Winter is here! If you are planning to take your workouts outdoors, take a moment to prepare to enjoy your activity safely with these 5 tips.
Perform a dynamic warm up
Stretching is not a warm up. Think back to school physical education classes. How did you begin the class? If your class warm up included neck circles, arm circles, jogging, and jumping jacks, you are already familiar with dynamic warm ups. Dynamic warm ups gradually increase your heart rate and ease of movement for your joints and muscles. Set aside 5-10 minutes pre-workout for your warm up. Begin by moving each body region through its range of motion; start small, then increase the size and speed of the motion. Here’s a sample dynamic warm up. Perform each movement 10 times:
Neck: Circles
Shoulders: Arm circles
Arms and upper back: Torso rotations
Low back: Sidebends, reaching overhead
Lower body: Air squats and multi-directional lunges
Total body heart rate elevation: Light jogging, shuffling, carioca, and burpees
2. Layer clothing
While it is tempting to dress in a complete snowsuit, be sure to layer it on. As you warm up, your core temperature elevates too. If you begin sweating, your clothes will get chilly. Dress in layers so you can shed layers as you warm up, then add them back as you cool down. This helps prevent heat illness, dehydration, and hypothermia.
3. Stay hydrated
Just 2% dehydration impairs performance, as muscles will not stretch or contract as easily. This increases the risk for muscle strains, ligament sprains, and even fractures. In cold weather, we often forget to hydrate. Drink at least one sip of water for every 15 minutes of activity. If you are participating in intense sport for greater than an hour, consider using beverages that include both fluids and electrolytes.
4. Cool down
The most overlooked opportunity for injury prevention is the cool down. Cool down brings your breathing, heart rate, muscles, and nervous system back into balance. Skipping cool down can lead to blood pooling in the legs, which can lead to a risk of passing out and falling. An easy way to get started with designing your own cool down is to repeat your dynamic warm up with two key differences:
Instead of working from small to large motion, work from large total body motion to more isolated, smaller joint motions.
Work from faster motions to slower motions, focusing on bringing your heart rate down.
The end of your cool time presents an excellent time for static stretching or yoga sequences to work on your mobility and flexibility.
5. Start small
Your body needs time to adapt to new environments, especially if you are trying new activities like a winter ski trip or marathon. Start with 15-20 minutes of cold weather conditioning 3x/week to allow your muscles and bones time to recover. If you are planning a ski or hiking trip, train for it as you would train for a sport: Create a plan and gradually work up toward the desired durations and intensities in the 1-3 months prior to the event.
Ever hear “just roll it out?” Maybe you’ve used a release ball on your feet, hips, or other places to decrease muscle tension.
Ever have questions about where to roll, or how long to hold each spot?
Dancers, athletes, and fitness enthusiasts tend to have very predictable spots of hip tension.
Here are “the big 4” key areas:
TFL— This muscle is found as you place your hand half way into the front pocket on a pair of jeans. It is a hip flexor, but it is not designed to flex the hip beyond 90 degrees. Many dancers and athletes overuse this muscle, particularly when fatigued. This overuse creates trigger points that can be decreased with use of a release ball. This muscle is also often the first to go into spasm to protect an underlying injury, so be sure to see a medical provider if you think you might be injured. There is a bone on the side of your hip (greater trochanter), as well as a bursa (fluid sac that can become inflamed); avoid these areas.
Glute max–This is a major power source for the hip. It also stabilizes your low back. Place your hands on the bony part of your pelvis (iliac crests). Slide your hand down about 1-2 inches into the muscle. You will likely find an entire rainbow of trigger points thru this rainbow shaped area. Try releasing one point at a time and pick 2-3 key spots from this region.
Piriformis–This is a major turnout muscle for the hip. It is easiest to find on a release ball when lying on your back with your leg in a bit of a turned out position. It is about 2 inches away from the tail bone, close to the bones you sit on every day (ischial tuberosities). Be mindful of the sciatic nerve. If pain is radiating below knee level or into your foot, move away.
Pectineus/Adductor–This is an inner thigh/groin muscle that can serve as a major hip stabilizer. It can best be found lying slightly face down on a ball with your toes turned out. Be careful of the artery in this area. If something is pulsing or zinging down your leg, move away.
How long should we hold each spot?
Generally, try to hold the spot for about 30-180 seconds or until the tension under the spot decreases by 50-80%. Try holding instead of continuously rolling, as we are trying to get the nervous system to decrease the signal to the overactive spots
How should we select the density of the ball?
There are many balls that can be used, ranging from those designed for self trigger point release to tennis balls and lacrosse balls. You need to be able to relax into the pressure for the trigger point release to be effective. If the ball is too hard, you will not be able to relax. If the ball is too soft, you won’t feel the effect.
How should self trigger point release feel?
Trigger points are a bit painful, but pain decreases when you hold and relax into the spot. Pain goes away when you move off of the spot. It is common for discomfort to radiate into nearby areas. However, if you feel pain radiating below knee level while performing a hip trigger point release, move away from that spot.
If you feel anything zinging or pulsing, you may have found a nerve or artery; move away from those spots. Trigger point release should not leave bruises; if it does, the ball you are using is too hard.
Summary:
I hope that this blog post has helped you identify key points where dancers and athletes often benefit from self trigger point release. What thoughts and questions do you have?
Disclaimer:
This blog post was written by Dr. Meredith Butulis for general education and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any condition.
Time changes sap our energy. Plan ahead with these 5 tips to get re-energizing sleep now. Guest written by Corey Grenz, MS Exercise Science.
The average person needs 7-8 hours of sleep every night. After you come to that realization (And respect it as humans need sleep) consider doing the following:
1) Try to go to bed/wake up at consistent times each day. According to Matthew Walker PhD, who wrote the book ‘Why We Sleep’ this is the most important change to prioritize.
2) Try to avoid sleeping more than 8 hours. When people try to catch up on sleep on the weekends it is usually due to not following habit #1. The practice of staying up extra late on the weekends and sleeping in is called ‘Social Lag’ by many experts and is nearly as bad as jet lag from traveling over different time zones.
3) Try to avoid having caffeinated beverages after 2 pm. The half life of caffeine is 4-6 hours for most people. Having it later in the day will result in half the initial amount staying in your body 4-6 hours later making it harder to fall asleep.
4) Consider taking naps that are between 10-20 minutes mid day if you need an energy boost later in the day. The practice of Siestas is common in other countries as well as Silicon Valley companies.
5) Set a ‘Sleep Reminder Alarm‘ at night one hour prior to going to bed. This is to remind you to turn off electronic devices, take a warm shower, and plan the next day prior to going to bed.
BONUS) Write down 3-5 things you are grateful for that happened that day. This will have a calming effect on you making falling asleep easier.
Dance team sections is definitely the buzz today! Congratulations to every team and tribe of supporters, as you have worked very hard to peak this season!
Coaches, if you find your team working toward state, you might wonder “what can I do right now to help my team improve kick in just a couple of weeks?”
First, let’s take a moment to consider 3 common practices to leave OUT of your plan:
1. Increase full out kicks with extra run throughs, two a days, etc. There’s a good chance your dancers already have sore hips, and many are dancing injured. Adding more reps will increase inflammation and pain, which will lead to more compensation like bent knees or lower kicks.
2. Extra partner stretching or over stretching. Over stretching can create soreness. Soreness will also limit your kick height.
3. Strengthening the hip flexors with bands, weights, or extra high knee running. It takes 4-6 weeks to gain sport performance strength. You don’t have 4-6 weeks right now. If you happen to pick an exercise that targets the TFL muscle, injuries may really increase at this point in the season.
Now, let’s look at the big 4 that you can use right now to help create instant kick improvements:
1. The standing leg– When you stand on 2 legs, the tail bone should be evenly between them. When you stand on your right leg, your tail bone should align more toward your right heel instead of being centered.
Take a moment and have your dancers practice being aware of how the tail bone needs to shift over the standing side when you move from standing on 2 feet to a parallel passe. Next, try this awareness during a kick set of 8 counts slow. Next, repeat more quickly.
When dancers can experience the subtle right to left shift, and then apply it to kick, they will pull less on their fellow dancers when hooked up in formation. That will help the upper body posture, which is also critical to kick technique.
2.The upper body– Have your dancers wear a bun or high pony tail for this drill. When you stand on 2 feet, the bun lines up over the tail bone. When you lift one leg in front of you (i.e. kick), the bun needs to travel both upward to lengthen the spine AND slightly back to be slightly behind the line of the tail bone. This allows ease of motion for the leg to lift in front of the body.
Have your dancers practice the slight backward upward movement of the bun on their heads as they alternate high knee marching, and then kick sets of 8. See how their ease of motion in getting the legs up changes.
3. The pelvis– Let’s talk about sits bones. When you are sitting, you feel two bones (ischial tuberosities) that you sit on. One is under your right buttock area, and the other is on the left. Let’s call these “sits bones.” If I’d like to perform a right front kick, the left sits bone needs to lengthen toward the floor/standing side heel. This is not a level change, but rather a sense of lengthening that will create a sturdy standing leg and opposition for ease of movement in the kicking leg. If we have a stable standing leg, we can do just about anything with the moving side.
Now, let’s think about the right leg (kicking leg). The pelvis has a hip socket toward the front side. If the dancer can orient that socket upward to face more toward the ceiling, it will free up the right kicking leg to go higher without pinching the front of the hip. Think of it like a steering wheel, or a tuck only on the kicking side. The pelvis steering wheel rotates so the front of the hip can go up toward the front. We will share some video drills later this week to help dancers feel immediate success with this complex movement.
4. The kick initiation– From a choreography standpoint, we often focus on the accent up to “whip” the top of the kick, or the accent down by pounding the feet toward the floor. If you want to see straight knees and pointy toes, then don’t delay the straight knee pointy toe motion.
Have the dancers try traditional ballet degage front, alternating sides. Have them really focus on brushing the floor so they can feel their straight knee and pointy toes before the leg elevates to 45 degrees. While high kick technique does not typically have the brush component, the dancers can still learn how to properly weight shift right to left and achieve the correct straight knee – pointy toe line before 45 degrees. This improves both technique and ease of motion in elevating the kick height.
Summary:
The secret to improvement at this point in the season is to work with alignment and sensory motor processing. These are the two areas that can lead to immediate improvement.Remember that not all cues or drills work equally for all dancers; building your toolbox over time is critical to helping more dancers achieve success. While the above tips can help immediate improvement, they can also be practiced for years on end with continued skill development.
Give these tips a try and feel free to share your experiences and thoughts here or on social media; this community is stronger together, and I hope that these tips help add to your toolbox.
This article was written by Dr. Meredith Butulis for educational purposes. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any condition.
Whether you are new to running, or an avid marathon runner, here are some tips to keep you on the road this spring!
Tip 1: Wear running shoes. Not all sneakers are equal! When running, you need footwear designed specifically for running. There are 3 major classes of running shoe (Venables):
Cushioned shoes, also called neutral shoes are for those with less than 5 degrees of pronation
Stability shoes are for those with 5-10 degrees of pronation
Motion control shoes for those with greater than 10 degrees of pronation
Pronation refers to the degree to which your arch rolls in while running. Most running stores can offer an initial assessment; if not, check with the running health providers in your area to see if they provide screens. Most runners will start with a neutral or stability shoe.
In terms of shoe length, marathon distance runners require a thumbnail’s width of space from the longest toe to the front of the shoe; short distance runners can have a little less length (Venables). There are many shoe variations available for the advanced runner, but these tips should help get you started.
Regardless of your running experience, you should generally replace your shoes every 300-500 miles (Venables)
Tip 2: Consider the surface. Running surfaces are a known factor in contributing to running injuries (Wen). Cement sidewalks are 5x harder than asphalt (Wen). Roads with a slope in them can also provoke muscle imbalances if you run the same path frequently. Running on grass will decrease the impact force, but it can be uneven and take up more energy.
So what is the right answer? If you have access to a local school or community track, this is likely to be your best bet. If not, certainly use what you have access to, but vary your path to avoid building up muscle imbalances from running the same curves and slopes all the time. If you are on a track, be sure to select days where you can alternate between clockwise and counterclockwise runs.
Tip 3: Warm up. Your warm up should be approximately 5-10 minutes in duration and your heart rate should be under your anaerobic threshold (Clark, et al). You can gain an estimate of your anaerobic threshold by calculating 180-your age (Maffetone). For example, if you are 40 years old, your estimated anaerobic threshold is 140 beats/minute.
You should also include dynamic movements in your warm up such as leg swings and arm circles; save your static/stationary stretches for post workout (Gallas; Heiderscheit & Straker)
Tip 4: Log your mileage, speed, and duration. > 40 miles/week, high intensity, and rapid increases in mileage or intensity > 10%/week have all been associated with increased risk of common running injuries (Wen).
Creating a log can help you to know if you are staying within the 10% rule. Your speed is one way of gauging intensity, but you could also use your rate of perceived exertion or heart rate if you are more familiar with these methods.
Tip 5: Film a few steps from the side view. Ideally, you can get a running analysis at your local running store or with your allied health providers in town. If not, grab a friend, or set your cell phone to record and run in front of it so that it captures your side view.
Instead of focusing on what part of your foot hits the ground first, focus more on where the foot is compared to the knee when it hits the ground. If your foot is striking the ground in front of the line of your knee, this is called an overstride. Overstriding has many associations with higher ground reaction forces to the bones, joints, and ligaments, as well as higher risks for injury (Heiderscheit & Straker).
Increase running cadence to decrease overstride with running
Figure 1 (Norman): Overstride (Red) vs. proper alignment at foot strike (green)
If you find an overstride, you can correct this by increasing your cadence. Cadence refers to the number of times your foot strikes the ground in a minute. This is different than your running speed. Speed refers to your miles per hour.
Tip 6: Calculate your cadence. Set a timer for 30 seconds. Count every time your right foot hits the ground within that 30 seconds. Multiple the number by 4. This is your cadence. For example, if your right foot hits the ground 30 times within 30 seconds, then 30 x 4 = 120. Your cadence would be 120.
While there are methods that advocate 180 as an optimal cadence, this is not always true for every individual. However, if you found that you overstride and have a cadence < 180, then increasing your cadence can help to decrease this stride length (Heiderschiet & Straker).
Once you know your cadence, you can practice cadence training. To do this, you need either a metronome or a smart phone cadence running app. Start by setting it’s beats per minute to 10% more than your current cadence. During part of your run, turn the app on and try to keep your feet on the beat. Increase the beats per minute by 10% / week until your overstride has been eliminated (Heiderscheit & Straker).
Need a sample program to get started running safely? Give this one a try! Start by repeating each week’s workout 2-3 times with at least one day off between running workouts; then try to progress to the next level.
Week
Walk
Jog
Repeat
Total Duration
1
5 minutes
1 minute
5 x
30 minutes
2
4 minutes
2 minutes
5x
30 minutes
3
3 minutes
3 minutes
5x
30 minutes
4
2 minutes
4 minutes
5x
30 minutes
(Adapted from Rehabilitation Dept, Brigham and Women’s)
In conclusion, whether you are new to outdoor running, or an experienced runner, I hope you find some of these ideas to be helpful in keeping you on the road this spring! Have a question or comment? Leave us a post! We look forward to hearing from you!
References:
Clark M, Sutton B. Lucett S. NASM Essentials of Personal Fitness Training. Jones & Bartlett:Burlington, MA. 2014.
Gallas J. Functional Rehabilitation and Prevention of Common Running Injuries. Cross Country Education.
Heiderscheit B, Straker S. The Running Course: The Next Step. North American Seminars. 2010+ version.
Spring has sprung! There are 2 major nutrition questions I receive every spring:
What diet is best to tone up or lose weight?
My calves are cramping up. What exercises fix this?
Great news, these are both answered with nutrition, and that nutrition involves drinking water and more green veggies.
Why?
Green veggies contain fiber and vitamin K (along with others). They pack a lot of hunger-satiation without a lot of calories. With people generally being more active in spring, they also sweat more, hence losing valuable electrolytes. Green veggies and water can help the body replenish to decrease muscle cramping.
Great news! Spring brings the rise of green veggies being in season to match your spring training. Here are the top in-season spring veggies to seek out & few recipe ideas:
Broccoli: Broccoli is wonderful raw with a bit of hummus. Looking for more creativity? Try these top 9 easy recipes from AllRecipes.
Pea pods: Pea pods are also a wonderful grab n’ go snack. Looking for a healthy stir fry? Try this pea pod and carrot stir fry from Eating Well.
Asparagus: Roasted or grilled are my favorites. Oven-roasting at 400 for 10 minutes provides a quick and easy side dish.
Brussels sprouts: While I enjoy them oven-roasted by themselves, many people seek more flavor. Try this shallot and balsamic glaze recipe from Skinny Taste.
Kohlrabi: Wondering what to do with this one? Oven-roasting or steaming are my go-to no-fuss favorites. It’s like cauliflower, though, you can turn it into many things! Learn more about this mysterious veggie and how to prep it at The Kitchn.
The potpourri of green leafy things: Kale, spinach, chard, and more. I’ll admit, I’m not a fan of salads, so the leafy greens go into my protein shakes. You’ll never know they are hiding there! Amp up your mix n’ match nutrient-packed shake repertoire with this amazing infographic from Precision Nutrition.
Lettuces: Romaine and butter lettuce are my top choices. They do lend themselves to the base of any salad, but they are also a great bread substitute to make healthy wraps! If you seek inspiration beyond the basic, try this Food Network recipe.
Which greens will you try next, and what are your favorite ways to enjoy them? Feel free to share thoughts and even your own favorite recipes! Let’s Go Green for spring!
Forget New Year’s Resolutions and Vision Boards, learn how to make your 2021 Strength Board
As we close out 2020, I want to thank each and every one of you for bringing forth so many of your strengths and kind hearts into such a dynamic year.
New Years bring new resolutions, but if you feel like every year brings new unfulfilled excitements that fizzle, you are not alone; you are human.
This year, I invite you to join me in a new perspective: A strength board
A strength board focuses on uncovering your authenticity, and the core elements that can persist with you in any situation or goal you set out to tackle this year.
Here’s how to build your strength board:
Start with your sticky notes. Scan the sample words below. Select words that resonate with you, writing one word down per sticky note. If words outside of this list surface, write them down too!
When you pick words that resonate, it feels like the weight of the world has been lifted from your shoulders. The words feel like something you absolutely cannot live without, even if you were on an isolated island. Do not pick words that society has taught your to think of as “the right answers.” When you pick words the community has taught you to like, you feel constrained, obligated, or pressured to please others.
Abundance
Dedication
Leadership
Responsible
Acceptance
Diversity
Learning
Responsive
Accountability
Efficient
Love
Secure
Achievement
Empathy
Loyal
Selfless
Advancement
Enthusiasm
Mindfulness
Simple
Adventure
Ethics
Motivation
Stable
Ambition
Excellence
Optimism
Strong
Appreciation
Expressiveness
Originality
Sustainable
Autonomy
Fairness
Passion
Success
Balance
Family
Performance
Teamwork
Benevolence
Friendship
Quality
Thankful
Boldness
Flexibility
Recognition
Thoughtful
Brilliance
Freedom
Security
Traditional
Calmness
Fun
Service
Transparent
Caring
Generosity
Spirituality
Trustful
Challenge
Grace
Sustainability
Understanding
Charity
Growth
Peace
Unique
Cheerfulness
Global
Perfection
Useful
Community
Happiness
Playful
Versatile
Commitment
Health
Popular
Vibrant
Compassion
Honesty
Powerful
Visionary
Cooperation
Humility
Prepared
Warm
Collaboration
Humor
Proactive
Wealthy
Consistency
Inclusiveness
Professional
Well
Contribution
Individuality
Punctual
Wise
Creativity
Innovation
Radiant
Zealous
Credibility
Intelligence
Relatable
Curiosity
Intuition
Reliable
Daring
Kindness
Resilient
Decisiveness
Knowledge
Resourceful
Once you’ve finished writing your authentic word sticky notes, count how many you have. Are you sitting with a pile of more than 10? If so, group similar words together, then assign the category a name. Narrow it down to 10 max.
Once you’ve picked your strengths, turn them into creative word art! You can use crayons & markers on paper, Power Point, or Apps.
After you create your strength board, share it! I’d love to see your work of art. I will share mine too! Post it in the Fitness Focus Fuel Facebook Page, or Post on IG and tag @dr.meredithbutulis
If your 2021 calls for a return to fitness, try these 5 tips to minimize risks of being sidelined by the “too much too fast” injuries.
1. Consistency is key. Weekend warriors get injured by doing way too much in too short of a time frame. Instead, set aside 15-30 minutes, 5 days per week to re-start your fitness.
2. Avoid the quick fix. While HIIT (high intensity intervals) do deliver results, your muscles, bones, tendons, and joints need a base first. Start with jogging or performing high intensity activity for 1 minute, followed by 4 minutes of low intensity activity. Repeat 5x for a 25 minute workout.
3. Follow the 50% rule. If you are returning to resistance training, start with 50% of your last known weight.
4. Form first. While it may be tempting to get back in shape fast, trading speed and load for poor technique will sideline or plateau your efforts. Focus on form with lighter weights first.
5. Embrace your current body. Your body has adapted to your typical activity over the past several months. You will likely find new areas that needs stretching, and strengthening. You may feel discouraged by comparing yourself today to where you were a year ago. Instead, embrace the new journey of what you can discover and build mini PRs from every week in your new fitness journey.
What if there were 3 daily habits you are already performing where slight modification could make you a better dancer?
Give these 3 modifications a try:
1.Where are your ears? Keep your ears over your shoulders. Do this at school, while walking, while driving, while texting, and most of the time while you are upright.
Why: If you hunch forward to perform daily activities, you will develop muscle imbalances that alters arm movement. The increased effort to elevate the arms overhead changes the alignment of the ribs and pelvis. This then makes proper muscle use for skills like pirouettes, various kicks, leaps, and port de bras difficult.
As a faculty member from the Pro Arte Centre in North Vancouver, Canada shared at IADMS in 2017: “You just can’t become a professional dancer with those forward posture habits.”
2. How are you sitting? Work on sitting (and sleeping) more symmetrically. This means equal weight on both sits bones, knees that are even with each other, and shoulders that face the same direction as your hips. If you like to curl up with one leg or cross a leg, then give both sides equal turns.
Why: Consistently sitting and sleeping asymmetrically while favoring one side leads to pelvis imbalances. When the pelvis is not balanced, it is very difficult to access the supporting hip rotator muscles, inner thighs, and psoas. This often leads to hip and back compensations that cause injury over time.
When dancers come to Dance Medicine based Physical Therapy, I often see this as a major area to address for “I can’t find my rotators,” “My leg just won’t go up,” and “I have snapping hip.”
3.How are you walking? Try to keep your toes mostly forward. Many dancers think that walking turned out will improve turnout, but walking in turnout actually creates injuries over time.
Why: Walking excessively turned out decreases the stability from your glutes, which are major protectors and stabilizers for the hips. It also shortens the IT Bands, which can create knee pain like patellofemoral tracking issues and IT Band syndrome. Rolling the IT Bands alone isn’t enough; the movement patterns creating the recurrent tightness and muscle imbalances need to be addressed.
Summary:
Try consistently keeping your ears over your shoulders, sitting symmetrical, and toes mostly forward when you walk. See what you notice about your technique after a week of consistent daily attention? What did you find? Share with us here to keep the discussion going.
This article was written by Dr. Meredith Butulis for educational purposes only. It was not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any condition.
Why is it that winter just brings on this fluffy feeling? Then we feel the need to jump into fitness when the swimsuit season arrives.
Good news: you aren’t alone in asking this question. I hear this question from teammates, family members, patients, friends . . . at least every day. I even ask the question myself!
More good news: if spending an hour in the gym every day isn’t your thing, there are a few daily essential habits that can really accelerate your Spring into Fitness physique changes! Even if you enjoy the gym, these foundations can help you too!
Walking – Start by aiming for 10,000 steps/day. On average, each step burns .044 kcal. Many times we walk less in the winter because it’s cold outside. For example, in the winter, I often walk 6,000 steps/day. In the spring, I often walk 10,000 steps/day. That is a 5,280 kcal difference/month. The baseline walking difference accounts for 1.5 lbs/month. Even better, walking is often aerobic; it burns fat. We can see that aiming for more steps/day can accelerate how well your muscle tone can be seen.
Sleep – Aim for at least 8 hours/night. I often hear weight loss clients mention “hormonal imbalances,” which may or may not be a major component of individual physique goals. However, sleep is the time for the body to restore and hormones to reset. If you have trouble getting to sleep, set a wind-down routine, such as brain dumping in a journal for 5 minutes, and performing a quick 5-minute yoga sequence.
Hydration – Hydration not only promotes processing the body’s fuel well, but also promotes pliability of the muscles and fascia. If you’re interested in strength training, running, or sports, adding water can be an injury prevention bonus. Generally, start with at least half your body weight in ounces, and then adjust to individual needs and activities. Example: If you weigh 200 lbs, aim for 100 oz of water as your daily starting point. That is the equivalent of 6-7 re-fills of a standard 16 oz water bottle.
Let’s get back to our foundations of fitness with steps, sleep, and hydration this spring! Have thoughts and questions? Please share a comment and I’ll respond.
How many people do you know affected by stroke, heart attack, or other heart/blood vessel conditions? What about the precursor of high cholesterol or high blood pressure?
I know many.
My friend in her 20s had a heart attack while teaching fitness classes. She was very active, often teaching 3-5 high intensity classes per day. She had no warning signs.
My colleague in her 40s experienced a life changing cardiovascular event while taking a dance class. She had danced her whole life, at least an hour a day. She had no warning signs.
My uncle died from a stroke. He was in his 60s. He had no warning signs other than high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Overall, he felt fine in life, but was generally quite sedentary.
The list continues. There are many, many more.
So many people have the option to choose quality of life for the next decades to come!
Heart/cardiovascular disease continues to rank as the number one cause of death, but it is often preventable with lifestyle modification.
With over 25% of people being affected, it’s time to take back your health today!
Here are 3 daily lifestyle habits to promote your heart health:
Sleep – Most adults need 7-9 hours of sleep/night. This is when your body recovers. Have you ever pulled an all-nighter and discovered that your heart rate was elevated the next day? Perhaps workouts felt really difficult as well. Your heart is trying to tell you that recovery is key for health. Make sleep a top priority instead of last priority. Take this sleep quality quiz, and discover more pearls on how sleep affects your health in this Experience L!fe article.
Nutrition – Diets higher in fiber promote heart health. Vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains contain fiber. Also replace your saturated fats with more unsaturated fats. Examples of unsaturated fats include tree nuts, olive oil, and avocado. Canada takes the lead in their new 2019 food guide with practical every day strategies on what to eat.
Get moving – Many blogs call sitting the “new smoking,” meaning that being sedentary subtracts from your health. Add to your health by setting a goal like 10K steps/day. Need to adjust for more or less? Looking for ideas beyond walking? Here is a great interactive resource to Move Your Way.
Now that we’ve explored the foundations of lifestyle, and many practical choose-your-own-adventure resources, what questions do you have on your healthy heart lifestyle? Leave a post or use the contact form, as I’m here to help and live a healthy lifestyle along side you every step of the way!
Seeking more detailed practical tips? Join the monthly e-mail newsletter via the sign-up on the home page.
