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Showing posts with label September 26. Show all posts
Showing posts with label September 26. Show all posts
Thursday, September 26, 2019
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
4 Ways Your Workout Should Change After You Turn 40
Make these changes now, and you’ll be as strong as ever at 40, 50, and beyond.
There’s no getting around biology: with the passage of time, we all become a little stiffer, squishier, wobblier. But that said, the 40-something you can be as strong as ever. This is the message behind Fitness After 40 ($19; amazon.com), a practical guide by orthopedic surgeon and mobility specialist Vonda Wright, MD. The trick, she says, is exercising smarter. Below we’ve pulled four tips from the pages of her book that every active woman should take to heart.
RELATED: 20 Health Mistakes You Need to Stop Making Before You Turn 40
Work on your flexibility every day
As we age, our tendons and muscles tend to get tighter, and our risk of injury—tendinitis, in particular—goes up, says Dr. Wright, who directs the Performance and Research Initiative for Masters Athletes at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. She compares stiff connective tissues to dried-out rubber bands. One hard tug and the brittle material tears apart. This is why you need to stretch daily, she says.
One of her favorite techniques: foam rolling. “Essentially the log of hard foam serves as a rolling pin to break up small adhesions and scar tissues, thereby increasing blood flow to problem areas,” she writes in her book. “Foam rolling first thing in the morning (after a hot shower) leaves you limber for the rest of the day.”
Dr. Wright is also a big believer in dynamic stretching and warm-ups, which involve slow, controlled movements (like shoulder rolls and sumo squats) rather than static stretches (the grab-your-ankle-and-hold-for-30-seconds kind).
“Flexibility is so easy to ignore,” she writes, but it’s essential if you want to stay active. Mornings too crazy for yet another task? Stretch on your lunch break, she suggests, or in the evening while you watch TV.
RELATED: 8 Best Foam Rollers to Ease Your Aches
Use your muscles—or you’ll lose ’em
It’s sad but true. Between your 25th birthday and your 50th, you could lose up to 10% of your muscle mass, Dr. Wright explains. Then over the next 30 years, you could lose another 45%. And it gets worse: Lost muscle is typically replaced by fat. “This fat makes us bigger all around because a pound of fat takes up 18% more room on our frame than a pound of fat,” she writes.
But it doesn’t have to be that way! You can prevent muscle loss by using your muscles. As the years go by, strength training becomes increasingly important, she says. Although by “strength training,” Dr. Wright doesn’t mean what you might think.
Step away from the weight machines
“Most of us grew up in an era when ‘strengthening our quadriceps’ meant sitting on a leg press machine and pushing a sled of weight up a slope,” Dr. Wright says in the book. But have you ever pushed a sled uphill with your legs in real life? Probably not.
She wants you to train your muscles the way you actually use them—and build what’s called functional strength. For example, in real life you use your quads in coordination with your hamstrings, butt and core to pick up kids, climb stairs, and load Ikea furniture in the car. So skip the leg press and do squats and lunges instead. (For more functional moves, check out this circuit from celebrity trainer Juliet Kaska.)
RELATED: 10-Minute Moves For Strength, Speed and Agility
Work balance exercises into your regular routine
Stand on one leg like a stork. Really, give it a try right now! Tougher than you expected? We often don’t realize our balance is going until we’re toppling over, says Dr. Wright. Part of the problem is that with age, the neuromuscular connections that help keep us upright slowly decline. But the good news? Those nerve pathways “can be entirely reclaimed by specific daily attention,” Dr. Wright assures. She suggests taking up tai chi, Pilates, or yoga, all of which can improve stability; or adding balance moves (like side leg raises and toe raises) to your usual workout. And every day, practice that stork impersonation while you brush your teeth.
Exercises to Avoid Injuries – Health
There are some things that get better with age: Cheddar cheese, cast iron skillets, and especially Jane Fonda. One thing not on the list, though, is our joint health. Seriously, how often have you heard—or maybe you’ve said it yourself—”Ooh, my aching joints!”
That’s because as we age, joint mobility tends to wane—thanks to a combo of nine-to-five desk jobs, lounging on the couch, and poor posture when we use our phones and computers. Joint mobility is our ability to access all the ranges of motion within our joints, explains physical therapist and certified strength and condition specialist Grayson Wickham, founder of Movement Vault, a mobility and movement company.
The consequences of limited joint mobility? Pain, compensating with the wrong muscles and joints to move how you’re trying to move, and even injury. “Around the age of 40, the injury rate starts to increase because at that point we’ve been putting our bodies in—and operating in—sub-optimal positions for four decades,” Wickham says. “That results in tight muscles and joints and means we have less ability to move freely, which really takes a toll on the body.”
Without optimal mobility, he continues, it’s harder to do all sorts of things. “Mobility is what allows us to perform our daily need-to-do tasks like wash the dishes, toss a Frisbee to the dog, exercise without pain, and even get out of bed.” That’s why working on your mobility in your major joints (think: hips, ankles, shoulders, and wrists) is essential to your quality of life as you age. “Adding mobility stretches and exercises into your routine is about getting your full range of motion back in your joints,” Wickham says.
Luckily, it’s never too late to develop a mobility practice that can help prevent injury and pain later in life–and it doesn’t require a huge shift in your routine. “A few minutes a day is all it takes to see massive improvements over time,” he says.
With that in mind, Wickham put together a five-move mobility routine to improve movement and function in your key joints so that you can comfortably perform daily activities and exercise for decades to come. Incorporate these movements into your routine as often as you can, aiming for five or more times per week.
RELATED: 10 Self-Care Strategies for People With Chronic Joint Pain
T-Spine Joint Mobilizations
At first glance, this might look plain ol’ foam rolling. But this exercise is aimed specifically at increasing mobility in your upper spine, all with a massage-like feel. Considering that back pain and arthritis costs Americans more than $200 billion(!) a year, according to a 2014 Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation study, this move could save you money and misery.
How to do it: Grab your handy foam roller and place it behind you, so that your upper back is resting on it. Keep your hands behind your head, as if you were going to do a crunch, or straighten your arms overhead. When you’re ready to begin, engage your core.
The goal is to create movement at each individual level or vertebrae in your thoracic spine, the part that runs from the base of your neck to your abdomen. To do this, bend backward on the foam roller as far as possible while maintaining engagement in your abs. Once you’ve extended as far as possible, squeeze the muscles that are touching the foam roller by trying to squeeze your shoulder blades together. Hold for five seconds, then return to the start position. Repeat for three reps of five seconds each.
Next, move up on the foam roller about an inch toward your neck and repeat the above sequence. Repeat throughout your entire upper back.
RELATED: 5 No-Equipment Back Exercises You Need in Your Life
Spine Circles
In addition to being costly, back pain is also common. “Back pain is something 80% of people will experience at some point in their lives,” says Wickham. “But spine circles help you activate and engage all of the muscles that surround your back and torso, which can help you move more freely from side to side.”
How to do it: Start on your hands and knees. Tuck your tailbone and push your spine toward the ceiling, making your back the shape of a Halloween cat’s. As you do this, lengthen your neck so that your ears come down by your biceps.
From here, you’re going to start making circles within this pose. Start by squeezing all of the muscles in your core. Bend over to the left side by squeezing all the muscles on the left side of your body, which will make your body look like a half moon. Hold this for two seconds, then return to your starting cat position. Then move to the right. Activate the muscles on your right side so that you’re bending to the right. Hold this for two seconds, then move back to the starting position.
That’s one full spine circle. Repeat for five reps.
Hip Flexor Stretch: End-Range Isometrics
“When you have limited mobility in your hips, your body will compensate by asking your knees and ankles to move in unsafe ways that can lead to injury over time,” says Wickham. “We are weakest and most injury-prone in our hips’ end-range of motions, but activating the muscles and joints through this stretch helps increase flexibility and strengthen the joint.” The goal with this exercise is to stretch out your hip flexor and then contract the muscles around the hip, which helps increase hip stability.
How to do it: Begin in a half-kneeling position with your right knee up. Engage your abs, then intensify the lunge forward so that you feel the stretch in the front of your left hip. Once you feel the stretch, contract those left hip muscles. To do that, think about dragging your left knee on the mat to get them to activate. Hold for 10 seconds.
Next, relax your hip flexor muscles but stay in the stretch. Rest in this position for a few seconds, then squeeze your glutes for 10 seconds. That’s one rep.
Switch sides, and repeat three times on each leg.
RELATED: How to Stretch Your Hip Flexors
Ankle Stretch: Plantar Flexion Lift Off
“When you don’t have mobility in the ankle, you’ll either not be able to perform certain movements—like squats, lunges, and even walking—or you won’t be able to perform those movements well,” says Wickham. This stretch can help increase the mobility of your ankle, specifically at the front of the joint.
How to do it: Start on your hands and knees, with the tops of your feet in contact with the mat. While keeping your core engaged, press the tops of your feet into the mat as you extend your knees as far as you can. Squeeze your quads at the top of the movement, hold for three seconds, and slowly lower back down to the mat.
You should feel the front of your ankles opening up as you perform this movement. Perform 10 slow, controlled reps on each side.
Shoulder Stretch: End-Range Isometrics
This stretch will help open up the shoulder and chest muscles, Wickham says. As many as 67% of people experience shoulder pain at some point, but Wickham says that improving shoulder mobility can help reduce the risk.
How to do it: Start by lying facedown on a mat. Bring your left arm out to the side at a 90-degree angle from your body with your palm facing down. Place your right hand on the ground, pushing it into the ground and lifting the right side of your body, increasing the stretch in the front of the left shoulder and pec area. Activate the muscles in the front of your left shoulder by thinking about pushing your left arm and hand into the ground. Hold here for 10 seconds.
Then, relax the front of your left shoulder and contract the muscles in the opposite direction. To do this, imagine lifting your left hand and arm off of the ground. It likely will not go anywhere, but as long as you are activating the muscles on the backside of the shoulder, you are doing the movement correctly. Return to start. That’s one rep.
Perform the above sequence three times per shoulder.
This Mom’s Angel Baby Photo Shoot Brings Awareness to Infant Loss
Mom Kyrstyn Johnson was grieving the loss of her son to SIDS. For what would have been his first birthday, Johnson created a breathtakingly beautiful “angel baby” photo shoot hoping to spur conversation around infant loss awareness.
A 21-year-old mom from Boise, Idaho named Kyrstyn Johnson has taken to Love What Matters to share her personal experience with every parent’s most heartbreaking nightmare. Johnson, who was already a mom to two girls named Violet and Lilah, welcomed her son Mayson Michael on August 22, 2017. But just four days before he turned 8 months old, the little boy passed away from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
“[SIDS] doesn’t discriminate and even at almost 8 months old, SIDS took my child, yet we still don’t know why or understand how he could just die,” Johnson wrote. “On April 16, 2018, I became an individual that I never thought I’d be, a bereaved parent. That day I became a part of a club that no one would ever want to be a part of. I was forced to become the mother of a child who was taken by SIDS.”
RELATED: New Ways to Reduce the Risk of SIDS
Admitting that, upon facing the devastating loss, her mental health took the “heaviest hit,” Johnson went on to illustrate her experience of grief. “The stages of grief don’t come in a specific pattern, it’s waves and all over the place,” she wrote. “Some days I’m angry, some days depressed. Sometimes I’m able to step away from my shock and accept I need to learn to live again instead of being frozen in grief while time moves forward. I won’t try to say I’m handling this well, but I was given no choice. And that’s what was holding me back from truly grieving because I felt no matter what, nothing was in my control anymore. I sat there and sobbed over how he’d never have a first birthday and get his first cake.”
Upon thinking more about what would have been Mayson’s first birthday, Johnson landed on the idea of an angel baby shoot. She reached out to Megan Nutter from Lil’Lemon Photography who agreed to work with her on it.
“I felt so out of control in the situation I was dealing with and was hurt he’d never get to celebrate his birthday,” Johnson tells Parents.com. “One day, I decided I can have control and will still celebrate him no matter what.”
The images came out to be so powerful and breathtaking.
Infant Loss Awareness Month 2018
October is SIDS, Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, and October 15 is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. Johnson notes that another motivating factor in doing and sharing the breathtaking ‘first birthday in heaven” photo shoot was to “end the stigma of miscarriage, still born, infant loss, and child loss,” she tells Parents.com.
“I want it to stop being taboo, and I want a discussion. … I want people to actually be there and support these mothers. I want people to recognize how it’s impacts our mental health, and we don’t have a lot of options to get help unless we can afford it. I want our babies to be remembered. I want conversation on why this is happening and how we as humans can have compassion and actually help someone heal instead of them feeling alone.”
Posting the images alongside her story has helped her with her own grieving process, Johnson explains. And beyond that, she’s heard from people who have told her that her Love What Matters post inspired them to reach out to other grieving parents and “actually talk to them about their baby and support them in a way they didn’t realize they needed.”
Ultimately, Johnson hopes the memory of Mayson Michael to spur conversation around infant loss and offer other parents in her position bolstered healing. She shares, “I want to use my son’s name to make a difference, because that’s the type of soul he is.”
Katie Austin’s 60-Second Soup Can Arm Workout
Add these clever moves to your at-home fitness routine.
At-home workouts call for a little creativity: Maybe you’ve used a chair to do tricep dips, or a textbook to do oblique twists. But have you tried adding a soup can to your collection of everyday items that double as home gym equipment? If the answer is no, check out this how-to video by fitness influencer Katie Austin.
RELATED: Katie Austin Workouts You Can Do in Just 60 Seconds
All you have to do is grab two soup cans from the pantry, and get ready to feel the burn in your arms for an intense 60 seconds. Incorporate this one-minute workout into your usual routine, or use it so squeeze in some strength training on crazy busy days.
Arm Circles
Holding a soup can each hand, raise your arms to the sides to form a ‘t’ shape with your body. Move your arms in small circles, as you walk your feet in place. Do this for 30 seconds.
Tricep Kickbacks
Stand with your feet together, and knees slightly bent. Lean your upper body forward and bend your elbows to bring the cans level with your chest, and tight to your sides. Keep your upper arms still, as you extend both hands behind you; then return to start. Repeat for 30 seconds.
Rotator Cuff and Step Out
Start with your feet together, and bend your elbows 90 degrees, holding the soup cans in front of you. Step your left leg out to the side and rotate both arms to the sides. Return to the start position and repeat with the right leg. Do this for 30 seconds.
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