October 2008 Archives

This is a simple exercise for developing the hamstring muscles. These are the muscles in the back of your upper thigh.

I strongly recommend that you use light weight for this exercise, to ensure good form.

1-Attach your ankle to the cable of the pulley tower. Stand tall and resist bending forward as you execute this movement.



2-curl your heel toward your buttock using a brisk movement. Imagine that you want to kick your heel to your butt.



Remember to use a light weight so that you don't have to lean forward to complete the full range of motion. You would do this exercise using 10-12 repetitions, 3-5 sets, and 2-3 times per week.

Please check with your healthcare provider before beginning any exercise program, to be sure that the exercises are right for your condition.

This is just an all round important exercise to correct the many aches and pains caused from poor posture and muscle imbalance. It's great for neck pain, rounded shoulders, elbow pain, upper back discomfort, and low back pain.

This exercise may not look like much, but boy it works!



You have to be attentive to details on this exercise; it's not for someone who just wants to get it done and out of the way. Follow the sequence closely

#1 Stand about 2 feet from a wall.

#2 Lean back onto the wall with your knees partially bent.

#3 Presses your lower back into the wall and draw your chin inward while keeping the back of your head in contact with the wall. Maintain all areas of your back flat and in contact with the surface. Be certain that there are no spaces between your back and the wall, from your buttock to your neck. The only space that you won't be able to completely close is behind your neck.

#4 Raise your arms back and try to make contact with as much surface area of the wall as possible. Try to keep your shoulders and arm in contact while maintaining step 3.

#5 To increase traction up the back and neck drag the back of your head up the wall while maintaining the contact. Think that you want to touch the back of your neck to the wall.

#6 Maintain all features of the movement while you deep breathe. Hold for 1 min- relax- then repeat 2 times. Do the exercise every day.

Before starting this exercise program, see your doctor and verify that these exercises are suitable for your condition.

This exercise is ideal for anyone that does sports that develop the front of the legs more than the back. These sports would be: cycling, basketball, and volley ball; just to name a few. It is also great for reducing knee pain that is caused from tightness in the thigh muscles. If you suffer from low back pain due to tight hips, this could help.

#1 Stand with your back toward a support shelf. Bend your knee bringing your heel toward your buttock. Place your foot on the support and sit back onto your heel. Don't arch your lower back keep it straight. Hold the stretch 60 seconds then change sides. Repeat 3 times.



Before starting this exercise program, see your doctor and verify that these exercises are suitable for your condition.

Hands down, this is the best exercise for reducing tension down the outside of the entire leg, hip region, and foot. It's great for relieving knee pain due to tight thigh muscles, and is a staple in correcting jumper's knee, and most of the patellar syndromes.

#1 lies on your back with a belt or towel around your foot. Pull the leg toward you keeping your leg completely straight. This won't work if you allow the knee to bend. Obtain maximum stretch down the back of the leg.



#2 slowly pull the leg across your body while maintaing the knee straight and maximum tension down the back of the leg. Push your toes down at you. You shouldn't go far with this movement. Both sides of the buttock should remain in contact with the floor. Notice how the tension is felt into the outer portion of your calf and down the outside of the upper part of the leg.



#3 Hold step #1 for about 20 seconds and step #2 for about 30 seconds. Change legs and repeat each leg twice.

Do this exercise every day.

Before starting this exercise program, see your doctor and verify that these exercises are suitable for your condition.

This is a great overall exercise. People generally have a lot of weakness in the buttock muscles, mainly caused by sitting all day. Not only will this exercise correct that condition, but it will also strengthen the inner part of the legs, strengthen your arches, and help to reinforce good posture.

Step#1 Be certain that the starting posture is perfect. Stand with the chest high holding a straight back with the head high over the shoulders.



Step#2 Look for equal bend from the hip, knee, and ankle as you bend forward on one leg, keeping the chest high and back straight.



Step#3 As your torso gets lower be certain to maintain the straight back and not curve it just so that you can touch the floor. It's not about depth as much as it's about perfect technique.



Step#4 If you can, touch the finger tips to the floor, adjust the posture to be sure you're maintaining the straight back. Slowly return to the upright position. The full movement should take about 5 seconds to complete.



At the bottom of the movement, you want to be sure that you aren't slumping to one side. Keep the shoulders and hips level with one another. The number of repetitions will vary from person to person, but you can try and start with 6-8 per leg and repeat 3 times. Do them every other day.

Before starting this exercise program, see your doctor and verify that these exercises are suitable for your condition.

This exercise is ideal to strengthen the upper back and posterior aspect of the shoulders. It is a good choice when trying to correct neck, upper back, shoulder, and lower back; pain. If you work at a desk all day and/or choose cycling as your sport of choice; this is a must.

#1 Lie flat on your stomach.



#2 Pull your shoulder blades together.



#3 Squeeze the buttock muscles as this prevents you from arching your lower back as you execute the movement.

#4 Pull your arms up off the floor which increases the squeeze between the shoulder blades.

#5 Lift your torso off the floor and reach foreword. Remember to keep the buttock muscles tight to prevent arching the lower back. Do 10-15 repetitions and repeat 2-3 times with a short break between sets. This exercise should be repeated every day.



Before starting this exercise program, see your doctor and verify that these exercises are suitable for your condition.

This exercise is ideal for strengthening the back of the legs (hamstrings), and the buttock muscles. It will also work the abdominals and stabilizing muscles of the ankle and whole leg for that matter, so it is ideal for ankle rehabilitation. Because of its non weight bearing nature, it is quite friendly on the knees, so if you suffer from knee pain; this exercise may be a good option for you

#1 Lie on your back and place one foot on top of the ball and the other leg suspended in the air.




#2 Curl the ball toward you, then press your foot firmly into the ball. Be sure to pause at this step to ensure you really apply downward pressure on the ball.



#3 With the downward force on the ball, raise the lower body off the floor. Pause at the top of the movement for 3 seconds, then lower back down and return to the starting position. Do approximately 10 per leg. Repeat this exercise 3 times and practice it every other day.







Before starting this exercise program, see your doctor and verify that these exercises are suitable for your condition.

This exercise can be done with rubber tubing or a pulley machine. When you hear people talking about rotator cuff injuries, it's often the muscle that this exercise works; to which they are referring. When people have forward rolled shoulders and a rounded upper back, they are more susceptible to weakness in these muscles, which results in shoulder pain. This exercise is also helpful for people who have weakness due to working on a computer all day or who participate in sports like cycling. External rotations are a valuable part of injury prevention in all exercise programs.

This exercise is meant to do with fairly light weight. You'll want to do about 3-4 sets and each set comprising of 10-15 repetitions.

Step#1 Stand straight holding the tubing or pulley handle with your arm elevated so that it's parallel to the floor. The upper arm stays stationary throughout the movement and the elbow joint which is bent to 90 degrees, stays in position as well. The only movement that takes place is a swivel in the shoulder unit.



Step#2 There's a pause of about 3 seconds at the top of the movement. Then return. Do your indicated repetitions then do the other arm.



Before starting this exercise program, see your doctor and verify that these exercises are suitable for your condition.

Tightness on the inner part of the forearms can be one major cause for elbow pain and numbing in the hands. Because the thicker part of the forearm is much stronger than the thin outer part, it can overpower the smaller opposing muscle groups and cause pain in the tendon attachment; the elbow.

#1 Raise your arm to 90 degrees and open your fingers wide, pressing your hand into the wall. Be sure the thumb is up.



#2 Slowly turn your head away from the arm you're stretching. Feel the stretch increase in the arm. Hold the movement for 1 minute then do the other arm. Repeat the stretch 3 times and do it a couple of times per day.

Before starting this exercise program, see your doctor and verify that these exercises are suitable for your condition.

This exercise is fantastic to improve hip mobility. Tightness in the hips can cause low back pain, and muscular pains in the legs. Long term tightness can lead to arthritis, hip replacement surgery, herniated lumbar discs, and facet syndromes. In addition, it can be the primary cause of knee and foot pain.

Setp #1 Lie on your stomach and tuck one leg under the knee of the other. It's the same position you would be in if you were sitting with on leg crossed over the other.



Step #2 Be sure that you are lying flat and not arching your lower back. You'll notice that the hip of the leg that is tucked is quite high off the floor. Press that higher hip with the intention of getting it in contact with the floor. Don't arch your lower back in order to succeed. Hold the push for about 30 seconds, relax but stay in position, then repeat 2 more times. Do this exercise every day.

Step#3 change legs and repeat the sequence.

Before starting this exercise program, see your doctor and verify that these exercises are suitable for your condition.

This exercise is to strengthen the neck muscles. They are often weak in most people and weakness in the neck muscles can lead to pain throughout the neck region and top of the shoulder blades. We have a tendency to think we need to stretch a sore tight neck. In fact it's the opposite, don't stretch it; strengthen it.

Step#1 Lie on your side on a bench or end of your bed. Be certain that your head is in line with your body. Raise your head from side to side never going too far in either direction. Up and down constitutes 1 repetition. Do 10 for the first time. Flip on the other side and repeat.





Step#2 Lie on your stomach with your shoulder blades pulled back and the arms behind you back. Perform an up and down nodding movement never going too far in either direction. Up and down constitutes 1repetition. Do 10 for the first time.





Step#3 Turn on your back, fold your arms on your chest and perform the same move as step 3. Be certain not to go too far backward. Just do 10 repetitions as above.





It's normal to feel a little light headed after doing these exercises. Don't stand up too quickly, and be prepared to have some muscle soreness the next day. As with the light headedness, this should pass as you get more efficient with the exercises.

Do them as close to everyday as possible for only one series and increase the repetitions as you are able to tolerate more.

Before starting this exercise program, see your doctor and verify that these exercises are suitable for your condition.

This exercise is less advanced than doing the same movement on the ball. It is ideal for strengthening the back of the legs (hamstrings), and the buttock muscles. It will also work the abdominals and stabilizing muscles of the ankle and whole leg for that matter, so it is ideal for ankle rehabilitation. Because of its non weight bearing nature, it is quite friendly on the knees, so if you suffer from knee pain; this exercise may be a good option for you

#1 lie on your back with one leg supported on a chair and the other leg suspended in the air.



#2 press the foot hard into the chair raising the lower portion of the body off the ground. Hold the lift for 3 seconds and lower back down. Repeat 10 times per leg. Take a 60 second break, then repeat the sequence for a total of three rounds.

This exercise is particularly helpful for loosening up the hips. Tight hips can cause low back pain, knee pain, and all sorts of problems with leg mobility that can result in foot pain.

#1 stand close to a support shelf that stands about as high as your upper thigh. Carefully lift your leg and fold it onto the surface in front of you. You shouldn't feel pain in the knee or around it. Lay the outer portion of the leg in full contact with the surface.

#2 keeping your back completely straight; lower your upper body toward the elevated leg.

#3 hold the position and breathe deeply. Hold the stretch for about 30 seconds. Come out of the position slowly then change legs. Repeat each leg twice



Before starting this exercise program, see your doctor and verify that these exercises are suitable for your condition.

This exercise in ideal for correcting imbalances in the lower leg, which can lead to arch pain and shin splints. It's an exercise that is indicated for most sports, as it reinforces muscles that most exercises miss.

Place the exercise ball on the top of one foot. Press the toes up hard into the ball and resist with downward pressure from your body weight. You should wear shoes while doing this exercise. Do about 20 presses per foot and repeat it twice. Do them every other day.



Before starting this exercise program, see your doctor and verify that these exercises are suitable for your condition.

This exercise is ideal for helping to resolve heel and foot pain. This is an injury commonly experienced by runners. To do straight leg calf raises isn't enough, you need to solicit the deeper muscles by doing the raises with a bent knee.

#1 Stand with one leg on any surface with your weight on the balls of your feet. Be sure that you have something in front of you that you can hold onto. You also need your heel to be free of contact of any surface.



#2 Bend you knee and keep it bent throughout the exercise. Rise up onto the ball of the foot and hold for a brief pause then lower back down to the starting position. Repeat this for a total of 15 repetitions then switch to the other foot. Do each side 3-4 times and repeat the exercise every other day.



This exercise can be done off the edge of a step while holding on to the railing. Please don't do exercises at the top of your staircase, for obvious reasons!

Before starting this exercise program, see your doctor and verify that these exercises are suitable for your condition.

HOW: It's all about how in the end. This is where we'll sum up the actions in each post. In this post we talk of healthy lifestyle vs. health craze and the very first step - buy a blender.

When we resolve to be more health conscious in our lives, the initial phase can be pretty confusing. With an endless sea of information and contradicting opinions, you don't know where to begin or if you're doing the things that are best for you.

That was precisely the subject of a conversation that I recently had when I ran into an old friend (Bob). After catching up on what one another was up to Bob expressed his frustration with the whole fitness craze and how he was finding it difficult to manage his health with his tremendously busy life.

First off I told him he wasn't alone in his frustration. I continued by explaining that practicing a healthier lifestyle was not really all that complicated. His expression revealed that he thought otherwise. I had to set Bob straight without turning him off of the subject. I gently explained that it took him many years to get out of condition and become less than optimally healthy. I went on further to say that certain lifestyle habits that he developed over those years are the source of his less healthy state. Some of us want to undo these years of neglect with quick fixes, excessive exercise, and fad diets. This is precisely where there are business practices in place to tell you what you want to hear and offer you the solution with some one size fits all remedy. I told him fitness is a huge money making industry and there's plenty of people who want a piece of the pie (no pun intended). I'm not saying all fitness products and businesses are corrupt, I'm just saying that we all have unique lives and needs. Just be wary of claims that your needs can be met by businesses and products sold by people you've never even met.

I know Bob was following but I felt as though I was just giving him more information and no real concrete advice that he could walk away with and begin applying. Spending a lifetime in a body that he hasn't had to think about up until now has left him somewhat confused. It was then that I said "Bob, I'm going to help you get through this thing." All I wanted in return was his promise to do exactly as I asked, to be patient, and I wanted to use our experience in my blog so that other people could benefit. He was definitely in! We agreed to meet in two days time at the coffee shop on the corner. Before we parted I told him to get started with two things.

#1 If you don't own a blender, go out and by one. I want you to prepare yourself a smoothie each morning for your breakfast, and I gave him the preparation.

Frozen Spinach insta-Breakfast

Put all the following ingredients in a blender.
- 4 big spoonfuls of low fat vanilla yogurt.
- ½ cup of frozen berries of his choice (blue berries, strawberries, raspberries,...)
- ¼ cup of frozen fruit (mango, pineapple,...)
- 1 handful of frozen spinach. Yep, spinach. I promise you won't even taste it. Buy one of those plastic packages of whole spinach and chuck it in your freezer. It goes bad fast once it's open so keep it frozen. Keep the stems on, they blend up just fine.
- 1 table spoon of ground flax seeds
- 1 ½ cups of water
Blend it and bottoms up.

#2 replace any drinks you have during the day with water. Other than the smoothie and perhaps a coffee, his liquids were to be water. No juice, milk, soft drinks, or energy drinks.

As we parted, Bob called back," What about my calcium, where will I get it if I don't drink milk?" I assured him there was calcium in the yogurt, and the spinach. I told him that we'd cover all that in detail as we go. Reassured, he waved back and as I watched him walk away I knew as of this moment his life was about to change.

This is a great exercise to improve hip flexibility and to help correct upper back tension, due to working extensive hours at a computer. It also promotes strength in the legs and helps to restore good posture.

The movement is as follows:

Step #1 squat right down to the floor. If your torso falls too far forward or your heels come off the floor; scroll down to step #4



Step #2 lock your elbows between your knees. Press the knees against the elbows to use as leverage to press your chest upward. This results in straightening the back out.

Step #3 draw your chin inward as to produce a double chin. Hold steps 2 and 3 and take 2 deep breaths then stand up. Don't use your hands to push on your thighs to stand up. Repeat the movement for about 10 repetitions and do 3 sets. Do them as a warm up every time you train or do them 3-4 times per week.

If you feel dizzy when you do this exercise, back off on the intensity of drawing the chin in and don't breathe as deeply. All of that will eventually get better.

Step#4 if you place a 2 by 4 under your heels, it will allow you to do the movement keeping your heels down. It's important that they don't come up off the floor. Your objective is to eventually reduce the height of the lift, but not until you can do it with perfect technique.



Before starting this exercise program, see your doctor and verify that these exercises are suitable for your condition.

This is a tremendously effective exercise for building up strength and flexibility in the hamstrings (the muscles down the back of the legs), buttock region, and lower back. Because of the stress that it places on these specific muscles, it's recommended to use light weight and high repetitions. Usually 12-20 repetitions are ideal, working in 3-5 sets two to three times per week. The first time you do them, the exercise can elicit a significant amount of delayed onset soreness; so back off for a couple of days and let the muscles in the back of the legs relax.

Don't use more than a 15-20 pound bar to start with, and even when you've become used to this exercise it's not recommended to use much more than 50 lbs.

1-Hold the bar behind your neck and keep the chest high.





2-Begin to bow forward, all the while keeping the chest high, back straight, and knees semi-locked.



3-Go as far forward as you can while respecting the described position in step 2. Don't let your back curve!



4-Return to the starting position and be sure not to arch your lower back.

Please check with your healthcare provider before beginning any exercise program, to be sure that the exercises are right for your condition.