Video: 5-Minute Mobility Workout for the Office

I discovered this set of exercises a few weeks ago, and have been doing them at work almost every day. They really seem to help with my stiffness and soreness that comes from sitting at the computer all the time, and - especially in my hamstrings, and upper back. My legs are actually more flexible than they have been in some time, even though I stretch them daily using other exercises. While this workout is not specifically targeted for office workers, it is useful for anyone who wants to increase flexibility, reduce soreness, or just keep your body young. And it only takes 5 minutes!

I suggest bookmarking the video on all of your computers where you spend a lot of time, and take a 5-minute break at least once a day to run through these exercises. Like me, I bet you will find you get a lot of benefit out of getting out of your chair and doing these simple exercises even just once during your work day.

Click the link below to go directly to the video, and once there, bookmark it for future reference:

5 Minute Anti-Aging Mobility Workout

Why We Get Stitches When Running and How to Avoid Them

Welcome back - we hope you had a great Memorial Day Weekend!  Today we're going to talk about a painful issue that can occur when running, and what to do about it.

Side stitches, or side pains, can be very painful and uncomfortable, and can hinder a perfect running experience almost immediately. The pain can start off slight and increase sharply in a matter of seconds. More than anything, side stitches are a nuisance to runners and may mean you need to stop your workout early!

What is a Stitch?

A side stitch is felt on either the right or left hand side of the body, though it most often occurs on the left side. It resonates in the area right below your lower ribs. The pain can be so intense at times that it can even cause you to stop running completely.

Why do Stitches Occur?

There is no definite medical explanation for why stitches occur, especially during running, but there are several theories. Some researchers claim that stitches are more common with beginner runners, due to the fact that they are more likely to engage in rapid or shallow breathing.

Rapid breathing is believed to not fully engage and relax the diaphragm, thereby causing the ligaments on one side of the body to contract forcefully. Another belief is that the rapid breathing, combined with the jolting of running and exhaling as your right foot touches the ground, puts additional strain on the ligaments near the liver and the diaphragm, which then causes the pain to be felt on the left side of the body.

Other research states that eating a meal within one hour of a run can cause side stitches, as well as drinking sugary or carbonated drinks. The digestive system has not worked the food and drinks completely through the system, and could be the reason for the sharp pains felt on the side.

Still other research suggests that if a runner forgoes a proper warm-up before a running session, and starts off running too fast, too soon, he or she will experience sharp side pain.

Preventing Stitches

If you notice that you get side stitches often, first ensure that you are not eating any type of meal, even a small snack, and large amounts of liquid within one to two hours of a run. You can drink a little water, but not too much, and avoid sports and carbonated drinks. Water is always your best choice before a run, especially in hot weather.

Another means of preventing stitches is to practice deep breathing in a rhythmic manner. Smooth, slow, complete breathing cycles will allow you to avoid rapid breathing. While you are breathing in and out fully, you also want to maintain proper posture.

The proper posture for running is to have your back straight, not hunched over, your chest up and open for easy breathing, and your arms bent at 90 degree angles at your sides. This posture will ensure that your muscles are not being squeezed, which can cause almost a muscle cramp.

If you do happen to experience stitches, press hard into the side that hurts and breathe deeply. Although it is hard to keep a good posture during this episode, try your best. After slow, even-paced breathing and massaging of the tense muscle, the pain should subside.

We are off the rest of the week, so please note that we will not be posting a "workout of the week" this week due to vacation. We will see you back here next week for some more exercise tips and another fun workout!

Dealing with Aches and Pain After A Workout

Have you just begun to exercise? If so, you may have noticed that you feel some discomfort the first few weeks into your routine. It is not uncommon to feel aches. But if you do, pay attention and listen to your body, as over exercising can lead to injury.

Have you heard the saying “No pain, no gain”? That is not always the best advice. If you ever feel pain after a workout, something is wrong. Start by investigating the pain. It could be a cramp, strain or sprain. When an exercise movement causes pain, the first thing to do is to stop what you are doing.

Aches can be due to muscle soreness. If you wake the next day and you are sore in the muscles that were used in your previous workout, the body is responding to being used in a new way, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. But, even so you don’t have to suffer through the aches.

Alleviating the Pain

Here are some ways that you can get past the pain and help your muscles heal properly to avoid future injury. We will start by discussing the R.I.C.E. method.

* Rest – If you feel discomfort or pain in your muscles or joints during or when performing activities after your workout, give your body a rest. It could be that you are just new to the routines, but also overuse of a muscle can lead to a weakness. If you are weight training, leave at least 48 hours between each muscle group to allow for muscle repair. Poor form can also be a cause of strain, so work with a trainer if you need to, to make sure you are performing the exercises correctly.

* Ice – Using ice packs on an area of soreness or injury can provide short-term relief from pain. Try a fifteen-minute treatment. Then move your limb around and see how you feel.

* Compression – This also alleviates some pain and can reduce swelling that is putting pressure on vital tissues in the area. For a sprain or strain, try using a compression bandage like an ACE to keep fluid from accumulating in the area from inflammation. Keep the bandage snug but not too tight to cut off the blood supply to the area.

* Elevation – Another way to reduce or eliminate swelling is to elevate the hurt area. If it is a limb, use pillows or a stool. Try to raise the injury or ache above the level of the heart for best results.

Other than R.I.C.E. there are other ways to help minor aches and pains.

* Sit in a bath – The warm water can help with swelling and also take the pressure off of the area from the buoyancy.

* Massage – Loosening the muscles can stretch out any kinks that are leading to pain. It may take a deep tissue massage which can be slightly uncomfortable at first.

* Stretch – Gentle stretching can keep muscles supple when exercising. A good warm stretch can avoid some injuries. Be sure to warm up before, and cool down and stretch after every exercise session.

If you are experiencing aches and pains from your workout, these are a few ways to bounce back from them.

Why You Need to Stretch

The body is flexible. Or, it is supposed to be flexible. You must be able to bend and reach that something you dropped on the floor. You need to be able to zip the back of your favorite dress on your own. You must be able to reach that book you need off the top shelf.

These are simple activities. Nothing grand about them, you merely stretched out a bit. However, if there are difficulties in doing such simple motions, then you have a problem, and it's time for a stretching program.

An elderly man at stretching exercises in gym (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

What Is Stretching?

Stretching is simply the act of extending to full length the body or a part of it. This activity involves straightening or stretching the structure or the limbs.

How Does One Properly Do Stretching?

Stretching is fairly easy. As mentioned in the introduction, it is involved in many normal daily activities. It can be done by any people, regardless of age.

However the extent of stretching and flexing differs. The muscles tighten as a person ages. The range of joint movements can be minimized. This can very well obstruct an on-the-go lifestyle. That is why as the person grows older, bending or flexing becomes more limited. This is why stretching regularly as part of a routine is very important.

Simple stretches can be done every day. They can be easily incorporated in your lifestyle and daily activities, and don't have to require a lot of time.

Stretching exercises can also be done while training or working out. Actually, stretching is an essential part of any training or sport. It must be done first before anything else. Stretching the body and the limbs is a good preparation for a more rigorous activity - and also should be done after a workout as well.

There is actually an ideal length of time in stretching. It is best to do your stretching routine for about 10 minutes. This will give the body enough opportunity to move and flex all of the muscles, thus preparing it for more complicated and strenuous movements. Experts however would frown upon going much beyond 10 minutes. Stretching for 30 minutes or more can wear out the body and even over-stretch some muscles, causing soreness and tightness later - the exact opposite of what you want. (Forms of exercise that incorporate stretching, such as yoga, are exceptions - they provide alternating muscle contractions and stretches, which can be a great way to gain flexibility and strength at the same time.)

What Are the Benefits of Stretching?

1. Increase the Range of Movement
As one constantly does stretching exercises, the length of the muscles and the tendons are increased. This will help in increasing the range of your movement. Thus, the limbs and joints will be able to move easily, way before an injury can take place. Range of movement is very important for overall physical fitness.

2. Increased Ability to Perform Skills
When you have a wide range of movement, you will be able to do more things. For example, you can jump high without feeling any pain when you land back on the floor. This will also help you start a new sport or improve if you are already participating in one. Stretching in this aspect also allows you to have a more active lifestyle, which gives you a better chance of living a longer and healthier life.

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

3. Injury Prevention
One can prevent injury to joints, tendons and muscles with stretching. When the muscles and tendons are well-flexed, they are considered in good working order. This will help in a faster recovery and decreased soreness. The muscles of the body will be able to take more exhausting and rigorous movements with less probability of being injured.

4. Reduce Muscle Tension
If the muscles are given regular exercise and stretching, it is less likely that they will contract painfully, and can help loosen sore spots or knots. This can definitely help relieve you of any muscle pain or problems.

5. Enhance Energy
Being able to move more will also give you more energy. Stretching will also help enhance your self-awareness, like knowing that you have a body that is capable of doing many things. As such, you are going to be more driven to move and stay active.

6. Reduces Cholesterol
Research also shows that doing prolonged stretching exercises, like yoga, will help reduce the cholesterol in the body. This of course must be done hand-in-hand with a healthy diet. This could prevent and even reverse the hardening of the arteries, allowing you to avoid coronary diseases.

Incorporate stretching in your everyday lifestyle. It has benefits you can not say no to. It also does not require much. It can be your usual activities, bending and flexing every now and then. After all, your fitness is everything so do what it takes to keep your body healthy and flexible. See below for some helpful stretching exercise resources.


Stretching Guidance:
    

Why Muscles Get Sore

If you've been trying out strength training like we discussed last week, or just trying to stay motivated to keep exercising this winter, you may hit a wall that slows you down and threatens to derail your routine, despite your good intentions: sore muscles.

As people age, we usually begin to experience more pains in our muscles and joints. They seem to stiffen up with age, and such commonplace activities as bending over for the morning paper can cause stiffness or even severe pain.

Image via WikipediaSuch pain can grip so fiercely that we might think it begins deep in our bones. But the real cause of stiffness and soreness lies not in the joints or bones, according to research at the Johns Hopkins Medical School, but more often in the muscles and connective tissues that move the joints. Actually, the frictional resistance generated by the two rubbing surfaces of bones in the joints is negligible, even in joints damaged by arthritis.

It has more to do with flexibility. Flexibility is the medical term used to describe the range of a joint’s motion from full movement in one direction to full movement in the other. The greater the range of movement, the more flexible the joint.

If you can bend forward at the hips and touch your toes with your fingertips, you have good flexibility, or range of motion of the hip joints. But can you bend over easily with a minimal expenditure of energy and force? The exertion required to flex a joint is just as important as its range of possible motion.

Different factors limit the flexibility and ease of movement in different joints and muscles. In the elbow and knee, the bony structure itself sets a definite limit. In other joints, such as the ankle, hip, and back, the soft tissue—muscle and connective tissue—limit the motion range.

The problem of inflexible joints and muscles is similar to the difficulty of opening and closing a gate because of a rarely used and rusty hinge that has become balky.

Hence, if people do not regularly move their muscles and joints through their full ranges of motion, they lose some of their potential. That is why when these people will try to move a joint after a long period of inactivity, they feel pain, and that discourages further use

What happens next is that the muscles become shortened with prolonged disuse, and attempted use  then produces spasms and cramps that can be irritating or even extremely painful. The immobilization of muscles, as researchers have demonstrated with laboratory animals, brings about biochemical changes in the tissue.

However, other factors can also trigger sore muscles. Here are some of them:

1. Too much (or too strenuous) exercise

Have you always believed on the saying, “No pain, no gain?” If you do, then, it is not so surprising if you have already experienced sore muscles.

The problem with most people is that they exercise too much all at once thinking that it is the fastest and the surest way to lose weight. Until they ache, they tend to ignore their muscles and connective tissue, even though they are what quite literally holds the body together. Then, the pain causes them to stop exercising, or they injure themselves, thus being unable to exercise for period of time, during which the stiffness and inflexibility sets in as described above. It can really become a vicious cycle, unless you are careful not to overdo it.

2. Aging and inactivity

Connective tissue binds muscle to bone by tendons, binds bone to bone by ligaments, and covers and unites muscles with sheaths called fasciae. With age, the tendons, ligaments, and fasciae become less extensible. The tendons, with their densely packed fibers, are the most difficult to stretch. The easiest are the fasciae. But if they are not stretched to improve joint mobility, the fasciae shorten, placing undue pressure on the nerve pathways in the muscle fasciae. Many aches and pains are the result of nerve impulses traveling along these pressured pathways.

3. Immobility

Sore muscles or muscle pain can be excruciating, owing to the body’s reaction to a cramp or ache. In this reaction, called the splinting reflex, the body automatically immobilizes a sore muscle by making it contract. Thus, a sore muscle can set off a vicious cycle pain.

First, an unused muscle becomes sore from exercise or being held in an unusual position. The body then responds with the splinting reflex, shortening the connective tissue around the muscle. This causes more pain, and eventually the whole area is aching. One of the most common and debilitating sites for this problem is the lower back. (For some very helpful tips on healing and preventing back pain, visit http://www.losethebackpain.com.)

4. Spasm theory

In the physiology laboratory at the University of Southern California, some people have set out to learn more about this cycle of pain.

Using a special device, they measured electrical activity in the muscles. The researchers knew that normal, well-relaxed muscles produce no electrical activity, whereas, muscles that are not fully relaxed show considerable activity.

Image via WikipediaIn one experiment, the researchers measured these electrical signals in the muscles of persons with athletic injuries, first with the muscle immobilized, and then, after the muscle had been stretched. In almost every case, exercises that stretched or lengthened the muscle diminished electrical activity and relieved pain, either totally or partially.

These experiments led to the “spasm theory,” an explanation of the development and persistence of muscle pain in the absence of any obvious cause, such as traumatic injury.

According to this theory, a muscle that is overworked or used in a strange position becomes fatigued and as a result, sore muscles (or even lasting, chronic pain).

Hence, it is extremely important to know the limitations and capacity of the muscles in order to avoid sore muscles. This goes to show that there is no truth in the saying, “No pain, no gain.” What matters most is on how people stay fit by exercising regularly at a normal range, rather than once in a while at a strenuous level.

To stick to your exercise goals, and find new ways to have fun and stay motivated, keep checking this blog, or visit http://www.newholisticliving.com/exercise.html.