What About Your Bones?

On Wednesday, I attended a moderated discussion at McGill with Dr. Lora Giangregorio, an associate professor in the department of Kinesiology, at the University of Waterloo. She was being honoured for her research into the use of exercise, in the management of osteoporosis.

"Bone disease affects more Canadians than heart attack, stroke and breast cancer combined."

I was shocked to learn this fact.

The problem is that we often do not know that we have an issue with our bones, until we fall and break something.

I have been in the fitness industry, working out regularly and then teaching, for over 25 years.  I have osteopenia and only found this out because my doctor ordered a bone mineral density test, as a result of my gluten intolerance. I found this out at 48 years old.

My father who died in his 80's had osteoporosis but did not know it. We found out because of the autopsy.

So just because you do not fit the standard "old decrepit person" profile, does not mean you get a free pass and can ignore your bones. You may have brittle bones because of diet, heredity or disease or menopause and not even know it.

The biggest lesson that I learned from this discussion, is that as a fitness professional who deals with the older adult ( 50 years old + ), I have to design group fitness programs that do not put my clients at risk.

Dr. Giangregorio suggests weight training exercise two times per week, so for example Tuesday and Thursday. She suggests implementing a diverse program that includes balance training to help prevent falls. If you are not in a gym yet, get going. Your bones need it!

In my humble opinion, high impact exercise that includes repetitive, rapid, loaded twisting is not safe for this clientele because we simply do not know if their bones are in good enough shape to handle it. So for example, doing fast paced cardio with weights in our hands, while lunging and twisting to the side, is better left to the younger population.

I am happy to say that I feel very confident having attended this discussion. I have always chosen to err on the side of caution with my students. While it is tempting to try some of the latest, high impact "fun" looking exercises with my clients, the last thing I ever want to do is hurt them.  We stick to the basics of improving our muscle strength, our balance and our cardio, not to mention our memories with line dancing! Lot and lots of laughter helps as well.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone.
Beth 

Are You Injuring Yourself?

If you are training exactly the same way, everyday, you are going to get hurt.

Yesterday, I had a few clients come up to me complaining about shoulder pain and/or knee pain.  Now this was in my group fitness class and I only see these clients once per week.  I of course cautioned them to always listen to their body and if something hurts, to not push through any pain but to stop immediately and if the pain persists, to see a doctor.

I know that many of you go to a number of classes per week, which is fine, but if you are doing squats in every single class, you are at risk for injuring your knee. If you are doing military press every single day, you will injure your shoulder.

You must leave a day in between training muscle groups, to allow for rest and recovery and growth. If you are not affording your body the chance to heal, than you are overusing the joint and may injure yourself. If you attend my classes everyday, than I make sure that what we do on Monday is different that what we do on Tuesday etc.

There are many teachers and many types of classes. It would be impossible for all teachers, in our club for example, to know what the others are doing and to co-ordinate the muscle groups being worked. Therefore be proactive in your approach and if you see that the teacher has a muscle group planned that you did yesterday, ask for an alternative or use lighter weight or no weight or do another exercise altogether.

I hate hearing that people are developing injuries. It is part of living an active lifestyle but it can be avoided. You have to train properly. Vary your weekly workouts. Do not just choose a time slot and insist on only attending that class because of the time, no matter what the workout is. Try a yoga class or a pilates class or a dance class. This will help you to achieve balance and avoid injury.

Good luck!
Beth

The Best Medicine

This week I have been fighting sickness. I had to leave work early on Tuesday because I was feeling so completely exhausted, dizzy, nauseated etc. I am happy to say that rest, fluids, good food and lots and lots of sleep allowed me to return to work on Thursday.

I just saw a meme circulating of facebook that reminds us that the best doctors are sunshine; water; rest; fresh air; exercise and diet. I would go so far as to say that keeping all of these elements in balance is what keeps us healthy in the first place.  When one of the elements is off, I believe that we open ourselves up to sickness.

I did go out last weekend and I did fall out of my good eating and sleep pattern. My body was out of balance and perhaps that is why I ended up picking up this virus. I guess at the age of 48 I cannot afford to party quite the same as I did when I was much younger.

The good news is I recovered quickly. I cancelled the rest of my day the minute I knew something was off and I listened to my body. I went home.

I also wish that we all had the luxury of leaving work when we know we are sick.  I know this is not always possible. The truth is we are not very effective at our jobs if we are trying to work while we are sick.

My biggest regret this past week is that there was a new lady in one of my classes and while I did greet her with a smile, I had absolutely no energy to focus on making sure that she got the most of the class. She did not return on Thursday.

Remember that I told you a long time ago to give a class three chances before making a decision about whether or not it is for you.  I was having an "off" day and could not deliver my best. This is a rare event. Hopefully she will return.

Have a wonderful day and drink water!!!!

Beth

"I am only here because it's raining!"

My students are very active individuals. In the winter many of them are on the slopes or snowshoeing etc. Yesterday, one of my students walked up to me and made it quite clear, that she was only present because the weather was not conducive to outside fun. While I laughed and said that I was glad she was joining the class, I must let you all know that it is still important to workout formally, even though you take part in physical activities.

 I lose many people every summer because of golf and then a few because of the ski season. My only fear when this happens, is the lack of stretching, and formal training that is not happening for key areas of the body such as the back and abdominals.

If you must leave us for months at a time, remember to try to do a formal workout at least three times per week, to keep all of your muscles in good shape. I am not sure why people cannot commit to keeping their fitness routines going, despite the various sports that change with the season.

I have clients who will not miss their workout even if job demands it.  Those individuals make sure that their workplace honours their commitment to their health. I just wish that everyone would do this, even when they are retired.

I am told constantly that retirement gives us the freedom to do what we want, when we want.  The choice is ours, no matter our age.

See you soon,
Beth

New Workout Blues

 

It is a new month, which means new programs for all of my students. Today, I introduced the new routines to many of my classes ( each routine being different, as I teach all different levels of fitness) and there was quite a bit of grumbling going around the room.

Yes, I know that it is hard to learn new exercises but the whole point is that you have mastered the January programs and now it is time to change things around. We want to switch up the way we work out to prevent overuse injuries and to avoid the dreaded plateau effect. When we always train in exactly the same way, our bodies adapt and then we stop seeing results.

I try to build on the skills that you have mastered over the month by increasing the difficulty slightly. Your body is then forced to "work" again. You will burn more calories and increase strength and flexibility.

We are working hard on our balance so there were many reasons for the grumbling today. Perhaps you discovered areas of your physical fitness that need improving. This can make us feel a bit down but remember that we felt this way one month ago. Many of us had a month off over the holidays, so that first week back was quite challenging.

I have every confidence that you will love this new program as much as the last one.

Well, maybe 'love' is a big word.

You will start to find your comfort level quite quickly. Just remember that class is not optional. :)

Have a wonderful day.
Beth

The Importance of Flexibility

I meet so many wonderfully fit individuals.  Ladies and men alike who come to the gym regularly to keep their bodies healthy and in top shape. These individuals are serious about their fitness regime, but I am sad to say that most of them spend little or no time stretching or improving their flexibility.

It is so important to train all of your muscles in a balanced way.

For example, you do not train your abdominals, without also training your back.  You would not just train your biceps and forget about your triceps.  If you do forget to train the opposing muscle group, you can end up being out of balance and cause yourself injury.

In addition, if you train your muscles to be strong, you must also train them to be flexible. If we do not do this, our range of motion may be limited, which puts us at risk for tearing a tendon or a muscle. Simple movements like bending over to pick something up, or twisting quickly to catch a ball, can result in tears if we are not flexible. If you have ever been to a physiotherapist, you know that they often identify the tight muscle group as part of the problem, if not the main cause of the injury.

In all of my muscle conditioning classes, we have always finished with yoga postures for the last 10 to 15 minutes of class. I just did not call them by name. For the most part, I simply directed the stretch while we chatted and laughed and amused ourselves! So do not be afraid to attend my yoga classes.  You will be very familiar with the postures.


I am happy to say that my new Tuesday yoga stretch at the Quanta Wellness Center is full for this month. 

This class is a wonderful addition to any fitness regime as it is designed to increase flexibility and relieve stress.

I still  have space available on Thursdays and I hope that some of you will consider venturing over to this lovely center. The atmosphere is quaint and calming.

Have a wonderful day everyone and get some stretching in today!
Quanta Wellness Center :  514-966-7463

Beth