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.

Lately I have been exploring different types of exercises. Mainly certain types of yoga and pilates. In the past my exercise routine has consisted of running and strength conditioning exercises. This combination has worked great for me. The running especially has really helped to relieve my back pain.

While these work just fine for me, I feel like there are so many other great exercise modalities I’m missing out on. The benefits to be gained from all types of exercise are amazing, and each type of exercise can help in a different way.

Recently this has become my newest hobby.

I’m quickly realizing that it not only takes a lot of strength, but it requires balance, flexibility, endurance and most importantly mental strength. (We’re going to talk more about mental strength and health in my next post.) It seems that many people who rock climb also do yoga. They understand the connection between the two, and the two types of exercise compliment each other nicely. So I decided that I wanted to try and become more aware and connected to my body.
Throughout this week I am going update with posts that will focus on different aspects of why movement is important. I will also focus on different types of exercise that can increase out range of motion and movement. Stay tuned for the extra posts coming this week, and you should learn some valuable information to help yourself become more pain free.

Tomorrow… the Box Theory.

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?

To understand why this debate even matters let’s take a look at the government’s exercise guidelines.

Aerobic

• Low-activity level: Adults should get at least 2 hours and 30 minutes each week of aerobic physical activity that requires moderate effort.
• Moderate to high activity level: 150 minutes to 300 (5 hours) minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week (or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity a week).
• You need to do this type of activity for at least 10 minutes at a time.

Strengthening

• Adults should also do strengthening activities at least 2 days a week.
• Strengthening activities include push-ups, sit-ups and lifting weights.
• Choose activities that work all the different parts of the body—your legs, hips, back, chest, stomach, shoulders, and arms. Exercises for each muscle group should be repeated 8 to 12 times per session.

The guidelines mention that you can either do moderate or vigorous exercise. One thing we do know for sure is that more intense exercise is better for losing weight. However, is it really better for decreasing other health risks? Most health professionals like to encourage more intense, or more vigorous, workouts to err on the safe side.

How do you even know if the exercise you are doing is considered moderate or vigorous? Moderate exercise is usually thought of as leisure walking, or walking slower than 5 mph. Vigorous exercise is running, jogging, or walking faster than 5 mph. For a complete list of  exercises and their intensities go here.

Starting an exercise routine can be a daunting goal. Many do not know where to start even with the guidelines. When starting out it is always safe to start out slow, and then work your way up. If you are looking to lose weight than you may need to exercise a little more each week than the guidelines say.

Even though the studies have been split as to whether or not moderate is just as effective as vigorous exercise, it can be agreed on that a little exercise if better than none. Find a motivation, set some goals, and get started! There is no reason not to live a more active life.

Let us know how being more active has helped improve your life!

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.

For those of you who missed it, Paul W. Sagers, PT gave a very good seminar on back care.  Due to the fact that about 80% of all people suffer from some sort of back pain we thought it might be useful to provide a recap of the class.

One important thing Paul hit on was the cause of back pain. Many people think that they have hurt their back lifting something one time. What they don’t know is that back problems are seldom caused by one incidence. Back injuries usually occur gradually due to a few different causes. People just don’t notice the injury until it finally gets bad enough to cause them pain.

In truth, there are many causes of back pain and imbalances. These are the main culprits:

• Poor posture while sitting or standing.
• Moving and positioning your body incorrectly in ways that could increase stress on muscles, tendons, and bones. This is also known as poor body mechanics.
• Increased stressful living and working environments.
• Decreases in strength and flexibility.
• Overall decline in physical activity.

One of the most important things you can do to prevent back injuries is to maintain good balance in your spine. One of the best ways to do this is to assume the “Power Position” or “Neutral Position”.  This basically means that you are standing up straight, and holding in your stomach. By pulling your stomach in and up you’ll be able to better support your spine.

Now this can be tiring after a while, and it takes some practice to coordinate this with proper breathing. Just try it for a few minutes at a time throughout the day. Gradually increase to doing this as often as you can. Soon you’ll notice that by doing this you’ll be standing up straighter, and you’re core will be much stronger.

Here are 7 other great ways to prevent back problems:

1. Physical exercise – Incorporating strength training, aerobic exercises, and flexibility will do a world of wonders for your back. There some great back specific exercises that help many see a huge decrease in pain. The main thing with these is to make sure that you’re doing the exercises right. If you don’t have correct posture, or if you’re doing too much then you might cause more problems. Meeting with a physical therapist or personal trainer is important if you’re just starting out.
2. Back support - Make sure your chairs are ergonomically supportive. If you are doing a lot of lifting a back support device may provide some good protection, but should not be worn all the time.
3. Nutrition – By supplying needed nutrients you can increase the health of your bones and muscles. If you’re overweight eating healthy for weight loss is another great way to prevent back problems.
4. Stress Management – Many problems are caused by constant stress. Focus on relaxing.
5. Get a Massage – This is a great way to help tense muscles relax, and to help reeducate muscles.
6. Rest - Don’t overdo it on the exercises, and make sure you are getting enough sleep.
7. Quit Smoking – Nicotine has actually been shown to slow circulation and healing in the spine and muscles.

If you are feeling constant back pain, especially if it is sharp or shooting, it is very important to be working with a doctor or physical therapist to make sure that you’re not doing more damage with exercise.

Now, I honestly didn’t know very much about Earth Day until today when I decided to research it. According to the Earth Day Network this is a day “founded on the premise that all people, regardless of race, gender, income, or geography, have a moral right to a healthy, sustainable environment.” Sounds like a worthy cause to me. Basically it is a day to spread awareness of environmental issues and inspire people to appreciate the Earth. Different communities have different events, and many countries are now getting involved.

I, for one, enjoy this Earth. It’s a lovely place to live, and I hope to keep living here much longer. That is why I finally got myself a bike (by that I mean that I stole my little brothers old bike, and had a friend fix it up). Ok, this sounds off topic, but just hear me out.

There are times when I drive home from work at rush hour and I notice a cyclist on the road. Now it seems logical that I would make it to my destination quicker then them because my car can go much faster. However, once you take into account stop signs, stop lights, and lots of cars then we really end up making about the same time. Sometime the cyclist even beats me. After making that observation, and looking at all the other benefits it just seemed logical to get a bike.

Here is a list of some benefits for both you and the environment that come from cycling vs driving:

• Reduced air pollution (carbon monoxide, methane, nitrous oxide, etc.).
• Decreased amount of gas and oil being used.
• Increased fitness, decreased blood pressure, decreased risk of diabetes, decreased risk of osteoarthritis, and many more health benefits.
• Increased life expectancy (that way you can celebrate Earth Day for more years to come).
• You save money. After gas, oil changes, and tune ups is costs about $3000 a year to keep your car running. The average annual cost to keep your bike running is more like $300. That is worth the extra few minutes it may take me to cycle to work.

For this summer try and make a new commitment to bike more and drive less. Great for you. Great for the environment.

For those of you who want to give some of the trails around the Provo area a try here is a great link to descriptions of bike trails in Utah County.

* I actually discovered after writing this that there is indeed an Earth Week. It starts April 16th, and goes until April 22nd. If you missed it (like I did) then you can celebrate it late with me.