​Naturopathic Treatments:

• IV NAD+6: Promotes healthy aging, longevity, & mitochondrial health. Improves cognitive functioning. Improves athletic performance. Helps reverse chronic fatigue. Helps to treat those with chronic conditions like Lyme, Alzheimer’s, etc. Helps to prevent the ‘Rona infection especially in the elderly & helps individuals get over the ‘Rona hump and long-haul syndrome.
  
• Mind Body Medicine & HRV Biofeedback Training for stress resiliency. 
  
• Infrared sauna use preserves telomere length via increased sweating1, increases collagen production, detoxifies the body from substances influencing epigenetics, reduces inflammation, & more.
  
• Hydrotherapy: alternating hot & cold water therapy. Always end in cold!
  
• Nutraceuticals: polyphenols, EGCG (active compound in green tea), rosemary extract, curcumin, mitochondrial support (PQQ, CoQ10, NAD)
  
• Opening up detoxification pathways & using herbs/nutraceuticals or IV Chelation to reduce environmental toxins or heavy metals, respectively
  
• Peptide therapy: Cerebrolysin, Epithalon, MOTS-c, etc. Various peptides increase cognitive functioning, preserve telomere length, and support mitochondria.
  
• PRP Microneedling Facials for fine lines, wrinkles, & hyperpigmentation induce skin’s own production of collagen (production decreases starting in our 20s).
  

Dr. Jessica Robinson, PT, DPT

“The goal of any recovery strategy is to reduce the amount of time it takes for the body to return to baseline or to get better” (NASM). It should be viewed as a planned strategy to optimize the time between training sessions in order to come back stronger or at a higher level than when you began. While there are many recovery strategies, we will highlight an important but often sacrificed one here…sleep.

We all know that sleep is beneficial, but just what exactly does it do for us, and why is it so important? Sleep plays a critical role in memory, immune function, metabolism, learning, productivity, and overall mood. Poor or insufficient sleep is actually a risk factor for injury and delayed recovery. Not only is the amount of sleep important but also the quality and consistency in which you get it.

As you fall into deeper stages of sleep, blood flow increases to your muscles which in turn brings oxygen and nutrients that help regenerate cells and repair muscle tissue that may have been damaged during exercise. Your body also releases hormones such as human growth hormone (HGH) and prolactin which stimulate muscle growth and repair as well as regulate inflammation, amongst others.

For athletes/athletic individuals, insufficient sleep can impact reaction time, recovery, and overall performance as well as career longevity and injury risk. It has been shown that athletes who get less than 6 hours of sleep the night before play are 1.7 times more likely to be injured when compared to those who got 8+ hours per night.
Sleep requirements for the general population are recommended as 7-9 hours per night. However, everyone is different. As for athletes, individuals less than 24 years old require 9-10 hours per night, whereas individuals 25+ years old require about 8-10 hours per night.

A sleep extension study performed with collegiate basketball players showed a 9% improvement in free throw shooting accuracy and 9.2% improvement in field goal 3-point shooting when players received a minimum of 10 hours of sleep each night over a 5-7 week period compared to their normal sleep-wake schedule. Players also reported improvement in overall physical and mental well-being as well as more enjoyment during practices. Similarly, collegiate swimmers who extended their sleep to 10 hours per night demonstrated a 20% improvement in reaction time of the block, 10% improvement in turn time efficiency, and 8% improvement in sprint speed.

We can see the many benefits of sleep for performance, recovery, and injury prevention, but many people still find it difficult to get enough sleep or enough quality sleep. Some common barriers to proper sleep include:

• Pathology or disorders: pain, sleep apnea, insomnia
• Lifestyle or environmental: alcohol/drugs/caffeine, stress, noise/air quality/light exposure, sleep hygiene
• Schedule: training or meetings, travel/time zone changes, work hours or commute

Despite these barriers, there are ways to help improve your sleep and sleep habits.

• Create a nighttime routine: doing the same thing every night before bed or in preparation for bed can be an effective way of setting your body’s natural alarm clock to alert you that it will soon be time to go to sleep.
• Strategies for winding down: turn off all screens, take a hot shower, stretching or mobility exercises, breathing techniques or meditation, listen to relaxing music, preparing for the next day
• Create a comfortable sleep environment: make sure the room is dark, set the temperature to ~ 67o F, use ear plugs or a sleep mask or reduce unwanted noise with a fan or white noise machine

Remember, recovery DAY is essential, but also be sure you’re getting regular, consistent recovery NIGHTS!

1. Mah CD, Mah KE, Kezirian EJ, Dement WC. The effects of sleep extension on the athletic performance of collegiate basketball players. NCBI. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3119836/. Published July 1, 2011. 
2. Extra Sleep Improves Athletic Performance. ScienceDaily. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080609071106.htm
3. NASM.org
4. Leada Malek, PT, DPT, SCS​

Brianna Guzman | B.S. Exercise Science 

​What is Mobility?
Time to get honest about the air squat form. The standard squat position

• Feet shoulder-width apart (depending on height) 
• Feet slightly torqued out
• Knees over ankles 
• Low back neutral 
• Chest up
• Chin tucked, eyes gazing forward 
• Hips ideally below parallel

What happens when we cannot reach those positions? So should squats be eliminated from the program? No. Instead, mobility exercises should be incorporated into the program.

Often, coaches throw 'mobility' around, saying work on mobility to enhance the squat position. However, what exactly are coaches addressing, the flexibility of one's tissues or the range of motion through one's joints? 
Think of it like this; Mobility refers to joints actively moving through motions, whereas flexibility refers to how proficient the joints passively move through the motion; achieving both flexibility and mobility in the joints is ideal. Restrictions in the squat dictate joint immobility and/or tissue tightness. A variety of variables such as; 

• Not stretching properly
• Not warming up prior to exercise or cooling down after vigorous exercise 
• Not prioritizing control and stability in a movement over strength in a movement

Contribute to joint immobility and/or tissue tightness. 

The squat is a complex movement that incorporates multiple muscles and joints to execute. The good news is that the lack of mobility can be addressed, assessed, and aided to improve the squat. 

Ways to Improve squat mobilityHip and ankle Mobilization 
    The squat heavily relies on the hip, knees, and ankle joints. The hip joint flexes when descending into the squat, allowing the hips to sit back. The knees flex, bending over the ankles. The ankles dorsiflex. When ascending from the bottom of the squat, the ankles plantarflex. The knees extend, and the hips extend. The muscles surrounding each joint allow movements to flow appropriately through the joint. When the joints' muscles are tight, issues such as the heels lifting when at the bottom of a squat are because the ankles cannot properly dorsiflex or the hips cannot comfortably flex with agitated hip flexors. 

Hip strengthening 
As mentioned, hip mobility is not just about the range of motion that the joint can achieve. The joint must ACTIVELY move through the motion with control and stability. Strengthening the muscles surrounding the hip is a great way to improve mobility in the squat. An example, something as simple as performing a slow and controlled goblet squat with moderate weight can help strengthen those hips. Sitting at the bottom of a goblet squat, allowing more time under tension, and focusing on the squat position can also help strengthen while working on the active mobility of the hip joint. 

Recommended Squat Mobility Routine Banded Pigeon 
Place band in the hip fold and place the front leg in a 90 deg bent position. Allow the band to gently pull the hip. Hold the position for 30 seconds breathing deeply and rocking forward and back in the same position. 

Hip 90/90 
Place both legs in a 90-degree bent position, sitting upright, this position alone may be a good stretch alone. If manageable place both feet on the ground and rock to the opposing side, landing in the same 90 degrees bent position. Repeat these steps slowly, staying upright as best as possible while rocking between the positions. 

​

Banded Dorsiflexion 
Referring to the first image: Face away from the band, in a half-kneeling position, keep heel planted on the ground and slowly lean forward while keeping the heel planted on the ground. 
Referring to the second image: Elevate foot on a small plate, keep heel planted on the ground and slowly lean toward the band.

​

If you have mobility and or stability limitations, BOOK an appointment for Private Training or Sports Rehab Physical Therapy today! 

​When you’ve had an ACL tear and reconstruction, it’s easy to think “oh I’ll be able to get back
on the field or slopes or back to the gym in a few months”. Or maybe you assume you will just
be able to return to where you were before when your physician says ‘you’re cleared’. Even worse, maybe you think “it’s normal” just because you’ve had surgery.
Is that how you’re feeling right now?

Performance Coach Jamie 
Olympus Movement Performance

​Sport psychology is the study of different factors that can influence athletes and their performance. It is used to help increase performance levels, the well-being of athletes, and participation.  So how does sport psychology affect kids both in and out of sports? How does sport psychology play a role in helping equip kids with the tools they need to remain mentally healthy? What role do parents play?

By Dr. Elaine Marquez McHugh
Olympus Movement Performance

Dr. Jessica Robinson, DPT
Olympus Movement Performance

​I know, I know, we’ve all heard this a million times, but it’s an important one. I’m guilty of it too when sitting in front of the computer or in one position for too long. We end up in that classic slumped posture with excessive rounding of our upper back, forward shoulders, and extended neck. However, good posture and the ability to find good posture is the foundation for all movements.

Have you ever woken up to a headache, pain, and a thirst you can’t seem to shake? Nope, I’m not really talking about the after effects of a big night out... I’m referring more to the effects felt after a big take out! All too often, people underestimate the extraordinary power of food when it comes to their health, fitness, and general wellbeing.