Lynbrook | New Hyde Park | NY

Workout

Muscle Madness: Piriformis

The Exercise Physiologists at Peak Performance know all the muscles in the body, but which ones are our favorite?! Every week we will feature a different muscle- so you guys get an anatomy lesson and learn how to work that muscle!

Corynne, what’s your favorite muscle?

My favorite is the piriformis. I find that most people don’t know about this muscle and don’t realize how important it is to stretch this muscle, especially if they have sciatic issues.

Where is it located?

The piriformis is located in the hip area. It is deep- below the gluteus maximus. It starts at he base of the spine and connects to the femur.

What does this muscle do?

The Piriformis assists with lateral rotation (turning out) and abduction (lifting away from the body) of the thigh.

What’s a good exercise for the piriformis?

In many people, this muscle is very tight. It may be more beneficial to work on stretching it rather than focusing on strengthening. A good stretch for this muscle is called a figure four position. Lay on your back with your knees bent and feet flat. Take one leg and cross your ankle over the opposite thigh then reach behind that thigh and hug it in towards your chest- keep your neck relaxed!

Warming Up for Recreational Sports

March Madness is here and spring is right around the corner! Baseball has started Spring Training and the weather is starting to get nicer as the days get longer. For all of the avid basketball fans and recreational players, it’s exciting to watch the college basketball season come to a close. Many of us don’t do as much physical activities in the winter as we do when the weather starts to get warmer. We all can reminisce on the “good old days” when we were able to just go for a run or play a sport without warming up. However, the more time you’ve spent away from an activity should mean more time that you spend on a quality warm up and cool down. This is important to help prevent injuries and ensure you’re feeling great for the next days.

Taking 5-10 minutes to go through some light stretching and dynamic movements is important for your well-being. Here’s an example of a simple warm up you can do before most physical activities:

1) Light Jogging ~3-5 minutes

2) Walking Quad stretch (kick your heels up to your butt while stepping forward)

3) Frankenstein’s (lightly kicking leg straight in front while walking forward)

4) Lunge with Reach (step forward with one leg then bend both knees to 90 degrees and lift arms to the sky)

5) Side Lunges (with toes facing forward, step sideways bending one leg while keeping the other straight then step to the other side)

There are many different warm ups and ways to make it more for your activity. Your Exercise Physiologist can develop a specific program for you. Remember the goal of a warm up is to get your body ready for the activities it will soon be doing. Increasing your heart rate and increasing blood flow to skeletal muscles will decrease your chance for injuries during sports. Most importantly, have fun out there and be safe!

 

Corynne Pereira

Muscle Madness: Trapezius

The Exercise Physiologists at Peak Performance know all the muscles in the body, but which ones are our favorite?! Every week we will feature a different muscle- so you guys get an anatomy lesson and learn how to work that muscle. It’s Muscle Madness!

Tyler, what’s your favorite muscle?

My favorite muscle is the Trapezius also known as your “Traps.” I love this muscle not only because they look awesome when developed but it is a muscle that you must earn. The ‘traps’ are a true sign of strength and you must diligently work hard to develop them.

Where is it located?

The trapezius is located on your upper back. This muscle extends from your neck out towards the shoulders and down your thoracic spine.

What does this muscle do?

The trapezius is one of the major muscles of the back and is responsible for moving, rotating, and stabilizing the scapula (shoulder blade) and also supporting/tilting/twisting the head, neck and arm.

What’s a good exercise to strengthen my trapezius?

Some great exercises to help develop them would be: Deadlifts, dumbbell shrugs and face pulls. Overhead presses are also a good way to help build your traps!

Simple Exercises to Strengthen Your Ankle

As the weather gets warmer, the desire to get outside to exercise naturally increases. If you’re like most people then you’d much rather get your cardio done by doing something fun and distracting like sport, rather than being on a treadmill inside. That’s great, and sports are the best way to burn a ton of calories without even thinking twice about how long you’re playing. Unfortunately playing sports comes with its own risks and one of the most common injuries a sprained ankle. Although it doesn’t sound like much, a sprained ankle varies in severity and can be anywhere from a slight roll to nasty, crippling injury.

Speaking from personal experience, not less than a week ago I was playing basketball, jumped up for the ball and came down with all my weight and ended up rolling my ankle. Not only is this terrifying but an eye-opener as well. Escaping with just a bad “grade 2 sprain,” I could have easily fractured a bone or worse. Why wasn’t it worse? Luck, maybe. The fact that I have a strong muscular foundation surrounding and supporting my ankle is what kept me from completely shattering it. The muscles around your ankle hold it together, think of it like a house; you wouldn’t want your house built out of sticks. Same premise applies.

Here are some exercises to help keep your ankle strong and supported:

1) Single Leg Medicine Ball Toss:

Square off with a partner and toss a medicine ball back and forth while standing on one leg. Make it harder by balancing on a foam pad. Shoot for 60 seconds, 5 times.

2) Balance Foam:

Use one foot to stand on a balance foam for as long as you can without toppling over. Focus on stabilizing at the ankle. Do 5 sets for maximal time.

3) Resisted Ankle Pumps:

Sit down and place a mini resistance band around both feet. Strengthen your ankles by rotating your feet upward and outward, against the resistance. Do at least 3 sets of 15.

4) Calf Raises:

This exercise teaches your ankles to have control when your body shifts weight. Stand with your feet about hip-width apart, shift weight onto your toes, and slowly lift your heels off the ground. Keep your ankles in a neutral position to prevent them from rolling out

 

By Tyler Palmquist

Muscle Madness: Gluteus Medius

The Exercise Physiologists at Peak Performance know all the muscles in the body, but which ones are our favorite?! Every week we will feature a different muscle- so you guys get an anatomy lesson and learn how to work that muscle. It’s Muscle Madness!

Matt, what’s your favorite muscle?

My favorite muscle is the gluteus medius, or glute med for short.

Where is it?

The glute med sits underneath the gluteus maximus, and starts on the rear of the ilium (round part of your hip) and ends on the outside of the femur.

What does this muscle do?

This small muscle helps to abduct the leg from the hip, and acts as a stabilizer during squat movements. The glute med also acts to stabilize the body while on one leg, particularly in day to day activities like walking, running, and balancing. A weak gluteus medius can result in catastrophe for your gait and balance!

What’s a good exercise to strengthen my gluteus medius?

A great hip training exercise is a single leg stand or balance. I like to throw in a twist for my clients to make it more challenging. For this exercise, keep a main portion of your weight on the outer foot of the outside leg, and don’t let the band pull you over!

Motivation v. Discipline

The road to success is paved with many stones; they may be labeled as: right place- right time, effort, discipline and motivation. Motivation and discipline often get lumped together as the same thing; however, they are very different from one another.

Motivation is your fuel on the road. Motivation is what helps you get going; it’s the fire in the beginning, the light at the end, and the helping hand along the way. Motivation attributes to the start of a journey and serves as a break from the day to day grind; it can come in the form of a number on a scale, a bigger paycheck, or a smile from someone you’ve helped.

Call it guts, grit, effort, fortitude or whatever you want- just don’t call it lazy. Discipline is the metaphorical meat and potatoes of success. Discipline comes into play when you wake up at 5:00 AM to make the train; it’s staying late at work to finish up that big project; it shows up at midnight when those cookies in the kitchen are calling your name; and it’ll be with you when you lose that extra pound, get that promotion or beat that mile time. Simply put, discipline is the ability to stick to the program, put in the work, and travel the long road to success.

The successful person uses both motivation and discipline to their advantage. Motivation is easy to find- we want our clients to set small goals throughout the week or month and set small rewards accordingly. Often a new pair of sneakers or some well fitting jeans after a month of weight loss usually does the trick! Find joy in going the extra mile to help someone out or put on your favorite song while heading to work or the gym. Discipline is tougher to hold on to; there are no tricks to discipline and it takes practice. When temptation rears its ugly head, remember why you started, how far you’ve come, and how far you can go.

 

Matt Rhodes, M.S., C-EP

3 Tips for Keeping Your Nutrition on Track

While making resolutions can be super easy, it’s keeping them that can get a little bit tricky. Resolving to lose weight is #1 on many people’s list of goals this year; however, by February it can be challenging to keep up with those resolutions if you’re not giving yourself that same initial push. Maybe your exercise routine is still working strong, but nutritional changes have fallen off the wagon again. Here are a few ideas to keep your nutritional habits heading in a positive direction!

1. Education
Googling the newest diet plans may not spark the motivation you are looking for. Do a little research about healthy eating and compare that with your current nutrition. Ideally you want to be making healthy lifestyle changes and it’s important that they are realistic. Here are some questions you may want to start with: What are sources of lean protein? How can I get protein without eating meat? What is a complex carbohydrate v. a simple carbohydrate? How many grams of sugar should I have in a day?

2. Journal Writing

Journaling both your exercise and nutrition is an important part of holding yourself accountable. Writing throughout the day will help you stay on track rather than trying to jot everything from three days ago down in a notebook. If you write as you go along, you may find inspiration from your healthy breakfast to keep that trend going. Knowing that you have to record what you ate may make you think twice about your dessert choices. This method has proven to be successful when trying to lose weight- that’s why the members of our Weight Loss Program keep journals!

3. Check-In With Your Goals

Setting long-term goals is very important, but be sure to have smaller markers along the way. This way you can reassess your progress throughout your journey if needed. Make sure you utilize your nutrition journal and time with your Exercise Physiologist. Write down any questions you have because they are your #1 resource! Talk with friends or family who have set similar resolutions for themselves and help each other our- you’re all in this together. Not only will you hold yourself accountable, but you can help each other along the way!

 

By Louise Mills-Strasser

Recipe of the Week: Slow Cooker Peasant Stew

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Serves: 6

Ingredients:

  • 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1.5 lbs
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 (10 oz) cans Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles, undrained
  • 1 (16 oz) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 (16 oz) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
  • ? cup fresh cilantro

Directions:

  1. Rub the chicken thighs with cumin, sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add the chicken thighs and cook about 5 minutes or until browned on all sides.
  2. Pour undrained cans of tomatoes into slow cooker. Stir in onion. Place browned chicken on top and cook on Low for 3 to 4 hours. Add in the beans and cook for an additional hour.
  3. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy!

 

Original recipe can be found here!