September 11, 2009

Greg Roskopf thanked on ESPN

I was just watching John Stockton’s NBA Hall of Fame speech and as he was thanking everyone that has helped him through the years.  Very cool to see Greg’s name mentioned.  For those that don’t know, Greg developed Muscle Activation Techniques and has worked on many pro athletes.   It’s cool to see athletes at such a high level like John Stockton experiencing the benefits of MAT.   It’s not just for athletes, it’s for all of us…from everyone that is experiencing pain to those that want to see better results in the gym.   For more information on Greg, check out his Bio.

May 9, 2009

GW Classic Pics

A couple of weeks ago, I was a vendor at the GW Classic 10 miler in Old Town Alexandria.  We had a really great turnout and I  talked to a bunch of runners about Muscle Activation Techniques™ .  After conducting range of motion evaluations  and performing muscle testing, it was amazing to see how quickly the runners responded to MAT.  Check out the photos from the race–hope to see you next year.

April 28, 2009

GW Classic Follow Up

Thanks to everyone for stopping by on Sunday.  It was great talking to all the runners that participated in the GW Classic 10 Miler.   Many of you were experiencing a wide range of symptoms including hip pain, knee pain, IT band tightness, foot pain and shoulder pain.  Although I only had about five minutes to spend on each of you, I hope you learned a little bit about how Muscle Activation Techniques™ may benefit you.  For many of you, I was able to find at least one weak major muscle on your body and explained how that can negatively affect your running.  If we can strengthen at least one muscle in five minutes, imagine what we could do in one hour!

April 23, 2009

GW Parkway Classic 10 Miler

This Sunday, Restored Fitness will be sponsoring the 25th annual GW Parkway Classic in Old Town Alexandria. I will be providing complimentary on-site demonstrations using Muscle Activation Techniques™ and offering post race treats. If you’re looking to become stronger and more efficient during your training and improve your athletic performance, be sure to stop by to learn more about MAT.

Restored Fitness is also sponsoring the Junior League of Northern Virginia’s Stride for Success 5K Run and Children’s 1K Fun Run/Walk this Sunday in Fairfax, Va.

It looks like there will be good running weather this weekend—good luck to all you racers!

March 10, 2009

To Stretch or not to Stretch– THAT is the Question

As far as I can remember, athletic coaches, gym teachers and my parents have always told me to stretch. I was very active growing up, playing basketball, soccer, baseball and swimming so I just thought this was the right thing to do.

Now that I work in the fitness industry and have taken classes addressing these questions (Muscle Activation Techniques™ (MAT) and Resistance Training Specialist), I have reconsidered my position on stretching. In The New York Times article, Stretching: The Truth, the author takes a look at stretching and proper warm-up techniques. Below is an excerpt from the article:

“You may feel as if you’re able to stretch farther after holding a stretch for 30 seconds,” stated Malachy McHugh, the director of research at the Nicholas Institute of Sports Medicine and Athletic Trauma at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. “So you think you’ve increased that muscle’s readiness.” However, typically you’ve increased only your mental tolerance for the discomfort of the stretch. The muscle is actually weaker.

I’ve experimented with this in my office using MAT and the results are quite surprising.

For warming up, I recommend simulating the activity you’re about to do. For example, on the treadmill, start with a walk, move into a medium paced walk, a fast walk, a slow jog, medium jog, fast jog, slow run, medium run and finally a fast run.

With weights, I see a lot of folks stretch their chest muscles before bench pressing. They put their arm up against the wall. Although many people think stretching will relax their muscle and increase range of motion, it doesn’t make sense to relax the muscle right before contracting it. Next time you are bench pressing, try beginning with a light weight and gradually getting heavier.

Another thing to remember: jogging for 10 minutes doesn’t prepare you for the bench press; it prepares you to jog for another 10 minutes. Remember to simulate the activity you’re about to do.

March 3, 2009

Trying to Lose Weight? Consider Laying off the Lattes

A recent University of North Carolina study observed that people consume 450 calories each day from beverages alone, amounting to an extra 23 pounds per year. At first, I thought 450 calories seemed pretty high, but it does make sense. Just think about the many beverage options: juice, milk, coffee (with cream and sugar), soda, tea, alcohol—and don’t forget those energy drinks.

For those trying to lose weight, you might want to consider what you drink first. You might be surprised about how many extra calories you actually take in. Check out this Men’s Health article for easy calorie-saving beverage swaps:

www.menshealth.com/eatthis/Drink-This-Not-That/index.php

February 4, 2009

Cutting Calories Can Boost Your Memory

 

http://news.health.com/2009/01/26/cutting-calories-may-sharpen-memory/

This Health.com article will make you think twice about going for “seconds”.

January 26, 2009

Think twice about wearing those high heels

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2007/05/07/GR2007050700484.html

This is a very cool article from the Washington Post Health section, describing the physical impact on your spine, legs and feet from wearing high heels. It also discusses how walking in high heels impacts your posture and the way you walk. Although this article probably won’t stop you from wearing heels, it might get you thinking about how your body responds to this type of footwear. The human body is complex, and Muscle Activation Techniques may help restore balance after walking in these all day.

January 14, 2009

Preventive Check-Up

Like many folks, I take my car to the shop every 3,500 miles for a tune up and oil change—even though nothing may seem to be wrong. After just 30 minutes, my oil is changed, car inspected and I’m on my way. It gives me piece of mind to make sure everything was in good shape under the hood.

And who goes to the dentist twice a year? I do, and not just when I have a toothache. It’s a preventive measure to make sure my teeth and mouth are healthy.

Here’s my question: Why are we less likely take preventive measures with our bodies when it comes to exercise?

It seems like we wait until something hurts—like a foot, back or joint—to seek help. Instead, we should think about preventing injury with regular muscular “tune ups.”

Visiting a muscle activation specialist is like taking your car in for a tune up or going to the dentist—it’s a great way to make sure your body is prepared for exercise—or just everyday activities. If we treat our muscles like our cars and teeth with regular check ups, we just may prevent an injury from occurring in the first place.

January 14, 2009

Back Pain

Seriously people: no pain no gain? After a quick Wikipedia search, I learned we can thank Jane Fonda and her exercise videos for that phrase. Even though it should be as outdated as the big hair and spandex of the 1980s, I still hear this phrase at least once per week. Simply put, pain indicates dysfunction—your muscles aren’t working right.

I hear so many people say they just “work through the pain.” If you’re running and begin to experience knee pain after the first few minutes, do you stop? Or, do you just work through it, and figure it will go away?

Even if your knee stops hurting, does the problem really go away? In a word: no.

You may think you can alleviate knee pain by adjusting your stride, but it’s likely that your body just compensates for the muscular instability causing the discomfort. The human body is incredibly smart, and will do whatever it takes to get from point A to B. So, other muscles that are firing properly will pick up the slack for those that aren’t working as well.

Let’s say, for example, you use 20 muscles to run on the treadmill (which really isn’t even close). Don’t you want all 20 muscles working properly? I sure would. Could you run with only 15 muscles firing? Sure, but you might have a little hitch in your giddy up. 10 muscles? You could give it a try. Five? You might be safer staying home on the couch.

Have you experienced pain while running—such as plantar fasciitis, low- back pain or knee pain—and wondered what was really going on? Shoot me an e-mail and maybe I can offer up some thoughts.

Remember, the best way to prevent pain and injury while exercising is to make sure your muscles work properly.