“Personal success is never static. It usually comes in small steps leading to other small steps that lead to broader achievement” W. Roberts
Past blogs in this series
Cardiovascular Conditioning
This week incorporate a cardio-split workout once or twice. This means that you workout twice in one day. So you could, say, get up and go for a power-walk and then later in the evening, go for a bike ride or take a fitness class. This will rev your metabolism and really stimulate great results.
Read more on Spring Into Shape For Summer – Week Eight…
We’ve been getting some nice signs that summer is on the way! It’s a good time to reassess your goals, monitor your progress and determine if you’re on track. If you are, great job. If not, don’t stress about it – just recommit today.
Previous Blogs in This Series
Cardiovascular Conditioning
This week we incorporate cross-training into your workout. If you’ve been walking to get fit, this week we’d like you to see if you can also include another form of cardio training such as cycling or swimming or fitness classes. Make sure your weekly cardio training includes 2-3 different types of exercise instead on only one form.
Read more on Spring Into Shape For Summer – Week Six…
Lack of time is the number one reason people report they don’t exercise. Well, have you ever heard the saying “People who can’t find the time to exercise will one day be forced to find the time for illness and disease!” So start today and make the commitment to yourself! You can go online to access the first 4 weeks of the program so it’s not too late to commit to getting in great shape for summer!
Continue with what you’ve learned so far and add on today’s tips:
Read more on Spring Into Shape For Summer – Week Five…
There is plenty of time to take your fitness to a whole new level by summer. Continue implementing everything you’ve learned over the last 3 weeks and add on today’s tips to be in top shape by summer!
Read more on Spring Into Shape For Summer – Week Four…
Have you implemented some or all of the tips from last week’s column and started to develop some good healthy habits? Continue doing everything you learned last week and add on today’s tips. The goal is to get you into incredible shape just in time for summer and we’ve got a few months to make that happen. Give us three months and I’ll give you the best summer of your life!
Cardiovascular Conditioning
Add up the total minutes of cardio activity you did last week. If you want to continue improving, implement the overload principle which means this week you increase your total minutes by 10%. So if you did 100 minutes last week, this week you do 110 minutes.
Read more on Spring Into Shape For Summer – Week Two…
We are celebrating our 18th Anniversary at Northwest Personal Training and Drew Carney from the KGW Early Morning Show recently did a segment with us to discuss what has changed over the last 18 years since we opened our doors. Here’s the highlights from that segment:
Dynamic Warm-up
It used to be common practice to perform static stretching before all exercise. Now we have learned it’s not a great idea to stretch prior to working out when the tissue is not properly warmed up. Instead we have learned the importance of a dynamic warmup – the body doesn’t go well from 0-60 so you need to warm the muscles and connective tissue, lubricate the joints and prepare the energy systems for the intense activity. So instead of holding a stretch for a sustained period of time, instead we will mimic the movements we will perform during the activity but at a lower intensity, low impact, low load, low speed before we gradually increase the intensity, load, impact and speed. Read more on Changes in Fitness Over The Last 18 Years…
Gardening Without the Aches & Pains
Gardening is in full swing but many zealous gardeners are often left limping and in agony the day after. Why does this happen – it is only gardening after all? Since many of us view gardening as a peaceful activity, it’s hard to imagine that it’s actually an athletic activity requiring muscle endurance, strength and flexibility.
But if you break gardening down into its most fundamental movements, you’re basically pulling, pushing, bending, squatting and lunging the entire time. It really is a weight-training workout minus the dumbbells.
And on top of all this, many of us get carried away with trying to create our ideal garden visions and finish the job the very first day out and end up spending way too much time in our flowerbeds. And it only gets worse as we get older and our tissues don’t seem to be quite as limber as in our younger years. Read more on Gardening Without the Aches & Pains…
Foam Rolling to Release Muscle Aches and Pains
Over the last two months, I’ve focused this column on running programs. Well, the running community is probably a little stiff right now with thousands completing the Portland Full and Half Marathon on October 5th and the Girlfriends Run for a Cure on October 12th as well as many other local runs. So we’ve probably got a number of people feeling a little tight and walking a little funny. So I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to discuss the merits of Self-Myofascial Release using Foam Rollers – a perfect way to help release tight areas for runners and athletes of all kinds! I’m a firm believer in the importance of body work such as massage as well as daily foam rolling if you are extremely active. It’s the support your body needs to be able to continue doing what you want for years and years! You can purchase a foam roller at most fitness equipment retailers as well as many department stores.
Read more on Running Program Week 10…
During the last 2 months, we’ve discussed general running guidelines to help you design a running program to prepare you for the local, popular runs including the Girlfriends Run for a Cure that will have thousands of runners and walkers participating from around the Northwest in the next few weeks.
Last week, we reviewed the importance of running technique and discussed how muscle tightness can affect your running mechanics. So this week and next, we will focus on various mobility and release techniques to keep you running strong and injury free. Today, I’m going to start with wall stretching which is a very relaxing way to release and since most runners are super tight to begin with, they are more likely to do it since it’s not so painful!
Complete the following stretching program after each run or workout. Hold each stretch for at least 30 seconds – ideally longer. And remember, hold each stretch to the point of tension – not pain!
Hamstring on the wall: Lie on your back with your hips close to the wall and your legs positioned straight up against the wall. To make the stretch less intense, move your hips a few inches away from the wall. To make the stretch more intense, keep your hips positioned right up against the wall and wrap a towel around your feet and lightly pull your legs a few inches away from the wall. Feel your stretch in the muscles at the back of your upper leg. Hold this stretch for as long as you feel comfortable – minimum 30 seconds each leg and ideally longer. Try to relax and breathe in to the stretch. Feel free to read a magazine or watch T.V. while holding this stretch. This is a great stretch to do after a run because it assists in the recovery process as blood is flushed from the legs back to the heart. Read more on Running Program Week 9…
We hosted the 6th annual Girlfriends Half Marathon yesterday where close to 3,000 women ran 13.1 miles to raise money for breast cancer and other local charities. What an amazing and inspirational day and I feel great…well except I am a little tight. I know that there were LOTS of half marathons this past weekend all across the country and I bet I am not the only one that is feeling a little stiff and tight.
Let me help you! Have you ever tried using a foam roller to stretch and release muscle aches and pains? Self-myofascial release using a foam roller is a perfect way to help release tight areas for runners and athletes of all kinds!
Here are my favorite myofascial release techniques:
IT band: Lie on your right side supported by your right elbow and maintain your head in neutral and ears aligned with shoulders. Place the roller under your right thigh and place your left leg over and in front of your right leg. Roll just below hip joint down the lateral thigh to the knee.
Piriformis/glutes: Sit on the full roller and cross your right ankle over your left knee. Roll on the right hip area while pulling the right knee toward the opposite shoulder to increase the stretch. Read more on Post Race Muscle Relief…
