Fitness Level and Injuries – Lower Back
With a new year comes a new you! Many people are working towards their fitness goals at this point in the year, whether it be training for their first 5k or just trying to have a better feeling of self. Unfortunately this is not only when the mind can become a little weak but so can the body. (more…)
Coaching Body Contact in Hockey: Defense & Working the Boards
Hockey is a graceful game that requires players to participate in manner that requires body contact regardless of whether checking is permitted. Any avid hockey player can acknowledge the difference between a “body check” and “body contact” but occasionally the line can be blurred when a player’s skill level is questionable and when an official’s subjective interpretation is applied to the game. (more…)
Snow Shoveling Stretches
Snow is beautiful when falling to the ground, but it is hard work to clear it out of the way. To keep from getting too sore, try these three exercises after shoveling all of that snow.
Stretch of the Week: Seated Twist
Week three of October brings us to a seated twist with a chair. Try to use a chair that does not swivel, otherwise this stretch will be hard to accomplish.
You will also need a book or yoga block or something similar in density and size.
The only contraindication for this twist is if you have severe sacral issues. (more…)
Chronic Pain
Pain, though far from enjoyable, is something every one of us will experience at some point in our life. In many cases pain is acute and caused by some type of trauma, incident, surgery, disease, or illness and there’s an end in sight once the healing process occurs. Chronic pain however is a different animal as this type of pain persists sometimes days, weeks, months, or even years. In fact, you may be surprised to find out chronic pain affects more people than coronary heart disease, diabetes, and cancer combined. Below is a chart from the American Academy of Pain Medicine which depicts this comparison.
Stretch of the Week: Chair Lat Stretch
This week marks the half way point through the month. How are you feeling? Are you keeping up with your stretching? I hope so!
This week’s stretch is chair lat stretch. It’s a great one to do at work if you sit at a desk all day, so take a break! I sometimes will even do this stretch at my kitchen counter 🙂 The only contraindication for this stretch is if you have a shoulder injury where you can not raise the arm overhead without pain. In which case, please refrain from performing this weeks stretch.
Stretch of the Week: Big Toe Grab Stretch
For the month of July, we will focus on “IT Band” Stretches. I use quotations because the IT band is not really a muscle, it’s a connective tissue. The muscle that really gets the benefit of these stretches is mostly the vastus lateralis. In most cases if you have an outer knee issue or “tight IT Band” it’s coming from this lateral(outer) quadricep muscle. Sometimes it’s the biceps femoris, that’s the lateral(outer) hamstring on the back of the thigh, as well. So if your having generalized IT band issues those are the muscles to focus on. And these stretches should help! (more…)
Stretch of the Week: Forward Fold IT Band Stretch
Stretch of the week: Forward Fold IT Band Stretch. This stretch is simple but very effective. You won’t need anything for this stretch.
The only contradiction for this stretch would be if you have low back pain. Be conscious of how your body feels and please don’t overly push yourself in the stretch.
