With Spring right around the corner, everyone is eager to go outside and enjoy the beautiful weather. One of the most common outdoor activities come Spring is gardening.  Gardening is a great way to get outside and be active, however there are some techniques of gardening that if done incorrectly can cause injury or harm.

• Proper Gardening Techniques
  • With the weather beginning to warm up, it is important to stay hydrated before going outside for an extended period of time. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water.
  • Also make sure you stretch before beginning the activity to avoid extra strain on your muscles.
  • Another thing to be aware of is the way you are carrying weight and bending over. Focus on using your legs to make sure you are not straining your back.
    • Tip: To avoid prolonged bending over, you could use a stool or chair while digging or planting.
  • Finally make sure you do not overdue it!!! A common way people injure themselves is by pushing themselves past their limit. Make sure you are taking adequate rests between activity and staying hydrated!

 

• Benefits of Gardening
  • Gardening can strengthen large muscle groups of the body including:
    • Legs, buttocks, abdomen, arms, shoulders, and back
  • Another benefit of gardening would be increased flexibility
    • Bending down to dig, plant, and weed all require flexibility
    • Just make sure to stretch before beginning gardening!!
  • Gardening can also be an effective way to burn calories and increase your aerobic capacity
    • 30-60 minutes of moderate activity during gardening is a great way to burn calories and enjoy the great weather while doing so!

Momma was not lying—breakfast is without a doubt the most important meal of the day.
A HEALTHY, balanced breakfast can:
• Provide you with the energy you need to start your day off on the right foot and keep those energy levels boosted throughout the day.
• Increase focus and performance in the classroom or workplace & help avoid drowsiness.
• Increase cognitive ability.
• Boost your strength and ability to perform physical activity.
• Lead to weight loss. Breakfast will knock out those pre-lunch cravings and reduce overall hunger throughout the day, so don’t think skipping it will help you lose weight!
Suggested breakfast foods are high in protein, carbohydrates, and fiber:
• Low-fat dairy items: a cup of low-fat milk, Greek-style yogurt, etc.
• Fruit: particularly berries, which are good sources of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, AND fiber
• Whole grains: multi-grain cereal or whole wheat toast
• Vegetables: spinach, asparagus, carrots, etc. … try a veggie omelette!
• Eggs: limit your egg yolk intake, but have as many egg whites as you’d like
Breakfast foods to avoid that are high in sodium, fats, and sugar:
• Pancakes and French toast
• Donuts, scones, muffins, or other pastries
• Bagels and cream cheese
• Sugary cereals
• Instant breakfast
• Sausage and bacon
• Coffee with cream and sugar
People who skip breakfast can experience a decrease in memory and focus, weight gain, and even a greater susceptibility to conditions like diabetes or heart disease. On the other hand, an unhealthy breakfast can sap your energy, cause your body to store fat, and make a pre-lunch nap seem essential.

No matter your age, choose a healthy breakfast and your body and mind will thank you!

Avoiding Exercise Because of Arthritis?

If you’ve been avoiding exercise because of the pain and discomfort caused by your arthritis, you may want to think again. Exercise can actually help improve these symptoms and slow the progression of arthritis. One study even showed patients with arthritis who exercised regularly had fewer joint replacement surgeries than arthritis patients who did not exercise. Here are some of the other benefits exercise has to offer:
• Increase in flexibility
• Increase in strength
• Improves joint mobility
• Helps maintain a healthy weight to reduce pressure on the joints
• Improves endurance and cardiovascular fitness
• Decreased joint pain and stiffness
• Decreased risk of cardiovascular disease and other diseases
• Improves ease and ability to do daily tasks

Make sure to include in your exercise program:
1) Aerobic conditioning such as riding a bike or going on a walk
2) Resistance training such as lifting weights or doing body weight exercises
3) Flexibility activities such as stretching

For more information on this topic, click here.

Effects of Aging
• Resting heart rate increases
• Max. pumping capacity of heart decreases
• Blood pressure increases
• Calcium content and strength of bones decreases
• Muscle mass and strength decreases
• Body fat increases
• LDL “bad” cholesterol increases
• HDL “good” cholesterol decreases
• Quality of sleep decreases
• Risk of Depression increases
• Memory lapses increases

Effects of Exercise
• Decreases resting heart rate
• Increases hearts maximum pumping capacity
• Decreases blood pressure
• Increases amount of calcium and strength of bones
• Increases muscle mass and strength
• Body fat decreases
• Decreases LDL cholesterol
• Increases HDL cholesterol• Increases quality of sleep
• Decreases risk of depression
• Decreases memory lapses
Endurance exercise improves cardiovascular function by keeping the heart healthy and the arteries pumping. It lowers resting heart rate and benefits the heart’s ability to deliver oxygen-rich blood to the tissues. Endurance exercise reverses the negative effects of age on the body’s metabolism by reducing body fat and lowering blood sugar levels. Exercising improves mood and quality of sleep, lowering levels of anxiety and depression. Reflexes are advanced and exercise lowers age-related memory loss.

For more information click here

Shoveling snow is a great way to get some physical activity and get the sidewalk cleared at the same time. It’s important to remember that shoveling snow is a lot more exercise than we may realize! It’s similar to lifting heavy weights, which some of us may not be used to.
Be careful and remember these safety tips:
• Stretch before and after shoveling
• Use a smaller shovel, or take on a lighter load
• Shovels with ergonomically designed handles are better for your back
• Even though you may not be thirsty, drink plenty of fluids
• Take frequent breaks and go inside if you become overheated
• Shoveling fresh snow is much easier than shoveling packed snow
• Good posture is essential—keep your back straight and lift with your knees, not your back
• Move snow the shortest distant possible—don’t try to fling it long distances, push it to the edge before picking it up
Shoveling snow causes a quick increase in heart rate and blood pressure, so those with a history of heart disease, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol should use extra precaution.

Click here for more information!

What are muscle cramps?
A muscle cramp is an involuntary and forcibly contracted muscle that does not relax. A muscle that involuntarily contracts can also be called a spasm. If the spasm is forceful and sustained, it becomes a cramp. Muscle cramps often cause a visible hardening of the involved muscle.
True Cramps: Caused by hyperexcitability of the nerves that stimulates the muscle. They are the most common type of skeletal muscle cramps.
• Vigorous activity: Associated with the overuse of the muscle and it fatigues. Older adults are at risk for cramps when performing vigorous physical activities.
• Rest cramps: Very common in older adults. Occur often at night and can be painful and recur often. The cause of night cramps is still unknown.
• Dehydration: Vigorous physical activity can dehydrate the body because of the loss of fluid through perspiration which increases the likelihood of muscle cramping. These cramps are more likely to occur in hot weather and are a sign of heat stroke.
How to Prevent Cramps!
• Stretching before and after activity
• Adequate warm up and cool down
• Good hydration before, during and after vigorous activity

To learn more click here!

Getting a work out in as well as getting yard work done, talk about killing two birds with one stone. Raking leaves provides a full upper body workout, working the arms, shoulders and torso. Picking up and bagging leaves is a lot like doing squats at the gym!
Fun Fact: A 135-pound person could burn about 240 calories raking leaves for an hour, according to Dr. Barbara Ainsworth, an exercise epidemiologist at San Diego State University.
Remember a few tips before raking:
–Wear layers: Although it may be cool when you first begin the activity, your body will soon warm up. Avoid overheating!
–Warm up: Do some mild stretching. Raking is considered to be moderate physical activity.
-Stand and move correctly: Do not twist your spine. Move your whole body together to keep spine aligned.
–Switch sides: Avoid overuse injury. This will help balance out the stress and strain to the lower back that happens from pulling off to the side instead of directly in front of you.

Although it may not feel like it now, fall is just around the corner so remember to get outside, enjoy the cool weather and get a nice workout in while making your yard look fresh and clean!

Learn more here

Benefits of Restful Sleep
Studies have shown that sleep provides a vital role in physical health and emotional well-being. Your body actually requires sleep in the same way that the body requires eating, drinking and breathing. Without the appropriate amount of sleep, the body has a weakened ability to learn and retain information as well as poor judgment and bad temperament.

Effects of not getting a good nights’ sleep
• Decreased performance and alertness
• Memory and cognitive impairment

Benefits of getting a good nights’ sleep
• Sleep improves memory
• Helps eliminate stress
• Adequate sleep can treat inflammatory conditions
• Contributes to a healthy heart

How to improve sleep conditions
• Avoid nicotine, caffeine and alcohol prior to sleep
• Go to sleep when you are truly tired
• Develop a soothing pre-sleep routine
• Keep a consistent sleep schedule
• Lighten up evening meals
• Balance fluid intake prior to sleep to avoid waking up excessively
• Exercise earlier in the day
• Avoid watching television 30 minutes prior to sleep

To learn more about how to improve your nights’ sleep, click here.

       It’s no surprise that feet injuries are very common because, well, we use them every day. So here is some advice for finding the right shoe for you and how to fix those annoying foot pains.

       The feet mechanisms are pretty simple; we relax our arches after our heels hit the ground in an arch down state and raise our arches in an arch up state as we propel our feet forward. While both mechanisms are important to maintain healthy feet, many individuals have poor foot mechanics that can lead to flattened feet or overpronation. If the arch flattens and stays down, the muscles of the feet have to work harder and the arch can’t get back up and this can lead to common foot pains such as, bunion, plantar fasciitis, and metatarsalgia.

       Shoe orthotics can often be a solution to some of these incorrect foot mechanisms, therefore, decreasing the occurrence of foot injuries. The modern plastic material that shoe orthotics are created from, allow a rigid support the arch needs to maintain the arch up state, while also allowing a small degree of shock absorption needed for arch flattening.

So take care of your feet!

Here are some tips to finding the right shoe for you:

• Use different shoes for walking and running. All shoes are made differently.
• Feet change! Measure them twice a year.
• Know your feet and know what you need to look for in each shoe.
• Shop toward the end of the day. Your feet swell and still need to fit your shoes.
• Bring your orthotics and a pair of your own socks.
• There should be about 3/8-1/2 inch between big toe and the front of shoe.
• Know when to replace them! Shoes can last about 350-400 miles.

Click here to learn more about how to find the best shoes for you.

Have you been having pain and curious of whether to use ice or heat?  Here are some simple guidelines to follow to discover which treatment is better suited for you!

Ice Treatment

• Ice treatment is most commonly used for acute injuries. If you have a recent injury where swelling is a problem, you should be using ice treatment. Ice packs can help minimize swelling around the injury.
• Ice treatments may also be used for chronic conditions, such as overuse injuries in athletes. In this case, ice the injured area after activity to help control inflammation. Never ice a chronic injury before activity.
• The amount of time you should ice is between 12-20 minutes.  Too much ice can be harmful.

Heat Treatment

• Heat treatments should be used for chronic conditions to help relax and loosen tissues and to stimulate blood flow to the area. Use heat treatments for overuse injuries, before participating in activities.
• Heating tissues can be accomplished using a heating pad, or even a hot, wet towel.
• The amount of time to heat should be no longer than 20 minutes and NEVER while sleeping!

The Benefits of icing

• Pain relief, relief of strains or sprains, tendonitis, bursitis, arthritis and muscle soreness.

The Benefits of Heating

• Help relieve muscle spasms and cramps
• Relieve joint pain in arthritics and help improve mobility

Any further questions about applying ice vs heat, refer to this link.