Lynbrook | New Hyde Park | NY

stretching

Staying Accountable For Your Resolutions

Consistency with your exercise regimen is of the utmost importance in order to achieve your desired fitness goals.  Having a trainer is a great way to stay responsible with your health and fitness because it ensures that you schedule regular exercise sessions throughout the week.  However, without a trainer you are solely responsible to keep up with regular visits to the fitness center, which may prove to be harder than it seems due to other obligations such as work and family.

One technique that may help stay accountable is to designate a regular time in which you put aside strictly for exercise.  This could be in the morning before work, or at night as your day winds down.  However, planning to exercise at night leaves more of a chance to come up with excuses to miss the gym, and on top of that we have less energy in the evening/night versus the morning.

Another strategy could be to set a goal for how many days you wish to exercise (ideally a minimum of three days a week) and then make a checklist.  Keep that checklist somewhere you will see every day to ensure you meet your weekly goal.

If for some reason due to lack of time you are unable to make it to the facility, have your trainer design a home workout for you for convenience.  Having exercise equipment at home, such as a treadmill, bike, dumbbells, and/or resistance bands will certainly help keep you accountable—or even if you walk or jog around the neighborhood for at least 30 minutes.

 

By Anthony Locast

When Should You Stretch?

The main purpose of stretching is to increase flexibility and reduce the risk of pain or injury during an exercise. With increased flexibility, we are able to strengthen muscles throughout their full range of motion around our joints. Before deciding when to stretch, it is important to first identify the different types of stretching and understand their effects on the body.

Types of Stretches
Static Stretching: this is the most commonly known form of stretching and involves maintaining a specific joint position for an extended time period (about 15-30 sec).

Example: Standing Hamstring stretch

Dynamic Stretching: this form of stretching requires that you actively move a joint through its full range of motion (repeated motion for period of time).

Example: Leg Swings

Stretching before Exercise
It is important to prime our muscles before exercise to improve performance and reduce the risk of injury. The best way to do this is to first perform a general warm-up in order to increase muscle temperature, increase your heart rate, and increase blood flow. Examples of a general warm-up: 5 mins of treadmill walking/ jogging, or riding the stationary bike.

Stretching performed after the warm-up should target the muscles that will be used during the workout. Though static stretching is very effective for increasing range of motion, studies have shown that it may have negative effect on exercise performance, particularly in regards to resistance training. Static stretching decreases muscle and tendon stiffness that is necessary for optimal contraction during exercise. However, dynamic stretching does not appear to have this same effect and because it involves movements that mimic exercise, we are able to prep multiple muscle groups more efficiently. Because of this, dynamic flexibility exercises are preferred before a workout.

Stretching after Exercise
Stretching can be a key part of “cool down” after a workout. Static stretching is most productive following a workout because it allows for greater blood flow back to the muscles, which is essential for proper recovery. Static stretching will increase flexibility/ joint range of motion, and because the workout is already complete, there is no reason for concern about the negative performance effects.

Stretching in General
Even if you aren’t exercising regularly, stretching has many benefits that can improve one’s health. Stretching (increasing flexibility) can decrease muscle imbalances, improve posture, reduce the risk of chronic injuries such as low back pain, and even relieve stress.

 

 

By Dave McCalla

Why is a Warm Up So Important?

We always ask our clients to arrive at least 5-10 minutes early in order to warm up prior to exercise. The importance of a warm up should be appreciated and included as part of your workout regimen.

A warm up period allows your heart rate and breathing rate to gradually increase and prepare your body for exercise. By slowly increasing the intensity of the workload, the body is prepared for efficient and safe functioning of the heart, lungs, blood vessels, and muscles during more vigorous exercise to follow.

A good warm up can reduce the muscle or joint soreness experienced during the beginning of a workout. Think of this as “loosening up your muscles.” Your body’s joints will loosen and blood flow to the working muscles will increase.

As a part of a warm up, stretching may be added in after walking, biking, or other dynamic movements. Dynamic movements activate our muscles and move joints through a greater range of motion. Static movements will stretch the muscles without a change in the range of motion of a joint- think of holding a hamstring stretch. As mentioned before, you want to complete dynamic movements prior to static stretching. It may even be best to save the static stretches for your cool down.

So why should I warm up?

  • Increase heart rate
  • Increase blood flow
  • Increase body temperature
  • Decrease muscle viscosity
  • Mentally prepare you for a workout
  • Improve performance
  • Reduce the risk of injury
  • Increase the satisfaction from a workout!

 

By Louise Mills-Strasser