Archive for month: August, 2020

Runners, Take Note: These 8 Exercises Could Help Prevent An Injury

Whether you run for 15 minutes to relieve stress or you’re training for your 100th marathon, you are considered a runner in my books. Unfortunately, runners are quite injury prone because of the redundant nature of the activity, the lack of stretching and the absence of cross training.

If you have ever been to a yoga class, you can easily spot the runners in the class because they tend to be the least flexible participants in the room. Additionally, when you are at the gym, it’s easy to spot the “cardio junkies” because they jump off the treadmill without following up their workout with any particular stretching or cross training.

After injuring myself while training for my first marathon, I quickly learned the importance of stretching and cross training to prevent injury. No matter where you are in your running journey, these stretches and exercises will benefit your overall fitness routine and can help ward off running-related injuries.

Favorite Stretches for Runners

My general rule of thumb for stretching: if you used that muscle during your workout, then you should stretch that muscle after your workout. Stretching is an important piece of injury prevention, and it really only takes a couple of minutes out of your day. The stretches below are some of my favorites that I like to incorporate with my patients who are runners.

Hip Flexor and Quad Stretch

In the half kneeling position, with your knee on a mat/cushion, tuck your tailbone and push your hips forward. You should feel a stretch in the front of your hip on the side that is in the kneeling position.

For an added quad stretch, reach behind you and grab your ankle to bring it close to your glutes. Perform 3 sets of 30 second holds on each side.

Hamstring Stretch

Lying on your back with your knees straight and legs resting on the floor, loop a belt or strap around the bottom of your foot. Use the belt or strap to perform a comfortable stretch behind the back of your leg and knee. Perform 3 sets of 30 second holds on each leg.

Figure Four Stretch

Lying on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, cross the leg you intend to stretch across your other leg keeping your ankle at your knee. Place both hands behind the thigh of your uncrossed leg and gently pull your knee towards your chest, feeling a stretch in the buttocks of your crossed leg. Perform 3 sets of 30 second holds on each leg.

Calf Stretch

Find a step or a wall to put your toes on, straighten out your knee, then push your heel down into the floor and lean into the wall. Do this with your knee straight and then a slight bend in the knee. Perform on each side for 3 sets of 30 second holds.

Favorite Exercises for Runners

Runners typically have poor single leg stability and lack strength in their glutes. Coincidentally, these weaknesses are directly related to one another. The exercises listed below will target many different muscles in the posterior chain that will ultimately build strength in the muscles that are often weak in runners.

Lateral Lunges

Start by standing with feet at shoulders width apart. Take a small step sideways toward the side to be exercised, shifting your weight onto that foot and allow the knee to bend. Perform 3 sets of 15 repetitions.

Single Leg Bridges

Begin by lying with knees bent and both feet flat on the floor with arms at your sides. Lift one foot off the floor towards the ceiling and straighten the knee. With one leg, squeeze your glutes and raise your hips off the surface trying to keep your hips level. Perform 3 sets of 15 repetitions.

Side Lying Hip Abduction

Lie on your side with the side you intend to exercise upwards. Keep your knee straight and lift your top leg up towards the ceiling. Avoid pointing your toes towards the ceiling by keeping the outside of your foot parallel with the floor, and make sure to stay lying directly on your side and avoid rolling backwards. Slowly lower your leg back to the starting position. Perform 3 sets of 15 repetitions.

Fire Hydrants

Starting Position: Begin in quadruped position with hands directly under shoulders and knees directly under hips. Engage your core by bringing the belly button towards the spine. While maintaining a tight core, activate your glutes and slowly lift one leg out to the side, keeping the knee bent. Only go as high as you can without letting the back arch. Slowly return leg to starting position. Repeat on opposite side. Tip: Do not let your back arch by keeping your core and glutes engaged throughout. Perform 3 sets of 15 repetitions on each side.

If you are feeling pain while running, that is non-emergent, NovaCare offers free injury screens that can easily be set up so that you can understand your injury and get a recommendation about where to go and what to do. There are so many injuries that can occur with runners so it is impossible to address them all in one article.

Additionally, Video Gait Analyses (VGA) are available at select NovaCare facilities. Video Gait Analyses utilize force plate technology combined with videography to identify discrete biomechanical faults that could be impacting your running form. VGAs can be done with or without a script to help meet your running needs. To find out more information, call your local NovaCare Rehabilitation.

Post written by FFC Contributor and NovaCare Lincoln Park Physical Therapist Claire Remec.

Claire Remec is a physical therapist at NovaCare Rehabilitation’s Lincoln Park center. She brings a soothing level of energy and outgoing personality to the patients she treats. Claire enjoys running and treating patients of all kinds, is experienced in Women’s Health therapy, and has a passion for promoting wellness for all.

Mask Required: Which Face Mask Is Best For Your Workout?

Welcome to our “new normal.” Nowadays if you want to return to your favorite gym/health club for a workout, wearing a mask is most likely an essential accessory. “That sounds awful!” you say? Well, I am here to tell you it’s actually not that bad.

First, for anyone in good health with no underlying health concerns that might make wearing a mask exceptionally difficult, wearing a standard cloth or disposable mask (we are not talking about hospital grade PPE) while exercising is not harmful. The American Lung Association, CDC and the World Health Organization (just to name a few) have stated that the use of surgical face masks does not result in dangerous oxygen level depletion. Recently, Dr. Maitiu O. Tuathail, a doctor based in Dublin, conducted his own test in response to the repeated queries he received on his Twitter account as to whether masks affect oxygen levels. His results? They did not show a lowering of oxygen levels.

So, now that we have gotten that out of the way, let’s get to what you really want to hear: “Are you sure it’s not that bad to workout in a mask?” Yes, I believe so. In fact, I feel I have become somewhat of a mask wearing/exercising expert and I want to share a few tips.

1. Take it slow

Just like anything else, when you are not conditioned (or trained), exercise is always harder at first. Have you ever run (or known anyone who ran) a marathon? If the answer is yes, I am sure you didn’t register for the race and run 26.2 miles the next day, especially without any training. Well I can say the same for wearing a mask. Take it easy your first few workouts, exercise for a shorter duration and with less intensity. Just like in marathon training, when a 10-mile run suddenly seems “easy,” I promise that 45-minute Spin class won’t seem so bad either.

2. “I can’t breathe in a mask!”

Actually you can, and while it does feel a bit different as exercise intensity starts to rise (refer back to the beginning of this blog), you can in fact still BREATHE in a mask. Inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth can limit that “feeling” of suffocation. In addition, if your mask fits your face properly and sits snug over the bridge of your nose, it is much less likely to press up against your face when you inhale.

3. Your face will be sweaty and it’s okay.

Obviously the lower half of your face is covered when wearing a mask, so it will feel warm (even hot) and sweaty. Your face sweats during a workout and normally the sweat would evaporate or you could towel it off. Since masks prevent you from doing that, your face will feel noticeably warm and “sweatier” than it did before, and it’s going to be okay. The feel is something you can definitely get used to after multiple wearings.

If you’re concerned about your complexion I asked expert Esthetician Julie Talbot from our FFC Oak Park Spa about your skin and wearing a mask. She had 4 basic tips to help minimize the potential for mask-induced breakouts:

Wash your mask after every use. The bacteria and sweat from your skin and some facial products can cause you to break out.
If you wash your mask with your laundry, skip the fabric softener in the washer or dryer. Whether you wash then line dry or elect to use the dryer for your mask, avoid using any fabric softeners. The waxy coating and fragrance are acne triggers.
Make sure your mask fits well. The friction caused by excessive movement or rubbing can spur an irritation breakout.
Clean your face as soon as possible after workouts or sweating. The sooner you remove that bacteria and oil, the less likely it will cause a breakout. Always remember to put on a clean mask afterward.

4. What type of mask works best?

There are many varieties of masks out there but I found a few you might want to steer clear of and a few I recommend.

Cotton masks: While cotton masks are readily available and can be purchased (or homemade) in a wide variety of colors and patterns, they are not my top pick for moderate to hard exercise (for light exercise like walking they work just fine). Cotton is breathable and absorbs sweat, but then the sweat just stays there. The fabric stays soaking wet and doesn’t get drawn away from your skin. This can become quite uncomfortable. Cotton is my last choice in a ‘workout’ mask.

Disposable masks: These are the blue/white masks you can purchase from most convenience, grocery and/or home supply stores. They are meant for single use, are inexpensive and easy to find. While they do not hold the sweat as close to the skin as a cotton mask, if you’re a particularly heavy sweater, they can become drenched and start to lose shape (all masks are much less effective when wet). Depending on the brand, they can be pinched at the bridge of the nose so they stay in place on a wide variety of faces and can be tossed out after your workout and replaced with a fresh one. They can feel slightly less warm than a cotton mask; this would be my second choice.

Moisture-wicking masks: Moisture-wicking masks are made from a wide variety of fabrics including blends of polyester, rayon, nylon, latex, bamboo, wool and spandex. The most important factor is that the material wicks moisture which draws sweat away from your face and promotes quick drying. These have a tendency to cost a bit more (anywhere from about $11-$30 per mask), however, if you want to be most comfortable while exercising and wearing your mask, a moisture wicking mask is the best option. A few brands I have used and found to be reasonably priced and perform well are: Boco Gear, Wattie Ink and Zensah. There are many more choices available, and I recommend you try a variety and see what works best for you.

So what are you waiting for? Get your mask and get back in the gym!

Post written by FFC Contributor and Group Fitness Manager Lara Mele.

Woman in camel pose doing yoga on mat in home.

Feeling Stressed? Learn To Cope With Mindful Movement

Incorporate Pilates, yoga or meditation into your wellness routine to reduce stress and anxiety levels. Read more below.

Americans are no strangers to stress. In fact, the United States ranked as the world’s fourth most-stressed country in 2019. ¹ As a nation, we have a reputation for working too much, viewing self-care as a luxury and not prioritizing mental health.

Unfortunately, in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, our stress levels have only risen. According to the American Psychological Association, almost 8 in 10 Americans say that the coronavirus pandemic is “a significant source of stress,” with feelings of uncertainty, the current political climate and fear of contracting COVID-19 as the most frequently reported stressors.

Stress is a natural response to life’s experiences. When you’re feeling pressure at work or you’re dealing with a conflict with a loved one, the nervous system releases stress hormones (adrenaline and cortisol) and turns on your “fight or flight” mode. Once the fear or “threat” has subsided, stress levels usually return to normal. If this does not happen or if the stressor continues to be an issue, chronic stress may set in.

While not all stress has a purely negative affect, it is important to realize the impact chronic stress can have on your overall health and well-being. Stress has the power to compromise our immune systems and is “a major contributing factor to the six leading causes of death in the United States: cancer, coronary heart disease, accidental injuries, respiratory disorders, cirrhosis of the liver and suicide.”²

While the statistics paint a pretty grim picture, there is good news: we can learn to cope with stress and effectively reduce our stress levels. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has created an entire list of healthy ways to cope with stress, which includes meditating, exercising regularly and getting plenty of sleep.

Over the course of this article, we will be discussing the effectiveness of mindfulness and mindful movement as healthy coping strategies for stress. FFC Regional Pilates Manager Kristin Strom and FFC Exclusive Group Fitness Instructor, Personal Trainer and Pilates Trainer David Bohn share their experiences using mindfulness to combat stress and offer easy-to-follow 10 minute routines you can use to incorporate mindful movement into your daily routine.

Pilates

Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness.
Joseph Pilates

Joseph Pilates founded Contrology (now known as Pilates) in the 1920s as a way to balance the body, mind and spirit. Dissatisfied with the effects of the “modern lifestyle” on his health and well-being, Pilates designed a set of exercises intended to correct muscular imbalances and improve strength and flexibility, while keeping a focus on breath. ³

Nearly 100 years later, Pilates has become one of the most popular group fitness modalities in the US. Publications like Livestrong and Well + Good have written articles surrounding the growing popularity of Pilates and its more contemporary approach, Megaformer classes, in 2020. So why all the hype?

Pilates is considered a low-impact workout that is highly rewarding. The exercises used in a Pilates session target several muscle groups at once, with an emphasis on controlling the deep abdominal muscles and muscle close to the spine (the core). A regular Pilates practice will improve flexibility, balance, range of motion and posture, and it may even relieve aches and pains.⁴

While these physical benefits may be the main attractor of Pilates, the mental health implications are equally impressive. Pilates, at its core (pun intended), is about connecting breath to mindful, intentional movement. The practice forces its followers to slow down, tune in to the body and clear the mind of any distractions, making it both a workout and a study in mindfulness.

The low-intensity nature of Pilates makes it a wonderful exercise choice for all ages and abilities, but for more serious exercisers, the term “low-intensity” can sometimes be misconstrued for “easy workout.” This certainly isn’t the case for Pilates, and there’s scientific proof that throwing in a low-intensity class every now and then is good for the brain.

The Journal of Endocrinological Investigation conducted a study in 2008 regarding the effect of exercise intensity on cortisol levels and found that “low intensity exercise actually resulted in a reduction in circulating cortisol levels” whereas moderate to high intensity exercise raises those levels of stress hormones.

Kristin Strom, Regional Pilates Manager for FFC, has been practicing Pilates for more than 20 years. When Chicago’s shelter-in-place order went into effect in March amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Strom was experiencing stress and anxiety and was having trouble sleeping. In order to avoid “spiraling into a depression,” Strom decided to challenge herself to move her body mindfully every day at 7 AM with Pilates.

To keep herself accountable and to share her love for Pilates, Strom decided to stream her Pilates workouts on Facebook. At the time of this writing, Strom is on Day 143 of her “Pilates every day” movement.

“When you do something every day, you can really feel the progress and track your progress, which makes [the effects of Pilates] feel so much more real,” Strom said. “When you keep your exercise consistent, you can really notice the nuances in your body. It’s really important to know your body– this is where you live, this is your home.”

Strom received messages from those who take her classes on Facebook celebrating the fact that they can touch their toes for the first time in years, perform a push-up on their toes or have alleviated stubborn back pain by consistently practicing Pilates. Equally rewarding are the messages she receives from folks who have thanked her for helping them establish an exercise routine and create some semblance of structure and accountability.

This social interaction of this digital community, paired with the physical movement of her practice, has given Strom a sense of purpose in an uncertain time and has helped return her to a normal sleep pattern and lowered anxiety levels.

If you’d like to join Kristin’s daily Pilates practice, you can find her at Kristin Strom on Facebook and on the Fitness Formula Clubs page on Mondays and Wednesdays. Ready to join Kristin for an in-person class or private session? Reach out at kstrom@ffc.com to schedule your session today.

If you’re new to Pilates or are looking for an easy way to stay consistent with your practice, try this 10-minute Morning Pilates session with Kristin to start your day off on the right foot.

Yoga and Meditation

Meditation can help us embrace our worries, our fear, our anger; and that is very healing. We let our own natural capacity of healing do the work.
Thich Nhat Hanh

According to MINDBODY’s 2019 Fitness In America report, yoga is the number one group exercise activity across all ages surveyed. The ancient Indian practice rose to popularity in the United States in the 1960s and has since become a mainstay in the US fitness industry with over 300 million Americans practicing yoga. ⁵⁶

Yoga can be defined as a system for uniting mind, body and soul using specific postures and movements. The practice challenges yogis to quiet the mind, focus on the present moment and link breath to movement. Yoga and the practice of meditation share a number of similarities, with many considering yoga to be a moving expression of meditation. For this reason, yoga has long been identified as a true mind-body form of exercise.

Physically speaking, a regular yoga and meditation practice boasts a long list of benefits, including improved strength and flexibility, weight loss, reduction of harmful inflammation, lowering of blood pressure, increased performance for the immune system and improved quality of sleep, to name a few. The practice has also been linked to longevity and is an excellent source of low-impact exercise for all ages.

The mental health benefits of yoga and meditation extend far beyond reduced stress levels, though that is a major perk of a regular practice. The two modalities can also bring these benefits to your emotional well-being:

It can boost your mood.
It can help you control cravings.
It can improve cognitive performance.
It can make you more compassionate.
It can give you a greater sense of self-awareness.
It can improve your focus and attention span.
It can boost your self-esteem.⁷⁸⁹

FFC Exclusive Group Fitness Instructor, Personal Trainer and Pilates Trainer David Bohn shared that yoga has greatly improved his flexibility and range of motion. Mentally, Bohn said he experiences a positive mood shift whether he’s taking or teaching a yoga class.

“If I’m teaching a class in the morning, I can tell that by the time I’m done, I’m much more relaxed, and I’m in a better mood,” Bohn said. “I always feel better when I’m done. I always feel less stressed.”

Starting a regular yoga/meditation practice doesn’t have to become a two hour daily chore. Bohn says that carving out a few minutes in your day for mindfulness still has its benefits.

“Meditation has helped me with my internal focus and being able to quiet the mind, especially when it’s running out of control,” Bohn said. “Trying to come to a quiet spot and tuning out for 2-5 minutes even can help me to slow my mind and destress.”

Ready to take class with David in person? Head to FFC.com/group-fitness to reserve an upcoming class with David, or catch him on FFC On Demand!

Start reducing your stress levels today by carving out 10 minutes for these yoga and meditation sessions from David Bohn. Unwind from a busy day with David’s Bedtime Yoga Flow, tune in for a 10 minute meditation that can be done anywhere, anytime or do both back to back!

Sources:

Post written by Natalie Casper, with video content from FFC Regional Pilates Manager Kristin Strom and FFC Exclusive Group Fitness Instructor, Personal Trainer and Pilates Trainer David Bohn.