Hormonal Homeostasis

I feel it's time to start addressing a big scary subject....
HORMONES! 
 It is a subject I have taken great interest in over the years as it has been the biggest personal struggle I've had with my own health.

I have done a lot of research on hormones over the years simply to understand my own bizarre imbalances, but in doing so, I have acquired a wealth of information and insight into a broad spectrum of hormonal imbalances and how they are profoundly affecting the lives of MOST women.
Whether its PCOS, Endometriosis, Irregular Periods, Infertility, PMD, etc...it seems to ALWAYS be something with almost every woman I meet or work with.
 It appears the source of these imbalances are related to a combination of lifestyle habits, diet, and environmental factors. For the most part, they are related to things we have some degree of control over, BUT...no shocker here....they are being treated, controlled, manipulated, and masked by synthetic "solutions" that are making the problems worse because they are interfering with the body's natural ability to find its own balance.

NOW, of COURSE I am not suggesting that if everyone were left alone with their endocrine imbalances, they would be ok and naturally everything would work out. Many are left with no choice but to be medically treated. And things don't naturally workout if you are living synthetically. Hmmmmm. How's THAT for philosophic? ;)
Anyway, I am a professional in the field of disease prevention and health promotion. I am not a doctor. I will stick within the realm of what I know, and when it comes to issues regarding health, my blog topics are only to share my own stories, create conversation, educate others, and inspire people to take responsibility for the choices they make about their bodies and the health of their families.

OK. With all that said...let me give you a little info on my own issue.

I have a condition that is actually very rare and is on the opposite end of the spectrum from what most women are suffering from. It is called Hypothalamic Amenorreah. Sounds special, huh? ;)

What is Hypothalamic Amenorreah?

I'll let someone else explain it. Copy and Paste....

 http://www.fertilityauthority.com/trouble-conceiving-and-infertility/hypothalamic-amenorrhea

Hypothalamic amenorrhea is amenorrhea due to a problem involving the hypothalamus, which is the portion of the brain that links the nervous system to the endocrine system via the pituitary gland.

What Happens in Hypothalamic Amenorrhea

The hypothalamus controls reproduction —it produces gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH). GnRH signals the production of other hormones needed for ovulation and after, such as follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). FSH and LH signal the ovaries to produce estrogen, which thins the cervical mucus and, along with progesterone, prepares the uterus for a fertilized egg.

If the hypothalamus stops producing GnRH, the amount of FSH, LH and estrogen will be reduced, and ovulation and menstruation will stop. This can result in infertility.

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Let me nutshell this for you....

Basically, your hypothalmus sits above your pituitary gland. It sends signals to your pituitary that tell it to produce certain hormones. Hormones for instance that tell your body to ovulate and have a menstrual cycle. 

NOT that I am trying to reproduce!!!! BUT if I wanted to, I couldn't at this point because my body won't ovulate. Why? Because a portion of my brain has gone KAPUT!

Many women have problems with their pituitary gland and their problems can be addressed with certain hormone treatments especially if they are trying to conceive. My problem however begins in the hypothalamus. And there are NO medical treatments for it. When my hypothalamus decides to stop holding back that special little signal that tells my pituitary gland to function, it will, but there is no magic pill for this. In the far distant past, I have undergone different hormonal treatments...none of which have worked and all of which threw my hormones even MORE out of whack.
My cycle usually returns after I've really been stress free and nourished my body with foods that are higher in healthy fats. 

As I said before, my situation is rare. MOST hormonal imbalances are due to Estrogen Dominance or an Insufficiency of Progesterone. Nonetheless, WHATEVER the cause, when our endocrine system gets out of whack, it leads to a myriad of health problems, both physical and mental, that impact our quality of lives. When one thing is off....EVERYTHING is off. And if you know me at all....you know I like everything to be ON! :)

As I commit to going RAW and eating to heal, I am hoping to restore my on hormonal homeostasis. I want to begin addressing hormones in general...I want to look at how they get out of whack and how to get them back on track. I want to start looking for natural remedies and educating others as I learn for myself what the female body really needs in order to thrive in her feminine nature. And femininity, my friends, is a strong and powerful attribute to have. 

I believe that balance in our bodies can be restored by a balance in our lifestyles. Make healthy choices about the foods you eat, the way you exercise, the products you put on your skin, and how you manage stress.

I'm looking forward to the journey back to balance!          

CHEW on This....

They say it takes 21 days to break a habit...
Well, I am HAPPY to announce that I have officially made it 21 days without 1 single piece of sugar free gum!!!! 

You may find that RIDICULOUS and anti-climactic, but GUM was that one vice that I couldn't quite let go of after years of cleaning up my eating habits. 

I remember trying The Green Extra Gum for the first time in college over 10 years ago and I was immediately HOOKED. I've been chewing some form of gum non-stop ever since. And it's almost ALWAYS the Green Extra, but I'd take what I could get.

As my health habits changed in recent years, and I began to understand that I was essentially chewing on EXTREMELY toxic ingredients which were being delivered straight to my bloodstream pretty much 24/7, I started to feel a bit guilty. 

I knew better. WAY better
I also began to realize that chewing gum was a crutch for me. It was my "go to" way of satisfying a craving that was usually linked to a restriction of some sort.
As I have moved into a RAW way of living that follows the principle of eating to heal, I no longer feel restricted, and I have finally been able to kick the gum habit.

This is SERIOUS business you guys. All of the ingredients in your sugar free gum are endocrine disruptors that mess with your hormones, metabolism, and brain chemistry. Not to mention they are full of carcinogens and neuro/reproductive toxins.

The way I chewed this gum up until 21 days ago....well, let's just say that I may as well have been hooked up to an IV drip. That's embarrassing to admit, but if you want to get all AA about it....honesty and admission is the first step to change. ;)

I truly believe that kicking this gum habit has brought about immense changes in my health already.

My sugar cravings are ZERO

I have less headaches, 

and

My digestive system is much more at ease.

Please read the following information about gum if you are chewing it regularly! It will open your eyes and hopefully help you kick the habit too!

XO!

The following information is from the site healthwyze.com http://healthwyze.org/index.php/component/content/article/383-why-a-stick-of-gum-is-more-harmful-to-your-health-than-anything-that-you-eat.html

The Truth About Sugar Free Gum.

If you thought that either toothpaste or red meats laced with sodium nitrate were the most dangerous things at the grocery store, then you should guess again.

People do not typically swallow gum, and thus they give very little attention to their ingredients.  After all, if it is not swallowed, then ingredients should not be a concern, right?  Wrong.  The ingredients in gum go into the bloodstream faster and in higher concentrations than food ingredients, because they are absorbed straight through the walls of the mouth, and they will not undergo the normal filtration process of digestion.

Gum is typically the most toxic product in supermarkets that are made for consumption, and they are very likely to kill your pet.  Commercial gum products contain roughly the same list of toxic ingredients, with differing labeling, which is virtually always designed to be deceptive.

Common Ingredients of Gum

After looking at several different brands of chewing gum, we found that these were the most common ingredients:

• Sorbitol • Gum Base • Maltitol • Mannitol • Xylitol • Artificial and 'Natural' Flavoring • Acacia • Acesulfame Potassium

• Aspartame • BHT • Calcium Casein Peptone-calcium Phosphate • Candelilla Wax • Sodium Stearate • Titanium Dioxide (so cancerous that external skin contact is enough)

When you consider that all of these ingredients are absorbed directly into the bloodstream unaltered through the mouth tissues and saliva, it is at least slightly disturbing to most rational people.  It should be.  We will be analyzing some of these ingredients in-depth, because we intend to debunk the myth that chewing gum is harmless and even good for you (ie. "it strengthens the teeth").

The "Sugar Free" Sugar Alcohols

Sorbitol, Maltitol, and Mannitol are sugar alcohols.  These are usually made from sugar, and they frequently increase the blood sugar just as much as eating sugar straight.  However, they allow manufacturers to make deceptive  "sugar-free" claims, since these ingredients are not pure sugar anymore.  (Nothing up this sleeve)  While such sugar derivatives are technically "sugar free" when the manipulative word games are employed, they nonetheless remain dangerous for diabetics, who by the way, are the very audience that these gums are marketed to.  Let's not forget that the sugar alcohol containing gums are also marketed to improve our dental health, either; since they are so "sugar free", after all.  The sugar alcohols are even more chemically bastardized than "white" sugar is (more toxic), so we have reason to believe that these forms of sugar will stimulate even more weight gain and inflammation than regular sugar.  All the evidence points in that direction.  Furthermore, these chemically bastardized sugar alcohols are documented to cause abdominal pains and diarrhea, whilst aggravating various health conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome; so the immune system takes a huge hit from them.  This immuno-suppression will, in turn, cause greater yeast development in the body to actually cause cavities.

There is no wonder about why such gums are so well loved by the American Dental Association.  It's like the thing with fluoride supposedly "stopping cavities" instead of actually causing more, along with various other dental problems.

Gum Base

Instead of telling customers what they are really eating, 'gum base' is used to generalize a list of ingredients that is never published.  As the name implies, it is the foundation agent of chewing gum.  We have tried exhaustively to find exactly what 'gum base' is made from.  On one website after another, we found the following babble, which is obviously meant to derail serious research:

"Gum base is produced through a blend of raw materials which can be categorized in five classes:

1. Elastomers, act as the key ingredient and provide elasticy
2. Resins act as binders and softeners
3. Plasticizers render the elastomer soft to ensure thorough blending of the gum base
4. Fillers contribute to the overall texture
5. Antioxidants prevent oxidation of the gum base and flavors during shelf life"

Since this was repeated identically at all websites that we looked at, we can only assume that all of these companies are actually owned by the same people, or at least they are working together as a cartel to cover-up an honest disclosure of what is in their gums.  We found out that the gum base is usually a commercial trade secret.   None of the websites told us the full ingredients.  For instance, exactly what plasticizer is used?  Are people chewing on super-toxic PVC?  The plasticizing agents could contain dioxins for all we know, and quite frankly, they probably really do.

After much more research, we found one Chinese company who told us about their ingredients.  Wuxi Yueda Gum Base Manufacture Co, Ltd said:

"It is made of several food grade raw materials, which are rubber (food grade), glycerol ester of rosin, paraffin waxes, polyvinyl acetates, talc powder and calcium carbonate."

Glycerol ester of rosin is often made from the stumps of pine trees.  It is used industrially to create fast-drying varnishes.  The Internet is riddled with stories of people who had severe allergic reactions to it, usually causing a swollen throat that led to difficulty breathing.  Glycerol ester of rosin is now being added to soft drinks, though federal limits ensure that its quantity remains under 100 p.p.m..  This safety limitation does not apply to chewing gum.

Talc has been linked to lung cancer, ovarian cancer, and fibrotic pneumoconiosis with just transdermal exposure.  It is very rarely put into products that are to be consumed.  In fact, the only other consumable products that we have seen containing talc is diet aids (most are extremely toxic).  Talcum powder was once used on small children, but it has now been replaced with cornstarch, due to safety concerns.  It's too dangerous to touch the skin, but absorbing it straight into the bloodstream  -- that's okay!  It sounds like we must be talking about vaccines again, doesn't it?

Polyvinyl acetate is not quite P.V.C..  It's P.V.A..  P.V.A. is frequently referred to as 'Carpenter's glue' or simply 'white glue'.  Remember that this is not being used as an industrial product, but as something that children are frequently given to chew on ('gum base' is in bubble gum too).  This goes quite well with the paraffin wax, which is derived from refined petroleum.

Aspartame and Acesulfame Potassium (otherwise written as Acesulfame K)

Aspartame is one of the most controversial additives of all time, and sits alongside M.S.G. and saccharin in terms of both consumer trust and safety.  Its presence in foods has nothing to do with safety, but everything to do with politics and money.

Aspartame has been linked to just about every health condition known, from seizures to brain tumors.  Some epileptic patients have recovered from their condition simply from the elimination of this toxin from their diets.  It is found in diet foods, diet drinks and sugar-free products as an alternative to sugar.  Aspartame is a cure that remains worse than the disease.  Aspartame is an excitotoxin, which means that it over-excites the neurons in the brain, until they burn out, causing lowered intelligence and a host of neurological problems.

Dr. Russell Blaylock is the leading expert on the dangers of aspartame.  He helped produce the documentary, "Sweet Misery: A Poisoned World" which catalogs the health problems caused by Aspartame.  Aspartame can cause diabetes, fibromyalgia, lowered I.Q., obesity, multiple sclerosis, asthma, insomnia, muscle spasms, and a total of 92 known symptoms.

Acesulfame Potassium has similar properties to aspartame, and is believed to be a cancer risk.  The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has petitioned the F.D.A. for a stay of approval, due to the lack of testing done on this substance.  Studies on animals have shown a correlation between acesulfame potassium and various tumors.

Calcium Casein Peptone-Calcium Phosphate

While we would love to be able to provide lots of information on this ingredient, we can't.  We simply don't know.  It's only appearance is in Trident gum (the worst brand), and thus we were unable to find studies or any other information about it.  It could be a whitening agent.  It's important to note that casein is a milk-extractive that was linked with the Chinese baby formula poisonings.  Trust this ingredient at your own risk, but we would never put something in the mouth that has its research hidden from the public.

BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene)

B.H.T. is a preservative which has been linked to cancer, and is banned in the United Kingdom and Japan.  It is unbelievably sold as a "dietary supplement", and some people believe that it has anti-viral effects.  So does gasoline and rat poison for that matter.  We do not recommend it, because of the safety implications.  It causes kidney and liver damage.  Benjamin Feingold (creator of the 'Feingold diet') linked it to hyperactivity in children in the 1970's, as a large component of A.D.H.D..

Epilogue

For the sake of brevity, we will not continue to examine all of the ingredients in most chewing gum.  Chewing gum is easily one of the most toxic products available, and it is difficult to ever know exactly what it contains due to vague terms such as 'gum base' and 'artificial flavors'.  They're trade secrets, and probably include hundreds of ingredients that they are unwilling to disclose.  You have no right to know.

You can purchase natural gum, which is made from chicle, a tree that is native to central America.  There was a time when all chewing gum was made in this manner, but it is more expensive, and thus less popular among companies.  Natural gum can be purchased online or from health food stores.

Fitness Follows Health

The reason that I have begun eating for health rather than fitness is because ultimately I believe that  FITNESS FOLLOWS HEALTH...not the other way around.
Yes, you should exercise because it is healthy and will help you burn calories and make your heart, bones, and muscles stronger.
However, I have noticed a pattern of injury and illness and psychological limitations that are debilitating to people and always put them back at square 1. Ultimately, their bodies and minds can't keep up because they are sick and because they are focused on the wrong things.
ALWAYS put your HEALTH first. You will see fitness and weight loss as bonuses rather than achievements. Achievements are a PRODUCT of something. If we do not "produce" we feel as though we have failed.
When you focus on becoming healthy then you are engaging in a PROCESS. You focus on the journey and you are free to take your time. The "products of your process" will feel like blessings rather than achievements which will keep you humble and grateful and ENERGIZED.
Should you set goals? ABSOLUTELY!!!
But center you goals in life around a broader impact that is outside yourself and will leave a legacy that doesn't begin and end with you. Too many people think they have to wait until they fix themselves until they can be meaningful to others....and as a result they never get anywhere. They stay trapped in a failure cycle.
YOU are unique and you are here for a specific reason and I can tell you for a FACT that it is NOT to get yourself PERFECT. We are designed to impact and influence other people no matter how big or how small.
Make the decision to nourish your body in such a way that it helps you fulfill your purpose. Your body should be the means to an end...not the end. When your perspective changes....everything changes....and after all....isn't CHANGE what you're after?
SLOW down and take it one day at a time. Only put things in your body that fuel your purpose. Energy, Healing, Fitness, Weight Loss, etc....will follow. I PROMISE.

Going RAW: My Nutrition Transformation

Yes...l'm going R.A.W. with my nutrition.
No....I am not eating raw eggs, meat, and other uncooked foods just in case you thought this is what I meant. ;).
And NO......I am not becoming a VEGETARIAN or a VEGAN or even a raw foodie. In part, because I do not find my identity in food, but also because I am not exclusive to others based on my personal food choices. For example, if someone has me over for dinner and serves me something I may not eat in my own home, I will gladly and graciously eat what they serve. Plus, I find that people who give themselves a food related title tend to embody a certain culture surrounding that title. They find their identity in it and base their successes and failures on it. They can become self-righteous "food groupies" and I NEVER want to become that. Although, there is a lot of truth to the saying, "you are what you eat", I sincerely don't want to be who I am because of what I eat.

Nonetheless...who I am lives her life more fully when I am living a R.A.W. lifestyle.

SO, What exactly do I mean when I say that I've gone R.A.W. with my nutrition?

Well, the bottom line is that the foods and the things I choose to put in my body will be
REAL, AUTHENTIC, and WHOLE.
I have been eating healthy for a while and have come to a keen awareness of the foods that make me feel well and the foods that make me feel ill. As a health professional, I also have an educated knowledge and understanding of what happens when I put certain foods in my body, and as a result, a deep and profound conviction about what it means for me to be a truly healthy person. At this point, I have come to conclude that feeling well and being healthy for ME means eating a plant based diet and COMPLETELY avoiding foods that are processed, unnatural, and lacking in nutritional value.

No, going RAW is not a phase. It's not a project. It's not a trial run. and it's NOT a New Year's resolution. It's more of a work in progress and a direction I have been moving over the past year. I've basically concluded that there is only one way of eating that makes me feel alive and clear and focused and balanced and fabulous....and that is a diet full of plants that is only about 30% cooked foods including grains. The rest is fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and healthy oils. And GASP! I'm doing away with animal products including dairy and poultry.

WHY am I doing away with the animal kingdom??!!!!!

It's quite simple actually. If something makes me feel sick and weak and tired...why would I eat it?

Choosing to eat a plant based diet is not a political or cultural or animal/environmental loving based decision (although I do love animals and the environment). It is a personal and spiritual decision that has been prayed over and considered and well thought through for about a year now.
In essence, yes....I'm eating like a vegan but I am not becoming a vegan. Let's make that very clear.

This is not a challenge I'm taking on. I've already arrived at this place and I've been here for quite some time. The challenge is over. The only challenge I ever really faced was resisting this transformation and feeling guilty for putting things into my body that were making me sick. Not to mention...this "half way healthy" mentality was spilling over into the way that I fed my family. Because I wasn't clear about my nutrition, I was slacking in my nutrition. As a result, I began slacking in my family's nutrition. I hated that.
While I realize that making a nutrition transformation like this might be a mountainous task for most families....for me....it's just not. I already know how to eat completely clean. I have all the tools, a lot of knowledge, and a WHOLE lot of practice....and I am fully equipped to be slightly more disciplined to do what I know is best. I am blessed to have all I need to embrace this so I need to be a good steward of my blessings. That's the way I see it.

Let me be clear on something....
This is PERSONAL. Do I believe that everyone would benefit from eating this way? YES! Absolutely. But I do not think that it is the only way. I do not think it is bad to eat animal products if they are clean and come from a humanely treated source and in fact, I create meal plans that include animal products.
This is a personal nutrition choice for myself. The biggest reason that I am sharing this is because I need to be clear about my nutrition choices as a leader in health. I am a nutrition coach, and it is important for me to be transparent about the way that I feed my own flesh. I love to share my experiences with everyone so that I can help them adopt a healthy lifestyle, and it's important for others to know where I come from.

How did I arrive at this place?

It was a year ago that I tried juicing, plant based eating, and going RAW with my food and products for the first time. Oh my goodness!!! I felt like I could have flown across the world. Plus, I lost about 13 pounds of what was probably toxic waste and managed to keep it off.

It was during this time that I was the happiest I'd been in a long time. I experienced a lot of physical, mental, and emotional healing, and I was more hooked up to God than ever. He was revealing things to me with such clarity because I was not inhibited by weakened flesh.

After juicing and eating so many plant foods, I was BLOWN away by the healing power of phytonutrients.
Want to see what happened to me in just 2 weeks? Go Here...
http://nostrainnogain.blogspot.com/2012/04/post-juice-cleansethe-results-are-in.html

However, I eventually went back to eating my regular diet that was certainly clean and healthy, BUT it included animal foods.I continued juicing regularly and eating a diet full of superfoods, but I also was eating dairy, meat, and eggs....and it got to the point where I was eating A LOT of them. Over time, I lost my vitality, my luster, and my natural energy. I also noticed a slow transition back toward a "slacker diet".

So why did I stop eating a plant based diet if it made me feel so amazing?

Well, here's the honest truth...
As a trainer and fitness fanatic, I only knew through my education and schooling how to support my lifestyle through nutrition habits that were regularly scheduled and high in lean animal protein. I was following a diet than was the "generalized rule" for people like me. I stopped listening to my own body and started following a method. As a result, I became very disconnected from my body and my health suffered. I began having digestive issues again, my skin began breaking out again, I was more lethargic, my brain didn't work as well, I began struggling with anxiety on a physiological level, and TMI...I'm going on month 6 now with no period. This was the biggest kicker for me. As a healthy woman, my body is not working right. I am determined to journey back to a place of balance in my health because THAT is MOST important...not lifting the heaviest weight, running the fastest mile, or having the tightest physique.
so yes....

I'm going back to RAW.

I am living by the principle....
"If it's not good for me....don't put it in my body."
If it's that way with things like cigarettes and drugs, why wouldn't it be the same case for food and other products?

At the end of my life when I look back over the way that I lived and the way that I impacted others, I want it to be a legacy of healing. That's how I want to help others ultimately and I can only do that if I am really being true to my own body's need for healing.

I feel very strongly about this as a believer in God too. Yes....we are to put our souls before our flesh, but God has called us to treat our bodies as temples. When he says, "Deny the flesh" ...he is NOT saying....IGNORE and NEGLECT it. I believe that is an excuse many believers use to keep eating like crap...and I spent WAY too many years putting crap in my own body. If I am going to live a full life that lives out God's will and purpose for my life then I am going to eat in a way that nourishes my flesh. I don't want my purpose to be inhibited because I am fighting my physical flesh. I want it to work WITH me....not AGAINST me. 

God created the world rich in plants that he wants us to consume for healing and wholesome living.  We have moved too far away from this as a society and we are suffering for it. I'm refusing to be a victim of it and I ultimately want to help others find their way out of addiction and dependency to chemicals, processed foods, and conventional medicines.

We were originally created to eat whole foods for healing and I will honor God in that way.

Am I trying to "go back to the Garden" so to speak?

No, I am waiting patiently for my Savior, and until then, I plan to treat my body the way God intended and as a result, live a life that is full and happy and more ready to fulfill his purpose my life. 

It's still a journey and a process, but it is such a fun one and I hope that you'll continue joining me as I learn to live a full, happy, healthy, and RAW life. 

I make regular updates to my facebook page. 

Click here to stay in touch!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/My-Fit-List/234310136626646?fref=ts

Wednesday Workout.: 2013 Personal Challenge

Perform 20 repetitions of the following 13 exercises for 30-45 mins

1.  Overhead Dumbbell Shoulder Presses

 

2.  Prisoner Squats

 

3.  Toe Reaches (Abs)

 

4.  Inchworms

 

5.  Mountain Climbers

 

6.  Oblique crunches (20 each side)

 

7.  Monster Walk (10 each leg forward and back or alternating)

Without band, you just stay low and keep your knees bent

 

8.  Iron Crosses with Dumbbells

 

9.  Sit ups

 

10.             Burpees and/or Bent over Dumbbell rows (10 of each)

 

11.             Air Bikes

 

12.             Curls with Dumbbells

 

13.             Knee pushups….or toes if you’re an Olympic athlete

 

Imbalance Leads to Impairment. Symmetry Leads to Strength.

Almost everyone who approaches me for personal training has the primary goal of losing weight or improving their physique. But almost inevitably, every person I train has moderate to severe muscular imbalances that impair their ability to reach their desired goals. Before I can progress them to a level of training that will yield a desired outcome, it is imperative that their bodies are properly aligned and balanced. Otherwise, injury is almost inevitable!

For example, if you perform a deep barbell squat, but your pelvis is crooked and your feet are externally rotated and your knees are falling inward and you are leaning too far forward, then you are causing injury and stress on your body's kinetic chain, (The combination and interrelation of the nervous, muscular, and skeletal systems) which will lead to pain and tension and inflammation....NOT a tight high booty and long lean legs. 

SO, if you ever seek out a trainer...make sure that 

#1. They are CERTIFIED. and

 #2 that they are not pushing you beyond a physical limit your body can handle just to make you feel like you are burning lots of calories and getting your money's worth. 

This is deceptive.

Meet with a trainer who will train you SMART before they train you hard. 

I learned this valuable lesson for myself through a trainer I really respect. He helped me learn to relieve my upper back pain by strengthening my back muscles and stretching my chest muscles. I was so strong and tight on the front of my body that it was pulling everything forward and causing pain in the back of my body. Since training my back regularly, I am pain free, my posture is better, and my back is more defined muscularly. 

Triple Threat! ;)

I have a dear and wonderful client who I have been working with regularly. Her hip is severely externally rotated on one side of her body. Because of this, she has trouble performing any exercises that rely on any type of lower body stability. It's hard for her to even do a plank on her toes because of her lower body imbalance...NOT for lack of upper body and core strength. My clients and I often have to go back to square one just to make certain that they are staying posturally aligned before advancing them to the next level of training.

IMBALANCE LEADS TO IMPAIRMENT

SYMMETRY LEADS TO STRENGTH 

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Here is a before and after picture of the difference a few corrective exercises did to internally rotate my client's hip prior to her training session. 

BEFORE CORRECTIVE EXERCISE TRAINING

look at the asymmetry in her feet. this is indicative of her hip imbalance

  

AFTER CORRECTIVE EXERCISE TRAINING

Balance and symmetry!

Ready to WEIGHT TRAIN

 

As you can see in the before picture, her foot on the right is severely limited in it's range of motion because her inner thigh muscles are weak and the opposing muscles in her outer thigh and glutes are too tight. When she is standing, her right foot turns out. If she strength trains with this imbalance she will only perpetuate the problem. 

SO what's the solution? We have to internally rotate her hip in order to create symmetry on both sides of her body by performing a few corrective exercises prior to training. 

Below are a few of the exercises we performed which resulted in the symmetry you see in the after picture.

The exercises you see pictured, help to strengthen her inner thighs and internally rotate her hips. 

______________________________________________________________________________________

 

Whether you have a trainer that you can work with or not, it is important that you are maintaining symmetry and balance in your form and posture as you train. When you go to the gym with a weight training plan, please make sure that you research the proper form and alignment required to execute your designated exercises properly. 

There are different assessments that you can perform on yourself to determine the strengths and weaknesses in your kinetic chain. They will tell you which muscles are weak and which are too tight. As a result, you can determine which muscles you need to strengthen and which muscles you need to stretch. Incorporating the appropriate corrective exercises into your training routine will be well worth your while as it will allow you to correct your posture, relieve your pain, and prevent injuries that may otherwise inhibit you from getting the tight and strong body you are ultimately after. ;)

Here is a great video that will help you determine your areas of strength and weaknesses. 

And here is a link to a free download of corrective exercise charts. 

I have loved this site as a guide to help me with my clients!

 http://www.shapingconcepts.com/corrective_exercises.php

 

A Workout You can be Very Thankful for.

I'd say there's no better way to show thanks for your health and fitness than with a little exercise!

I'm going to share a great Thanksgiving exercise circuit with you that will help you burn off some of your Thanksgiving Turkey. 

Here's my challenge to you....get your whole family (immediate and extended) involved. Set up this circuit like an obstacle in your back yard and see if you can get others to participate. Start learning how to show love to others not only through food, but through fitness too. Show your family how much you care about their lives by helping them become stronger and healthier. It's a hard transition to make, but this is a great time to start!

Thanksgiving Workout

11/22

Set up 11 Stations around the yard. At each station, you will perform 22 repetitions of each designated exercise. You can follow what I have listed or you can come up with exercises that will be more suitable for you and your family's fitness level. This is the type of circuit where you can go at your own pace, so make it a friendly competition to see who can finish first. For those of you who are more fit....go through the circuit again until the last family member is finished. 

Of course you can do this workout by yourself if no one else wants to participate. :)

Start the workout by performing 22 squats

1) Wall Sits with 22 Leg Extensions. 

TRAVELING LUNGES TO STATION 2

2) 22 Mountain Climbers on each leg

TRAVELING INCHWORMS TO STATION 3

3) 22 Jack Knife Sit Ups

TRAVELING STEP SQUATS TO STATION 4

4) 22 Short Sprints between Point A and Point B of your choice

WALK AND CATCH YOUR BREATH TO STATION 5

5) 22 Overhead Dumbbell Shoulder Presses

 

TRAVELING SIDE SQUAT HOLDING 1 DUMBBELL OVERHEAD TO STATION 6

 

6) 22 Wide squats holding dumbbell between legs

 

TRAVELING SIDE SQUAT LEADING WITH OTHER LEG TO STATION 7

7) 22 Bicycle Crunches

 

HIGH SKIPS TO STATION 8

 

8) 22 Tricep Dips

 

CRAB WALK TO STATION 9

 

9) 22 Elevated or weighted Bridges

BROAD JUMPS TO STATION 10

10) 22 Bicep Curls

RUN TO STATION 11

11) 22 PUSHUPS

FINISHED!