by Kim Miller | Aug 8, 2015 | Totally Tone Tuesday, Uncategorized
Strengthening, Stretching and Balance
You get it that strengthening, stretching, and balance are all important right?
But how do we know how much strength we need? How much flexibility we need? And how much balance we need? These are the real questions we need to be asking ourselves. Not everyone is conditioning for a chosen sport such as golf, tennis, biking, running or skiing. Some people may need just enough conditioning/toning for gardening, cleaning their homes, playing with the grandkids, their own kids, or traveling about.
Upshot Strength Question:
Can I do the things I need to do throughout the day without getting too tired in the muscles.
If your answer is no, then you need to up your strength in the weight department. That usually means going to the gym.
Everyone has a different daily routine- some are vigorous and some are not so much. Your level of strength needs to match what you want to do.
Realize
Often we think we do not want to do something we once loved, like gardening or hikes in the woods, mainly because we are deconditioned. Passion for what we used to do can often be reignited by strengthening our bodies, increasing the joint range of motion, and feeling grounded in balance. Cardiovascular fitness plays a role in heart conditioning but this newsletter is not directly about cardiovascular training.
How Do We Know We Are Strong Enough? Flexible Enough? And Balanced Enough?
When you can do what you want to do without getting overly fatigued and thoroughly enjoy the activity, then, and only then are you as strong, flexible, and balanced as you need to be.
Don’t confuse this with training in the gym however. When you are in the gym lifting weights, fatigue is what we need to aim for. Why? Because a fatigued muscle is a stronger muscle. And a stronger muscle can put up with the demands of either your chosen sport or whatever you need or desire to do daily.
The intent for many people after age 40 is usually not to be in the gym because they love it, but to be in the gym so they may be able to do what they want to do! That’s why I go. This is in sharp contrast to years ago when I was in the gym because of the love of it! Now I condition just enough for my chosen sport which is tennis, and to keep my back from caving forward from increased computer usage.
Thinking You Need To Step Things Up?
Do these exercises several times before we meet again.
Balance:
![Image result for tree pose man]()
Hold for one minute each leg.
Strength:
Hold for one minute keeping abdominals pressed in supporting back ( build time incrementally).
Stretch
Hold for one minute receiving stretch in lower back and front of thigh/quadriceps.
Balance Strength and Stretch:
Hold for one minute ( build time incrementally).
Reverse sides.
by Kim Miller | Aug 8, 2015 | Totally Tone Tuesday, Uncategorized
You get it that strengthening, stretching, and balance are crucial in being able to do what you want to do.
You get it that strengthening, stretching, and balance can be improved regardless of age.
You get it that your level of strength, range of motion and sense of balance needs to match life’s activities.
And you get it that strengthening, stretching, and balance play a large role in decreasing the aging process.
So Now What?
All this insight must be put into action. Don’t let it overwhelm you though. Too often we think in terms of all or nothing when it comes to change. This all or nothing approach, or what I call immersion, needs to be tempered with gradual progressive habit change otherwise we risk reverting back to old habits. Conditioning our mind to do exercise begins with small baby steps. And it should begin with baby steps since injury risk increases with age.
Here’s What I Mean
When it comes to exercise we need to acknowledge where we are at physically and where we want to be physically. Then, it’s just a matter of bridging the gap through what is called progressive overload of the body. Progressive overload simply means that we increase our training load ( example: increasing weights in a gym more progressively as it gets easy. Practicing holding a balance position longer as it gets easier. And increasing the range of motion in a joint progressively as it gets easier.)
Ask Yourself These 3 Questions:
1. Can I do the things I need to do throughout the day without getting too tired in the muscles?
If your answer is no, then you need to up your strength in the weight department. That usually means going to the gym.
Everyone has a different daily routine- some are vigorous and some are not so much. Your level of strength needs to match what you want to do. But remember, you must be wise and increase your strength progressively!
2. Can I move in various positions without feeling strain? If the answer is no, then you gotta increase your flex, called range of motion or ROM for short.
3. Do I feel balanced in various activities throughout the day? For example, I notice that some people have difficulty moving up stairs swiftly. Their ability to balance on one leg as when ascending stairs is a little wobbly. If you are feeling even a little wobbly, then it’s time to work on balance as stairs are for most people a daily living activity. * Often the wobbles while ascending stairs is a condition of leg strength too. You would be smart to practice both strength and balance.
Thinking You Need To Step Things Up?
Do these exercises several times before we meet again.
Balance
Strength
Stretch
Balance Strength and Stretch:
by Kim Miller | Aug 8, 2015 | Totally Tone Tuesday, Uncategorized
Can I do the things I need to do throughout the day without getting too tired?If your answer was no to that question last week, I suggested that you would need to up your strength in the weight department. But here’s the thing you may be wondering…what does “too tired mean?” It’s often easy to assess when a muscle cannot do any more exercise like when you are in a gym and you can barely do one more rep because you are too tired.
But to assess whether you are strong enough on a daily basis to do what you need to do, may be a little more complicated. Below are several things that will tip you off that you are not in as good of shape as you need to be:
– You are prone to injury.
– You are not sleeping well.
– You no longer desire to do the things that you once enjoyed doing.
– You find yourself looking for movement shortcuts.
– Your enjoyment mainly comes through eating instead of a multitude of outlets.
* all of the above can be a condition of others health problems not related to strength. I tell my clients to check things out with a doctor, but if these areas above improve with me training them than their lack of overall strength was one of the missing links to feeling good.
Can I move in various positions without feeling strain?
If your answer was no last week then you gotta increase your flex, called range of motion or ROM for short. But here’s the thing here: losing our ROM happens so slowly and progressively that we barely notice it until one day, we bend over to pick up a pen off the floor and we can barely get back up! Scary right?
Here are 5 activities you should be able to do without strain.
1. Pick up a pen off the floor with no strain.
2. March in place with a high knee lift for 1 minute with no strain.
3. Stay in a half squat position for one minute/full squat for those in athletics with no strain.
4. Raise your arms up overhead while standing against a wall with no strain.
5. Get up off of a floor from a supine( on back) position to a standing position in less than 7 seconds/3 seconds for those in athletics.
Do I feel balanced in various activities throughout the day?
If your answer was no last week then you gotta increase your leg strength and increase your balance.
Here are 3 activities you should be able to do with good form:
1. Pick up a pen off the floor while feeling balanced.
2. March in place with a high knee lift for 1 minute.
3. Stay in a half squat position for one minute/full squat for those in athletics.
4. Get up off of a floor from a supine( on back) position to a standing position in less than 7 seconds/3 seconds for those in athletics.
5. Balance on one leg with eyes closed for 30 seconds/ one minute for those in athletics.
by Kim Miller | Aug 8, 2015 | Totally Tone Tuesday, Uncategorized
Should Women Train Differently than Men For Muscle Tone?
Weightlifting is the secret weapon in the battle of fat loss. Not only does it burn calories when you do it, the muscle it stimulates burns calories while you sleep. If that is not enough, muscle also represents every desired curve women want on their bodies; a tight stomach, firm arms, firm thighs, etc. Achieving those goals is not just about removing fat; it’s about stimulating muscle.The muscle physiology of men and women is virtually identical. Yes, women have less testosterone and, on average, less muscle per pound of body weight, but the techniques to improve muscle tone, add muscle mass and increase functional strength are all identical. The best chest exercise for a man is also the best chest exercise for a woman, and so on.It seems women’s magazines are the worst offenders in this area of telling women they need to train differently. How many times have you seen a photo of a flawlessly beautiful model with a 22-inch waist holding a pink 2-pound dumbbell? That dumbbell did not give her that body. It can’t. The truth is a light weight like that will never, ever force a change in your body. You tone, shape and build a muscle by forcing it to perform exercises near the maximum limit of its ability. There is no other way.
How To Get Results In the Gym?
If you want results in the gym that will transform the look of your body you need to lift what are – for you – really heavy weights.
It’s important though that you build up to that capacity as it is usually the tendons and ligaments that need to adapt to the increased weight rather than the muscle.
Lift Heavy Weights but be smart and patient making sure that your body adapts over time to the increased weight amounts. When you visit the gym try some of your favorite exercises with a weight that is so heavy you can only perform 5 or 6 repetitions. That’s a good starting place to discover what you are really capable of and what it will take to deliver changes you can see in the mirror.
Get Out of The Mindset
If you get out of the mindset that you need to lift light weights and implement lots of repetitions because you are over 50, you will sculpt your body so much better! But be smart. Build up to the heavier weights and know that toning results come through challenging the body to lift heavier weights than what you are used to using. And women know that if you want to sculpt your body, we basically should be training the same way that educated in the gym men train – heavier weights that produce fatigue in the muscles at a low repetition range such as 5-6 reps at least once a week for increased muscle shape. And no pink dumb bells, unless of course they weigh at least 10 lbs!
by Kim Miller | Aug 8, 2015 | Totally Tone Tuesday, Uncategorized
In work as in life we create a sense of balance by understanding what we want and what we don’t, what we need and do not need.
We prioritize by wanting less of one thing and more of something else.
Less overwhelm and more progress. Fewer things to react to and more results.
Less busyness and more time. Fewer restrictions and more choices.
The irony is that we spend a lot our time on things that won’t get us to where we want to go whether it is on becoming more fit and energized or losing weight and keeping it off.
We often prioritize the things we say we don’t want to keep doing.
The trick to getting the results you want is to align your actions with the results you want.
Do you want better strength because you enjoy golf so much and still want to improve and have more fun?
Do you want better flexibility in your body because it’s nice to be able to hang out playing with your kids and grandkids and have more fun?
Do you want better balance because you are aware of the problems associated with falling and being laid up for a long period of time and having no fun?
Are you motivated to take the time to understand where you want to go?
Are you motivated to create the must do list that’s going to get you there?
Are you motivated to do more of what’s on the list and less of what’s not?
The last step is a choice that we each have the power to make.
by Kim Miller | Aug 8, 2015 | Totally Tone Tuesday, Uncategorized
Here’s the thing. When it comes to feeling strong, being limber, and having good body balance, it all comes down to personal lifestyle activities. Some people need loads of quadriceps and hamstring strength because they may cycle or others may play golf and need great hip, lower back and core strength. And yet others may not play sports, and simply desire the energy, limberness, and capacity to do whatever is called for in life at any given moment. The bottom line is that strength, limberness and balance all play a crucial role in aging “less fast” than the typical person currently ages.
If you are in this latter group of non sports people then you are in good company. Many people do not play sports yet keep physically fit by doing many smart exercises/practices.
Below are three smart exercises to add to your fitness program:
Leg Strength – Chair Squat.
– Keep back straight
– Keep knees over ankles and not over toes.
– Keep chest high.
– If you have back issues, only go to a three quarter squat and always stretch back prior to implementing.
BodySmart Fit Tip: Thinking these are wimpy girl exercises using that chair? Think again! Vary your pace, number of squats and or sets, to get the desired feel.
A good place to start for beginners: 2 sets of 10 reps with impeccable form. Advance from there.
Fun Notes: Take out your skinny jeans. Men take note too: this is not a woman only exercise! All upper body muscle and skinny legs is no good!
Hamstring Stretch – Back of the Upper Leg
– keep back flat as you lean forward receiving a stretch.
– flex foot towards you to receive a calf stretch as well.
– hold for 30 seconds and repeat two more times.
BodySmart Fit Tip: your range of motion increases as you hold the pose – lean further forward to increase the ROM, but never going to the point of pain. Tight hamstrings often result in a tight lower back. A tight lower back makes movement painful. And painful movement makes us less apt to move, creating the cycle of aging quicker than need be!
Fun Notes: I woke up decrepid last week- tight hamstrings and tight back. It was embarrassing training clients. Here’s the thing: we get stiff from usually one of two things. Either under exercise or over exercise. In my sad defense, I was over exercised and woke up so super tight that picking up the dog that morning set my back on fire. That’s my story and I am sticking with it!
One leg Balance
– you remember this pose from previous newsletters.
– now increase your time to 90 second holds on each leg!
BodySmart Fit Tip: In seeking better balance we gain strength. With this pose, leg strength and core strength is enhanced.
Fun Notes: What is this chick thinking? I do not recommend doing this pose on slippery moss covered rocks.
