|
What is strength training and why should you care? Strength training is a type of exercise that improves muscular fitness through isolation of either a specific muscle or a muscle group by adding resistance through the use of equipment such as: free weights, resistance bands, machines, body weight and more. There are many different ways to strength train and a ton of benefits that can be obtained when done properly and consistently. 
0 Comments
Dr. Elaine McHugh, NMD Naturopathic Medicine Doctor  What is anti-aging anyway? When I refer to anti-aging, I am referring to aging as healthy as possible for as long as you live. It’s about increasing your healthspan and your biological age more so than your lifespan or chronological age. Chronological age is the number of years you are living. Biological age reflects the accumulation of damage to cells in your body and is what better predicts chronic disease and mortality3. Good news is we can actually slow or reverse your biological age! Keep reading for more information.  How does aging happen? What causes aging, or the acceleration of aging? Main drivers of aging include inflammation aka inflammaging, oxidative stress and free radicals, mitochondrial dysfunction, telomere shortening, insulin resistance, sarcopenia (muscle wasting), and stress. The common denominator is damage to cells and DNA with little recycling or clean-up of the damaged cells. These factors listed above have root causes such as hormonal imbalances, unbalanced gut microbiome &/or leaky gut, unhealthy diet, lack of movement and exercise, environmental toxins, chronic viral, bacterial, or parasitic infections, etc.  How do you find out what your biological age is, and what other lab testing should you get? Labs to run to determine your biological age and aging factors:
 How can you start reversing your biological age today? Diet & Lifestyle:
 Naturopathic Treatments:
Interested in finding out more? To schedule an appointment
EMAIL: info@olympusmovement.com OR CALL: 760.231.0224 FREE 15 min Discovery Visit Call with Dr. Elaine: dr.elaine@olympusmovement.com @olympusmovewellness Disclaimer: This information is not intended to diagnose or treat. It is purely informative and educational. If you are interested in anti-aging treatments or labs, please consult your doctor or a doctor specialized in anti-aging & regenerative medicine. Sources:
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:
Remember, recovery DAY is essential, but also be sure you’re getting regular, consistent recovery NIGHTS!
 Exercise, Nutrition, and Bone Health Performance Coach Amy Nguyen, B.S. Foods & Nutrition, M.S. candidate Exercise Physiology & Nutritional Sciences Our bones are constantly being remodeled and maintained through a balance of breakdown (bone resorption) and building (bone formation). When you're young, your body makes new bone faster than it breaks down old bone, and your bone mass increases. Adolescence is a very important time for bone health and development. People with lower peak bone mass are at higher risk of fractures and osteoporosis in the future. Up to 90% of peak bone mass is reached by age 18 in girls and by age 20 in boys1, which makes youth the best time to focus on exercise and nutrition to invest in bone health. Most people reach their peak bone mass around age 30. After that, bone remodeling continues, but you lose slightly more bone mass than you gain. Why worry about bone health? Low bone mass leads to increased risk of fractures. Osteoporosis is a disease that affects over 10% of the population, with approximately 54 million Americans having bone breakage due to osteoporosis. This equates to $19 billion in related costs every year.2 People with lower peak bone mass are at higher risk of fractures and osteoporosis in the future. Nutrition and weight bearing exercise are two lifestyle choices that can influence the risk of fracture. Physical activity is associated with good bone health. Particularly weight-bearing and resistance exercises, as weight is placed on the bone it puts the bone under strain sending a signal to form new bone. Weight-bearing exercises like walking, hiking, jogging, climbing stairs, playing tennis, and dancing force you to work against gravity. Resistance exercises – such as lifting weights also strengthens bone.3 Other exercises like swimming and bicycling can help build and maintain muscles and have cardiovascular benefits, but they are not the best exercises for bone building. Cross-training these types of exercises/sports with resistance exercise is recommended for maximizing bone health and overall health (like the types of workouts we provide in our Olympus Performance Fitness classes)! Key nutrients when it comes to bone health are adequate energy intake, calcium, vitamin D, and protein. It’s important to maintain a well balanced diet for our overall health, but inadequate intake of any of those key nutrients can affect your bone health. calcium rich sources will be foods like dairy, broccoli or dark leafy vegetables, sardines or calcium fortified foods. Our main source of Vitamin D is sunlight and there are very few foods that contain Vitamin D in adequate amounts (e.g. fatty fish, egg yolks). Protein sources like meat, dairy, eggs, and fish are considered high-quality and complete proteins. Meaning they have a high digestible value. Plant protein sources on the other hand have a different amino acid profile from that of animal protein. Plant proteins require you to combine different foods to make a complete protein. For older adults adequate nutrition will aid in maintaining better long term bone health. For athletes, stress fractures in sport make up about 15% of injuries, so strengthening bone with proper nutritional intake can help prevent injury.4 Sports Dietitians recommend athletes get 1000-1300mg Calcium/day, 1500-2000IU Vitamin D/day, and 20-30g of high quality protein/meal. Questions or curious for more info? You can discuss your dietary calcium requirements and bone health with our Naturopathic Doctor in further detail. For a test for any vitamin or mineral deficiency please consult our ND Dr. Elaine! Interested in getting your resistance and weight bearing exercise going? Contact us to get set up to try your first class with one of our Performance Coaches!
  Brianna Guzman | B.S. Exercise Science What is Mobility? Time to get honest about the air squat form. The standard squat position
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;
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 Regenerative injections are an alternative solution to pain management and/or surgery. They do exactly what the name suggests, regenerate tissues. Really, they help to induce your body to heal and regenerate itself. Pretty cool, huh?  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.
|
Author: Annemarie Alf"We Specialize In Optimizing Teen And Active Adult Lives In North County San Diego By Addressing The WHOLE Person. We offer A Holistic, Integrative Approach To Performance And Wellness That Will Assess And Address The Root Causes That Lead To Pain, Hormonal Imbalances, Fatigue, Weight Gain And/ Or Decreased Performance." Archives
July 2022
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed