The Importance of Stretching & Muscle Therapy

Our focus this week is on stretching. Stretching and ongoing muscle therapy are important components to keeping your exercise regimen progressing. Your Health & Fitness Tip outlines some basic stretches, treatment of strains and ways to prevent muscle strain.

Take 5 minutes right when you get out of bed to stretch areas that tend to be sore or that you regularly pull. Backs especially need stretching after a night's sleep.

Remember to stretch all parts of your body, and those that get used a lot through the day. For instance:

• If you type or text a lot, stretch your wrists, hands, and forearms up to the elbow.
• If you sit or drive for several hours a day be sure to stretch your lower back and your neck.

Don't forget to stretch areas that you may not think of--

• With your shoes and socks off, stretch all of the toes and muscles in your feet.
• Stretch your ankles--forward, backward, up & down.

If you strain a muscle--

• Ice immediately, then again later in the day.
• Heat the next morning.
• Repeat the heat in the morning, ice at the end of the day until you no longer feel the injury. This may take up to 2 weeks.

If you severely strain a muscle--

• See your doctor or our Chiropractor, Dr. Singh.
• Dr. Singh, and Oana, our Physical Therapist can manipulate, stretch and add Cold Laser, Electric-Stim, or Ultra Sound as appropriate. BodyByGeoff is in-network for Blue Cross, United, Aetna, & PHCS.

Finally, prevention is always best--so along with the stretching, consider complimenting your exercise with classes that improve flexibility such as Yoga, T'ai Chi, and Pilates. See our class schedule for classes offered in Reston & Ashburn.

The Importance of Stretching

At BodyByGeoff Personal Training, we think stretching is the key to better range of motion, less stiffness & pain and better workouts that build on each other to progress toward your goals.

We do two types of stretching: self-stretching and manipulative stretching. We focus self-stretching in areas where you typically have problems and recommend that you do them every day in the morning. We also do a self-warmup stretch before your training. Our Personal Trainers provide a manipulative stretch after each training session. They apply pressure and range that you can't accomplish on your own.

Here are some good basic self-stretches:

(1) Twisting Lunge--to help overall core endurance, loosen up your hip flexors (those muscles at the top of your thigh).

(2) Downward-facing Dog--this yoga position is the ultimate full-body stretch. It opens up your shoulders & chest for better posture and loosens your hamstrings and calves.

(3) Three-legged Dog--this will help you loosen your hips and improve movements such as your golf-swing.

(4) Pigeon Pose--keep your piriformis loose. This is a small muscle under your glutes.

If you want to see any of these demonstrated, just ask your BodyByGeoff Personal Trainer.

What Was That?!

Our bodies often make all sorts of noises while we're working out. Some sounds are normal and harmless while others may indicate a larger problem.

Why do your joints make different sounds while you exercise?

Pop! Do you hear popping sounds? This could be when a joint dislocates and then pops back into place. The potential problem is that the joint may not go back into its original position.

Grind! Over time, your cartilage can wear down, removing the natural padding and allowing joints to rub together. Normally grinding noise is harmless, except in the knee. You don't want to ignore grinding in the knees.

Snap! Snapping is the friction between two tendons, as in the ankles. If the area doesn't hurt, you probably do not need to be concerned.

Crack! Cracking sound is usually from a vacuum being created between joints. Cracking knuckles for instance isn't inherently harmful, but can overstretch the joints, making them unstable if done too often.

Knowing how to work around or through joint, tendon and muscle sounds is an important benefit of working with our personal trainers. Stretching the affected area, as well as knowing which exercises to avoid for a time is important.

Other exercises also strengthen your core and abs: squats, triceps pushdown, lat pulldown, bicep bar curl.

Or, if you and your Doctor feel you have damaged an area, see us about Massage Therapy & Physical Therapy

Vacation Exercise Part 2

Ok, we know some of you are still on vacation, so here are some more simple things you can do to help stay fit and flexible. And to counteract the number of drinks with little umbrellas...

BACK, HIP AND LEG STRETCHES

Take a yoga belt or a simple canvas belt (the strap to your luggage or duffle bag works well) and take equal ends into each of your hands. While laying on the floor--

* Grab both ends of the belt, holding equal length in each hand. Put the belt around your foot and gently pull down, toward you.

* Now, take the same grip on the belt and move your leg to the right, and then to the left--try to reach the floor each time. Switch legs.

MUSCLE TONING WITH TUBES

Hopefully you brought some simple exercise tubing with you. These are easy and light to pack in your suitcase.

* Place the tubing under your feet. You can do 3 arm exercises in the same position.

Take the tube handles in each hand and curl up (underhand); next curl up holding the tubing with your fists (hammer-curl); and finally, take the tub and curl it directly in front of your with your palms up. Rotate these, do 12, 3 sets.

Tubing can used for a variety of things, look for a solid door handle and you can do several things from that position.

These are just a few things you can do while on vacation. Your BodyByGeoff Personal Trainer can give you exercises that compliment your ongoing training. BodyByGeoff also has a 6-video series of exercises. All are very easy to follow. If you would like one, $10 for training clients, $19 for non-training clients. (plus shipping). Downloads available soon. Have a great vacation!

Vacation Exercise

Hopefully, this health & fitness tip finds you on vacation with friends or family, in your favorite place--the beach, the lake, the mountains or the city you always wanted to visit. While you relax, don't forget to keep your body in shape. Here are few things you can do with little or no equipment until you come back to see us.

STRETCH
You will probably be sleeping in a different bed. This is actually the number one short-term reason for backaches. Place your hands behind your hips, make a big chest, breathe in & then out. Get on the floor on your hands & knees and arch your back up & then down, like a cat.

WALK or JOG
Discover new places by walking or jogging briskly for 20-30 minutes each day. Beach sand is fine to walk on, but not the best place to run because of the uneven surface.

SIMPLE BODY WEIGHT EXERCISES Upper Body
* Planks--get in a push-up position, but rest on your elbows and forearms--count to 10, repeat 3 times.
* Pushups--toe or knee, do 5-10, repeat 3 times. Keep your back level.
* Tricep Dips (pictured)--find a sturdy sitting chair. Position your hands on it facing out, dip to about 1 foot off the floor. Do 8-10 repetitions, 3 times.

Lower Body
* Bodysquat--legs further apart than your shoulders, butt out, head up, squat down as if you are sitting on a chair. Repeat 10 times, 3 sets. If you have a cable band, place the band under your feet and hold the handles, repeat the same motion as above for increased resistance.

Core and Abs
* Using a chair or a bed, place your feet & legs up. Support your neck by lacing your hands behind your neck. Come straight up 12 times, repeat 3 times. Be careful of your neck and lower back. If these are ok, try reaching to your opposite ankles, 12 times, repeat 3 times.
* Advanced ab--side plank ab twist--lie on your side, support yourself with your hand and bring your body up to a star. Reach down with your upper hand and back up. Repeat 10 times, try the opposite side. Do 3 sets on each side.

These are just a few things you can do while on vacation. Your BodyByGeoff Personal Trainer can give you exercises that compliment your ongoing training. BodyByGeoff also has a 6-video series of exercises. All are very easy to follow. If you would like one, $10 for training clients, $19 for non-training clients. (plus shipping). Downloads available soon. Have a great vacation!

Lower Body Stretches

Now that the weather is warmer it's time to get off the treadmill and get outside for your cardio exercise. A run/walk on the trails around Reston is a great way to boost your cardio workout to lose weight and reduce stress. Before you get out there, it's important that you know how to stretch properly.
Stretching after a light warm-up and after a run or walk will help with muscle soreness, keep you flexible and prevent injury. Here are 3 examples of stretches for your quads, hamstrings and hip flexors.

1) Quad Stretch:
Position yourself facing a wall or and place your left hand on the wall for balance. With your right hand, grasp your right ankle behind you and gently pull it toward your body until stretch is felt in the front of your thigh. Hold for 20 seconds and repeat on the opposite side.

2) Hamstring Stretch:
Wrap a strap (belts work well) around the bottom of your right foot. Bring your right leg up and toward your torso while pulling gently on the strap until stretch is felt in the back of the leg. Hold for 20 seconds and repeat on the opposite side.

3) Hip Flexor Stretch:
Place right foot in front of you while extending the left leg behind as shown. Hold this position for 20 seconds and repeat on the opposite side.

Stretching: Lower Body

Staying loose & flexible will help prevent injury, help you progress with your training and help you recover. Read below for more on this week's focus: hamstrings, thighs/groin and the quadriceps.

At BodyByGeoff each training session starts with a warm-up & ends with the trainer stretching or manipulating you with his/her body weight and pressure to increase your range of motion & aid in exercise recovery.

If you have injured yourself or you are in extreme / repetitive pain, you may need to see your doctor and then come see our Physical Therapist, Oana.

BodyByGeoff is in-network with most major health insurance plans including Carefirst & Anthem Blue Cross, Aetna, United and PHCS.

(1) Hamstring Stretch
Gently pull knee to chest until stretch is felt. Hold for 20 seconds. Repeat with other knee.

(2) Quadriceps Stretch
Pull heel toward buttocks until stretch is felt in front of thigh. Hold for 20 seconds. Repeat with other heel.

(3) Thigh Adductor (Groin) Stretch
Sitting straight or with back against a wall, gently push your knees to the floor until stretch is felt. Hold for 20 seconds.