Form at the Gym

I got back to my gym yesterday after being away for three weeks. While in Virginia, I was doing a lot of swimming and running, but not so much work in the gym. So it was good to get back and lift some weights.

While at the gym I was reminded of the importance of good form in exercising. It amazes me how many people exercise in a way that is either very likely to cause them injury, or just very inefficient and ineffective.

A few of the things I saw just yesterday (that you should avoid!):
- Lifting heavy weights that you can't really control. - Always lift weights in a controlled manner, both up and down. If you do quick, jerky movements either up or down, you are more likely to hurt yourself and you are not working the muscle very efficiently. Better to lift less weight in an effective way.

- Supporting yourself mostly by holding onto the bars on the treadmill. This is very inefficient! You're logging in time on the machine, but you're not using your muscles efficiently - in other words, you're wasting your time. When using a machine like the treadmill or stair stepper, stand upright. In that way, you support your torso correctly and you effectively work your legs (which is what you wanted to do, right?).

- Continuing or repeating an exercise beyond your current endurance. If your muscles are too fatigued to continue an exercise in proper form, stop. Don't continue with bad form; it will be either ineffective or potentially harmful to continue. If you are too tired to walk on the treadmill without holding yourself up, get off and do something else. Don't continue just because you decided that you would walk a certain amount of time. Once you're no longer really working your legs effectively, you're largely wasting time. If you can't do the 12 repetitions of an exercise that you wanted to, stop and rest or do something different. Don't continue if it means contorting your body in some way. I see people all the time continue after they've broken form. They end up putting a lot of stress on joints and other muscles, just to get in a few more reps. Better to stop and try to do more tomorrow or next week.

- Bouncing while stretching. Never bounce while you stretch; you can so easily injure your muscles that way. You will not increase your flexibility - you will hurt yourself. Always stretch just to the point of a slight pull and hold for 10 - 30 seconds. Remember to keep breathing while you stretch.

This also leads to another point: beware of gratuitous advice at the gym. When I was starting to work out at the gym I tweaked some joints and muscles because of some of the free advice from fellow exercisers. I was new to weight training and I figured they must know what they were talking about because they were so sure of themselves. Not everyone knows what they're talking about! As I trained for my certification I started to learn how many misconceptions and sometimes just wrong ideas are floating around. It's not always bad advice - just consider the source. Is this someone who has some training or knowledge in the field? In general, it's always good to check with a certified trainer if you have questions.

So, go to the gym, just do it in good form.

Julie

No Weights

I am finally back home and catching up on some sleep. While at Wintergreen I led a couple of exercise seminars for the academy students. Because of the location of the classes (no gym equipment of any sort), I focused on no weight exercises. Although at first blush these can seem easy, no weight exercises can be very effective. The exercises use only your own body weight for resistance. The key to making these effective is to do the exercises in a slow and always controlled way. The other important point is to be equally steady on the way up as well as the way down. We've probably all seen young toughs at the gym, popping heavy weights up and then letting them crash back down, out of control. While they may feel quite impressed with the amount of weight they've lifted, their muscles would have gotten more benefit from lifting less weight and lowering slowly. Our muscles actually work more on the lowering of the weight (the eccentric movement) than lifting the same weight (the concentric movement). So when a trainer tells you to do exercises in a controlled way, it's not just because it can prevent injury to you (or others around you), but because it's more work and more effective for your muscles.

At Life-Cise we often like to use no weight exercises because they are effective and anyone can do them anywhere. And for someone recovering from surgery or in the midst of treatment, the exercises are manageable and controllable, and, again, can be very effective. A great no weight exercise for the lower body is the squat, or if you want extra support, the wall squat. The wall squat strengthens your thighs, buttocks, and back of the leg (quadriceps, gluteals, and hamstrings), and uses the weight of your body for resistance. Stand with your back against a wall (if you have an exercise ball, you can place the ball in the middle of your back against the wall) and your feet hip width apart. Move your feet about 1 1/2 to 2 feet from the wall. Lean back against the wall, keeping your shoulders in contact with the wall (or against the ball if you are using one). Slowly bend your knees and lower yourself until your knees are directly in line above your ankles. Do not go farther. If this is too difficult, lower yourself only as far as you can. Slowly return to starting position. A great no weight exercises for the shoulders is the straight arm raise. This strengthens the muscles of the shoulder and upper back (deltoids, latissimus dorsi, trapezius, subscapularis, teres major). Stand straight with your shoulders back and down. Slowly raise your arms, keeping them straight, to the front. Raise them only to shoulder height. Lower. Do this exercise also to the side, only raising arms to shoulder height. The weight of your arm will provide the resistance. These exercise can easily transition from no weight to weighted as well. If you want to increase the intensity of the exercise, you can begin adding a little weight. At Life-Cise we're very fond of using water bottles as beginning weights. Depending on what size bottle you're using, it can add a pound or two. You can vary the amount of water if it's too much weight, and it's a good reminder to stay hydrated.

Julie

Heading Home (and Snooker)

Our last orchestra concert was yesterday afternoon here at Wintergreen. After the concert and a few goodbyes, I got out with my friends for a couple hours of rock climbing before it got dark. And to finish up, a small get together with friends and their host family, and attempting to learn the rules for snooker. Aside from having no skill (really!) at the game, I find the rules very complicated. How do people keep track of them all?

But now it's back to New York - and away from the cinnamon rolls from the farmers market.

Julie

Calories In - Calories Out

I'm nearly at the end of my stay at Wintergreen, VA, as part of the Wintergreen Summer Music Festival. While here, I've been exercising: I've been on some lovely hikes, done a little rock climbing, swam a little every day, and ran my first race. In spite of all that, I've gained weight. This is not really surprising - maintaining weight is all about a balance of calories taken in and calories expended. And sadly, I'm no different than anyone else. I've been burning calories, but not at a high enough rate to equal calories from the delicious fresh baked goods I've been enjoying. I'm afraid that I have little will power when it comes to fresh berry pies and yummy cinnamon rolls. So, I am a perfect example of what I tell people: there's no magic diet, just sensible eating, and a balance of calories in and calories out. Exercise alone won't do it if you're eating too much (this last sentence is just a reminder to myself).

Julie

Events at Wintergreen

I'm starting my 3rd week at the Wintergreen Music Festival. We've been busy playing a lot of concerts and there have been many other cultural events. Yesterday there was a 5K race to benefit Wintergreen Performing Arts. The race was sponsored by Ragged Mountain Running Shop in Charlottesville. It was a lot of fun; lots of people came out for it, some walking, some running. It was a tough course - there's nothing like flat land here.

This was my first ever race. For very many years I had refused to run, thinking that I hated running. Last winter I suddenly got the urge to start running. So I bought some shoes and started running - and it turns out I actually like it! And running the race was fun - hard, but fun. They have some seriously long and steep hills here on the mountain. (My hand did puff up a little, but throughout the rest of the day I did a lot of the lymphedema exercises I wrote about in previous posts and elevated my arm when I could. Within a few hours most of the puffiness was gone. My body just needed a little extra time and help to process the extra lymph created by the exertion.)

More Wintergreen activities: I held a seminar early this morning for a few of the music academy students on strengthening for musicians. As musicians we place large demands on our bodies physically, but we can do a lot to keep our bodies in good functional shape to enhance our ability to play our instruments. Although they are all young and healthy, I want to get the students thinking about how to keep their bodies functioning well so that they can enjoy a whole lifetime of playing music.

Also, here in Virginia I have been greatly enjoying the bounty of the land! I always enjoy finding what's fresh and good foodwise, wherever I am. And here in Nelson County, Virginia I have been so enjoying the beautiful fresh produce, fresh chickens and grass-fed beef from local farms. So a big thank you to all the hardworking farmers for providing me with delicious, healthy meals.

Enjoy!

Julie

Julie in Virginia

I hope all of you enjoyed the holiday weekend.

Tomorrow, I will be traveling to Wintergreen, Virginia for a few weeks. From July 7 through July 27, I will be performing at the Wintergreen Summer Music Festival. This year's festival is entitled "Old World, New World", and celebrates the cultures of Spain, France, Italy and the Americas. It's a lovely setting, so please, if you are in the area, come and visit the festival.

And if you live in the area around Wintergreen and would like to schedule a personal training session with me, please contact me through either of my websites: www.Life-Cise.com or www.stayfitstaystrong.com. I will be in Wintergreen 7/7 - 27, and will be happy to schedule appointments.

Julie