Comments for 1fitbug.com http://1fitbug.com/blog Fitness, yoga, aqua fit, well-being, personal training, CPR training Tue, 26 Jul 2011 21:19:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 Comment on Shoulder Care by admin http://1fitbug.com/blog/archive/2011/07/shoulder-care/#comment-43 admin Tue, 26 Jul 2011 21:19:34 +0000 http://1fitbug.com/blog/?p=120#comment-43 Let me know what works for you. For my son, he uses bicep action all day at work and suffers from chronic inflamed nerve at the shoulder. For wheelchair, most action is tricep action. The challenge is to keep the shoulders back and down to reduce shoulder work, and engage larger muscles of the back. Let me know what works for you.
For my son, he uses bicep action all day at work and suffers from chronic inflamed nerve at the shoulder. For wheelchair, most action is tricep action. The challenge is to keep the shoulders back and down to reduce shoulder work, and engage larger muscles of the back.

]]> Comment on Shoulder Care by Irene Van Eenoo http://1fitbug.com/blog/archive/2011/07/shoulder-care/#comment-42 Irene Van Eenoo Tue, 26 Jul 2011 20:06:34 +0000 http://1fitbug.com/blog/?p=120#comment-42 Really useful tips! My right shoulder aches whenever I put any weight on it...transfers, exercise etc. I can use all the help I can get:) Thanks for posting! Really useful tips! My right shoulder aches whenever I put any weight on it…transfers, exercise etc. I can use all the help I can get:) Thanks for posting!

]]> Comment on Initial Thoughts for Back Health by admin http://1fitbug.com/blog/archive/2010/09/initial-thoughts-for-back-health/#comment-35 admin Wed, 13 Jul 2011 02:13:47 +0000 http://1fitbug.com/blog/?p=62#comment-35 Donna, you're absolutely right that choosing bedtime for TLC for your back, your shoulders, or whatever is a great time. Perfect time for dealing with aches that could very well ruin your good night's sleep. Back exercises? Assuming it's muscular and lower back issues, go with stretches such as knees up, and side-to-side w/ hold. Repeat a good 5x each side. Add one knee to chest w/ hold while otherwise keeping the back flat. Repeat with the other knee to chest w/ hold. Once the aches are under control, then you're ready to start some strengthening exercises that will prevent pain in the first place. During the day, pay strict attention to posture holding tight abs while sitting or standing, constantly altering your position. Build a strong core so that your back can support you (another question). Maintain a healthy weight for your height. Donna, you’re absolutely right that choosing bedtime for TLC for your back, your shoulders, or whatever is a great time. Perfect time for dealing with aches that could very well ruin your good night’s sleep. Back exercises? Assuming it’s muscular and lower back issues, go with stretches such as knees up, and side-to-side w/ hold. Repeat a good 5x each side. Add one knee to chest w/ hold while otherwise keeping the back flat. Repeat with the other knee to chest w/ hold. Once the aches are under control, then you’re ready to start some strengthening exercises that will prevent pain in the first place. During the day, pay strict attention to posture holding tight abs while sitting or standing, constantly altering your position. Build a strong core so that your back can support you (another question). Maintain a healthy weight for your height.

]]> Comment on Initial Thoughts for Back Health by admin http://1fitbug.com/blog/archive/2010/09/initial-thoughts-for-back-health/#comment-8 admin Mon, 03 Jan 2011 17:11:44 +0000 http://1fitbug.com/blog/?p=62#comment-8 Bedtime is an excellent time to deal with back issues. If you have a firm, back-supporting mattress there is very little body weight stress on your spine and back muscles. More importantly, for the exercise-challenged especially, bedtime can be the special daily reminder to pay attention to your back and/or any other physical or emotional issues. Consider this time your ME-Time. Doing so will either give you a better start for the day or it will provide a more restful, restorative night's sleep. WIN-WIN. Now, we'll just focus on physical issues of the back. Clearly, prevention is always preferable to cure. Daily attention to posture and movement in sitting, standing, bending, lifting, walking, pushing, and pulling (yes, they all involve the back and core muscles) is ideal. Daily attention to one's movement can speed up rehab, even eliminating the need for specific exercises. Weight management plays a role reducing the stress on the musculoskeletal system. However, most individuals will at some time or another have a back injury. Some injuries will be of the vertebrae; others will be of the back muscles. Both injuries will affect the nerves when either bones or cramped muscles press on key nerves, particularly the sciatic nerve. Pressure on a nerve can show up in pain anywhere along the spine and into the legs. Both injuries will respond to exercises that increase mobility, muscle strengthening of the core, and extension of the spine system. Often but not always, the individual at home can do a great deal to reduce the pain and return to normal activity, without drugs and medical specialists. If there's pain in a joint or a muscle, there will be reduced mobility in that area. Taking in additional fluids and reducing diarrhetics (sugars, some teas, coffee) will reduce muscle cramping and improve fluid buffering in joint and muscle tissue. By gradually increasing mobility you will also reduce the pain (by promoting fluid circulation and flushing out body hormones that are Nature's way of protecting local injuries). When the back is in crisis, follow this morning & bedtime initial program of mobility stretches with the following progressions: Lying On a Firm Surface: 1. Both legs stretched out, consciously lengthen one leg, with a deep abs exhale, then the other - feeling a pulling in the lower back on that same side. Repeat 5x Pull both knees to chest, with a deep exhale from the abdomen - feeling a pull on both lower back areas. Each pull slow and powerful. Repeat 5x 2. Pull one knee to chest, with a deep exhale from the abs. Each pull slow and powerful. Repeat 5x. Repeat other knee. 3. Pull both knees up, hands push down on surface at 45 degrees, then twist spine to one side and hold - feeling a pulling on the hip and obliques, with a deep exhale from the abs, then other side and hold. 4. Same hands position, one leg extended, raise other leg directly over the same hip, then gently lower to the ground with a deep exhale from the abs - feeling a pulling on the hip, obliques, and hamstring. This concludes a fundamental, pain-relieving, mobility-enhancing bedtime routine. Continue this for at least one day after the pain has subsided, before progressing into back-strengthening routines that will promote resistance to back injury in the future. Bedtime is an excellent time to deal with back issues. If you have a firm, back-supporting mattress there is very little body weight stress on your spine and back muscles. More importantly, for the exercise-challenged especially, bedtime can be the special daily reminder to pay attention to your back and/or any other physical or emotional issues. Consider this time your ME-Time. Doing so will either give you a better start for the day or it will provide a more restful, restorative night’s sleep. WIN-WIN. Now, we’ll just focus on physical issues of the back.

Clearly, prevention is always preferable to cure. Daily attention to posture and movement in sitting, standing, bending, lifting, walking, pushing, and pulling (yes, they all involve the back and core muscles) is ideal. Daily attention to one’s movement can speed up rehab, even eliminating the need for specific exercises. Weight management plays a role reducing the stress on the musculoskeletal system.

However, most individuals will at some time or another have a back injury. Some injuries will be of the vertebrae; others will be of the back muscles. Both injuries will affect the nerves when either bones or cramped muscles press on key nerves, particularly the sciatic nerve. Pressure on a nerve can show up in pain anywhere along the spine and into the legs. Both injuries will respond to exercises that increase mobility, muscle strengthening of the core, and extension of the spine system. Often but not always, the individual at home can do a great deal to reduce the pain and return to normal activity, without drugs and medical specialists.

If there’s pain in a joint or a muscle, there will be reduced mobility in that area. Taking in additional fluids and reducing diarrhetics (sugars, some teas, coffee) will reduce muscle cramping and improve fluid buffering in joint and muscle tissue. By gradually increasing mobility you will also reduce the pain (by promoting fluid circulation and flushing out body hormones that are Nature’s way of protecting local injuries).

When the back is in crisis, follow this morning & bedtime initial program of mobility stretches with the following progressions:

Lying On a Firm Surface:

1. Both legs stretched out, consciously lengthen one leg, with a deep abs exhale, then the other – feeling a pulling in the lower back on that same side. Repeat 5x
Pull both knees to chest, with a deep exhale from the abdomen – feeling a pull on both lower back areas. Each pull slow and powerful. Repeat 5x

2. Pull one knee to chest, with a deep exhale from the abs. Each pull slow and powerful. Repeat 5x. Repeat other knee.

3. Pull both knees up, hands push down on surface at 45 degrees, then twist spine to one side and hold – feeling a pulling on the hip and obliques, with a deep exhale from the abs, then other side and hold.

4. Same hands position, one leg extended, raise other leg directly over the same hip, then gently lower to the ground with a deep exhale from the abs – feeling a pulling on the hip, obliques, and hamstring.

This concludes a fundamental, pain-relieving, mobility-enhancing bedtime routine. Continue this for at least one day after the pain has subsided, before progressing into back-strengthening routines that will promote resistance to back injury in the future.

]]> Comment on Initial Thoughts for Back Health by Donna http://1fitbug.com/blog/archive/2010/09/initial-thoughts-for-back-health/#comment-7 Donna Sat, 01 Jan 2011 18:52:30 +0000 http://1fitbug.com/blog/?p=62#comment-7 I find that bedtime is my best time to give my back some TLC. Any suggestions for bed exercises to improve pain-free function? I find that bedtime is my best time to give my back some TLC. Any suggestions for bed exercises to improve pain-free function?

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