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

Better Living is Growing!

I owe you all a quick apology for my lack of blogging this year.  I can't believe we are steps away from August!  It's been an exciting year at Better Living as we've added two new faces and a lot more talent and charisma to the company.

Please welcome Joey Smith and Dawn Trembath.

Joey, like me is an ACE-certified personal trainer. He brings 10 years of coaching and mentoring to the position. He has a degree in physical education from the University of Central Missouri and moved to Michigan with his fiance earlier this year.  Joey will join me in writing blogs about exercises and stretches you can take from your inbox to your fitness plan.

Dawn is also an educator with a master's degree in early childhood education.  She is a mother of two and joined Better Living as our office manager. She brings us much-valued organization. She'll help in ensuring we communicate the latest in fitness much more frequently.

You can find pictures of both Joey and Dawn at www.betterlivingfitness.com.

Be well!
Mark Thiesmeyer, MS, MPH, RD
734-747-0123

Long-term Weight Loss Simplified

The New York Times recently printed an article call "The Fat Trap" by Tara Parker-Pope. Perhaps it is a terrible thing for me to accuse Parker-Pope of inserting her own bias into her writing, because invariably I am about to do the same thing... Parker-Pope admitted that she has struggled both to lose weight and to keep it off. I believe, her struggle lead her to paint a bleak picture of the challenges of permanent, significant weight loss.

I would like to paint a rosier picture from my decade of weight-loss counseling. I have seen many men and women make permanent changes to their exercise and nutrition plans and accordingly, transform their bodies. I've seen the results in young, medium-aged and the elderly. I've watched people replace fat with lean, toned muscle. Here are some of the core principles these people have adopted into their lives:

1. Lose weight slowly (0.5 - 1lb per week).
2. Create awareness of what you eat and drink. Write it down, text yourself, whatever.
3. Preserve you muscles and build some new ones. Strength train at least twice a week.
4. Eat as soon as you wake up, then only thereafter when you feel hungry.
5. Get your beauty sleep. Research shows hunger hormones (ghrelin and leptin) can be out of control after just one night of sleep deprivation.
6. Manage your stress without reaching for a doughnut. This is a difficult one, but you'll be happier and healthier if you figure out some strategies (yoga, tai chi, deep breathing, going to your "happy place").
7. Get in touch with nature. Eat 2+ pieces of fruit AND 2+ cups vegetables every day.
8. Don't pig out. Eat small meals or snacks rather than the traditional breakfast, lunch and dinner.
9. Create bulk in your stomach. Eat plenty of fiber and drink lots of water. The combination is great for expanding food in your stomach and for feeling full longer.
10. Work with a Registered Dietitian. Take some pressure of losing weight off yourself and put it on a professional.

Good luck and happy losing!
Mark Thiesmeyer, MS, MPH, RD
mark@betterliving.biz
734-644-5483

Pizza may be the perfect snack!

I've been thinking a lot about snacking. When hospital patients experience trauma we recommend eating small frequent meals. It's gentle on digestion and provides a level energy through the day. Eating small, frequent snacks rather than big meals is also good for healthy individuals. One of my favorite small meals is a couple slices of homemade pizza. Here's my secret:

Build your pizza on these two products -

• Mama Mary's Gourmet 100% Whole Wheat Crust - it's thin crust so you can load up on toppings without losing your waistline!
• Muir Glen Organic Pizza Sauce - amazingly fresh and wonderful.

Top your pizza with low-fat and healthy ingredients -

• Capers
• Sauteed mushrooms
• Baby spinach
• Sun-dried tomatoes
• Walnuts
• Artichoke hearts
• Tofu
• Chicken
• Broccoli
  

With so much flavor from the toppings you'll only need a sprinkling of cheese (I use a soy cheese) to hold the pie together. Bake for 8-10 minutes at 425 and enjoy. It's good hot or cold. Most importantly, it is a perfect snack to give you balanced energy.