Restored Fitness

Has anyone been diagnosed with tendonitis–which sometimes manifests as that nagging shoulder or elbow pain that just doesn’t seem to go away?  Have you ever wondered what’s really going on?  We often don’t think about how muscles help stabilize our joints.  In fact, muscles not working properly may cause tendonitis.  Muscular imbalances may lead to abnormal joint wear and tear, resulting in pain and potential injuries.  Next time your shoulder or elbow begins to hurt, don’t just ice it down–get to the root of the problem.  Muscle Activation Techniques can help with this.  It helps identify and correct muscular imbalances that may lead to sore joints.

Ok, I know kiwis have nothing to do with Muscle Activation Techniques but every now and then I’ll throw you some useful nuggets on nutrition.

Ounce for ounce, kiwifruit has more vitamin C than an orange and more potassium than a banana. It also supplies some folate, vitamin E and lutein, a carotenoid that may help keep eyes healthy.

For those that know me, I could stand to use a bit more carotenoids in my diet!

Flip through any health-related magazine and you’ll find study after study highlighting what to do and what to avoid.  I take these studies lightly because the next week I inevitably read another study contradicting the first. With so many studies and conflicting results, which one are we supposed to believe?

I was flipping through the IDEA Fitness Journal and found another study—this one observed running-related injuries (which many of my clients come in with). The article cites that other research has reported that 70 percent of runners sustain some form of running related overuse injury, with 80 percent of injuries occurring at or below the knee.

According to the lead author, “Based on the literature review, it appears that foot pronation and inadequate hip muscle stabilization are the top categories for injury.  Hip muscle weakness especially appears to lead to atypical lower extremity mechanics and increases forces on knees and feet while running.”

Here’s an easier way to look at it.  Your knee is a reactive joint; it does whatever your hip and foot tell it to do.  If your hip is unstable, your knee will have to work overtime in order to compensate.  If your foot is unstable, the same thing can happen.

When I see clients experiencing knee pain, often times one of the first things I check is the stability of their hip.  If the hip is stable and not causing the pain, I see if I can find any imbalances in the foot.  Remember, the site of pain is typically not the source of the problem.  Another important note here is that the source of the pain could be coming from anywhere.  We mention the hip and foot, but those could just be starting points.  Could a limitation in your shoulder affect your knee?  You betcha!

That’s the goal of Muscle Activation Techniques: to address muscular imbalances that lead to pain and injuries.

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.

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.

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!

This Sunday, Restored Fitness will be sponsoring the 25^th 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!

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.

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.

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.