Tools for Self Massage:

So why would a massage therapist talk about self massage? Simple, I know very few people that have the time or money to get massaged as often as they need. Massage therapy can be important in recovering from exercise and helping avoid injuries.

Two different devices I like to use for self massage are the Stick and the Tiger Tail massager. The Stick has been around longer and is more widely used. The Tiger Tail came out about 6 months ago.

The Stick is a long, flexible bar with plastic rollers that conform to the shape of your muscles. I like to use it prior to exercise or stretching. It brings blood flow to the muscles and helps loosen them up. You can use slow movements with deeper pressure or faster ones to help stimulate the muscles. I use it on my legs and then go through my warmup.

The Tiger Tail is a one piece rolling massage device, similar to the Stick. It is shorter and has a firmer pressure. I like both of them and they both work pretty well, in my opinion. The Tiger Tail may be a little easier to take with you in your gym bag, because it is smaller.

Neither one replaces a good massage therapist, but gives you the benefits of massage on a more regular basis. The Tiger Tail can also be used on the arms and upper body. Once again, because it is smaller, it is much easier to do this by yourself.

Other methods can include a tennis ball, foam roll, or massage ball. The foam rolls have become popular in athletic training centers as part of the warmup. They can be fairly painful the first few times, though. If you have no injuries and a high pain tolerance, be my guest.



If you would like to read more, go to my articles on Self Massage for Pain Relief and Prevention.

Exercise vs. Physical Activity for Fat Loss:

Do you need to "exercise" to lose fat or do you just need plenty of "physical activity"? I'd like to continue our conversation from yesterday...... the one about the Amish and their very low rate of obesity.

I get a lot of questions about walking for fat loss, and do you burn more calories walking or bike riding. Bottom line, at the speed that I see many people walking or riding their bike, it doesn't really make a difference.

This afternoon it was about 60 degrees and sunny, so I took a walk down by the Mississippi River, on the Iowa side this time. There were a few other walkers and a couple bike riders. If you are out strolling along at a pretty casual pace, you won't burn that many calories.

This is the same for joggers and cyclists. A fast pace is required to burn the most calories. If you are just starting to exercise for the first time in a long time, you might see some weight loss by doing anything. After a while, your body will adapt to this and you will have to change the stimulus.

This would include exercising for more time, more often, and a faster pace. You can lose weight by walking only, but it will probably take a while and you will have to be fairly strict with your diet.

The logical thing would be to add in some resistance training to increase your lean muscle tissue, thus increasing your metabolism. If you don't want to spend any more time than necessary, strength training is more efficient, especially when combined with walking.

If you can't or won't exercise intensely, you need to be like the Amish, get more physical activity all throughout the day, so at the end of the day you burned many calories, as opposed to an intense exercise session, where you burned many calories at once (keeping your metabolism elevated for several hours).

After all, the Amish don't go to healthclubs to exercise, do they? Of course, they don't really need to!

Resistance training to reverse the aging process.

Walking for Fat Loss:

Since it is officially Spring and more people in colder regions are ready to get outdoors, I've decided to revisit one of my previous articles on walking.

A recent article in the paper talks about a columnist over 50 who is deciding to keep her New Year's resolution of losing weight and gaining more mobility. You've heard me say it before, don't stop moving if you don't want to lose your mobility.

Walking is great exercise and can be done by most everyone. You still need to do some type of resistance (strength) training for added bone strength and joint protection. It will also make your fat loss goals easier to reach.


Obesity and the Amish

What do the Amish have to do with obesity? Not much, as it turns out. I recently read an article reviewing the recent Health and Fitness Summit co-sponsored by the American College of Sports Medicine and the National Academy of Sports Medicine. This four day event featured 77 speakers on various topics related to health and fitness.

One of the speakers, Dr. Ted Mitchell spoke about the rising rate of obesity in this country, including our youth. He made some interesting comparisons to the Amish that you might find interesting. Such as the fact that the obesity rate among the Amish is 4%, while the rest of the US is 26%.

Their typical diet includes plenty of fat from bacon, eggs, and butter, yet obesity isn't much of a problem. One of the reasons given is that they move around a lot. The average adult male takes 18,000 steps a day, compared to 7000 or less for the typical American male. For American women that number is around 5000 steps.

Without the conveniences of modern society, they burn more calories through physical exertion than the rest of us. Environmental, hereditary, and behavioral factors all influence how you age. In 1900, the top killers were the flu, tuberculosis, etc. Today, some of the top killers, such as heart disease and diabetes, are largely caused by our behaviors - lack of exercise and poor diet.

Another factor that may play a role is fast food and processed foods. I doubt the Amish go to McDonalds too often. All those chemicals in processed foods can't be that great for your health. If you have ever watched the TV show Survivor, you have noticed that everyone looks skinny and those that started out heavier are always much lighter by the time they leave.

Yes, these people are physically active and don't eat much food, but none of the food they eat is processed. Maybe that also plays a part in their leanness.

Maybe we just need to move around a little bit more to fight off obesity. Park your car farther out in the parking lot or take the stairs at work. This should be in addition to your exercise program.

Interestingly, one picture shown in the article was taken at another fitness and bodybuilding event.

The long flight of stairs going up was empty except for three people, while the escalator was jam packed, with people lining up to use it.

Maybe our modern lifestyles have made us soft and robbed us of our health in the process. Not a judgment, just an observation.

The article I mentioned was written by Chris Shugart.

Click here for my article on Walking and Weight Loss.

Runners and Bikers Need Core Training:

Core training has been a popular topic for a while and probably a bit overused. But since its still very necessary for prevention and optimal movement, we will talk about it here.

Some people run or ride bikes for exercise and/or enjoyment, while others may be more interested in competition. Either way, runners need proper core strength for improved efficiency of movement, as well as prevention. Cyclists need some proper off-bike training to keep their posture in balance.

You've heard me say it before, when you spend a lot of time seated, while leaning forward, your body tends to adapt to this position unless you do something to balance out your body. Specific training of the upper back muscles would be one thing, avoiding neck pain would be another.

If you're a cyclist who's also a "desk jockey", meaning your job requires sitting at a desk all day long, you are doubly prone to postural problems and neck and shoulder pain. Doing some upper back strengthening is necessary to counterbalance all the leaning forward.

Runners need core strengthening for proper running mechanics. Core training affects your posture in a positive manner (when done correctly). The end result is a more efficient running style, with a reduced risk of overuse injuries.

This would include glute exercises to help with hip and pelvis stability. Stability there will place less stress on your joints in the long run (no pun intended). I was at a seminar a while back with a physical therapist who lectures nationally.

He talked about a triathlete who came to him after an injury. One of the main things they worked on was glute strength and stability. The runner literally had no butt and this contributed to his injury.

After working on this he was able to return to competition and jump several points in his age bracket, while doing less running. This reduction in the distances he ran probably placed less stress on his joints.

Neither runners or cyclists need to spend a great deal of time or effort doing strength training, just enough to add greater stability. Doing bodybuilding training isn't necessary or even desirable.

Bike riders might try some exercises for thoracic mobility to enhance their posture and prevent neck pain.

For more information on posture and mobility exercises, go to www.BrianMorganFitness.com

Headaches and Neck Pain

Core Training for a Strong Back and Abs

How Training Your Abs Affects Your Posture:

In addition to being very inefficient for training your abdominals, situps and crunches can also hurt your posture. In your quest to get 6 pack abs, you may be wrecking your posture and your spine at the same time.

In past talks on posture, I've told you about the need for balance between the muscles on the front and back of your body. When your body is in balance, you can stand up straight and move more efficiently. This efficiency also puts the least amount of stress on your joints, as your muscles are providing the proper amount of support.

When you spend 10-15 minutes on the floor doing situps, you are training your body in a flexed position. Since you never see someone work the opposite muscles (low back) for an equal amount of time, you throw off this balance. Since most people already have a tendency to be in a flexed position, due to the amount of time we spend sitting, this further throws off your postural balance.

So, besides being inefficient because they take too long to do, crunches and situps can also cause low back pain. When you do repeated flexion exercises your discs are prone to injury. So to protect your low back and reinforce good posture, you should do most of your abs training in a neutral position. Various bridges and planks on the floor are one way to do this.

The other is to train your abs and low back at the same time you work your upper and lower body. For example, doing upper body exercises that require your midsection to provide stability for your spine. Resistance band exercises that use a pulling or pushing move will build strength in your abs. Dumbbell swings, squats, and presses will also strengthen them.

All the situps or crunches in the world won't cause you to burn away your belly fat, despite what the TV commercials lead you to believe. You need to use exercises that involve multiple muscles such as squats, lunges, presses, and pulls. The more muscles involved leads to more calories burned, provided you are working intensely enough.

Exercise machines for the abs, whether at the gym or home, aren't needed. If at home, dumbbells, resistance bands, sandbags and your own bodyweight is all that is needed. If you want something at home to help burn more calories, a decent bike will work. Then you would do interval training for greater fat loss.

Your abs have different layers of muscles running at different angles, similar to plywood. This layering effect is what gives them their strength. Trying to isolate them with different crunches doesn't strengthen them properly and may lead to posture problems, over time.

Chiropractic and Massage Therapy for Pain Relief:

Chiropractic and skilled massage therapy is a great combination for pain relief. Recently, I've read a few chiropractic magazines which featured articles dealing with soft tissue injuries. These soft tissues would include your muscles and connective tissues. I believe in chiropractic, but I believe that you also need to treat these soft tissues, in most cases.

As a massage therapist and personal trainer, I have spent almost 4 years working in two chiropractic clinics. Skilled massage therapy can be a great adjunct to the chiropractic adjustment. It makes sense that by removing excess tension from the muscles, the adjustment will be easier and likely have longer lasting effects.

There are various forms of massage therapy. Most people may only think of massage as relaxing, something you go to a spa for, or as a way of pampering yourself. Yes, it can definitely be used this way to help relieve stress and increase your circulation. But there are also specific techniques that deal with pain and injuries.

One of these is myofascial release. Myofascial release is a form of therapeutic stretching developed by a physical therapist named John Barnes in the '60's. I have used it many times while working in chiropractic settings with good results. Sometimes MFR and the chiropractic adjustment were all that was done. Other times, it was combined with deep tissue massage for more permanent results.

The two doctors of chiropractic I worked for were both highly skilled - one conducts seminars nationally and the other works with a professional sports team. When I worked with their patients, those patients saw even further benefits than they would have received from just the adjustments. Many times the bones can be misaligned because of the surrounding muscles and connective tissues.

Sometimes these tissues are too tight and pull too much on the bones, and other times they may not be pulling enough - they are too weak. Often these muscles need some strengthening exercises to help support the joints. Many chiropractors use soft tissue therapy to make changes in these tissues, whether its some form of massage or therapeutic stretching.

They may do this themselves or have a massage therapist do this. General relaxation massage is not what is most effective in these cases, but more specific techniques are needed. I have seen many times where someone I was working with or a colleague, got better results than physical therapy did. You should know that obviously I believe in exercise, particularly to help support the joints.

In these cases, often a greater amount of soft tissue therapy was done to get these results. In an article I recently found, a chiropractor talked about having some upper back pain that got relief from the adjustments, but came back here and there. He received a myofascial release treatment to the muscles of his chest, which were too tight, pulling him out of alignment.

The pain left and had not returned. Two things to take from this - one, that skilled soft tissue therapy is often needed along with the chiropractic adjustment, and two, our bodies need to be balanced front to back, side to side, etc. Myofascial release seeks to treat the connective tissue that surrounds the muscles, called fascia.

This fascia can become tight from trauma, inflammation, and chronic poor posture. There's that P -word again. Chiropractic and skilled massage therapy can do a lot to improve your posture, but ultimately you have to retrain yourself to stand and move while properly aligned with gravity. You will also need some proper core training to stabilize your spine.

For more information on myofascial release, click here.

Using Power Plate to Increase Your Movement:

Does using the Power Plate increase your movement or your ability to move your joints? Yes, very much so. The Power Plate is a whole body vibration platform that causes reflex muscle contractions of 25-50 contractions per second, depending on the setting.

When first using a vibration platform, most of the positions are stationary. For example, you would step on to the platform and squat down to a comfortable position and hold this position for 30 seconds. If you have balance issues you can grip the handles for support.

In this squat exercise your muscles are contracting as they hold you in this position. When vibration goes through a contracted muscle you cause reflex muscle contractions to occur. These reflex contractions are where the strengthening occurs, along with increasing your circulation and creating an endorphin release.

Athletes use the Power Plate as part of their warmup because of this increased circulation to the muscles and joints. It also stimulates the nervous system, preparing your body for the movements to follow, as well as creating heat in the muscles from all the contractions. Basically, it shortens the time needed for a good warmup, prior to exercise.

So while it may seem strange that a stationary position on this platform can increase your movement, it does, because of the reasons just mentioned. Depending on your goals, you can use it by itself for your exercise program or as part of a workout, where you include other "normal" exercises. I like to use it to stretch, either prior to exercise or in between sessions to help recover faster.

When I use it this way, I will also use it to massage different muscles prior to stretching. A relaxed muscle stretches much easier than a tense muscle does. The results will also last longer. I have found that this combination of massage and stretching with the Power Plate gets much faster results than traditional stretching. Combine this with other forms of stretching and joint mobility movements and you can increase your ability to move easily and efficiently.

After using it for a while you can add more movement while on the platform, such as squatting up and down, with or without any additional weight such as a dumbbell. Most of these exercises occur without moving very far, however. As you attempt to stand up straight you take tension off the working muscle.

When you remove tension from the muscle you take away the reflex muscle contractions. If you were to stand completely upright on the platform, all the vibrations would pass by the muscles and go straight to your head, feeling uncomfortable and a little bit dizzy. When I see some of the other platforms on the internet and the people are standing completely upright, it tells me that these platforms don't have as much power as the Power Plate, or that the manufacturer doesn't know the science behind it.

Either that or their machine works on a very different mechanical property. I have clients do these stationary positions on the platform and then go right to another exercise, such as pushups, lunges, bridges, or resistance band exercises while standing(off the platform). By combining all these different exercises and movements, they get a lot of done in a short amount of time. We make the workout more efficient this way by using exercises that use several muscles and joints at the same time.

In this manner you can use the Power Plate for fat loss. If you aren't able to do a lot of exercise because of physical limitations, many of you can use the platform for your exercise and movement needs. Those with pacemakers and certain illnesses, such as uncontrolled diabetes would not be candidates for this type of routine.

When you add up all the reflex contractions that occur on the platform with other exercises done off the platform, that is a lot of muscle contraction, which is why you can get results without spending an hour or more to exercise. For those with limited time this is an ideal way to exercise.

You can see results by only doing exercises on the platform. If you've got more than 20 pounds to lose, its doubtful that you will accomplish this just through the vibrations, but you would see some increase in your metabolism, losing some weight.



For more information on Power Plate stretching, click here.

Is Your Posture and Movement Important?

Most definitely! Physical therapist Shirley Sahrmann wrote a book a few years back on pain and movement dysfunctions. One of her main themes was to look at someone's posture and regular movements - or lack of them - when trying to determine the cause of their pain.

I had come up with the idea of Posture-N-Motion as a title for this blog before I found out about her book, and have since renamed it Posture and Movement. Your posture is very important to your health, yet rarely discussed. Doctors do screenings for cancer (and rightly so) but why is it that no one screens for posture problems.

Many injuries and physical problems occur needlessly because of poor posture, and in some cases, a lack of adequate movement. Many people with neck and shoulder pain have poor posture. Their head is positioned too far forward, placing unnecessary strain on the joints.

Muscles end up being constantly stretched, which contributes to them being sore and tired from working when they shouldn't be. When you have good posture, your body is properly aligned with gravity. Poor posture has your body working against gravity and working inefficiently.

When you are out of alignment with gravity you cause greater wear and tear on your joints. They will likely wear out faster just like your car's tires will wear out faster when not in alignment. But its a whole lot easier and cheaper to get your tires replaced. Your joints on the other hand - plenty of pain and suffering occur when they are surgically replaced.

But can't I just stand up straight you ask? Its not that simple. Some people haven't stood up straight for so long that they don't know what straight is. They literally need to be retaught with specific movements, like joint mobility training. This is likely the case if you have had past injuries or haven't exercised in a long time.

Posture isn't just about standing up straight, anyway. Its about moving more efficiently while your joints are properly aligned. It takes specific training for many people. It also takes conscious awareness of how you are standing. Most people are just not aware of their posture and what it feels like to "stand tall."

Basically, you should have a balanced body. The muscles on the front of your body should be in balance with those in back, as well as having the left and right sides of your body in balance. Part of the muscle imbalances that are so common in those dealing with pain is due to sitting too much.

Many of us spend too much time seated in front of the computer, TV, or driving to and from work. Its nearly impossible to sit upright this entire time and our shoulders and back tend to round forward. Over time, our bodies adapt to this position unless we do something to "balance" ourselves.

Most of you need greater mobility in your hips and thoracic spine, and need to strengthen your glutes, midsection, and upper back. You also need to get enough movement so that your muscles and joints don't stiffen up. This will help ensure that your body stays in balance and works as efficiently as possible.

The more efficient your movements are, the less stress on your joints. Sounds pretty simple, doesn't it. Now if we could get more health and fitness professionals to recognize this and do posture screenings aimed at prevention, we'd be in business. Or maybe some of them make too much money dealing with the effects of poor posture, to really care.

Most of you should be able to stand tall your entire life - with the proper training. Some people will have severe injuries or disease that may make this impossible, but most of you can have proper alignment with a little work.

How posture affects your health

Walking is Good for Your Health:

After a looong Winter, today's temperatures of 60 degrees here in the Midwest felt like I was in the Tropics. Many people were outside enjoying the Sun and after lounging on the couch all afternoon, I went down to the bike path next to the Mighty Mississippi.

The path had a lot of water in various places, which should be expected with all the snow we've had. Just being outside and walking in decent weather more than made up for the puddles, mud, and goose crap. I think these geese have forgotten that they are Canadian and spend most of their time down here.

I like to use walking as my "cardio" activity. I also do a lot of joint mobility movements, which are like a Westernized version of Tai Chi. Since I weigh 240 lbs. walking is pretty good exercise for me. I usually walk at a fairly quick pace but I don't worry about monitoring my heart rate or anything like that.

At my size walking is a great way to get my daily movement quota and enjoy the outdoors at the same time. Somebody of my weight would run the risk of overuse injuries to their muscles and joints by jogging too much.

Just to give you an example, if I took a walk with someone who weighed 120 pounds and we walked the same pace for the same length of time, I would be doing twice as much work. My calorie burn might not be exactly double - I'd have to break out my old college text books - but I would definitely burn significantly more calories.

In case you're not familiar with my writing, I'm not a big advocate of doing regular cardio activity. Steady state cardio is fine if you are preparing for endurance competition, but is overrated for fat loss in my opinion. Yes, you can find many runners who are very lean, but you can also find many people who do cardio only workouts who are not that lean. Some have a downright "soft" appearance.

If you are walking or doing the elliptical machine because that is all your joints can handle, than that is fine. I believe most people with physical limitations should still do light walking or some type of water exercise to keep their muscles and joints from getting even stiffer. If this is your case, start out with mild walking for 10-15 minutes and slowly build up your exercise endurance.

Any movement should help you feel better and give some health benefits. If you are currently doing nothing, 15 minutes of daily movement can still benefit you. It increases the circulation to your muscles and joints, lubricating your joints in synovial fluid. This movement will also increase the circulation of your lymphatic system, which unlike the blood, is totally dependent on motion to push lymphatic fluid through your body, helping remove toxins.

I actually get most of my cardio from my strength training workouts. By choosing exercises that involve several muscles such as pushups, pullups, squats, and lunges, I can get my heart rate up fairly easily. I combine these exercises into a circuit where I go from one exercise to the next with little rest in between. By doing this I get a lot of work done in about 30 minutes, with my heart rate elevated the entire time.

This way I get cardiovascular benefits at the same time I strengthen my muscles.....and bones. Don't forget about bone mass. Baby Boomers should be concerned as much about keeping their bone mass as they should about keeping their hearts healthy. This efficient exercise, known as interval training, allows me to get a lot of work done in a short amount of time, ensuring that lack of time is no excuse for not exercising.

So if not planning on running half marathons or triathlons, interval training and interval cardio exercise is more efficient and more manageable for most busy people, provided you are healthy enough for this more intense activity.

Then, you can take nice enjoyable walks to add in a little extra calorie burning. You can also use this time to relax and spend time with someone else or just clear your own mind and reduce your stress levels, something we all could use in this fast-paced world of ours.

Warm Water Exercise for Fibromyalgia:

A recent study involving women with Fibromyalgia and warm water exercise was cited in Science Daily. People who suffer with Fibromyalgia have chronic inflammation in their muscles and the cause is not widely known. 90% of those affected are women.

This study looked at the effects of warm water exercise in a supervised program. Seventeen women participated in these one hour workouts, 3 times a week for 8 months. This was done in a waist deep pool heated to 91 degrees.

This particular design was found to be effective in reducing symptoms and improving their health-related quality of life. A previous study by the same researchers found that most of the gains achieved in a 12 week program were lost after a similar period of inactivity. This would suggest the need for a longer program or a maintenance program.

You should already know some of my thoughts. If at all possible, you need to do some type of movement to keep your muscles and joints from getting stiffer than they already are. This movement may not cure your particular condition, but it can help make it more manageable.

I have recently wrote about other Fibro studies that showed an improvement with exercise. Of course, you should start out slow and gradually increase the amount of time you are moving. Notice I said moving and not exercising. Getting even 15 minutes of movement here and there can help.

The researchers haven't yet compared the water exercise to more accessible and cheaper forms of exercise such as low-impact aerobics, walking and Tai Chi. If nothing else, you might try walking at a moderate pace for 15 minutes and gradually increasing this as your body adapts.

You might be interested in reading my article, Exercise Helps Women with Fibromyalgia

Core Training for Baby Boomers:

Even if you are a non-exerciser, you've probably heard of core training and its importance in preventing low back pain. You've heard me talk about the importance of keeping your legs strong to help prevent falls and to maintain your mobility, now its time to address your midsection.

Your core consists of your abs and back muscles, along with the hips. Strengthening these muscles can improve your golf game, help protect your back, along with helping to prevent osteoporosis.

Swinging a golf club places a lot of stress on your back. If these muscles aren't strong you are at an increased risk of injury. Same goes for preventing osteoporosis. Changes in hormone levels may make women prone to this, so they need to do proper strength training to keep as much bone mass, as possible.

To make your exercise time more efficient, I like to have my clients do "core training" while on their feet. You can do this by using cable machines or resistance bands. Resistance bands are like thick rubber bands that you use to exercise.

By having someone do pushing and pulling exercises while standing, you strengthen your abs and low back at the same time you strengthen your upper body..... pretty efficient, if you ask me.
Because you are also standing you also work your legs a little, which can help with your balance.

Remember my balance advice? If you want to have greater balance while standing you need to challenge your muscles in a standing position. Same with your core - if you want more stability while swinging a golf club, you need to challenge these muscles in a standing position. This is more specific than doing everything while lying down.

This doesn't mean that I don't have my clients do core exercises on the floor, because I do. But at some point, you need to be strong and stable in a standing position. One way to do this would be to do some dumbbell exercises, or you could use a cable machine at the healthclub.

Another method would be using resistance band exercises. When you push or pull on the bands they tend to pull you back toward the secured end. This adds stability to your midsection that can decrease your risk of injury.

This added strength can also make your everyday activities easier to do. Decreasing the amount of time you spend exercising because of this efficiency isn't a bad idea either.

Strengthening Muscles Will Reduce Falls:

This is the title of a syndicated article that appeared in the paper this week. You may recall the article on Balance 101 that I did last week. Interesting timing. I'm not the only one that finds this topic interesting.

Someone wrote the authors of this article with a question about osteoporosis. She is 53 and recently diagnosed with this loss of bone mass and her 80 year old mother had fallen and broken a hip.

Did you know that for people 65 and older, fall related injuries are the leading cause of accidental death?

Osteoporosis is related to bone fractures in this population. Slowed reflexes, decreased balance, and weak muscles also play a role. The authors advise strength training to help reduce this risk of falls. Sound familiar?

They also point out that those with sore joints should keep moving to keep things from getting worse. I couldn't agree more. Movement is medicine, in my mind. You may have to choose activities that don't place a lot of stress on your joints, such as swimming or water exercise.

They mention things that can affect your balance, such as poor eyesight, poor posture and medications. I guess I'm not the only one who thinks that poor posture needs to be worked on.

Muscle weakness, balance and reflex issues can all be prevented in most cases with regular strength training. If you do regular strength training before you reach your 50's, you will reduce the chance of having problems with osteoporosis and falling in the first place.

If you already have some issues you can start with gradual exercises that involve your bodyweight, such as step-ups, squats, and bridges. If you don't already have these problems, don't wait until you do, to try and fix them. Try a little prevention.

Click here to read my article on Balance 101 - fall prevention.

Stretching and the Power Plate:

The Power Plate whole body vibration platform is a great tool for stretching. Close to 30 professional sports teams use it with their athletes, primarily as part of their warmup. With around 30 reflex muscle contractions per second, you get the muscles warmed up in no time.

All those muscle contractions occur while you are holding a stretch for thirty seconds. Besides creating a lot of heat in the muscle and connective tissue, those contractions also make a change in your nervous system. The end result is greater flexibility in a relatively short amount of time.

That's one of the reasons athletes use vibration platforms - it speeds up the warmup process and gets you ready for the movements to follow. If you're not an athlete but need to increase your flexibility, the Power Plate can help with that.

If you've read my articles before, you know that I am a big movement person. I believe that most of us don't move enough and thus aren't as healthy as we should be. Many of the physical problems I've dealt with in clinic settings have been movement related - not enough of some movements and too much of others (overuse injuries).

Which is why I generally advocate movements such as joint mobility or some type of dynamic stretching, in order to move more efficiently and to be flexible in motion, which is more important than being flexible in a stationary position.

Whole body vibration platforms offer a perfect solution as whether to do static (stationary) stretching or do some type of movement to increase your flexibility. Do static stretching with a Power Plate and then do some type of movement afterwards to get the best of both worlds.

Combining these techniques will give you a synergistic effect, where the sum total is more than either of the parts on their own.

If you don't have access to a WBV platform you can do some type of self-massage first, to release tension in your muscles. When you have tense muscles that may have some triggerpoints, they won't stretch as easy and will quickly return to their previous length.

Golf Fitness - Chasing Tiger:

You may never play golf like Tiger Woods but you can play better by focusing on your fitness levels. Yesterday, while flipping channels on the TV and occasionally napping, I caught some golf action. Phil Mickelson ended up winning this particular tournament.

One of the commentators noticed a much slimmer Mickelson and also said that his playing partner had lost weight. Its no secret that Tiger Woods is the best golfer in the world. Its also no secret that he works hard to stay in shape.

Yes, he works hard on his golf game and is highly skilled and also highly driven. This hard work carries over to his fitness workouts. You can take one look at his physique to see that this is the case. While many golfers have less than impressive physiques - John Daly comes to mind - staying fit has definitely helped Tiger.

Besides adding some power to your swing, doing some strength training will help support your lower back, an area vulnerable to injury. Between the speed of the golf swing and all the twisting, your low back is at risk of injury.

So if you aren't looking to take on Tiger or any of the PGA players you can still benefit from some off the course training. Flexibility is definitely needed and often lost as you get older. Strength is also gradually lost without specific training. Baby Boomers and Seniors looking to play golf as long as possible should consider a golf fitness program.

This would include core training to support and strengthen your back. Simple exercises with dumbbells and/or bodyweight will help with your strength and also help your muscles from getting too stiff. You don't have to start a bodybuilding program and you don't have to spend hours at the gym, either.

You should be doing something to stay healthy and fight the aging process anyway, but if that isn't your priority for whatever reason, it will definitely improve your golf game and reduce your risk of injury. Let's face it.... you can't play much golf if your back is sore.

For more info check out these articles:

joint mobility training, golf fitness, core training for a strong back and abs

Balance 101 - Trying to Prevent Falling:

We're still in Winter's icy grasp here in the Midwest. More snow this season than in the past couple of years and the temps have been plenty cool to boot.

Along with plenty of shoveling comes plenty of fender benders, plenty of falls on the ice as well. Local hospitals have reported many visits for cuts, bruises, and other injuries.

I've slipped quite a few times myself. Many times after a "light" snowfall that was just enough to cover the ground..... or the ice as it turns out. A couple of times I slipped on ice that was as smooth as glass underneath the snow.

So how did I manage not to fall this Winter? Simple, I do plenty of strength exercises for my legs and hips - many of them while standing, to increase my balance and coordination. Leg strength is one of the factors in preventing a fall, whether it be ice or whatever.

Granted, I'm probably a few years younger than some of you, but I'm also probably a lot taller. At about 6' 5", I have a pretty high center of gravity..... which should make me more susceptible to falls than someone much shorter.

But by doing plenty of exercise in a standing position my balance and coordination is enhanced. Here is a video that shows some of the exercises I do for my lower body:

Increased Fitness Doesn't Always Mean Being Lean:

Continuing our recent discussions, you can have increased levels of fitness and health without looking like a fitness model. Just because you don't lose a lot of weight with exercise doesn't mean that you aren't healthier or in better shape.

Your eating habits have a lot to do with how lean you are. Doing resistance training to increase your strength makes life's daily activities easier. It also helps protect your joints and allows you to maintain your mobility as you get older.

I've met plenty of people who exercise regularly but still have a couple extra pounds. But this is still better than the "skinny" person who doesn't exercise, but may appear healthy on the outside. At one of the healthclubs I worked at, one gentleman who was around 70 or so, was a regular exerciser and had a protruding stomach about the size of a volleyball.

Yet, he was stronger and in better shape than those his age who do nothing. Its well known that obesity carries an increased risk of diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. So while trying to lose excess weight is always a healthy choice, having a couple extra pounds, but exercising regularly can be okay.

For example, a few years back I did personal training with two women in their mid 40's. These women were best friends and their families did a lot of activities together. They would carry on a conversation while I put them through their exercises. They worked hard but also got in their social time this way.

It worked out well as one would do the exercise and then switch with the other. This way they were able to get a lot of work done in a short amount of time, while keeping their heart rate up. Their overall strength and endurance increased with these intense "buddy" workouts. While I would have liked to have seen a couple more pounds lost with one of them, there are other factors such as diet that play a role in fat loss.

In any case, one of them told me about a hike in the mountains that she went on with her teenage daughter and some other teenagers. All the work in the weight room paid off as she was able to keep up with the "kids." She also said that some of the girls were huffing and puffing a little, but she was fine.

Just goes to show that outward appearances aren't the whole story when it comes to health and fitness. You should strive to keep your bodyfat levels under control, but maintaining or building your strength with resistance training is very important. This will also help with your mobility.

You know me, try to work on your posture first to make your exercise more efficient. Good posture is also important for avoiding injuries and reducing the stress on your joints. By focusing on these things and getting adequate movement, you can feel better and be healthier as you age.

For more information, read my article Resistance training can reverse the aging process.

Increased Movement for Better Health:


In a recent article, I talked about a new proposal for physical activity - an optimal level and a basic level of movement. A basic level would be a minimum amount of activity to increase your health.

Without adequate movement in your week, you are sure to be at increased risk for disease and dysfunction. You are certain to end up with stiff, achy joints and probably lose some of your mobility as you get older.

Do you recall how much activity is required to see an increase in your fitness? According to one study - as little as 75 minutes per week! If you broke that up per day it would be just over 10 minutes a day of physical activity. Something virtually anyone can achieve.

Whether you have Fibromyalgia or some other physical problem you can walk for 10 minutes a day. Just 10 minutes a day of walking or Tai Chi will give you more health benefits than doing nothing!

And it can help you feel better in the process. You know that your immune system is dependent on movement for proper function, don't you? Your lymphatic fluid - part of your immune system - doesn't have a built-in pump, like the heart, which circulates your blood throughout your body.

So this lymphatic fluid is dependent on your muscles moving to circulate this precious fluid, which helps eliminate toxins in your body. So even if you have some physical disabilities, most of you are capable of walking for 10-15 minutes a day to improve your level of health.

By starting slow and gradual like this, you can then safely progress to 20-30 minutes of continuous movement. Or on days that you have limited time, even getting in 12-15 minutes of walking will help. Remember, at the end of the week its the total amount of activity that counts and not how much was done in one session.

Obviously, this is different than those seeking optimal levels of fitness, but this is the minimum that you need. Even if you never progress further, this small amount of movement is better than doing nothing..... and who knows, you may find that you can do more exercise than you imagined.

One thing that might help for those with limited mobility or achy joints is water exercise. Water is joint friendly and allows you to increase your activity in a safe and gentle manner. Its easier for many to move in the water than on land, so consider that as an option.

I found out about a revolutionary method of combining water and land exercise not long ago. The Burdenko Method combines deep water exercise with land exercises to help with many pain syndromes. A program of water activity combined with walking may be what's needed to help you feel better and reduce pain, or reduce the chance of losing your mobility as you age.

If nothing else, walk up and down the stairs of your house a couple times and then repeat this regimen here and there throughout the day. This by itself isn't going to take off any pounds, but it can help you be healthier.

Local Bike Enthusiast Dies at 90:

A few days ago, a local man who spent much of his retirement riding his bike and collecting aluminum cans, passed away. I passed this unique gentleman several times while out walking or riding my bike.

I've told you in the past of my love for water. After spending three years in the Southeast, where the ocean wasn't too far away, I now spend as much time as possible near the Mississippi River. Whether walking or bike riding, being near the water and seeing other people and wildlife appeals to me.

After coming back to the Midwest, I noticed this elderly man who could always (it seemed) be found on the pathway near this mighty river. He would stop and collect aluminum cans as he road one of his bikes. One was a three wheeler and I believe he had one or two others that he occasionally road.

He would always say hello whenever we passed, but I never actually talked to him. According to the local paper, he loved to meet people along the bike path and also wanted to stay active. His wife said that he feared ending up in a nursing home.

He would be out there on his bike as long as the temperatures and weather weren't too severe. This past Spring I didn't see him out there so I assumed he had died. But I saw him once or twice in the Summer time and knew he was still around.

No matter what, he would be wearing bib overalls. Apparently, he slowed down a little recently and passed away quickly. If you ask me, that's the way to do it - stay active in your retirement years, living a long life and avoiding a long stay in a nursing home or hospital.

Now I know that some people will do all the right things, such as exercising and eating right and still end up with some disease or poor health, but if you just leave it to chance, your odds of having poor health and disease are much greater.

If more people lived their retirement years like the "can man" and stayed active, our nursing homes wouldn't be as full as they are.... or will be with all the Baby Boomers approaching their retirement years.

Taking a proactive approach to health instead of a reactive one seems to make more sense doesn't it? Don't wait until something is wrong to try and fix it, try to prevent it in the first place. Try to get a little more movement into your daily life and see what happens.

For more information on physical activity and anti aging, click here.

Daily Exercise Can Reduce Death Rates in Men:

A recent article published in Science Daily looked at a study on how exercise effects the risk of death in black and white males. Researchers had the men complete a treadmill test and labeled them with different fitness levels.

They then followed these men for several years afterwards and compiled data on them. The researchers noted that it takes only a moderate level of exercise to gain these health benfits. A brisk walk of 30 minutes 5-6 days a week will increase your health.

They also noted that those who couldn't achieve 30 minutes in one session could break this up into separate sessions. The benefits would be the same. Those subjects that were found to be 'highly fit" had half the risk of death compared to those who were in the "low fit" category.

Building on some of my recent posts, you could say that it doesn't take that much physical activity to see increased health benefits. You could also say that doing exercise of greater intensity, such as strength training would yield even better results than doing moderate exercise.

Remember, in the article on resistance (strength) training that seniors were able to make changes in their cellular chemistry. They reversed the cellular decline that was attributed to aging. They also improved their strength levels 50% in six months time.

Trying to maintain strength levels are important in maintaining mobility as you age. Lean muscle tissue is important to your metabolism, as well as maintaining bone mass and joint integrity - trying to prevent injuries.

By combining both of these exercise types - walking and strength training, you stand a greater chance of avoiding diseases associated with obesity, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Exercise truly is medicine.

For those who might have a difficult time exercising due to physical problems, the Power Plate may provide an alternative. Whole body vibration platforms can build bone mass and lean muscle tissue, while helping with balance issues. A pretty efficient way to fight the aging process.

For more information on the Power Plate, click here.

Moderate Activity Can Increase Health:

More than a few studies done in the last several years point to the increased health benefits that come from moderate activity. Depending on who you listen to, you may hear different advice on how much exercise we need for our health.

One study showed that as little as 75 minutes a week of moderate physical activity can improve fitness levels. Low levels of fitness are associated with an increased risk of heart disease and diabetes. We all know that we need to exercise for our health, but many feel that they just don't have the time.

My proposal is that there are two different levels of physical activity which lead to health benefits - the optimal level and the basic level. The optimal level would include forms of physical activity which lead to an increased metabolism and decreased levels of bodyfat. Excess bodyfat is known to carry an increased risk of disease.

This optimal level isn't necessarily the same as training for elite sports performance, but would be similar in that people would have good levels of strength, bone mass, flexibility, endurance and low bodyfat levels. The specific training methods could be left to the individual, as there are many different ways to achieve this.

For those who don't like to exercise or don't think they have enough time, the basic level of fitness will still yield health benefits, probably not as much as the optimal level, though. Basic exercises that help maintain strength, bone mass, and mobility are needed.

A moderate walking program will help with these goals. Simple strength exercises such as pushups, bodyweight squats, lunges, etc. Exercises that can be done at home with little to no equipment. Dumbbells are a great way to do simple home exercises.

One study suggested that physical activity such as walking, and leg strength were important predictors of mobility decline in the elderly. Many seniors have trouble with things like getting up from a chair, climbing stairs, and bending over to pick something off the floor. This is where leg strength comes into play.

Something as simple as walking at a moderate pace can help keep your mobility. A brisk walk for 30 minutes a day, 6 times a week can reduce the risk of Metabolic Syndrome, something an estimated 25% of US adults have.

If you can't walk for 30 minutes or more at one time, break it up into morning and evening sessions. At the end of the day, 30 minutes of activity is 30 minutes, regardless of whether you did it all at once or in three different sessions. In this way, your weekly activity can add up to something that will give you some basic health improvements.

This may be short of the optimal level, but is still much better than sitting on your butt and doing nothing at all! We should be promoting at least basic levels of strength and activity to keep your mobility as you age.

If you don't like to exercise you still need to do some basic activity to increase your health.