RESET & RESTART (Part 1)

Reset & Restart, Part 1

“Getting off the train”

I’ve found that a lot of people look at me, and others in the fitness industry, as leading this ridiculously healthy lifestyle that would never work for the “normal” person. Yes, there are certainly those select few fitness competitors that travel around the city accompanied by an oversized cooler, in which perfectly weighed and measured food is neatly packed. There are, however, many of us looking for a more balanced approach to living healthy.

As I’ve confessed that I face many of the same challenges as my clients, they’ve warmed up to me more, realizing, “oh, okay she IS human.” Even as a coach, life gets crazy and I fall off track. I travel quiet a bit for my work managing a nonprofit and, like many business travelers, I end up on a train with nothing but snacks and soda available, or maybe some random bar or restaurant with a late night menu. Often times, if I don’t prepare for my trips, a few days off track while traveling can snowball into a week or two off my game, even after I return. It’s a slippery slope; once you start giving in to habits you’ve worked hard to keep in check, you feel like you have to go back to the start. Then you feel defeated, guilty, and probably employ the, “Well I already had (fill in the blank), so I might as well just (fill in the blank) and get back on track next week.”

So, yes, I’ll admit it: There are times when I may go a week without really training. I do indulge (usually on sweets). Sometimes I, too, get on a roll with self-defeat that I have to drag myself out of to get back to my healthy routine.

The questions remains, what do you do when you don’t need a total overhaul, but you’re off your game and need a way back? It’s time to reset & restart, folks.

For the full article, please visit: http://www.ollifitness.com/1/post/2013/09/reset-restart-getting-off-the-train.html

ACTIVE STRETCHING (Repairing Your Fascia, Step #3)

Repairing your Fascia, Step #3

ACTIVE STRETCHING

Okay, so now your body is waking up a little. You’re moving in a more consistent pattern and you have worked out some of the major knots that were locking you up. You should be feeling relief and release already! Step #3, Active Stretching, is to promote permanent improvements with lasting positive effects of the preceding soft-tissue release and mobility exercises.

I’m sure many of you have been getting mixed signals about stretching---don’t do it before exercise, it doesn’t actually do anything, you only need to do it if you want to do yoga, and other myths!

Here are a few facts to set you straight:

·      -- Active, or dynamic, stretching is a valuable practice preceding exercise, throughout the day, and even post-workout. This approach allows you to contract and relax into some of the tightest areas throughout your body. When done correctly, active stretching will aid in opening joints, muscles, connective tissue and articulations. This restores the space meant to exist, allowing all these structures to move as they should, in however many directions as they should.

·       --Active stretching, alone, accomplishes very little beyond instant and short-lived effects. Active stretching coupled with tissue release, mobility & exercise has remarkably progressive and permanent effects.

·       --No matter what your physical activity or performance goals are, flexibility is crucial for your body to move efficiently and function at its most optimal level.

To get started with Active Stretching, check out some guidelines on the following page and ask us about additional resources to really dive into Step #3 in Repairing Your Fascia!

For the full article, please visit: http://www.ollifitness.com/1/post/2013/09/active-stretching-repairing-your-fascia-step-3.html

TISSUE RELEASE (Repairing Your Fascia, Step #2)

Repairing your Fascia, Step #2

RELEASE

Now that we have been moving a bit more to help identify where our main restrictions are, it’s time to really dive into repairing our fascia. Step #2 titled “Release” is all about unlocking your soft tissue and spending some quality time with your fascia.

In “Step #1: Mobility,” we outlined a few very basic movements to open specific areas of the body that are very often locked up—such as the Thoracic Spine, Lower Back, and Hips. To progress towards more functional, strenuous exercises, you need to give your muscles, bones, & joints room to contract, relax, stretch, and move the way they are intended to.....

For the full article, please visit: http://www.ollifitness.com/1/post/2013/08/tissue-release-repairing-your-fascia-step-2.html

MOBILITY (Repairing your Fascia, Step #1)

Repairing your Fascia, Step #1

MOBILITY

In “Let’s talk about movement,” we said the first step to repairing your fascia and feeling great again is simply to move, and move often. Here is the catch: You have to know the right type of movement to start with.

If you think you might have an injury or your fascia is angry with you, diving right back into running or lifting or another type of strenuous activity will only agitate your symptoms. At this point, your resting state isn’t even “recovery.” So, you are going from an already locked up body…then adding some inefficient movement and inflammation…and boom, you wake up the next day feeling like you’re 100 years old.

To move on to Step #2, which will be discussed in the next “OLLI: Daily,” you need to master the practice of mobility & recovery. To reiterate what Step #1 is all about: we need you to transition to a more active lifestyle so your systems are alive, awake and alert. This might be some nice stretching in the morning, making sure you walk to the bus, opt for the stairs…whatever you can do to get the blood flowing. We are looking for consistent, low-intensity activity.

To complement this slightly increased activity, mobility exercises are critical to advancing towards full recovery. If you’re body is all locked up from months, or even years, of habitual activities (such as sitting at a desk, running through an injury, or carrying your purse on the same shoulder all the time), you need to start sending messages to “un-do” what your body has done to adapt to these external influences.

On the following page, you will find a few mobility-based exercises. If practiced consistently, you will begin to notice improved range of motion, less restricted movement, and an all around decrease in how tight you are feeling. Keep in mind how long you have asked your body to move about in the “wrong” way; counter-acting this will take time and persistence, but it’s remarkable what a difference can be made!....

For the full article, please visit: http://www.ollifitness.com/1/post/2013/08/mobility-repairing-your-fascia-step-1.html