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Blood pressure is the measure of forces pushing outwards on your arterial walls during both the contraction and relaxation of the heart. The top number called your systolic blood pressure is the force as blood pumps out of the heart and into the arteries. The bottom number called your diastolic blood pressure is the force while the heart rests between heart beats.

Your arteries are made up of muscle and semi flexible tissues that stretch like elastic. The more force exerted on the walls, the more of a stretch results. If the tissue is stretched beyond the healthy limit repeatedly, this results in arterial dysfunction. This increase in workload and the poor contraction-relaxation coupling results in high forces on the walls, referred to as hypertension. Untreated hypertension can lead to vascular weakness and scarring which can increase your risk for stroke, aneurysms, and blood clots.

Over 76 million Americans have high blood pressure; this means one in three adults will be diagnosed with it at some point. These are some of the best ways to manage your blood pressure:

• Manage Stress
• Stay Physically Active
• Eat a Healthy Diet
• Maintain a Healthy Weight
• Refrain from Smoking
• Limit Alcohol
• Reduce Sodium Intake

Below is a chart from the American Heart Association that defines the cutoff points for healthy levels of both the systolic and diastolic values. It is a great idea to have your blood pressure measured on a regular basis because the earlier a problem is detected, the sooner you can make lifestyle adaptations.

THE TREADMILL- WE WALK, WE RUN, WE JOG, AND WE CLIMB HILLS. IT IS A FAIRLY SIMPLE PIECE OF EXERCISE EQUIPMENT; BUT KNOWING HOW TO PROPERLY USE A TREADMILL WILL HELP YOU GET THE MOST BENEFIT FROM YOUR EXERCISE AND AVOID INJURY.

How about form?

Walking or running on the treadmill should match the way you would walk on the ground. People frequently alter their gait when on the treadmill. Posture and stride length are two things affected. You should walk with your head and chest up, keeping your core tight, and shoulders back. Think of a nice, tall posture; not hunched over or looking at your feet. If you keep your arms relaxed, they should swing naturally at your side. Try to avoid shortening or adjusting your stride and focus on a natural movement.

What about the handrails?

Holding onto the handrails affects the quality of your exercise. ACSM notes that holding onto the handrails results in an inconsistent walking pace. This creates an unnatural form which may results in muscle strain or discomfort.

Additionally, holding the handles will basically make your workout easier. The amount of effort required is reduced, this reducing the number of calories expended during your exercise bout. Two offenses can be made here- holding onto the side handles and holding onto the one in front.

Offense #1

Holding onto the side bars allows you to support your body weight while you walk. The load is transferred from your legs to your upper body which reduces the amount of effort it is taking to walk. Your cardiorespiratory system does not have to work as hard to move your body with the extra support. Holding on this way makes it easier on your body; less work = less calories expended.

Offense #2

Holding onto the handle right in front of you is a common offense as well, especially when you are walking at an incline. Walking or running up an incline forces you to shift your body weight forward and push yourself up that hill. By holding on to the treadmill, you allow yourself to lean back by extending your back and arms. The purpose of walking up that hill for the extra challenge is negated by leaning back. Shifting your weight forward while walking/running up that incline keeps your body upright, working your core and postural muscles.

Balance

Balance improvements will not come from hanging on to the treadmill for stability. Holding on trains your body to rely on the extra support. Letting go can help you improve your balance and allow you to have a natural gait.

Considerations

Of course, there is an exception to the rule. If you are just starting out using a treadmill, then holding onto the handrails until you are accustomed to the movement. Once you become comfortable walking, try using only one hand for support then transition to letting your arms swing naturally.

If you have any issues with coordination or balance, then utilize the handrails for a little support. Try holding on with a light touch by placing your hands on top of the handrails. If you feel unsteady, you can then hold on, but you won’t put the pressure on your upper body.

For additional information, please refer to ACSM’s treadmill guide.
http://www.acsm.org/docs/brochures/selecting-and-effectively-using-a-home-treadmill.pdf?sfvrsn=2

Prevention is Most Important: Non-contact ACL injuries can be prevented! A proper warm-up and proper form can prevent non-contact ACL injuries and other common lower body injuries.

Warm-up: A warm-up is just as important as the workout. When a proper warm-up is implemented for athletes in particular, you reduce the risk of ACL, ankle, Quad, and Hamstring injuries. When athletes perform a Dynamic warm-up statistics show an improvement on power and agility testing vs. static stretching. If a muscle is properly warmed-up then it is able to have move more efficiently and allows the athlete to perform at there peak. There are many different types of dynamic warm-ups and we are always here to help show you one that targets the movements of your specific sport.

Body awareness: As our bodies grow athletes in particular can find they have trouble with their coordination. Creating Neuromuscular efficiency is vital for any athlete to be successful. Neuromuscular efficiency is the ability of the nervous system to properly recruit the right muscles. Proprioception is another vital requirement for athletes. Proprioception is our minds perception of where our limbs are in space, for example, if you put your hand up to catch a ball but you don’t have to look at your hand to actually see where it is before the ball is caught. You know your hand is to the side of you and that it is moving to where the ball is being thrown. Both Neuromusculat efficiency and Proprioception are things we often take for granted, but when these two functions are performing at their best our ability to accomplish specific athletic goals is spot on.

Strengthening: Most athletes want to jump into strengthening right away because they think that’s the first step to improving. Realistically strengthening should be done gradually and during the whole process form and body awareness is key. Elite athletes focus on strengthening only after their flexibility and movement is properly warmed-up. If you strengthen while you are form is off you are only enforcing the poor form which will increase your chances of injury. We are here to help teach and over all educate our athletes, because to do what they love their bodies need to stay healthy and efficient.

Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injuries are major concerns for many athletes. 70% of all ACL injuries are non-contact injuries. This means when a player is running and decides to stop or change direction they end up injuring their ACL.

Women high school and collegiate age are 3-4 times more likely to suffer a non-contact ACL injury than males competing in the same sports. As females develop, their hips become wider and hip to knee angle becomes greater which increases the risk of a knee injury. In the U.S., 20,000 to 80,000 high school female athletes experience ACL injuries each year.

Male athletes are slightly less likely to injure their ACL, but still a concern. Even with treatment after an ACL injury the athlete increases the risk of premature osteoarthritis.

We are here to help educate and improve athletes chance of success!

How many steps should I be taking? How many steps do other people get each day? How many steps per day does the average American take?

Adults should aim to take 10,000 steps each day. For children and teenagers, The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 12,000 steps per day. Research published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise in 2004 showed a wide variation in the average step count of the 200 men and women who participated. The men surveyed averaged 7192 steps per day; women averaged 5210 steps each day.

Once you have a pedometer or fitness tracker, wear it for a few days to determine a baseline. Make a note of the average number of steps you are taking on a daily basis. For example, you walk 3,100 on Day #1, 2,800 on Day #2, and on Day #3 you walk 3,400 steps; the average of these days is 3,100 steps per day. This is your starting point- continue to aim for at least this many steps every day.

Start Setting Goals. Now that you have a starting point, you can start to create a short term goal. For example, you may want to add 1,000 steps to your daily count. You can do this by planning to walk for 10 minutes chunks of time throughout your day. Once you achieve your short term goal, create a new one!

Some ways to add more steps into your day include: taking the stairs, parking farther away, getting off the subway one stop earlier, walking during lunch, taking a lap around the office, taking the dog for a walk in the morning, walking with your spouse after dinner, or walking around the mall on cold/rainy days.

Set your long term goals. Think about setting long term fitness goals; your short term goals are the building blocks to help you achieve your long term goals. Continue to create small goals to help get you closer to your ultimate goal. Maybe you want to walk 5 miles every day. Maybe you want to get more than 10,000 steps. Maybe you want to complete a 5k walk/run (3.1 miles). Maybe you want to increase your walking speed. These are your goals… it’s up to you to set them!

Be sure to track your progress along the way. Some pedometers may have memory features, but for many you will need to record your total number of steps at the end of the day. Simply add it to your calendar or appointment book, create a computer document, or make a note for yourself in your cell phone. Choose what works best for you! Tracking your progress helps you meet your goals and lets you know when it’s time to set new ones.

The take home message is to get up and get moving! Increasing your daily physical activity will definitely benefit your weight loss goals, heart health, and ease of your activities of daily living. Utilizing a pedometer to track your daily activities can assist you in reaching your goals.