Exercise | Mark Moxom

6 Important Muscles Exercisers Ignore

by Jan Michael | Dec 18, 2013 | Exercise | 0 comments

Being able to out-bike your boyfriend feels pretty damn good — until later when you have to ask him to open a jar of peanut butter for you because you have zero grip strength.

Like any sport, when you focus too much on one set of muscles, another set may suffer — which is why it’s common to see an avid cyclist (man or woman) with a strong lower body attached to the upper body of a 7 year old. You don’t have to completely overhaul your fitness routine to work the muscles that your favorite workout overlooks. Pinpoint your likely weakest links based on your regimen and learn easy exercises to build those spots up.

Runners’ Weakest link: Gluteus Medius

“Unless you’re running uphill all the time, running builds endurance but not strength,” says mobility doc Vonda Wright, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine who recommended the exercises for this story. And the subsequent weak butt you can develop will cause your pelvis to tilt forward, strain your hip flexors, and tighten your IT bands.

Strength Rx: Monster walks in a square. Loop a resistance band around your ankles. Keeping chest up and knees behind toes, lower to a wide half-squat. Without letting the band go slack, walk forward 20 steps, to the left 20 steps, back 20 steps, and to the right 20 steps, forming a box.

Dosage: Three times a week

Strength Trainers And CrossFitters’ Weakest Link: Thoracic Spine

“People who strength train and do CrossFit tend to gain muscle really quickly,” says Beret Kirkeby, an orthopedic massage therapist and owner of Body Mechanics NYC. The downside is that you’re also building up functional scar tissue and losing flexibility, particularly in your mid-back or thoracic spine. Often your neck and lower back will try to pick up the slack, which can increase your risk of injuring your lower back, Kirkeby adds.

Strength Rx: Lunge matrix. Lunge forward to 12 o’clock with your right leg while reaching arms straight overhead. Pause, then push back up to starting position, keeping the weight in your heels. Lunge forward again, simultaneously reaching arms to the left while rotating slightly. Pause, then push back up to start. Lunge to 12 o’clock once more, simultaneously reaching arms to the right while rotating slightly. Pause, then push back up to start. Repeat this same arm sequence twice more lunging right to 3 o’clock and then back to 6 o’clock. Repeat the series with your left leg. (You’ll do a total of 18 lunges.)

Dosage: Two to three times a week

Vinyasa Yogis’ Weakest Link: Biceps Tendon

Dread chaturanga? It certainly doesn’t help that you may be doing it wrong. “When moving from plank to the lower version of the posture during a vinyasa flow, your arms must be aligned properly with your shoulders directly above the elbows and wrists, otherwise the specific anatomy of that joint causes friction on the tendons,” says Kirkeby, who’s also a yoga teacher. As you repeat those sun salutations, poor form can cause biceps tendonitis around the front of the shoulder, she warns.

Strength Rx: Narrow wall pushups. Stand facing a wall. Extend arms in front of you so wrists and elbows line up with shoulders. Lean forward slightly and place palms against the wall. Keeping elbows close to your body, bend arms until your nose nearly touches the wall. Push back out to start.

Dosage: 2 sets of 10 three times a week

Cyclists’ Weakest Link: Pecs

A world of action is happening down below while your upper half tries its best to stay quiet and still, almost frozen in a tight, curled position. Worse, this rounded shoulder and hunched back posture follows you to work, where you lean over your computer looking like Quasimodo’s twin sister. All this tension and shortening of the front of your body can pinch the nerve that feeds through your am and under your chest muscles, Kirkeby says. “This can cause tingling in your hands and numbness, and affect your breathing.”

Strength Rx: Doorway stretch. Stand slightly in front of a doorway and place arms on either side of the doorway or adjacent wall. Bend elbows at 90 degrees, keeping upper arm parallel to the floor. Lean forward and hold this position for 30 seconds.

Dosage: As many times a day as you want or need to

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Yoga Effective At Relieving Low Back Pain, Review Shows

by Jan Michael | Dec 3, 2013 | Exercise | 0 comments

The poses, breathing and meditation in a yoga class may do more than help you relax and feel centered. A review of evidence shows that it might relieve low Back Pain as well.

Researchers recently looked at past trials that tested how well yoga stacked up against other treatments for chronic low back pain.

The majority of the studies in this review reported significant improvements in the patients’ ability and pain levels.

In some of the trials, yoga was more effective than standard medical care and led to reduced use of pain medications.

The authors of this review suggested yoga as a viable treatment option for some patients experiencing pain in their lower backs.

William Hanney, PT, DPT, PhD, of the Program in Physical Therapy at the University of Central Florida, and colleagues conducted the review to see if yoga could help patients with lower back pain.

According to these researchers, 84 percent of people experience pain in their lower back at some point in their lifetime. For some, this pain can last for months or years and can significantly affect a patient’s quality of life.

Yoga, which is a form of exercise that focuses on postures, breathing and meditation, has been studied as a possible treatment for patients with chronic low back pain.

This review looked at 10 studies involving patients who had experienced low back pain for at least 12 weeks. Each of the studies identified yoga as a primary treatment focus.

Some of the studies compared yoga treatment to other forms of physical activity, education and other forms of medical care.

These studies also tested different types of yoga, some of which emphasized holding poses, repeating poses and correcting muscular imbalances. The researchers took note of the patients’ pain levels and levels of disability.

Dr. Hanney and colleagues found that yoga was a superior treatment for chronic low back pain compared to physical exercises, use of a self-care book and standard medical care, which often involves pain medication.

In three studies that compared yoga to stretching techniques, no treatment and usual care with advice, there was no statistical difference in lower back pain.

Several of the studies suggested that yoga reduced disability, improved quality of life and reduced the amount of pain medication that the patients used.

Enjoy the holiday season without sacrificing fitness

by Jan Michael | Dec 2, 2013 | Exercise | 0 comments

The advice comes from Central Illinois health and fitness professionals, who would prefer that people start or maintain an exercise program amid the busyness of the holiday season. But they realize that’s unrealistic as even dedicated Central Illinois exercisers can’t always keep up their routines between Black Friday and New Year’s Day.

So, when you can’t do an entire workout, “go for the 15,” said Allison Wholf, wellness specialist at Advocate BroMenn Medical Center, Normal. Advocating the same approach were Erin Kennedy, director of OSF St. Joseph Medical Center’s Center for Healthy Lifestyles, and Mike Trotter, lead fitness director at Gold’s Gym.

Here’s what they mean: Each day, find at least 15 minutes for dedicated exercise.

“Squeezing in 15 minutes of exercise a day is better than no exercise at all,” Kennedy said.

The goal is to get your heart rate up.

Here are examples from Kennedy, Trotter and Wholf of simple, 15-minute mini-workouts that can be done as breaks during even the busiest of days:

– Walk up and down the stairs at home, work or the store.

– Do squats (using a chair for support), jumping jacks, situps, crunches, lunges or other simple callisthenics.

Are Sidewalks the Answer to Weight Loss?

by Jan Michael | Nov 19, 2013 | Exercise | 0 comments

We all know the mantra by now: If you want to lose weight or prevent weight gain, you have to exercise along with eating healthfully. What kind of exercise? Why walking, of course. Your doctor mumbles something about walking three or four times a week while writing out the requisitions for lab tests at the conclusion of your annual physical. You want to ask how you are going to manage to do this under the blazing sun and humidity of the summer, or the dark, cold, icy, snowy days of winter, or on leaf-slick sidewalks after a November rainstorm. Or, if you can get another question in before being ushered out of the office, where are you going to walk since you live in a neighborhood without sidewalks?

Many cities or older suburban communities usually have sidewalks. They may not be free of snow in the winter, and cracked and jagged from old tree roots pushing up the pavement, but at least residents don’t have to walk on the road. But this is not the case in many parts of the country where sidewalks and residential areas often part ways. If walking is to be done, it has to be on roads that often have no shoulders where one can stand to avoid being hit by a delivery truck or a mammoth SUV. If the side of the road has dense vegetation or rocks, even standing there may be perilous since there is little space for one’s feet. More than once, I have stayed at a hotel /convention center for meetings in a suburban industrial park and have been forced to walk or run on highways with sand and pebbles flying in my face from passing trailer trucks. And although some suburban communities, often gated, have roads relatively free of traffic, the mind-numbing effect of walking round and round streets with only houses and not a store in sight is enough to send one inside.

Walking is the easiest, most convenient, and least expensive way to exercise, and there is data to support the notion that those who walk most may be the healthiest. [1] New Yorkers are supposed to be the fastest walkers in the country and may be among the healthiest. Today, the life expectancy of a baby born in New York is 80.9 years, which is 2.2 years more than the national average. [2] Of course, these city residents don’t walk just for the exercise; it is often the most efficient and even fastest way for them to go from point A to point B.

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported several years ago that in the summer of 2002, 86 percent of the 205 million Americans walked at least once, and 40 percent walked more than 15 days, per month. The presence of sidewalks increased the tendency for adults to take walks, and the Bureau suggested that adding sidewalks to communities without them would increase the number by another 2.8 million. (In all fairness, some of these non-sidewalk communities may have walking trails or parks.) [3]

Aerobics Might Boost Brain Health for Older Adults

by Jan Michael | Nov 18, 2013 | Exercise | 0 comments

Researchers found that, in addition to improving physical fitness, activities such as running or biking can enhance memory and brain function by increasing blood flow in specific parts of the brain.

The study authors said their findings are particularly important since staying mentally sharp is a greater concern than social security or physical health among U.S. adults aged 50 and older.

“Science has shown that aging decreases mental efficiency, and memory decline is the No. 1 cognitive complaint of older adults,” study author Sandra Bond Chapman, chief director of the Center for BrainHealth at the University of Texas, Dallas, said in a center news release. “This research shows the tremendous benefit of aerobic exercise on a person’s memory and demonstrates that aerobic exercise can reduce both the biological and cognitive consequences of aging.”

The 12-week study involved sedentary adults between the ages of 57 and 75. The participants were divided randomly into two groups… Continue reading

5-Minute Easy Morning Yoga Flow

by Jan Michael | Nov 13, 2013 | Exercise, How Your Body Works | 0 comments

What happens if that ancient practice doesn’t mesh with your modern groove?

On today’s episode of Meghan TV, Amber Joliat, founder of Misfit Studio and featured teacher on the Wanderlust circuit shares an awesome 5-minute yoga flow that you can rock in the morning, in the way that feels just right for you! Do it!

Do you feel bad for not fitting the “yogi” mould? Do you push yourself to go to classes and then spend the time waiting to leave? If you don’t want to be there, how is that helping?

Yoga is what we want it to be and what we need it to be. The only part that matters is that you move. Move in a way that connects your body to your breath and you are yoga-ing.

Now tell me: What first got you on the mat? What does your yoga practice (whatever that may look like) do for you?

Watch the video here