The stress placed on muscles, tendons and ligaments from repetitive sports playing over the course of a lifetime is strenuous on joints. It’s not a coincidence that many still active baby boomers, as well as professional athletes are having to go under the knife to replace worn out knees and hips.
One of the ways you can try to prevent the need for surgery is to incorporate a strength and resistance training program into your workouts, if you participate in a sport.
Sport-specific training is essential to improving your game, whether it’s basketball, baseball, running, tennis, golf or figure skating. Working out off-ice or off-court, depending on your sport, improves endurance, increases muscle strength and power, and increases flexibility, which can add height to a jump, shave time off a race or power one’s golf swing.
The key is to train to enhance your game, not exhaust your body. Unfortunately the “no pain, no gain” mentality of the past is still present in fitness classes and on gym floors. Working to exhaustion in hopes of speeding up results depletes vital energy needed to play your sport. It also increases the likelihood of injury both on and off of the court.
A well-designed sport specific fitness program will reduce and even prevent injury both short and long term.
A well-designed program should include strengthening the musculature around all of the joints, which will reduce strain on the joint capsule, and surrounding structures including ligaments, tendons and bursas. Repetitive training injuries are usually located in one or more of these structures.
A solid strength-training program designed specifically for the sport can greatly reduce the strain placed on the body. The program should include:
• Pre-game/race/competition warm-up techniques
• Proper body mechanics for the sport
• Exercises that enhance the game
• Avoiding exercises that are counterproductive
• Metabolic training for increased clearance of lactate build-up to enhance endurance
• Stretching techniques for a mandatory cool down, something very few athletes do after a game.
In addition, many sports including figure skating, tennis, golf, baseball and basketball have a dominant side. This means that one side of the body is trained and developed to a higher degree than the other. Figure skaters jump to one side, tennis players and golfers swing with one arm as do pitchers throw with one arm.
A comprehensive training program should favor the non-dominant side so that the body becomes more balanced and stable. Train the non-dominant side more than the dominant side until it catches up in strength and power.
Ideally you should strength train two or three days a week, leaving at least one day of rest between workouts but no more than two for optimal results.
The best plan of action for following a sport-specific training program is to work with a personal trainer familiar with your sport. This person will be able to create a regimen geared just for you. He/she will be able to watch your form and technique and be able to progress the program in a sound and structured way.
If a trainer is not in your budget, search the web for training programs. You can do a search by typing strength training plus the sport, i.e. “strength training for basketball.” Use sound judgment when sorting through the myriad websites available. A good program will offer different programs for different athletic levels. Make sure to be realistic about your level. Better to err on the easy side than overdo it and be sidelined by injury.
Deborah Brooks is an ACSM Certified Personal Trainer and a Certified Fitness Instructor through UCLA. She is the co-owner of edgeworX sport-fitness, a company founded on the belief that there is an athlete in all of us. Deborah is also an International Adult Figure Skating Gold Medalist.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Sustainable Fitness
The concept of sustainability is on most or our minds due to the dire need to keep our planet in balance. We can transfer this mindful concept to fitness regimens, as it is essential that we keep our bodies in balance for quality of life and longevity. Finding a program that takes into consideration the future not just the present moment of getting in shape fast is the key to exercise compliance, which leads to sustainability.
Despite all of the hype promoted by gyms, infomercials, celebrities, friends and family, if a fitness regimen is not for you, you won’t stick with it.
How do you find what you can sustain among the myriad of exercise programs and classes available out there? You’ve got to find what triggers joy and excitement in you. It will most likely suit your natural biorhythms and body type.
There is a saying in athletics; we don’t find our sport, our sport finds us.
Here are some questions you can ask yourself to help you start investigating who you are and who you are not.
Becoming conscious of what triggers passion in you will help lead you to your true fitness calling.
1- What sport did I like to do as a kid? What sport did I hate?
2- What sport did I fantasize and maybe still fantasize being a champion in?
3- What tempo do I live by? What tempo can’t I live by?
4- Am I a group person or more of a loner?
5- Do I like to sweat? Do I hate to sweat?
6- Do I love to dance at weddings? Do I hate to dance at weddings?
7- What music do I like? What music do I hate?
8-Am I self motivated? Do I need bit of prodding?
- If you’re a loner, love to sweat and like speed you might try running or cycling.
-If you hate loud booming music and hate to dance at weddings, you guessed it; you might not want to tag along with a friend to a Hip-Hop class.
-If you love to dance to the beat and love groups try Zumba, Hip-Hop or take a Salsa lesson.
-If you always wanted to be Mickey Mantle and love groups find yourself a softball league and join a team.
-If you need a little prodding, like the idea of cross training and like personalized attention you might hire a Personal Trainer.
You get the idea.
I was an armchair figure skater my entire life dreaming of twirling on the ice as I watched the sport on television. For a year I sat in the stands watching my son skate until I got the courage to ask his coach for a lesson. I was 50. I now skate 5 days a week and travel around the world to compete. I love groups, I love to dance, I’m very musical, I had been an actress and I am fulfilling a lifelong dream. Figure skating is the perfect sport for me.
Please note that this article is not written to pigeon hole you or stop you from trying something outside of your comfort zone. It’s written to make you aware that fitness is an extension of yourself and should reflect that. Your time is precious. Spend it doing something you LOVE to do, not something that you feel you HAVE to do! It will make the choice to exercise easy, effortless and sustainable for a lifetime.
Despite all of the hype promoted by gyms, infomercials, celebrities, friends and family, if a fitness regimen is not for you, you won’t stick with it.
How do you find what you can sustain among the myriad of exercise programs and classes available out there? You’ve got to find what triggers joy and excitement in you. It will most likely suit your natural biorhythms and body type.
There is a saying in athletics; we don’t find our sport, our sport finds us.
Here are some questions you can ask yourself to help you start investigating who you are and who you are not.
Becoming conscious of what triggers passion in you will help lead you to your true fitness calling.
1- What sport did I like to do as a kid? What sport did I hate?
2- What sport did I fantasize and maybe still fantasize being a champion in?
3- What tempo do I live by? What tempo can’t I live by?
4- Am I a group person or more of a loner?
5- Do I like to sweat? Do I hate to sweat?
6- Do I love to dance at weddings? Do I hate to dance at weddings?
7- What music do I like? What music do I hate?
8-Am I self motivated? Do I need bit of prodding?
- If you’re a loner, love to sweat and like speed you might try running or cycling.
-If you hate loud booming music and hate to dance at weddings, you guessed it; you might not want to tag along with a friend to a Hip-Hop class.
-If you love to dance to the beat and love groups try Zumba, Hip-Hop or take a Salsa lesson.
-If you always wanted to be Mickey Mantle and love groups find yourself a softball league and join a team.
-If you need a little prodding, like the idea of cross training and like personalized attention you might hire a Personal Trainer.
You get the idea.
I was an armchair figure skater my entire life dreaming of twirling on the ice as I watched the sport on television. For a year I sat in the stands watching my son skate until I got the courage to ask his coach for a lesson. I was 50. I now skate 5 days a week and travel around the world to compete. I love groups, I love to dance, I’m very musical, I had been an actress and I am fulfilling a lifelong dream. Figure skating is the perfect sport for me.
Please note that this article is not written to pigeon hole you or stop you from trying something outside of your comfort zone. It’s written to make you aware that fitness is an extension of yourself and should reflect that. Your time is precious. Spend it doing something you LOVE to do, not something that you feel you HAVE to do! It will make the choice to exercise easy, effortless and sustainable for a lifetime.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Fitness Tips For The Traveler
Traveling for pleasure or business disrupts our daily routines including our fitness routines. Long flights, time changes and new environments can throw off our equilibrium and sense of place. Then add the breadbasket, local food specialties, the wine and decadents desserts we often can’t resist, and weeks of strength and conditioning gains we’ve made at home, come undone.
Good News! There’s no need to return home unable to zip our jeans. Foresight and diligence can keep our exercise regimen on track if we take the time to plan ahead. Keeping up a regular fitness regimen will keep those extra pounds at bay that we tend to add on when away and eating every meal at restaurants. Plus, having a workout routine will alleviate jet lag and travel fatigue during the day and help us sleep better at night, often an issue with time change and hotel rooms.
Just note that traveling to a foreign country and maintaining a workout schedule can be a bit more challenging due to language and customs differences. Finding a hotel with a fitness center is a great start, but heed this warning, many foreign countries often have a different idea of what a fitness center should be compared to our American standards.
I experienced that on a recent trip to Panama City, Panama.
I was excited to see that the hotel booked by the group I was traveling with had a fitness center, according to their website, so I didn’t pack any of my own portable equipment or make other contingent plans. I was going to workout every morning in their gym before breakfast! I should have been suspicious when there were no photos posted on the site. The “fitness center” turned out to be a 10 x 10 room with 2 rundown treadmills and a bench press with a few sets of weights. Not very inspiring!
I had to get inventive with my workouts. It got me to thinking of other ways that I could have planned for exercising while traveling and have put together a list for you. With these tips, there’s no reason not to keep in shape on your next business trip or vacation. Just think how great it will feel to come home tight, toned and maybe wearing loose fitting jeans!
- Be a hotel workout sleuth! If the hotel booked by your group offers a fitness center, e-mail the concierge personally for more information. Ask for specific information on hours, fees, equipment, etc. Is there a pool? Pack your bathing suit and goggles. This way you can plan your workouts ahead of arrival and around your schedule. If you are choosing your own hotel, take the time to find one with a well-equipped center. See if an all- inclusive package is available. It will motivate you to workout more than having to pay a hefty daily fee to use the facilities.
-Use your hotel room! Travel with light fitness equipment such as resistance bands and yoga straps which take up no space in your luggage. Add a light yoga mat if you can fit it in your bag. If you can’t pack a mat, a bath towel can be a substitute. A chair or desktop can be used as a ballet bar for balance exercises. Pack your favorite fitness DVD’s or download fitness apps onto your laptop, ipad or phone. Your hotel room is a 24- hour fitness center for you.
-Take a Class! Yoga, Pilates and Dance Studios can be found worldwide. They are usually pay-per-class facilities so no initiation or membership fees are required. Don’t worry about not knowing the language if you’re abroad. I took a Pilates class in Spanish and I don’t speak the language. The instructor was very accommodating to my needs. I used visual cues to follow along. It was fantastic! Trust me, it will challenge you to remain very present to the workout. Plus, you’ll be participating with the locals, a great way to get to know the citizens of another country.
-Be a city planner! Get a detailed city/town map and If the weather permits, go for a run or power walk. There’s no better way to discover a new place than by foot. Burning extra calories makes it so much more rewarding. Look at the sights and take in the sounds of your new environment. Take yourself off the beaten path promoted in guidebooks for a more interesting and intimate experience. Just make sure that the areas you choose are safe for tourists. Remember to carry your ID and a bit of cash for emergencies.
-Think outside the box! Investigate guided bike and hiking tours. They’re usually very affordable and a lot of fun. Having a guided tour is another fantastic to way to see a city while getting in a great aerobic workout.
-Use the stairs! Put on your fitness shoes and run up and down the hotel stairs. It’s heart pounding as well as a dynamic leg workout. Free with no weather constraints.
-Keep your word! Make the decision to commit to keeping up your fitness routine before you even pack your bags. Schedule it into your itinerary as if it’s an important business meeting. Just be prepared to be flexible about the schedule. This will ensure that any unplanned travel obstacles don’t hamper your workouts.
-Pack your fitness clothes! It’s important to have no excuses not to workout! Make sure that you pack the right clothes for the weather. Most weather websites have a 10-day forecast so you can plan well in advance of packing your suitcase.
Good News! There’s no need to return home unable to zip our jeans. Foresight and diligence can keep our exercise regimen on track if we take the time to plan ahead. Keeping up a regular fitness regimen will keep those extra pounds at bay that we tend to add on when away and eating every meal at restaurants. Plus, having a workout routine will alleviate jet lag and travel fatigue during the day and help us sleep better at night, often an issue with time change and hotel rooms.
Just note that traveling to a foreign country and maintaining a workout schedule can be a bit more challenging due to language and customs differences. Finding a hotel with a fitness center is a great start, but heed this warning, many foreign countries often have a different idea of what a fitness center should be compared to our American standards.
I experienced that on a recent trip to Panama City, Panama.
I was excited to see that the hotel booked by the group I was traveling with had a fitness center, according to their website, so I didn’t pack any of my own portable equipment or make other contingent plans. I was going to workout every morning in their gym before breakfast! I should have been suspicious when there were no photos posted on the site. The “fitness center” turned out to be a 10 x 10 room with 2 rundown treadmills and a bench press with a few sets of weights. Not very inspiring!
I had to get inventive with my workouts. It got me to thinking of other ways that I could have planned for exercising while traveling and have put together a list for you. With these tips, there’s no reason not to keep in shape on your next business trip or vacation. Just think how great it will feel to come home tight, toned and maybe wearing loose fitting jeans!
- Be a hotel workout sleuth! If the hotel booked by your group offers a fitness center, e-mail the concierge personally for more information. Ask for specific information on hours, fees, equipment, etc. Is there a pool? Pack your bathing suit and goggles. This way you can plan your workouts ahead of arrival and around your schedule. If you are choosing your own hotel, take the time to find one with a well-equipped center. See if an all- inclusive package is available. It will motivate you to workout more than having to pay a hefty daily fee to use the facilities.
-Use your hotel room! Travel with light fitness equipment such as resistance bands and yoga straps which take up no space in your luggage. Add a light yoga mat if you can fit it in your bag. If you can’t pack a mat, a bath towel can be a substitute. A chair or desktop can be used as a ballet bar for balance exercises. Pack your favorite fitness DVD’s or download fitness apps onto your laptop, ipad or phone. Your hotel room is a 24- hour fitness center for you.
-Take a Class! Yoga, Pilates and Dance Studios can be found worldwide. They are usually pay-per-class facilities so no initiation or membership fees are required. Don’t worry about not knowing the language if you’re abroad. I took a Pilates class in Spanish and I don’t speak the language. The instructor was very accommodating to my needs. I used visual cues to follow along. It was fantastic! Trust me, it will challenge you to remain very present to the workout. Plus, you’ll be participating with the locals, a great way to get to know the citizens of another country.
-Be a city planner! Get a detailed city/town map and If the weather permits, go for a run or power walk. There’s no better way to discover a new place than by foot. Burning extra calories makes it so much more rewarding. Look at the sights and take in the sounds of your new environment. Take yourself off the beaten path promoted in guidebooks for a more interesting and intimate experience. Just make sure that the areas you choose are safe for tourists. Remember to carry your ID and a bit of cash for emergencies.
-Think outside the box! Investigate guided bike and hiking tours. They’re usually very affordable and a lot of fun. Having a guided tour is another fantastic to way to see a city while getting in a great aerobic workout.
-Use the stairs! Put on your fitness shoes and run up and down the hotel stairs. It’s heart pounding as well as a dynamic leg workout. Free with no weather constraints.
-Keep your word! Make the decision to commit to keeping up your fitness routine before you even pack your bags. Schedule it into your itinerary as if it’s an important business meeting. Just be prepared to be flexible about the schedule. This will ensure that any unplanned travel obstacles don’t hamper your workouts.
-Pack your fitness clothes! It’s important to have no excuses not to workout! Make sure that you pack the right clothes for the weather. Most weather websites have a 10-day forecast so you can plan well in advance of packing your suitcase.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Happy New Year!
"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember you have within you the strength, the patience and the passion to reach for the stars and to change the world." -Harriet Tubman
Wishing you health, happiness and fulfilled dreams in 2011.
Wishing you health, happiness and fulfilled dreams in 2011.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Get Fit for Charity
Today's Tip: Need a good reason to motivate yourself to get moving? We've got a great one. Charity. Many organizations throughout the country sponsor walks, runs, bike races, swim meets, dance-a-thons, etc. to raise money to help others. Training for these events will help focus your workouts. When you have a long term fitness goal you'll be excited to keep up your exercise regime. Try to register as many of your friends and family to join you. Training and racing as a group propels you to keep going even when you think you've hit the wall. You'll cheer each other on as you fatigue. And the ones that don't? Have them sponsor you by the kilometer or mile instead of a lump sum. Knowing that money is riding on the finish line will keep you in the race until the end.
Sign up for a charity fitness event and do your body and the world good! Raising money for a good cause is the best motivator of all.
Sign up for a charity fitness event and do your body and the world good! Raising money for a good cause is the best motivator of all.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Slow and Steady
Today's Tip :Think “fast results” are the only way to change your body? Think again. A healthier and more realistic way to change your body is to think in terms of slow and steady results. Make food, fitness and lifestyle choices that evolve over time. This way you give your mind and body a chance to adapt to the changes occurring, gradually. You'll see lasting results and eliminate the yo-yo weight syndrome.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Eight Ways Exercise Can Change Your Life Besides Hoping To Get That Perfect Booty
We’re all drawn to fitness promotions by the sleek bodies portrayed in ads. Promises of 6 pack abs and buns of steel lure millions of us into signing up for gym memberships, buying exercise gear and calling 800 numbers seen on fitness infomercials, daily. Hey, we all want to look great in our jeans, there’s nothing wrong with that.
Unfortunately,more often than not, the lure of looking good soon fades. And what happens? We end up with dusty fitness DVDs, a treadmill clothes rack or a gym card buried somewhere in the junk drawer.
Sound familiar? How do we overcome the malaise that sets in once the initial excitement of getting in shape passes? Easy. We change our thinking. The best results of exercise are what’s internal, those changes occurring under our skin that we can’t always see. Research shows that those who focus more on the health benefits of exercise as opposed to the visual results have better long term compliance.
If you’re one of those people that’s craving to get “that great body” but just can’t stick to a regular fitness program try focusing your mental energy on how you’ll feel as opposed to how you’ll look. There’s nothing more addicting than feeling good. Here are 8 ways that working out will definitely help you feel better. Use this list to motivate you to pop in that DVD, get on the treadmill or drive to the gym for a great workout, even when you’re dog tired after a long day.
1 - Increases circulation and blood flow throughout the body. This is the key to the many benefits of exercise that we discuss, whether you do hardcore cardiovascular workouts, strength training, practice yoga or go for a walk. Improved circulation perfuses oxygen rich blood to nerve endings, muscles, the heart, skin and all other vital organs for better function.
2 -Helps you sleep when you want to sleep. Exercise is known to reduce stress, the number one reason most of us can’t get to sleep or stay asleep. Millions of us are popping sleep aids to get some shut eye every night. Get in a good workout 3-5 times a week and you’ll be lost in dreamland as your head hits the pillow.
3 -Helps you stay focused and alert at work and at daily tasks. Improved circulation to the cardiovascular system and to the brain helps give you more energy, which in turn helps you stay focused. Plus, if you’re sleeping better at night you’ll have more stamina and better concentration during the day.
4 -Prevents disease. The risk of many diseases such as CAD (coronary artery disease) obesity and certain cancers can be greatly reduced and even eliminated by a regular fitness program . Sedentary lifestyle is considered as severe a threat to our health as smoking a pack of cigarettes a day.
5 -Improves mood and sense of well-being. Endorphins, our body’s natural feel-good chemical compounds, are released from nerve endings in our our brain and spinal chord when we exercise. Feeling depressed? Go for a run or walk, get to the gym, take a dance class. Our motto is ”an hour of fitness a day keeps the need for Prozac away!”
6 - Lowers resting blood pressure (hypertension). Exercise strengthens your heart and makes it more efficient at pumping blood to your body. This keeps vessel walls open reducing the pressure.
7 - Improves skin tone by 1) aiding the production of collagen 2) toning muscles that help improve the appearance of skin and reduce the appearance of cellulite 3) sweat from exercise flushing the body of toxins found in the environment.
8 - Increases your libido. That means better and more sex! Need we say more?
Okay, we’ll explain it. When exercise circulates more blood to the body, especially the hip and pelvic region it also increases blood flow to the groin area helping increase desire. Cardiovascular workouts will give you more stamina when in bed, plus improved muscle tone and flexibility make the experience more enjoyable. The endorphins elevated from exercise are similar to those from sex. As we said earlier, feeling good is addicting and you’ll carry that over with you to the bedroom.
Unfortunately,more often than not, the lure of looking good soon fades. And what happens? We end up with dusty fitness DVDs, a treadmill clothes rack or a gym card buried somewhere in the junk drawer.
Sound familiar? How do we overcome the malaise that sets in once the initial excitement of getting in shape passes? Easy. We change our thinking. The best results of exercise are what’s internal, those changes occurring under our skin that we can’t always see. Research shows that those who focus more on the health benefits of exercise as opposed to the visual results have better long term compliance.
If you’re one of those people that’s craving to get “that great body” but just can’t stick to a regular fitness program try focusing your mental energy on how you’ll feel as opposed to how you’ll look. There’s nothing more addicting than feeling good. Here are 8 ways that working out will definitely help you feel better. Use this list to motivate you to pop in that DVD, get on the treadmill or drive to the gym for a great workout, even when you’re dog tired after a long day.
1 - Increases circulation and blood flow throughout the body. This is the key to the many benefits of exercise that we discuss, whether you do hardcore cardiovascular workouts, strength training, practice yoga or go for a walk. Improved circulation perfuses oxygen rich blood to nerve endings, muscles, the heart, skin and all other vital organs for better function.
2 -Helps you sleep when you want to sleep. Exercise is known to reduce stress, the number one reason most of us can’t get to sleep or stay asleep. Millions of us are popping sleep aids to get some shut eye every night. Get in a good workout 3-5 times a week and you’ll be lost in dreamland as your head hits the pillow.
3 -Helps you stay focused and alert at work and at daily tasks. Improved circulation to the cardiovascular system and to the brain helps give you more energy, which in turn helps you stay focused. Plus, if you’re sleeping better at night you’ll have more stamina and better concentration during the day.
4 -Prevents disease. The risk of many diseases such as CAD (coronary artery disease) obesity and certain cancers can be greatly reduced and even eliminated by a regular fitness program . Sedentary lifestyle is considered as severe a threat to our health as smoking a pack of cigarettes a day.
5 -Improves mood and sense of well-being. Endorphins, our body’s natural feel-good chemical compounds, are released from nerve endings in our our brain and spinal chord when we exercise. Feeling depressed? Go for a run or walk, get to the gym, take a dance class. Our motto is ”an hour of fitness a day keeps the need for Prozac away!”
6 - Lowers resting blood pressure (hypertension). Exercise strengthens your heart and makes it more efficient at pumping blood to your body. This keeps vessel walls open reducing the pressure.
7 - Improves skin tone by 1) aiding the production of collagen 2) toning muscles that help improve the appearance of skin and reduce the appearance of cellulite 3) sweat from exercise flushing the body of toxins found in the environment.
8 - Increases your libido. That means better and more sex! Need we say more?
Okay, we’ll explain it. When exercise circulates more blood to the body, especially the hip and pelvic region it also increases blood flow to the groin area helping increase desire. Cardiovascular workouts will give you more stamina when in bed, plus improved muscle tone and flexibility make the experience more enjoyable. The endorphins elevated from exercise are similar to those from sex. As we said earlier, feeling good is addicting and you’ll carry that over with you to the bedroom.
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