarette and four obese women. I think they would be much better served by attacking the larger issues at hand- poor nutrition, lack of exerise and smoking. And, if you are looking for improved ankle stability and posture, I suggest you contact a trainer,strength coach or physical therapist who can show you the correct way to improve these fitness parameters.

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7 Treadmill Do’s and Dont’s

Monday, March 1st, 2010

A treadmill is a great investment, especially here in the northeast where weather can prevent us from getting outside for exercise. While it may seem simple to walk on a treadmill, I am constantly surprised by what I see at the many gyms I visit through my work. I have seen people running on treadmills while holding on, people using 10 pound hand weights- but leaving their arms at their sides. I’ve seen people using ankle weights, performing bizarre arm movements and lots and lots of reading while on a treadmill. Then, of course, there are the walkers who are going at a pace so slow that even your grandmother could beat them. So, I guess it’s not as simple as we thought! Thus, here are several important tips I’d like to share with you:

1-     If you have not been exercising, work up slowly. Start with 20 minutes, and work up to 40-45 minutes in 5 minute increments week to week. Even though “it’s only walking”, it still is possible to acquire musculoskeletal injuries from over use. Especially if you are coming from no exercise or very little exercise.

2-     Warm-up before hand with a slow walk, and then stop and briefly stretch your muscles. I say briefly- 8 seconds or so should do it- no need to hold stretches for a long time before exercise. Post exercise, DO hold stretches for 30-45 seconds to insure normal flexibility. Especially concentrate on calves, hamstrings and quadriceps.

3-     Never hold on to the treadmill railing, unless you have problems with balance, and then only briefly if possible. Humans locomote by swinging arms opposite to the legs, so when you hold on, you shut off that normal movement pattern. This could cause back injury.  You also burn fewer calories holding on. If you are walking so fast or on such an incline that you need to hold on, then you should slow down or decrease incline.

4-     Never read while on the treadmill. If you are reading, then you obviously are not working hard enough. You should be breathing hard and sweating…as, after all, this is exercise!

5-     Never walk or run on a steep inline for extended periods of time. This could cause serious injury to your muscles.  Try intervals of incline, or higher speeds, and then return the treadmill to a lower incline or slower speed for a brief rest. Then repeat.

6-     Make sure you are maintaining good posture while walking. Spine straight,  shoulders down, head straight ahead. Do not lean forward from the low back. If you choose to watch TV while walking, remember that turning your head right or left, or looking up if the TV is on the ceiling, can cause neck and shoulder problems. Keep head in neutral alignment.

7-     Never use hand weights or ankle weights. They can cause injury to shoulders and/ or knees, and do not increase calorie burning enough to warrant that risk.

   Lastly, at some point, you should supplement your treadmill exercise with strength training and more intense exercise like higher intensity intervals or jogging. We’ve been walking for quite a few years- and walking is not nearly as intense an exercise regimen as many of us need to get healthy and lose weight. If you only walk for exercise, eventually you will plateau and begin to lose fitness and gain weight.  And, since walking does not build strength nor bone density, it can not fulfill all of our fitness needs.

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Ease Chronic Pain and Improve Exercise Performance with Self -Massage

Monday, January 25th, 2010

Foam rollers are a “new” self massage tool that, in my opinion, are an absolutely essential part of any workout. Foam rollers, tennis balls, massage sticks and other devices can be used to roll and knead tight, overused muscles and fascia to soften the tissue and prepare it for exercise, or soften the tissue to release unnecessary tightness and painful trigger points from sedentary posture. Muscles/tendons and fascia that are abnormally tight can cause the joints to become misaligned and function improperly, eventually resulting in chronic pain. Self- massage techniques are also called Myofascial Release Techniques. (Fascia is a translucent connective tissue which winds around muscles and if wound too tight, can cause pain and dysfunction).
All athletes, from runners to baseball players, from recreational athletes to professionals, can greatly benefit from using these rollers on a daily basis. But I also find that foam rolling is wonderful relief for sore and tight muscles that can occur from sitting at a desk or shoveling snow too. Massaging soft tissue has always been an important part of keeping tissue healthy, but up until recently, that required going to a massage therapist for treatment. Now, we can massage our muscles on a daily basis ourselves, and then supplement with massages performed by a massage therapist.
To use foam rollers it takes instruction and some practice, but it is easy to learn. I suggest foam rolling for 5 minutes before any workout, and then perform your brief stretches and other dynamic warm-ups. I also recommend foam rolling for those who do not exercise, to address muscles that are tight and aggravated from sitting too much. Areas to concentrate on are gluteus, low back, front and sides of thighs and upper back. Foam rollers can also be used for various core and balance exercises- so they have many uses. Smaller balls like tennis or lacrosse balls can be used for concentrated areas such as calves and shoulders. Be advised- it is often slightly painful. And, the less healthy the tissue, the more painful it is.  Remember-if it hurts- you need it! Or, you KNEAD it!

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Core Exercises – Dead Bug

Monday, May 4th, 2009

Welcome to my first attempt at uploading video to my blog!

This exercise, adapted from physical therapy, is great for people who are not sure how to activate their transverse abdominus muscle. 

Through a deep exhale, and brief posterior pelvic tilt, (also activating internal obliques), most will finally feel the TA and surrounding muscles contract.

While this is not optimal for spinal/core stability itself, it can be used as an inital tool to create the sensation of activation that many people are unable to feel.

I prefer the use of planks, side bridges, “”Palloff” presses and stability ball rollouts for true spinal stabilization. Watch for these exercises soon!

[youtube]rH8vJkqjeh0[/youtube]

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Tools of the Trade- Great At Home Exercise Tools

Sunday, January 30th, 2005

While reading The Boston Globe, I came across a great nutritional tool that I wanted to share with you. I have just ordered it myself and will let you know how it works- but until then,.. It is called “The Weigh of Life” and it is a computerized scale that tells you EXACTLY how many calories are in the food you are about to eat. Just place the food (one type- i.e. spaghetti with red sauce) on the scale and punch in the code for that food (there are over 1000 foods and liquids in the database) and it weighs it and calculates calories too!!!

While I do not advocate obsessive food weighing-this takes all the guess work out of portion sizes- and really helps give you a better handle on calories “in” if you are trying to lose excess fat. One of the biggest problems people have is estimating portions to keep calorie intake appropriate- and putting your spaghetti with red sauce on the scale is alot easier than measuring each item separately. Think of it as an experiment… it could be very eye opening! I ordered mine from target.com!

Aside from this great tool- what other things might an at-home exerciser want to purchase?

  • A physio ball- I believe this is an absolute must for everyone. Do buy a high quality one that fits your height- up to 5’6 needs a 55cm ball- 5’6 to 6 ft needs a 65cm ball.
  • Dumbbells ranging from 3-5 pounds up to 20 pounds or more-depending on your baseline fitness. Best to hire a trainer for even a session or two to get correct form and appropriate weights to prevent injury.
  • Elastic tubing or bands- easy to transport- can be used to mimic cable type gym exercises in addition to dumbell work.
  • Jump rope for a tough cardio workout. It would be ideal to have a nice treadmill or elliptical at home- but I often use my jumprope for an interval training workout that’s a killer. You really have to work up to this- jumping rope is difficult- but intervals of 1-2 minutes of jumrope interspersed between dumbbell or tubing exercises will challenge even the fittest individual.

New Year’s Resolutions are not yet forgotten! Start today!

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