Me & My Sis on the Canal, Rehoboth Beach, DE

Whether traveling for business or pleasure, trying to maintain a fitness routine can be a challenge.  It throws you off your routine, your schedule is often extra hectic, and you may not have access to the same equipment or classes you're used to.

Instead of getting frustrated or foregoing exercise, take this as an opportunity to mix it up and infuse different types of exercise.  Our bodies hit plateaus where we experience diminishing returns from our fitness routines.  We get to a level or stasis, or maintenance.  Adding variety to the  types of motion and intensity levels of exercise that you do spices things up for your muscles, so to speak, and can amp up your results.  Change also helps combat workout burnout & boredom. In exercise as in life,  change is good!

Try a body weight workout of classic boot camp cardio and body toning exercises right in your room.  In 20 minutes you can get a heart thumping, muscle burning workout with no equipment.  Some hotels  offer workout clothing, like the Westin gear lending program, portable resistance props such as resistance tubing and even in room workout videos through their TV and online media channels.   Likewise, in room stretching, body sculpting, Pilates or yoga classes are a great way to fit exercise around your travel schedule when its convenient for you.

Make exercise part of your travel.  Explore the area on foot, bike or kayak.  A great way to do some sightseeing and incorporate exercise is to ride a bike.  You get a more intimate view of the region, can stop and explore sights all while getting some good cardio.

Many cities around the world have bike share programs where you can pick up and drop off bikes at key locations around the city.  I've used these in Washington DC, Boston and Paris and now my hometown, New York City,  has implemented CitiBikes with convenient sites at attractions all over the city.

If you're near water, try renting a canoe or kayak.  Its a great upper body workout as well as a fun way to explore urban and rural waterways.

And remember, it doesn't require a mountain to have a great hike.  Urban hikes can be as engaging, vigorous and fun as climbing a mountain, its just different scenery.

To keep fit when on the road, think out of the box.

Variety is the spice of life!

While the golf swing is one of the most complicated movements in sport, from a musculoskeletal or kinesiologic perspective it comes down to two very basic principles or components:

1. Core Stability (the foundation of Pilates), and
2. Functional Mobility: the ability to properly move body parts through their natural range of motion and to differentiate the motion between body parts—also an essential component of Pilates.

Our body is a kinetic chain from which we transfer energy and power from one body part to another. This couldn’t be more true and applicable to the golf swing.

In a proper golf swing we use the legs and hips to initiate the swing and generate power, which transfers energy through the thoracic spine in our rotation, the uncoiling of the spine then transfers energy and power through the arms, the lever, to generate swing speed which gives the golf shot distance and height. While much of the golf swing relies on continuity and fluidity between these parts of the kinetic chain, it also requires that we are able to isolate and move them separately—called “Differentiation” in Pilates, [the ability to isolate and move body parts—usually the extremities—while keeping other parts stable—usually the “Core” or hips abs, lower spine]. A great example of the need to differentiate is the back swing, where we keep the head down and eye on the ball while our hips, spine and arms rotate away from the ball. If our neck muscles or thoracic spine muscles are restricted, we’ll either limit that power generating rotation (think Tiger Woods) or lift and turn our heads off the ball. To differentiate effectively requires adequate flexibility and mobility of the neck (cervical spine), vs the thoracic spine as well as control of the shoulder muscles (upper traps, levator scapulae).

CoreFitnessByJana’s forthcoming Golf related exercise modules (above) are designed to help build, restore and maintain the functional mobility of the musculature used in golf through stretching, strengthening and movement. All the exercises focus on core strength & stability, differentiation and coordinated fluidity.

Take a look at the attached flyer for specific tips on how to improve your Golf Swing through Core Fitness and Pilates.

JANA Golf flyer-2side

Overcoming the Repetitive Physical Stresses of Parenting

Common injuries are:

SIRCS (Sleeping Infant Rotator Cuff Syndrome): shoulder impingement resulting from crying baby falling asleep on your arm or shoulder in an awkward position. There’s no waking a sleeping baby no matter how painful!

Uppy Up Hip & Back Pain: low back and or hip pain and pelvic misalignment due to toddler crying Uppy Up Mom & thus propping her on your hip.

Crib Cramps:  low back spasm triggered by leaning over the railing and lifting child out of the crib.

The Hunchback of Baby Bjorn:  rounded thoracic spine due to weight of “growing like a weed” baby in the carrier

Bathy Time Bends: Upper back and Knee pain from kneeling beside the tub for bath time

Stroller Strain: low back and/or shoulder strain caused by collapsing the mega stroller & hoisting it into the SUV

SMN (Soccer Mom Neck): tightness or strain in neck and upper back muscles from trying to toss snacks to and/or oversee the chaos of kids in back seat while trying to drive.

Hold My Hand Hunch:  a sideways hunch or curve in the spine from walking hand in hand with your much shorter toddler which quickly migrates to low back pain

MMM (Multitasking Musculoskeletal Malady):  generalized or localized musculoskeletal discomfort caused by trying to juggle multiple activities while holding or monitoring a young child.

TTEA: Terrible Twos induced Exhaustion and Anxiety (also applies to Troublesome Threes).  Requires no further description.

Chances are if you’re a Mom (or Dad) you’re familiar with some or all of these parenting repetitive stress injuries. Well, the good news is that there are several great, easy to do forms of exercise and stretching to help prevent and alleviate these common Parenting Injuries and improve your overall fitness! The most common instigators across these “conditions” are that they entail irregular posture and/or awkward sub-optimal lifting motions. The common resolution is development of a strong and mobile “Core” (the abs, back & hips). The spine is a big shock absorber with very intentional curves in the lumbar (low back) and thoracic (mid/upper back) regions. When those curves are too big (hunched upper back or excessively arched low back) or too small (flat low back) from muscle tightness or weakness, repetitive stress, poor posture, etc., stresses are displaced to other body parts. These imbalances can result in low back pain (most common) upper back and shoulder strain or impingement, hip and glute pain and even knee and ankle injuries.

Abdominal strengthening exercises, most notably Pilates, can help you learn how to use your abs during daily activities to reduce strain on your back. Additionally Pilates can improve posture, helping to restore and or improve the appropriate curvature in your spine and alignment of your pelvis

(Try our Classic Pilates Mat: Ab and Intermediate Ab Series),

Our Classic Pilates Back series focuses on strengthening the back muscles and improving posture of the upper back (reversing a hunch). By strengthening the spine extensors and the muscles around your shoulder girdle, Pilates can help reverse excessive curve (hunch) of the thoracic spine, alleviate neck and shoulder strain from poor scapular stability (i.e. hunching your shoulders to your ears). In addition, Pilates exercises focus on mobility of the hips and spine for bending, flexing, and twisting. Upper Body Tone & Sculpt exercises strengthen the back, shoulders and arms to help with all that lifting, pushing and pulling parents do!

Let’s not forget about the hips and butt, and not just because we all yearn to look good in shorts! The muscles of our hips, including the glutes, quads (front of the thigh), hamstrings (back of thigh) abductors (outer thigh) and adductors (inner thigh) help us with balance, lifting and of course getting around. Classic Pilates Mat: Side Series and Tone & Sculpt: Lower Body exercises can strengthen and tone your legs while improving flexibility and mobility.

And what about your sanity and your energy level? Exercise is a great emotional stress reducer and actually increases your energy. Pilates breathing techniques are a great way to reduce tension, oxygenate and energize your body and if nothing else a pause to allow you to regroup before you explode. You only need three minutes to watch and learn How To: Pilates Breathing (tutorial video).

So, sounds great, but you’re a parent and thus have little to no time for exercise. You’re in luck again. All these exercises can be done in 10-20 minute increments and require nothing more than a mat or towel so can be done anywhere, anytime: during naps, between school drop off and pick up, in the nursery, your living room, hotel, back yard…

So get started now!  Take advantage of our 1^st Month Free introductory offer (plus apply discount codes for subsequent months)  to access all of our versatile 10-20 minute workout modules & get on the road to recovery from your Mommy (or Daddy) injuries.

Follow us on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/CoreFitnessByJana) & Twitter (@CoreFitByJana) for notification of new workout modules, blog posts and other great stuff!

Thanks to all my “ladies” for their valuable insights and input into this posting & special thanks to Stephanie and Janine for the inspiration.

Some other great resources for Parenting & Health issues:

http://workoutmommy.com/2012/04/16/feeling-down-3-workout-tips-to-beat-the-funk/

http://www.parents.com/parenting/moms/healthy-mom/trouble-spots/

http://www.parents.com/parenting/moms/healthy-mom/9-quick-tips-for-an-at-home-workout/

http://www.mommywarriors.com/blogs/?p=7714

http://www.circleofmoms.com/january-2008-babies/mommy-injuries-192153

Exercise is a lifestyle choice. Choose to live healthy and live well.

Did you know: 

We naturally lose about 0.5 lbs of lean tissue, ie muscle, each year as we age.  Numerous studies show that as little as several weeks of regular resistance training can result in 3lbs increase in muscle mass and up o 4 lbs reduction in fat in adults (Wescott et al., 2009, Campbell et al 1994, Pratley et al 1994 from ACE Personal Trainer Manual, 4^th edition).

Try one of our upper or lower body Sculpting/Toning classes to start building your lean body mass.

Increasing your lean tissue mass (muscle) increases your resting metabolic rate, so you burn more calories during normal everyday activities and thus lose more weight.  So toning and strengthening your muscles is a key component to successful healthy weight loss and maintenance.

As we age we tend to lose bone mass potentially leading to osteoporosis. Weight bearing activities such as strength training with resistance as well as aerobic exercise that involves repeated impact with the ground such as jogging can stimulate increases in bone mass and help prevent osteoporosis.  (Note:  If you are at risk for or have been diagnosed with osteoporosis, check with your physician before beginning any new exercise regimen.)

For more detail on Osteoporosis and Female Athlete, go to:
http://www.nasm.org/1/trainer_resources/The_Female_Athlete_and_Osteoporosis/