When I went home for Thanksgiving I attended a Pilates class that focused specifically on incorporating the Egoscue method. That is what I really want to focus this post on. For a more detailed idea of what Egoscue is you can visit their site here.

The Egoscue method is all about becoming pain free through creating more motion. I have started reading a book called Pain Free: A Revolutionary Method For Stopping Chronic Pain. This book speaks truth.

In the book the author observes that we live in a “modern environment that demands of [the body] less and less motion.” Our bodies are created to perform a wide range of activities and are capable of all kinds of movement. Modern conveniences, however, eliminate the need for many of these movements. We no longer have to hunt and gather food, we can easily drive to destinations, and all of our communications can be done at our computers.

The purpose of the Egoscue Exercises or “E-cises” as the book calls them is to restore proper movement and muscle function. The E-cises are supposed to accomplish 3 goals:

1. Rediscover the body’s natural design
2. Restore function
3. Return to health

Pete Egoscue’s theory is that if you help the body restore its natural functions and movements it will restore itself. He has designed the E-cises to target specific musculoskeletal functions that may be limited for several reasons. Many of the movements are simple stretches and easy strength conditioning exercises to restore function and relieve pain.

If you look on the Egoscue site you will notice that they have under their method tab they have some videos of E-cises you can do. Just pick the area of your body that you’re having pain and they have a few exercises you can do. These all seemed extremely simple to me, and are probably a good place to start. One thing I think is important to note is that they don’t explain why you’re doing these exercises. Some of them seem totally unrelated to the area you’re having pain. Just remember, you’re entire body is connected. Imbalances in one area may lead to imbalances in another area.

I certainly don’t think these are the cure-all, and it will take time. However, if you’re in pain why not give them a try?

This is just one method to relieving pain and increasing motion. I’ll be reviewing other methods throughout the coming weeks so stay tuned! I am also going to try and put together a list of Egoscue clinics in Utah.

For years it was thought that strength training was only for men, and serious athletes. Many women have shied away from it due to different fears. Some women do not want to “bulk up”, and other women feel intimidated by the fact that the weights at the gym are usually dominated by males. I have also found that many times seniors are reluctant to do any sort of strength training.

Another reason many don’t strength train is because of common myths. Some don’t want to bulk up because they have heard that muscle turns to fat. This is simply not true.  They are two different types of cells, and one cannot turn into the other. Another myth is that is can cause high blood pressure. The truth to that statement is that it does increase your blood pressure at the moment of a heavy workout. However, in the long run it will actually decrease your blood pressure.

In reality everyone should be doing some sort of strength training exercise at least two times a week. When performed correctly, strength training has many benefits for everyone. Most women are unable to really “bulk up” without taking some sort of supplement, and seniors can gain numerous health benefits from strength training. Let’s take a look at some of those benefits.

Benefits:

• Increased stamina – studies in recent years have shown that strength training can help to improve you cardiovascular workouts too.
• Improved heart health – Just like cardio workouts, strength training increases the heart rate enough to help you see benefits.
• Increased bone mass – Doing the right strength training exercises can help to prevent osteoporosis and combat osteoporosis and other bone diseases.
• Decreased bouts of depression – Exercise releases hormones and endorphins that can help to decrease depression symptoms, and help to reduce anxiety.
• Increased strength – By increasing your strength you can improve your balance, and prevent injuries.
• Increased clarity of mind – Some studies have shown that exercise including weight training can actually increase mental alertness.

The hardest part of beginning strength training is know where to start. Here are a few tips to help you out:

1. Get advice from a health professional. If you have a medical condition, or you just aren’t sure where to start then it is important to talk to your doctor. If you have been cleared for exercise then it is a great idea to meet at least once or twice with a personal trainer just to get on the right track.
2. Know your options. Strength training can include free weights, body weight exercises, and machine weights. Find what you like best, and learn the correct form. Machine weights may be a good place to start just because it is easier to perform with correct form.
3. Start out slow. You do not need to start out with really heavy weight. A good guide is to make sure that you can perform the exercise 10 times in 3 different sets. If your form is bad, or the weight is too much for the 3rd set then lower your weight.
4. No pain, no gain is a myth. It is normal to be sore when first starting, but it is not necessary to push yourself too hard. You will still gain strength without having to overwork your muscles.

Now is the time to put aside your fears and start lifting weights. Do it for your bones, your heart, and your mind.

What kinds of strength training exercises do you enjoy?

For the month of September, UtahValleyHealth.org is going to put the focus on exercise. From now on each month is going to have a different health related focus. At the beginning of each week we will post a new article on that health topic. So be sure to keep yourself updated each week!

Myth: Staying within the “fat burning zone” during cardio exercise is going to burn the most fat.

Ok, you may have seen many articles on the “fat burning zone” and the misconceptions surrounding it. However, I am still going to address this topic because I still get a lot of clients who think that exercising within a certain zone is the best way to get results.

The Fat Burning Zone

Let me start off by explaining what the “fat burning zone” is. You have probably heard of it, and you may have seen the diagrams on treadmills with the chart that correlates heart rate to percentage of fat being burned. Most cardio equipment has a “fat burning” zone, and then there is the “cardio training” zone. The fat burning zone is always easier, and is achieved by working at a lower heart rate than the “cardio training” zone.

This leads many to believe that if they stay at that lower heart rate they will burn more fat than if they were to increase their intensity. Now this just doesn’t make sense. Why should you burn more fat when you don’t work out as hard? Well despite popular belief that is not how it happens.

The Mathematical Proof

The truth is, the “fat burning zone” does actually burn a higher percentage of fat relative to total calories burned. However, the “cardio training” zone, or higher intensity zones, are burning more total calories. Even though the percentage of fat burned at higher intensity’s is lower, the total fat you burn is more. That can be confusing so let’s look at this from a mathematical perspective.

Suppose you workout on the elliptical for 60 minutes and burn 200 calories. If you were in the fat burning zone the whole time then about 50% of what you burned was fat. This means you just burnt off 100 calories of fat.

Now lets say that the next time you workout you use the elliptical for 60 minutes, but your heart rate and intensity are higher. This time you burn 300 calories. This time only 40% of you total calories are fat. This percentage of total calories is smaller, but because you are burning more total calories then you actually end up burning 120 calories of fat.

20% more fat burned! That is enough to keep me working at a higher intensity. Another nice thing about higher intensity workouts is that you can fit in shorter workouts while burning the same amount of calories. You can’t beat that!

Next time you’re working out remember that mixing up your intensity is a great way to boost your fat burning, and to challenge your body. You’re going to get the most results by adding variety to your workout. Now, the fat burning zone is not bad, just remember that by increasing your intensity you can give your workout that extra boost.

I’m going to challenge all of you to mix up your workout intensity this week to see what kind of results you get! Good luck, and let me know how it goes.