Let's work on our posture...part 2

A few weeks ago I wrote a blog about posture. Why is posture important?   Proper posture can eliminate lower back pain, neck pain and reduce risk of carpel tunnel syndrome.  Proper posture also gives you a feeling of self-assurance and people see you as healthy and powerful! 

Last time I focused on shoulder blade squeezes to improve your rhomboid strength. Now that you are stronger in your upper back, try these 3 strategies to further improve your posture:

• Chest lifts - Sitting in a chair, relax your shoulders (down), slowly inhale and gently lift your chest 1-2 inches, hold this position through the exhale and for 5 more breaths. 

• Backward resistance with neck- Seated or standing place your hands behind your head and interlock your fingers so that your head is resting in your palms.  Gently press your palms forward simultaneously pressing the head against the pressure so that there is a contraction in the back of your neck, hold this for 5-10 seconds and perform 10-20 daily.  Remember to also engage your front neck muscles during this exercise by pulling your chin down.

• Build core strength- Core strength helps provide stability in both the lower back and abdominal regions of the body, which is critical in improving your posture!  This can be done with planks, crunches, kneeling supermans/quadripeds, and bridges. 

Working on your posture just 5-10 minutes a day will yield results and increase your awareness of how your carry yourself through the day.

Joey Smith

Certified Personal Trainer

734.747.0123 

Is Beetroot Juice For ME?

With the recent Olympics, beetroot juice has gotten some new attention.  It seems several athletes swear by the performance enhancement of this blood-red beverage. I am here to sort through the hype and give you the facts as we know them.

Beetroot juice is rich in magnesium, potassium and a phytochemical, betaine, which is thought to help with cardiovascular health and may help prevent liver disease. It is also high in nitrate, a precursor to nitric oxide in the blood that helps relax blood vessels.  Indeed, drinking 500ml beetroot juice did lower people's blood pressure 3-4hrs after consumption and for up to 24hrs after according to a recent study. This is exciting news.

A study out of the UK showed last year that drinking the same amount (500ml) of beetroot juice did improve power output and performance (2.7-2.8%) in cyclists doing 2.5-10 miles. While this improvement may be worthwhile for olympians looking for an edge, I would caution a regular exerciser from buying the juicer just yet.  A half liter of the juice contains 232 calories and 50 grams of sugar.  Most people would have to bike an extra 5-6 miles to burn off those extra calories.

The real power of beetroot is in it's potential blood pressure control. While I would normally steer you toward eating whole foods, such as sliced beets on your salad, that's not completely right in this case. Cooking beets reduces the nitrate content therefore you may not get the great blood pressure effects.  Instead, if you would like to experiment with beetroot juice, I'd advise drinking just a cup a day. Some research suggest you may need to have regular doses for it to be effective. One cup contains 110 calories, so skip the post lunch cookie and try this glass of frothy red goodness. You'll have done two good things for your heart.

- Mark Thiesmeyer, MS, MPH, RD

Stay tuned next time for Joey Smith's Part 2 on Posture.
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References:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21471821
http://www.calorieking.com/foods/calories-in-fruit-vegetable-juices-organic-vegetables-beet_f-ZmlkPTEwODM0MA.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beetroot
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/08/looking-for-fitness-in-a-glass-of-juice/
http://www.everydayhealth.com/Calories-Burned-Biking.htm

How is your posture? (part 1)

During my career as a personal trainer I have learned that one of the most important aspects of an individual’s musculoskeletal health is their posture.  Poor posture is one of the most common mistakes I see in the gym.  Posture defined is a relative placement or arrangement of an individual’s body or body parts.  Our body is designed to hold our joints in a position that minimizes the stress placed on them.  However, most of our bodies have lost this natural alignment.  

When training a person I will often place his/her lower back, shoulders, and neck in proper alignment and he or she will tell me how awkward and uncomfortable this position feels.  This is because after multiple years of sitting at a desk, walking improperly, slouching while working on the computer or watching TV, the body’s muscles tighten and remodel themselves to find a way to make this poor posture feel comfortable.

For many people the first step to good posture is strengthening their rhomboids. This is easily accomplished at the gym with an exercise such as cable rows.  In lieu of a trip to the weight room, try this simple exercise:

Shoulder blade squeezes- Sitting in a chair, lift your arms to shoulder level with palms facing the floor.  Bend your elbows to 90 degrees.  Sit up big and tall and squeeze your shoulder blades together (think about trying to squeeze your elbows together behind you).  Hold for 5 seconds, repeat 10 times.

Next week I'll cover several more exercises to improve your posture.

Walk tall this week!

Joey Smith

ACE-Certified Personal Trainer

734-747-0123