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exercise

    MOVEMENT

    A Core Curriculum for 2020

    Start a stronger New Year by mastering the plank

    By

    Of all the ways to begin a new year, fitness-wise, there is one I think deserves to be at the top of the list. It’s simple and central. And it’s not just about aesthetics. It will improve your athletic performance and reduce your risk of back pain. What is this all-powerful place to start? Strengthening your core. 

    Core strength matters because it stabilizes your spine, which comes into play in practically all movement. The core is not just the rectus abdominis — that vertical ribs-to-pelvis muscle people try to buff up into a six pack by doing sit-ups or crunches. It also includes the transverse abdominis muscle, which runs horizontally around the body, protecting our abdominal organs, and the erector spinae muscles, which run along the length of the vertebral column. 

    The plank is one exercise that is very effective at getting at all these muscles, as they balance the work of holding the spine in a neutral position. Planks can also be modified safely for all types of bodies, young and old. I’ve coached second grade soccer players and people in their 80s on different versions of the plank.

    Demonstration of a perfect plank.
    Casey Powers shows off a perfect plank (Photo Samantha Barrio)

    In a plank, you’re resisting torso motion, which is what you want those muscles to do in real life activities like yard work or running or throwing. The problem with old school core exercises, like sit–ups and crunches, is that they target the six-pack muscles alone. That’s why they do less for helping you with functional activity, plus, all that forward bending is more likely to cause injury. 

    If you’re relatively strong, you’ll tackle the high plank, where the starting position is essentially the top of a push-up. Focus on keeping your back flat so that your body forms a straight line from shoulders to heels, with your weight supported on hands and feet. 

    Now check your form: pull your belly button up toward your spine to keep your lower back from sagging, squeeze your buttocks and push your heels back. Gaze at the floor in front of your hands, keeping your head aligned with your upper back. Check to make sure that your shoulders are directly above your wrists. 

    If you have hand or wrist issues, just do the plank a little differently. Instead of being up on extended arms, support the move with your elbows and forearms rather than your hands. Your shoulders should be directly above your elbows. 

    Start with holding the plank for 10-15 seconds, doing two or three repetitions. Gradually increase the time you hold your plank to 60 seconds. When you can do that with good form, there are ways to progress to more advanced variations. 

    First, add more of a balance challenge by lifting one foot off the mat, keeping your leg parallel to the floor. Or lift one arm and reach it straight forward. If you’re really advanced, raise one arm and the opposite leg (this is known as the “bird dog” plank). Ramp up the challenge even more with a “mountain climber” plank: maintain high plank alignment and draw one knee up toward your chest. Then return to your plank and repeat this move with other leg. And if you want to be a hero, there’s “spiderman plank.” Begin in high plank, then bring one knee up to the side, toward your elbow, like you’re climbing up a tall building. Repeat with the other leg. 

    There are planks for ordinary mortals, too. If the classic planks are too difficult, modify by placing the hands or forearms on a higher surface such as a wall, countertop, or chair. Adjusting the challenge is a matter of physics: the lower your hands are, the more challenging your plank becomes. Start with holding your plank for just 10 or 15 seconds at a time. Once you can do it for 60 seconds, you’re ready to move to a lower surface. 

    Planks look easy but they’re not, actually. When you’re doing them right, you are not just hanging out, letting your back sag. Make sure your core is fully engaged. You will feel your muscles fatiguing; perhaps they’ll even begin to shake. Make sure your core is fully engaged. That’s when you know to stop and rest. Still, planks should not be painful. If you have back or joint pain, don’t try to train through it. Switch to a less challenging position instead. 

     

    If you have questions about your ability to exercise, consult your health care provider before starting a new routine. 

    MOVEMENT

    How to Fit In Fitness

    Fifteen minutes will elevate your mood

    By

    This is either the most wonderful time of the year or the hardest and most stressful. Either way, for most of us, it’s a time when exercise routines lag. It’s easy to forget about fitness from Thanksgiving to New Year’s. The problem is, come January, starting over is hard.

    The secret to staying at it during the holidays is to avoid an all-or-nothing attitude. When you hear yourself think, “I have to work out for an hour or it’s not worth it,” reframe that notion. Getting active for just 15 minutes will help you maintain your exercise habit — and elevate your mood.

    Start by sneaking a little cardio into your holiday preparations. It helps if you commit to shopping locally. Head to Holly Folly or a Holiday Stroll and walk briskly through downtown for 15 minutes, then turn back and hit the stores. Another strategy is to socialize on the move. Instead of meeting friends for drinks, plan a group hike.

    As for strength training, accept that there will be days when there’s no time for the gym. No matter: here’s a mini strength session you can do at home.

    Set aside 15 minutes, put on some music, have a timer at hand, and get ready to lift your spirits. I’m listing some higher- and lower-intensity ways to approach the exercises. Adjust as you go: you should be working hard, but not to exhaustion.

    Do as many repetitions as you can with good form in the allotted time. If you tire out before time’s up for any given exercise, rest until it’s time for the next move.

     A Fit Fifteen

    Minutes 1 and 2: Walk or march in place while pumping your arms, or walk or run up a flight of stairs and back down again.

    Minute 3: Push-ups on a wall, countertop, or the floor. Be sure to keep your back flat and your head and neck aligned with your spine.

    Minute 4: Sit-to-stand from a chair, or do bodyweight squats, bending your knees and sitting back as you go.

    Minute 5: Bird dog. Get on the floor on your hands and knees with your back flat. Extend one arm straight out in front of you, then lift and extend the opposite leg straight back. Keep your lifted arm and leg parallel to the floor, hold 30 seconds, then switch sides.

    Minute 6: Bridges. lie on your back with your knees bent. Press your heels down into the floor and raise your hips, slowly lower, and repeat. Or, do single-leg bridges: start as before but extend one leg, so your thighs are parallel, then raise your hips, keeping them level, and slowly lower. Repeat for 30 seconds, then switch legs.

    That’s Nancy Civetta of Wellfleet, with a dip that builds triceps better than French Onion does. (Photo Dave Powers)

    Minute 7: Tricep dips. Sit on the front of a sturdy chair, hands gripping the sides of the seat. Move your hips forward, just off the seat, slowly bend your elbows to lower your body, then push and extend your arms to return to starting position. Repeat.

    Minute 8: Hold a forearm plank on a wall, chair, or the floor. Keep your elbows shoulder-width apart, push up and make your body straight from your head to your heels, and draw your belly in to support your lower back. Breathe! You can do one long hold or several short ones to total 60 seconds.

    Minutes 9 to 15: Stretching. Forget about the timer for these, just hold each position for 5 deep breaths:

    Downward-facing dog. If you haven’t learned this in a yoga class, try a modified version, leaning forward to grip a countertop. Extend your arms, lean forward keeping your back flat, and step back to gently stretch your hamstrings.

    Side-body extensions. Stand and reach your right arm overhead with left hand at your hip. Focus on extending long rather than bending to the side.

    Back extensions. Lie on your belly with your forehead resting on your hands, or prop yourself up on elbows. If you’re already yoga savvy, continue into a cobra pose, raising your upper body off the floor. Lower and repeat a few times.

    If you have any doubts about your ability to exercise, consult your health care provider. Forget no pain, no gain — your quickie workout should feel good.

     

    BODY/MIND

    Press Pause: Developing Awareness with Yoga

    Interoception makes us less likely to ignore symptoms of larger problems

    By

    Flower petals on ground
    Taking a momentary pause last spring. (Photo Emma Doyle)

    Ever walked out of a yoga class feeling peaceful? Even-keeled? Like you had hit the reset button? Same here. It was what first hooked me. I reluctantly walked into a yoga studio after injuring myself playing collegiate sports, feeling scatterbrained and despondent about my body. A friend dragged me to a yoga studio down the street. I walked in and was terrified, standing in the studio in a crowd of people who knew what they were doing. We moved our bodies, breathed, and then … took a nap. I walked out sweaty, tired, and filled with a sense of peace I had never felt before.

    It’s not surprising that yoga has exploded in the U.S. Making a living here can feel like you’re on a treadmill, running at full speed just to keep up. In a world that constantly fights for your attention, your labor, and your money, yoga has entered the mainstream as a way to combat the stressors of everyday life. But what is it exactly that makes you feel at ease?

    I used to believe it was a result of stretching and giving attention to overused muscles, but as I’ve developed my practice I’ve learned that ease can be cultivated without a physical practice at all. I had simply not stopped moving long enough to notice anything.

    This was my first experience with true body awareness. Body awareness is defined two ways: external (proprioception) or internal (interoception). Proprioception is the ability to understand where you are in space, that you’ve lifted your foot to take a step or raised your hand. Interoception refers to the understanding of what is happening internally, like your heart beating or feeling hungry.

    The first step to cultivate body awareness? Make time and space for stillness. Eastham psychotherapist and yoga teacher Sara Moran calls this moment of stillness “the transitional space” from the outer to the inner world. In this space you have an opportunity to develop understanding of your internal state. Unlike taking a nap, in transitional space you are fully conscious and willfully concentrating on what you are feeling in the present moment. Emotions, hunger, exhaustion, tingling, constriction, your left foot, the wind on your face — if you feel it, you notice it. This level of understanding increases our capacity to center ourselves. We are more likely to notice when we are in pain or stressed and less likely to ignore symptoms of larger issues.

    I now understand that this is the key to the sense of ease I’ve been chasing for over a decade. I am empowered by an awareness of my internal state. Once I understand what is going on internally, I have the ability to act. The pit in my stomach, usually my body’s go-to when I am anxious, is now a cue for me to get outside. Often it is the simple act of sitting down and paying attention to myself that allows me to soften my shoulders, release my jaw, and unfurrow my brow.

    If you are drawn to the idea taking a purposeful pause, know that it doesn’t necessarily mean you need a yoga class. If you enjoy a group setting and the physical practice, be sure to seek out a yoga teacher you respect and like, one that makes you feel welcome. This can take some time, resources, and effort, but is well worth the search. If finding a yoga studio or class is prohibitive for you, a home mindfulness practice is where you begin. Set up a quiet corner for yourself, take a short pause to notice any sensations in your body with deep, even breaths, and, most important, keep doing it regardless of how many times you need to start over.

    The awareness we seek is available at a moment’s notice. Maybe it will bring you a sense of ease like it did me for all these years. Maybe it won’t. There is only one way to find out.

    MOVEMENT

    Strength Training and the Art of Pushing the Envelope

    ‘No pain, no gain’ is the wrong idea

    By

    Kathy Stetson
    (Photo Elspeth Hay)

    Strength training is good for you, and not just for increasing muscle mass. It increases bone density and even improves cardiovascular health. But a lot of people have trouble making weightlifting part of their routines. I blame the mantra “No pain, no gain.” That idea is just wrong. And it’s one of the top reasons people stop exercising.

    How far to push depends on where you’re starting out. Maybe you haven’t exercised in a few weeks, months, or even years. A friend tells you about a new class she’s taking, or you see Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s workout in the movie “RBG,” and you say to yourself, “I’ll do a plank for two minutes! Thirty squats every morning!”

    Getting stronger is not that simple. Muscles react to the demands placed on them, and when they are required to work harder than usual they respond by growing stronger — up to a point. So, yes, it’s true that in order to build strength you must take your muscles beyond their comfort zone. But the question is, how much?

    A good strength-training regimen includes exercises for the major muscle groups of the arms, legs, and core. The resistance can be as simple as your own body weight, hand or ankle weights, elastic bands, medicine balls, or kettle bells. Traditional wisdom has beginners start with one set of about 8 to 15 repetitions for each move. Experienced strength trainers add a second set or even a third.

    Deciding how much weight to use and how many reps to do is all about the art of pushing your limits gently, without going too far.

    You should have the sensation of fatigue for the last one or two repetitions, while still maintaining good form. You might feel tightness, warmth (the infamous “burn”), shaking, or the feeling that it is becoming more difficult to complete the motion. These sensations should be felt in the muscles, not the joints. Joint pain may indicate injury or arthritis — that’s something that you do not want to push through.

    The point is to find your own threshold for fatigue with each exercise you do. Learn to listen to your body to know when to stop. Do not get fixated on doing 10 or 15 reps for everything. If you are truly fatigued after doing four squats, stop there.

    Notice how you feel the day after your strength work. It’s okay to have mild muscle soreness after working out, although that shouldn’t be your goal. If the soreness persists for more than 48 hours and limits your regular activity, then you overdid it. If that’s the case, scale back your workout by about one-third at the next session.

    Believe it or not, the other thing that you need to gain strength is rest or recovery. When you work muscles to the point of fatigue, they need time to rebuild in order to get stronger. This takes at least 48 hours. That’s why it’s recommended that you limit weightlifting to two or three times per week on nonconsecutive days. Again, listen to your body. Some people need more recovery time than others.

    What’s most rewarding about strength training comes gradually. With continuity, you’ll notice your limit will change. Now you add a little more weight or a couple more repetitions. It is far better to work consistently than to go all out every once in a while. Progress, slow but steady, is how getting stronger really works.

    If you have questions about your ability to exercise, consult your health care provide before beginning a new routine. And forget about “no pain, no gain” — exercise does not need to hurt to work.

     

    MOVEMENT

    Balancing Act

    Try this at home: Simple exercises for a steadier future

    By

    Kathy Stetson does one-foot balance
    Kathy Stetson practicing the art of holding steady. Add a series of bicep curls if you want to make your one-foot balance exercise more challenging. (Photo Elspeth Hay)

    We all strive to find balance in life. In a physical sense, it’s central to everything that we do from walking to surfing and from gardening to high-intensity sports.

    The clinical definition of balance is the ability to maintain the center of gravity over your base of support. For both elders and athletes, this translates into being able to avoid falls. But balance is not just something you either have or lose. It is something you can improve through exercise.

    Balance is an interaction between the sensory information you receive and the movements you make to maintain equilibrium. Your eyes give you visual feedback about your position in the environment. Your inner ears sense the movements of your head. Nerve receptors in your muscles and joints detect your body’s trajectory. Your brain integrates all this, decides what to do about it, and commands your muscles to action.

    Keeping your balance gets harder with age. That’s partly because the quality of one’s sensory input is affected by changes in vision, hearing, and proprioception (the ability to sense position and motion). Strength, flexibility, and reaction time decline, too.

    A less tangible factor here is the fear of falling. When your mind starts believing that your balance is bad, your body begins to follow suit. One of the biggest risk factors for falling is the fear of falling.

    Does this mean we are all doomed to unsteady futures? No. Research has shown that balance loss stems more from inactivity than from aging. With regular exercise, balance can be improved throughout our lives.

    Many of our equilibrium reactions involve the ankles and hips, so targeted strengthening here is very effective. It’s also good to give your body some novel challenges, creating situations that make you feel somewhat unstable so that your body has a chance to practice the movements needed to bring yourself back into balance.

    Here are a few exercises you can work into everyday life as you move around your house or yard. I especially like the kitchen for these activities, since you can use your hands to hold the sink or counter as needed, gradually progressing to less support as your balance improves. Out in the yard, you might find a friendly tree for support. Remember, you want to feel slightly unstable, but you also want to be safe.

    Heel to toe: Slowly rock back and forth from toes to heels 10 to 15 times. Move slowly enough that you feel the muscles of the lower legs working. Notice what happens as you shift your weight forward and backward and what it feels like when you come back to the middle. For more of a challenge try this on a balance pad.

    Crab walk: Sidestep the length of the kitchen, keeping your toes, hips and shoulders facing straight ahead, then return, leading with the other leg. Be careful not to rock your upper body from side to side. Notice the sensation in the muscles of your hips and buttocks. A more athletic variation would be to use a loop band at the ankles for resistance, or to increase to jogging or running speed (the beach is clearly better than the kitchen for this variation).

    Reverse step: Walk backwards the length of the kitchen. This one will also strengthen the muscles of your hips and the backs of your legs. Feel how different it is to be moving your center of gravity backwards. Increasing to jogging or running speed is the way to ramp up the challenge on this one.

    One-foot balance: Try to stand on one leg for 10 to 20 seconds; then switch legs and repeat. You can use one or both hands as needed. Too easy? Try it with your eyes closed! Athletic types may want to combine this with an upper-body weight series.

    If you have questions about your ability to exercise, consult your health care provider before beginning a new routine. And forget about “no pain, no gain” — exercise does not need to hurt to work.

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