Blog Articles 2

Exercise For Mothers

Mommies: No words can truly express the power, beauty, heroism, selflessness or majesty of motherhood or the love of a mom.

The moment a child is born, the mommy is born. The woman existed, but the mommy did not until that precious moment of birth. The mommy’s job begins when she realizes she is pregnant. From that point on she needs to make sure that the baby is well nourished and has a healthy place to develop.

It is important to for mothers to focus on their overall health and wellness because:
• If it were not for mothers, we would not be here.
• Moms are the emotional backbone of the family.
• Moms have the “magic touch” with a child’s needs.
• Moms work hard and sacrifice, so the child’s life will be better.
• Moms support our dreams.

Exercise is usually the last thing on an expecting mother’s mind. Research has shown that there are benefits to exercising during and after pregnancy, for both the mother, fetus and/or child. It is safe and usually recommended for mothers to exercise during and after pregnancy.

Benefits Of Exercising During Pregnancy:
• Helps reduce: backaches, constipation, bloating, edema, leg cramps, hemorrhoids
• Assists in prevention and or treatment of gestational diabetes
• Increases energy levels
• Improves mood
• Improves posture
• Promotes muscle strength, tone and endurance
• Helps with sleep
• Maintains fitness during pregnancy making it easier for post pregnancy fitness
• Improves ability to cope with childbirth (decreasing duration, less intervention, lower caesarian births).
• Reduces weight gain over recommended amounts, maintains lean muscle mass.

Fit moms have the benefits noted above, but what about the baby?

Benefits For Babies:
• Leaner & Stronger
• Overall better health
• Smarter
• Higher motor-function
• Higher cardiovascular capacity
• Decreased risk of obesity
• Decreased risk of developing diabetes later in life

Benefits Of Exercise Postpartum:
• Increased metabolism
• Weight loss & muscle toning
• Increases energy
• Decreases anxiety
• Decreases stress levels
• Decreases postpartum depression
• Increases the ability to sleep
• Bonding baby with mommy
• Decreases health risks for chronic diseases
• Improves body functions to more efficiently and effectively nurture the baby

Expecting mothers should consult with a qualified healthcare professional before starting an exercise program. There are special physiological and training considerations for women during and after pregnancy with different fitness guidelines that need to be observed, based on each trimester and postnatal timeframe for the mother.

Moms are protective, loving beings who want to provide their children with the best care and advantages for life.

Physically active moms can set good examples by making healthy lifestyle choices. Good habits that over time can provide profound benefits for the mom, baby and even other family members. This does not mean it might not be somewhat overwhelming to try to begin and maintain a fitness program. A certified personal trainer can assist with taking the stress out of the process.

Cindy Howard 4/3/18

Coffee (n.) My Survival Juice

Origin:
Coffee dates back to 10th century and possibly earlier with the number of legends told.

Some say it originated in Ethiopia where a gentleman goat herder named Kaldia, during the 9th century, noticed how excited his goats became after eating the beans from a coffee plant. (an apocryphal)

Coffee Nutritional Value:
Brewed coffee has no essential nutrients in significant content. In Espresso, my go to drink, has significant levels of magnesium, vitamin B, niacin, and riboflavin. 212 mg per 100 grams of coffee grounds.

Health Benefits of Coffee: (Contains 125-200 mg of caffeine per serving)
Benefits are dependent on the amount of coffee consumed per day, an average of 2- 4 cups.
• Decreases the risk of type 2 diabetes
• Protection against Parkinson's disease
• Powerful antioxidant
• Protection against liver disease and liver cancer
• Elevated mood "Feel good hormone release"
• Decreases Anxiety and Depression
• Increases energy levels
• Increases metabolism
• Aides in weight loss
• Improves strength and endurance
• Increases fat burning
• Increases longevity
• Lower rate of heart failure
• Decreases coronary heart disease
• Decreases risk of strokes
• Decreases inflammation
• Increases focus
• Can decrease pain levels

How coffee affects the body:
The caffeine in coffee is an adenosine antagonist known for its stimulant effects.Coffee raises the acidity in the stomach, which aides in digestion. It can also cause heartburn if consumed on an empty stomach due to increased acid levels.

When consuming coffee before training it can result in burning fat by using fat cells for fuel instead of as a sugar burner, which uses glycogen stores for fuel. It also increases the metabolism, resulting in a higher number of calories being burned during training while increasing performance.

So should we drink coffee?

There are many pros and cons.I am a strong believer in the all natural route when it comes to health, so if it is recommended to drink coffee or to take medication for an issue, I would probably drink the coffee.

However, if you don’t like coffee, then don't drink it.

This information is also based on black coffee without all of the additives that some use to make it taste good. Additives can counteract all the benefits of coffee.

A few diets use coffee as part of the nutritional intake. It uses MCT oils, butter, and or heavy cream. This is known as Keto coffee. I am not recommending or denying the use of this type of coffee. No matter if you are a coffee lover or hater, you can’t deny the benefits of coffee. 64% of Americans drink it. It fuels our nation, according to Gallup polls, with 400 million cups of coffee consumed per day. The coffee industry is currently a $30 billion dollar per year industry with the growing gourmet coffee industry accounts for 75% of all of the caffeine consumed in the U.S. with the average cup being 9 ounces.

Coffee is here to stay. I am a coffee lover and just wanted to share some of my research about it. Plus, it makes me feel better about drinking my daily cup of Joe ☺

Cindy Howard 03/29/18

Piriformis Syndrome

Are you experiencing pain in your butt, hip or leg? Did you know that this pain could be caused by a small muscle called the Piriformis?

The Piriformis is a muscle that is in the butt (gluteal) region of the lower extremity. It is one of six muscles in the lateral rotator group.

Origin: Sacrum
Insertion: Greater trochanter
Nerve: L5, S1, and S2
Actions: External rotator of the thigh that laterally rotates the femur with hip extension and abducts the femur with hip flexion. This is important when walking because it allows for weight shifting to the opposite leg during cadence in order to maintain balance and fall prevention.

Piriformis Syndrome is a result of the muscle irritating the sciatic nerve that affects the gluteal region due to its nerve pathway, which is just below the muscle resulting in neural pain in the butt and along the sciatic nerve pathway. The pain is called sciatica. However, it can often be misdiagnosed due to the similarity of the symptoms that are often related to limbo-pelvic related problems.

A subgroup of 17% of the US population has the sciatic nerve going through the Piriformis muscle, which causes them to be predisposed to developing sciatica.

Symptoms: Pain, tingling, spasms, tightness, numbness in the butt and along the nerve pathway.

Activities that increases the pain: Certain exercises such as squats, muscle imbalances, sitting down for long periods and going up and down stairs to name a few.

How it’s diagnosed: Usually based on symptoms and a physical exam including MRI, X-rays to exclude other possible reasons.

Treatment/rehab: Progressive stretching, massage, steroid dose, KT taping, correcting muscle imbalances through corrective exercises and by in extreme circumstances surgical procedure.

Reasoning behind the difficulty of diagnosing this syndrome is questionable and confusing but one can hypothesis why. If we look at the syndrome as a muscle imbalance, dysfunction in the kinetic chain due to overactive (tight muscles) of the hip flexors and the Gluteus Maximus, this can result in reciprocal inhibition of the area which is easier to identify because it results in poor functional movements. However, this method is often over looked due to more common problems having the same symptoms, which result in a misdiagnosis.

The dysfunction in the kinetic chain (human movement) results in the Piriformis becoming synergist dominance (takes over function of weaker muscle inhibiting the prime mover muscle) that causes the symptoms above.

How to fix it?
1st - Seek a medical consultation for the problem. Be proactive and informative with the physician, requesting that they rule out Piriformis syndrome among other medical possibilities.

2nd - Get cleared by a qualified health professional to continue with training.

3rd - Start a corrective training plan provided by a qualified, certified personal trainer.

You can work on flexibility by lengthening and releasing the tight hip flexors. Isolated strengthening exercises to re-educate the gluteus Maximus and the lumbopelvic complex with integrated functional movements through all planes of motion and range of motion of the area being corrected that is specific to the clients needs.

Step 1 Of Corrective Training
SMR (Self-myofascial release focuses on fascial system) with foam roller. Foam roll the following muscles IT-band, quads, and Piriformis to reduce trigger points and help inhibit the overactive muscle by autogenic inhibition, relaxation of the muscle. Find the knot (most uncomfortable spot of the area being foamed roll stay static for 30 seconds, do not move around during this time. This is accomplished by completing the proper positioning and technique. Corrects muscle imbalances and alter joint motion

A. Piriformis SMR:
1. Sit on top of the foam roller, position on the back /posterior portion of the hip.
2. Cross this leg with one foot on top of the opposite kneeMovement: lean into the hip of the crossed leg. Slowly/controlled roll on the foam roller on the back/ Posterior hip area find the knot, tinder spot and stop there. Hold for no less than 30 seconds.

B. IT-band:
1. Lie on one side of the foam roller just in front of the hip
2. Cross the top leg over the lower leg while the foot is touching the floor

Movement: Slowly/controlled roll from the hip joint to side (lateral) knee to find the knot/tender spot holding that position until the discomfort is reduced (30 secconds)

C. Quadriceps:
1. Lie prone (on stomach) floor with foam roller under the thigh of the affected leg.

Movement: Roll the quad from the thigh to top of the knee finding the knot/tender spot holding toe spot for at least 30 seconds until discomfort lessens

Step 2: Static stretching of the bicep Femoris, hip flexors and Piriformis. Static stretching can use autogenic inhibition or reciprocal inhibition by lengthening the muscle that’s being stretched

A. Bicep Femoris
1. Lie supine (on your back) with legs flat.
2. Bend the affected leg up with knee flexed hip being at 90 degrees.
3. Then adductor (move the knee over to the opposite side while still bent which will internally rotate the hip while being stretched.
4. Place the opposite hand behind the knee of the leg being stretched and add pressure holding the stretch for 30 seconds or until discomfort is reduced.

Movement: Draw Navel Inward The hand supporting the knee straighten the knee out hold for 30 seconds

B. Hip Flexors
1. Kneel with front leg at 90 degrees with foot straight similar to lunge and back knee also at 90 degrees.
2. Internally rotate back hip to target the psoas muscle or maintain a neutral position to target the rectus femoris.

Movement: Draw navel inward squeeze butt /gluteal muscles on the side being stretched while rotating the pelvis posteriorly. Slowly move the body forward until mild tension is achieved in the front hip being stretched. Hold for 30 seconds.

C. Piriformis: Lay supine/on your back. Bend both knees with the feet flat on the floor. Place the outer foot of the leg you wish to stretch over the lower thigh/knee of the other leg.

Movement: Place a hand behind the thigh and pull your knee in toward the chest. You should feel a stretch in the butt. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat 3-5 times.

Step 3: Corrective exercise
Floor Bridge:
1. Lie on your back (supine) with knees flexed, shoulder width apart, feet flat on the floorMovement: lift the butt/pelvis of the floor until the knees and hips are in line with the shoulders, then slower the butt/pelvis back to the floorRepeat as instructed.

Sliding Leg Raises: Lie on your back (supine) with both legs straight, legs shoulder with apart, big toe pointing straight up toward the ceiling.

Movement: Bend one leg at a time being at the hip and knee sliding your foot on the floor without arching your back, then slide the leg back to the floor and repeat with the opposite leg and as instructed

Ball Squats: Place the ball between the wall and your lower back, feet slightly outward.

Movement: Lower your body toward the floor in squat position ( do not go past proper form) as you hold pressure against the ball to keep from dropping it then straighten back up returning to standing position Repeat as instructed

Lateral tube walking:
1. Position your feet shoulder width apart with a slight bend at the hips but still maintaining a neutral spine.
2. Band placement is can be placed around the lower leg

Movement: Draw navel inward, take controlled steps to the right for designated number of reps or distance then complete same movement in the opposite direction (do not allow knees to move inward). Maintain constant tension on the band.

Progress through corrective program then continuing with strengthening progress to unilateral training which will prevent the stronger side from constantly taking charge during the exercise for the weaker side preventing further or resurgence of muscle imbalances.

Tip: Allow the weaker side to take charge during unilateral training dictating weight level, and repetition range, always use correct form!

One also needs to look at the daily activities at home and work to see if there is a specific activity that may be compounding the problem and see if the is a way to correct it.

For example: Sitting at ones desk for an extended period of time.

Possible Solutions:
1. Stand up and stretch every 30 min.
2. See if the employer will obtain an ergonomic deck that allows one to adjust it to stand or sit while working in order to change your position.
3. Make sure your desk and chair are properly fit to your body type.

It is important to realize that taking personal responsibility is key for you to progress. Often while performing therapy I would see someone work extremely hard to try and correct or rehab an issue and then stop after the therapy sessions were completed. They usually would not continue any kind of program on their own. This resulted in having to come back to therapy 4-6 months later, basically starting over with the same issues.

The methods for SMR and static stretching is from NASM

Cindy Howard 03/20/2018

Why Exercise Is Good For Us & What Types Of Exercises Can We Do?

Everyone says they know exercise is good for them, but do they know why it’s good for them? The benefits of regular physical activity are not easy to dismiss. Exercise is beneficial to everyone no matter the gender, age, functional ability or size.

Some of the benefits of regular exercise include:
• Prevention or even reversal chronic diseases
• Slows the aging process
• Controls weight or aids in weight loss
• Body composition changed
• Improves mood
• Increase in energy
• Improved sleep
• Decreased anxiety, depression
• Increased mobility
• Decreased fall risks

Basically exercise is a great way to feel and look better, not to mention combating multiple diseases and disorders. Here are a few exercise plan examples that can be done anywhere, in different ways, with no to minimal equipment.

Warm Ups:
5-10 min cardio (walking, jogging, marching in place, stairs)Stretching

Basic Workouts: Complete in a circuit system of 3 rounds, single set system or as Tabata for 4 minutes
• 15-20 body weight squats
• 30 second plank to push up
• 15-20 lunges
• Dumbbell, band or water jug rows
• 30 jumping jacks
• 15-20 lateral lunges
• 30 mountain climbers
• 2-3 times a week

Core Stabilization & Functional Training Combination Workout:
• Body weight or band exercises, total body
• Squat to diagonal flexion
• Lunge
• Bilateral chop (high/low wood choppers)
• Bilateral lift (leg lift)
• Unilateral row with side bridge
• Step push
• Step to lift
• Step to incline press
• Reverse step pull
• Step up
• Shoulder internal external rotations

Total Body Workout Choose 2 Upper Body, 2 Core, 2 Lower Body From List Below:
• Upper and lower body band circuits
• Chest press
• Bent over Row
• Chest fly
• Rear delta
• Bicep curl
• Over head tricep press
• Squat
• Step up
• Walking lateral lunge
• Speed skaters
• Alternating step-ups
• Box /step
• Jumps
• Elevated push up
• Decline push up
• Lunges
• Russian twist
• Crunch
• Bridge
• V ups
• Plank

These are example exercises for an individualized plan. It is better to consult a Certified Personal Trainer to base your plan on your goals and medical history.

Cindy Howard 3/11/18

HIIT vs Interval vs Steady State Cardio Training

HIIT Training:
High intensity training is a concept where one performs short bursts of maximal intensity exercise followed by a low intensity exercise repeated until exhaustion sets in. Usually there is no universal session duration and time could be from 10-30 minutes.

Heart rate range during HIIT: 95-100% of maximal heart rate level (capacity).
Interval duration 10-30 seconds
Rest duration 2-4 min
Level of exertion: Max in RPE (rate of perceived exertion) scale
Increase metabolism burning 20% more calories
Anaerobic training
Extended: EPOC
Frequency: 2-3 times a week

Interval Training:
Series of low to high intensity workouts inter-spread with rest periods. Organization of any cardiovascular workout (Elliptical, cycling, running, rowing)
Duration: 20-40 minutes
Heart rate during interval training: 75-90% of maximal heart rate level (capacity)
Interval times: 1-3 min
Rest duration: 1-2 min
Level of exertion: 6 on the RPE scale
Increase in metabolism burning 10 % more calories
Extended: EPOC
Frequency: 2-3 times week

Steady State Cardio:
Any form of aerobic training where a steady intensity level (constant pace) is maintained for a certain period of time usually 20-60 minutes.Heart rate range during steady state cardio: 60-70% of maximal heart rate level (capacity)
Session duration: 20-60 min (I usually do around 45 min)
Aerobic training
Frequency: 5-6 times a week

These are the basics of different cardiovascular training methods. I often prefer HIIT to the other two versions due to personal preferences (likes/dislikes). The important thing is that we need to get up and be more active no matter which type of cardio program we choose to do, according to our goals.

Cindy Howard - 2/25/18 

Muscle Memory - A Form Of Motor Learning

Muscle memory is not actually muscle memory. Muscles cannot remember anything. It is memories about your muscles stored in the brain. It is a type of muscle journal in the brain of frequently repeated tasks. It can help us become very good at something, if done correctly. Why do you think athletes practice the basic performance tasks over and over? …”muscle memory”.

With procedural memory, the brain can quickly instruct your muscles to automatically complete a task with efficiency. However, when it comes to training your brain, it cannot determine if we are completing the task properly or not, resulting in possible muscle imbalances that can result in injures, development of bad habits and poor performance.

For proper muscle memory in the brain, we need to focus on proper form. Good quality movements produce optimal muscle memories via repetition. We should not rush an exercise and start with the basics, allowing time for the SAID (Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands) principle to take place with optimal form as you continually challenge yourself to prevent plateauing. When first developing muscle memory before the SAID principle kicks in, the movements will be slow and awkward.

The development of muscle memory is dependent upon the individual and takes dedication and a lot of hard work to develop.

For example, I stopped playing softball for several years then rejoined a coed team, taking my position back on the infield along with a good batting position. However, due to being rusty it took a lot of effort to get back to my previous level by including extra time at the batting cage along with workouts oriented with softball drills, taking the whole spring season. By fall I was performing well for my age and current weight (this was prior to my weight loss).

In theory, during the muscle encoding stage (motor learning), short term and long term stages occur with increased activity in the brain. The main area being stimulated is the cerebellum, which involves a type of encoding. With continued experience and repetitions the learning evolves even after the receptive tasks has ended due to evolution of neural processes.

When applying this principle to strength training it not only involves the muscle memory process, but also shows long-term changes in the tissue of the muscle, which occurs well before hypertrophy. This is done by improving the motor neurons, which improves the ability to communicate between the muscular and neurological systems starting with internal stimuli, then external stimuli.

The optimal muscle memory occurs unconsciously and is learned over an extended period of time. Take a deep breath and be patient. Work smart and hard, then the optimal results will avail.

Cindy Howard - 2/25/18

Change Your Mind - Change Your Body

Here are a few tips on how to help change behavioral barriers that are hindering your ability to change your life, and your health.

The most often used excuse for not becoming more active or eating healthier is not having enough time.

KEEP A JOURNAL - One way to help find the time is to challenge yourself by obtaining a notebook and keep a log, recording your activities for 3-4 days.

In the journal record the time you get up, the time you are at work, the time you spend doing chores, time spent with your spouse and children, time watching tv, time spent on social media, etc.

After the 3-4 days are up, look at your journal and see if there are areas that you can re-prioritize and schdeule in time to exercise. Is it more important to watch the 30 minute tv show or spend and hour or two online, or is it more important to focus on your health?

MEAL PREP - Set aside a day to prepare your meals for the week. Enough food can be prepared for a week and can even be frozen and warmed up as needed. You can look at healthy crock pot or baked food recipes that can cut down on time spent in the kitchen. Preparing food at home can also help to avoid fast food stops during the week, which we know are not usually very healthy for us.

SLEEP - We need to try and get plenty of sleep. Sleep is very important. About 30 minutes before your bedtime try to shut off the electronics and allow yourself time to unplug. If you can't sleep, read a book or magazine, but don't watch tv or get on the laptop.

STRESS MANAGEMENT - Stress can be a limiting factor to your health. Try to find a stress release, especially if you are not working out. One of the benefits to regular exercise is a decrease in stress and anxiety levels.

LEARN FROM FAILURE - There are 4 phases people often to go through before breaking bad habits. It is ok to fail. We often learn more from failure than success. We also need to remember we all need help at times, so it's ok to ask for it. 

Cindy Howard - 1/6/18

What Are Macronutrients?

The online nutrition mine field often makes researching nutrition confusing. This could result in a person not being able to obtain properly balanced nutrition.

The term “Macro" is short for macronutrient, which is a type of food required for the human diet.

There are three primary macronutrients:
1. Protein
2. Carbohydrates
3. Fats

There are many different diets available that promise success, but are not really effective. The law of thermodynamics must be in place if one is going to be successful at weight loss. The law basically states that more calories must be burned than are taken in for weight loss to take place. There are many macro calculators online that can give an individual a baseline macro ratio for a diet based on the goal and activity levels. Bodybuilding.com is a good resource as well as the My Fitness Pal app that both have macro calculators.

It is important to have well balance nutritional intake. Timing your meals is also important so that the fuel you place in your body assists in your body's performance throughout the day and during training sessions.

An example of this is timing your pre-workout meals 30-60 minutes before a session. This can include a lean protein and complex carbohydrate. Next you can plan a post workout meal 30-45 minutes after training, which can consist of a whey protein shake and complex carbohydrate.

Another important aspect of healthy diet and fitness level is proper hydration by drinking plenty of water. The average suggested intake for women is 2.7 liters a day and for men 3.7 liters a day, with additional levels being taken in during workouts.

For us to be successful in our wellness journey we need to make sure we focus on all aspects of our lives, including exercise and nutrition.

Cindy Howard - 1/4/18