News
September 2011 Newsletter
Exercise of the Month
The Hundred
Ok, stop rolling your eyes right now! This classic Pilates exercise is the first one of Joe’s original mat sequence for a variety of reasons. Get it right and it makes the perfect warm-up to your workout.
Benefits
1. Challenges your lungs This is the one Pilates move that really gets your breath going. Driving a desk all day hardly does that…
2. Loosens the back Your back, particularly the lower (lumbar) region, must be lengthening in order to accomplish this movement. And the moving rib action of the forced breathing creates mobility and space in the entire spine due to rib movement.
3. Prepares you for your workout The breath focus and vigorous arm movements increases your internal heat and forces you to ‘think’, making it the perfect warm-up for the kickass session to follow.
4. Oh yeah… And it really blasts your core/abs!
Form Tips
1. Look between your knees, not at the ceiling. The more vertical the neck is maintained and the more flexed the spine to do so, the less strain is held in the neck muscles.
2. Keep your lower back pressed into the floor. One of my big bugaboo’s is watching this lovely exercise being taught or performed badly. You are not meant to rest on the tip of your coccyx like a version of Teaser; you’ll use almost no abdominal strength and over-tighten your hip flexors in the process. If you doubt me, try it. Instead keep your sacrum flat on the ground, tail reaching across and up from the floor, encouraging a softening of the lower back to the floor. You’ll elongate your back musculature, strengthen your abdominals AND be able to safely support your lumbar spine/pelvis.
Modifications
“But Neil, I can’t do The Hundred…” The Hundred is a strong exercise. Period… End of story. And in some cases, such as extreme disk protrusion or pregnancy, is contraindicated and not to be attempted. However the majority of us CAN do it in a modified fashion and receive its benefits.
Here are two ways that you can modify The Hundred and get the best from them without hurting yourself:
1. If your neck hurts when you lift your trunk you can support it with your hands behind the neck. Or use a TRIADBALL® or pillow under your shoulders to support your upper trunk.
2. If you find a Pulsing Breath option difficult, use the Traditional Long Breath option. Practice this by placing your hands on either side of your trunk and push them apart with your ribs during inhalation and draw them in when you exhale.
See you instructor for appropriate, safe modifications designed for your ability and condition.
See you on the floor!
Your Health
Dump the Boxes & Bags for a Healthy Heart
According to the Australian Heart Foundation, heart disease is the leading cause of death in women and is one of the top five causes of years of healthy life lost. In addition, cardiovascular disease (CVD) claims a life in Australia every 10 minutes1 and though decreasing, is statistically the number one killer AND categorized as avoidable.
Here are four dietary tips for a healthy ticker:
1. Cut Those Carbs Everyone knows that carbohydrates, especially simple carbs like refined sugar, are major culprits when it comes to weight gain. What has been underappreciated is that carbs—heavily processed and refined sugars, like high-fructose corn syrup—may be playing a bigger role in heart disease than we originally thought.
TIP Keep your sugar intake to 36 grams per day. This is equivalent to 1 banana and 1 large slice of watermelon, or 2 handfuls of strawberries and 1 large apple. If possible choose fruit and fruit-sugared options rather than those with refined sugar, such as soft drinks and biscuits. Your heart—and your waistline—will thank you.
2. Decrease Sodium Recent data indicates that Australian’s consume an average of 5.5g of salt, which is less than the recommended 6g (equivalent to 2,300mg of sodium)… Yay us! However, according to some health experts, most people’s sodium intake should be closer to 3.9g of salt. The foods that contribute most to that sodium intake are processed foods, such as breads and packaged/canned products that sit in the middle of your typical market. But following the guidelines has a big payoff: Lowering sodium intake, combining that with exercise and a healthy diet, acts like a blood pressure–lowering medication.
TIP Substitute strong flavours such as garlic, oregano, and lemon for salt. Your taste buds will eventually not need a huge amount of salt for flavour.
3. Increase fibre A study in the Archives of Internal Medicine suggested a high-fibre diet could decrease overall mortality by about 22%; not only is fibre good for your heart, but it’s also helpful in lowering cholesterol and preventing death from infectious and respiratory diseases
4. Shop on the edges of your market for the healthiest food options…that’s where your vegies are. The closer you get to natural sources of fibre, the better it is for you. Getting fibre from pizza crust- bad idea. Go for green, leafy vegetables; oatmeal; brown rice; and apples.
CONCLUSION
It’s evident that the amount of processed foods in our daily diet is contributing to a host of unhealthy conditions in our population. In the next newsletter, I’ll talk more about the reasons why these consumables are bad for you, why you crave them anyway and some strategies on how to break the cycle.
1. Supplement Plus Complimentary Healthcare Council of Australia, Vol. 1 No. 3; Spring 99.
2. Australian Bureau of Statistics, Measures of Australia’s Progress, 2010.
3. Food Standards Australia New Zealand, Fact Sheets 2009.
4. Dawn.com, “High-fiber diet may cut risk of premature death: Study”, 16 February, 2011.
5. Dr. Brett Fenster (cardiologist), National Jewish Health, Denver Colorado, USA