Don’t Work Out! Feel Better Faster: Stretches For Back Pain When Your Sick
Do you try to work out while your sick? Some people think they will sweat it out, or it will get through there system faster. The truth is yourdepleating your system further. After a workout while sick your body now has to repair your muscles AND fight your virus. Battling two fronts at once is not recomended and will cause your virus to last longer. So don’t try to be a hero, your body wants you to kick back sometimes. Take a day or two off the gym, and your body will thank you. However, there is nothing stopping you from a light stretch routine.
How Meditation May Change the Brain-NYTimes.com
I loved this Article so much I decided to repost it entirely, so enjoy. CR
Over the December holidays, my husband went on a 10-day silent meditation retreat. Not my idea of fun, but he came back rejuvenated and energetic.
He said the experience was so transformational that he has committed to meditating for two hours a day, once in the morning and once in the evening, until the end of March. He’s running an experiment to determine whether and how meditation actually improves the quality of his life.
I’ll admit I’m a skeptic.
But now, scientists say that meditators like my husband may be benefiting from changes in their brains. The researchers report that those who meditated for about 30 minutes a day for eight weeks had measurable changes in gray-matter density in parts of the brain associated with memory, sense of self, empathy and stress. The findings will appear in the Jan. 30 issue of Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging.
M.R.I. brain scans taken before and after the participants’ meditation regimen found increased gray matter in the hippocampus, an area important for learning and memory. The images also showed a reduction of gray matter in the amygdala, a region connected to anxiety and stress. A control group that did not practice meditation showed no such changes.
But how exactly did these study volunteers, all seeking stress reduction in their lives but new to the practice, meditate? So many people talk about meditating these days. Within four miles of our Bay Area home, there are at least six centers that offer some type of meditation class, and I often hear phrases like, “So how was your sit today?”
Britta Hölzel, a psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School and the study’s lead author, said the participants practiced mindfulness meditation, a form of meditation that was introduced in the United States in the late 1970s. It traces its roots to the same ancient Buddhist techniques that my husband follows.
“The main idea is to use different objects to focus one’s attention, and it could be a focus on sensations of breathing, or emotions or thoughts, or observing any type of body sensations,” she said. “But it’s about bringing the mind back to the here and now, as opposed to letting the mind drift.”
Generally the meditators are seated upright on a chair or the floor and in silence, although sometimes there might be a guide leading a session, Dr. Hölzel said.
Of course, it’s important to remember that the human brain is complicated. Understanding what the increased density of gray matter really means is still, well, a gray area.
“The field is very, very young, and we don’t really know enough about it yet,” Dr. Hölzel said. “I would say these are still quite preliminary findings. We see that there is something there, but we have to replicate these findings and find out what they really mean.”
It has been hard to pinpoint the benefits of meditation, but a 2009 study suggests that meditation may reduce blood pressure in patients with coronary heart disease. And a 2007 study found that meditators have longer attention spans.
Previous studies have also shown that there are structural differences between the brains of meditators and those who don’t meditate, although this new study is the first to document changes in gray matter over time through meditation.
Ultimately, Dr. Hölzel said she and her colleagues would like to demonstrate how meditation results in definitive improvements in people’s lives.
“A lot of studies find that it increases well-being, improves quality of life, but it’s always hard to determine how you can objectively test that,” she said. “Relatively little is known about the brain and the psychological mechanisms about how this is being done.”
In a 2008 study published in the journal PloS One, researchers found that when meditators heard the sounds of people suffering, they had stronger activation levels in their temporal parietal junctures, a part of the brain tied to empathy, than people who did not meditate.
“They may be more willing to help when someone suffers, and act more compassionately,” Dr. Hölzel said.
Further study is needed, but that bodes well for me.
For now, I’m more than happy to support my husband’s little experiment, despite the fact that he now rises at 5 a.m. and is exhausted by 10 at night.
An empathetic husband who takes out the trash and puts gas in the car because he knows I don’t like to — I’ll take that.
LA Power Plate Core: The Stability Bridge
If your having lower back trouble on a regular basis you need this exercise in your life!
Every client I work with does this workout on a regular basis, and guess what? No one I work with ever complains of lower back issues. Not only does it strengthen the stability muscles along the spine but it also lifts the “Butt”, burns the cellulite off the backs of the legs by strengthening the hamstring, and helps with calf development. 3 Sets of 20-30 2 time per week. All that in one little exercise? You better believe it. Come in and get your complimentary 10 min demo and see for yourself!
A
Power Plate Core Training: The SuperKicker
Strong core = strong back, and anyone can have this gift.
For the money, the best workouts center on your core. Nothing is more important than a strong healthy back. Just ask anyone with chronic back pain. A strong core allows a person to perform daily activities (getting in and out of your car/ Vacuuming) with greater ease, and will improve sports performance through a more efficient energy transfer from large to small body parts.
Recently I took a few weeks off of workouts to recover from “various issues,” but because my core is so strong from training on the Power Plate, I was able to keep up with my workout partner in crime Dr. Vanderbliek who rarely misses a workout.
The core muscles include the abdominal muscles, hip muscles (front and back) and spinal muscles (lower and upper back muscles.) These muscle groups are responsible for maintaining the stability of the spine and pelvis. Training these muscles properly on the Power Plate can decrease the incidence of low back pain.
If all you have is 5 minutes to workout today, you can start to strengthen your core and start saying goodbye to back and neck pain. The Super kicker is a great place to start. Check out the video. Then try the plank and side plank. When you are doing these exercises for the first few times, your body may start shaking. This is a result of muscle weakness and lack of coordination. After a little practice the shaking will stop and you will be able to do them smoothly.
LA Power Plate Fat Burner Diet
Follow this plan 99%, and your guaranteed to lose 10 lbs. in a month. Hmmm… I normally don’t make guarantees, because in life there simply are none. However, if I go with THE flow instead of against IT then I’m a much happier human and I make sane healthy choices. That is all this plan is simple, sane, healthy choices handed down to me from Trainer Erika Lilley through Family Wellness Chiropractic. I have made a few changes the suit my style. All questions and comments are welcomed.
Eat anything from the grocery list. Nothing more. Follow the rules below:
- Eat 5-6 small meals a day.
- Eat breakfast within 15 minutes of waking.
- Eat citrus fruits first thing in the morning
- Save starchy carbs for breakfast ( 1/2 hour after citrus) and lunch.
- you don’t have to eat protein at every meal
- Eat whole natural foods.
- Eat veggies at every meal.
- Don’t mix proteins and carbs
- Refuel post workout with proteins. Avocados are great too and yes the fat is good for you!
- Drink only water
- Take a multivitamin and Omega 3′s. Spectrum flax seed oil is the best.
Grocery List:
Proteins Fats Fruits/Veggies Starches
Beef Butter (not margarine) Any Fruit/Veggie Wheat free breads
Chicken Avocado (is good fat) (rye, millet, or spelt)
eggs Flax seed oil Legumes
Salmon Coconut oil Brown rice
Ham (lean) Olive oil (all oils should be cold pressed) Corn torlillas
Turkey Whole young Coconuts Sweet potatoes
Shrimp Raw walnuts Oatmeal(gluten Free)
Lamb Raw almonds
Flounder Raw almond butter
WHAT YOU CAN’T HAVE:
Alcohol Caffeine
Dairy (except butter)
Sugar Wheat and gluten
Breads Pasta
Pastries ANY PROCESSES FOODS! NOTHING FROZEN OR OUT OF A BOX
Power Plate Strength Training: Arms, the Beautiful Bicep
Power Plate Strength Training: Arms, the Beautiful Bicep
“There’s more than one way to skin a cat,” my Grandmother used say, in her cute southern accent, which was cute but taken literally, its gross. It reminds me of 10th grade biology and what a stomach ache that was. ( I still got an A), but I’ve digressed already, sorry. The point is variety is the key to great biceps.
You can train them with positive or negative reps, isometric, seated, standing, with dumbbells, barbells, cables, rubber bands and more. You should use as many techniques as you can find and do properly. This will continue shock the muscle, and increase strength faster without stimulating an over use injury.
For today we are going to cover the standing bicep curl, because of the way it works each muscle individually there is less room for imbalances in size and strength. The proper way to tackle it is by holding a set of dumbbells at your side while standing, with your palms facing out, and the bells not touching your body. Starting with the weakest arm first, curl the dumbbell up as high as it will go squeezing the bicep at the top. Lower it slowly, don’t just let it drop, or start swinging the weights. The negative curl is just as important as the positive. Then repeat for the other arm, and that is one rep. Keep going until your arms tire.
Do as many sets as desired, but remember if your working on the Power Plate one set is all that is needed because of accelerated muscle contractions. That’s why the Power Plate is such a handy device for people without a lot of time. A 90-minute workout becomes 30! Now you can get a full workout on your lunch hour, and be back at the office in time for a nap… ummm, I mean in time for your big meeting.
You have the info, now be steadfast good people! GO
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Chris Riordan CPT/Acceleration Specialist
Power Plate & Arthritis: Letting go of the Pain
Arthritis is a disease that affects millions of people globally every day, the elderly are the hardest hit but even the young can suffer its effects. Also known as a rheumatic disease, it can affect the joints, muscles, tendons, and connective tissues, with swelling, stiffness and constant pain.
Exercise, heat, massages, and physical therapy can help with pain management, prevent fusion of tissues, and bone spurs, while building endurance, muscle, and coordination. Many people however, prefer the short cut of drugs to reduce the pain, which in turn lead to higher doses creating a toxic environment throughout the body for more disease to grow. Surely 1 little pill every day couldn’t hurt, right? Maybe it won’t, if you supplement it with exercise and a healthy diet. However, if you start with 1 there could eventually be 20-30 a day and none of it working. We’ve all seen it.
Combating arthritis with vibration therapy on the Power Plate will increase blood distribution, which is important in regenerating damaged tissues as well as in the circulatory system’s ability to deliver vital nutrients and hormones throughout the body. The increased blood flow will aid in the development of new capillaries, bringing oxygen and synovial fluids to joints and cartilage, providing much needed flexibility. This type of vibration exercise will also stimulate the lymphatic system responsible for carrying toxins away from healthy cells and thereby aiding in the regeneration of new cells.
Living in daily pain takes it’s toll mentally, as well as physically. A person can actually become addicted to an ailment by constantly speaking of it in terms of it belonging to them. “My arthritis” or “My bursitis”, “Been with me a long time it has”. It could be time to let go of that old friend, and embrace a new way of thinking, and living. If you haven’t given the Power Plate a shot then it’s time come in for a complementary demonstration. Be well…
Special thanks to Veronica Remirez for her help with this Blog
Power Plate & Chiropractic: Living Pain Free
Welcome to the LA Power Plate site. My name is Dr. Bert Vanderbliek, and I have been practicing Chiropractic since 1987. I mention my years of experience because I’ve seen many consistent patterns when it comes to Chiropractic patients. Many patients seek Chiropractic care after traditional methods of treatment, such as over-the-counter meds, altering daily routines and holding off on exercise, aren’t working. In most cases, Chiropractic Care has a favorable outcome in reducing or eliminating symptoms, but once the pain is gone, so is the patient, until the pain returns. There is more to being pain free than meets the eye. We find clinically, that when patients follow a program that rebuilds and strengthens their bodies, they not only hold their adjustments longer but have less recurring flare-ups. Without re-education, patients return to old unhealthy habits which produced their problems in the first place.
In the last year, we have added something to our practice to really change all that. The Power Plate was added, as well as our new amazing Personal Trainer, Chris Riordan. Once the pain and symptoms have been removed, the patient is now ready for the next step. A Rebuilding Program with flexibility, balance, and core strengthening is the goal to achieving a healthy spine and body. That’s where Chris and the Power Plate come in. This program has allowed us to help patients develop new healthy habits in order to prevent the old pain and symptoms from returning.
The Power Plate machine helps to increase muscle strength and flexibility, reduce pain and soreness, and improve bone density. Patients work directly with Chris and I on following a program designed for their individual needs. For the patient who is interested in achieving a healthy strong body, this program will change your life.
Come in, and receive a complimentary consultation and demonstration on the Power Plate.
Call us at (818) 345-4924 to schedule an appointment.
Included:
•Consultation
•Review of Health Goals
•Power Plate Demo
Power Plate and Osteoporosis: Winning the battle over bone loss!
These days everyone knows someone in the family that has Osteoporosis, or even worse someone that has it and has fallen and suffered a fracture. It is common and can even be fatal, especially in the elderly.
“Among women over 50, 1 in every 2 who walk into an exercise class has low bone density and is at risk for fracture (NOF).” Symptoms can include: loss of height, mid-back or neck pain, arms looking longer, pants fitting too long, spinal deformities such as a stooped posture, and waistline pain.
The simple truth for us as humans is “if we don’t use it we lose it”, and physical activity especially weight bearing and resistance exercise are a big part of the prevention process. Putting stress on the bones through exercise cause the bones to grow more bone and thus become stronger. Magic? Not really, but science can be magical, and Power Plate has Accelerated the prevention process for us. Conventional training can be time consuming, painful, and down right exhausting to fit into a busy day. Using the natural forces of gravity the Power Plate will involuntarily contract the muscles throughout the body between 30-50 times per second, dynamicly accelerating the work being done, in 20 min or less 3 time per week.
“Power-Plate training leads to a significant (1.5%) increase in hip area bone density, also muscle strength and postural control increases in postmenopausal women.” (JBMR)
I see first hand these amazing results every day and you can too. Got 20 minutes? You’ve got nothing to lose and only bone density to gain!
Chris Riordan CPT/Acceleration Specialist
Special Thanks to Staci Riordan for her help with this blog
References
National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) fast facts
www.nof.org/osteporosis/diseasefacts.htm
Journal of Bone and Mineral Research (JBMR) (vol.19 (3), 2004)
Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER)
Power Plate & Stability: Breaking Down the Core Plank
The old adage goes “An ounce of prevention, is worth a pound of cure” When it comes to injury prevention nothing is more essential than core stability.
Proper core stability training will recruit muscles of the trunk, pelvis, hips, abdominals, and small muscles along the spine contracting together to hold the spinal column in alignment. Planks anyone?
The endurance of these muscles is actually more important than their strength, since they are constantly working to stabilize the spine. Stabilizer muscles don’t move, they contract with static or isometric contractions so they obviously need to be trained with static exercises. I said PLANKS ANYONE!!!?
That’s right! Planks, and lots of them… Can I get a witness!
- Lie face down on a mat resting the forearms, palms flat on the floor.
- Push off the floor, raising up on the toes and resting on the elbows.
- Keep your back flat, in a straight line from head to heals.
- Tilt your pelvis and contract your abdominals to prevent your butt from sticking up or sagging in the middle. (no more saggy belly)
- Hold for 30 to 60 seconds, lower and repeat for 3-4 reps.
“I was introduced to the Power Plate machine in 2005 and was immediately impressed with the versatility and applications specific to golf conditioning including hamstring stretch, massage (for recovery/relaxation) and for developing my core stability,” said Westwood. “I have now progressed to the Power Plate pro5Air™ to further develop stability and power in my golf swing.” –Lee Westwood
Chris Riordan CPT Acceleration Specialist….Special thanks to Veronica Ramirez and Zac Zucker for thier help with this blog!
