Lower back pain

Does your lower back hurt? Is it stiff, achy, always tight? It might be near the sacroiliac joint (above the buttocks) or the quadratus lumborum (four 'guy lines' running between the bottom ribs and the top of the posterior pelvis).

You might think you have back problems, but you might be wrong. At least half of my clients over ten years of personal training have seen their back pain disappear as we went after the real culprit - the hips!

This is very often the case - a client works at a desk, sits in a car, then sits on the couch. Any time you sit in a regular chair, you are contracting the hip flexors - the muscle group that brings your thigh up closer to your stomach. This group becomes hypertonic - always ON. So when this tight hipped person tries to stand upright, the hips remain tight and so the lower back arches to allow the motion of standing. The psoas, a particularly strong flexor, actually wraps from the front of the hip to the lower back, so if it is tight, the pelvis becomes tilted forward and the lower back automatically stays in an excessive arch.

Good stretches for the psoas and hip flexor group are a runners lunge and a spinal twist.

And stay out of chairs!

They call me Miss Abs

I know it's been a long time, but I'm back and ready to blab!

I think it may be time to share a few secrets on how I got my most coveted body part - ABS!

Now, I know you all know that diet is important but it's not. It's EVERYTHING. You cannot out-train a bad diet, so if you eat junk or simply eat too much, you will never be lean enough for abs to show no matter what you do in the gym.

Okay, diet isn't everything. There is an exercise component. Actually there are four.

1. Go heavy. If the muscle is bigger, it is more noticeable, and for muscles to grow you need heavy weights with cable crunches, loaded crunches, and some ab machines. 

2. Go light. Keeping the muscle pumped makes it show. Do lots of light crunches, ball pulls, and other fun things that work the muscle but lightly at high reps. 

3. Do planks. And when you can hold a plank for two minutes, put some weight on your back. Or lift one leg. Or lift one leg and one arm...make it HARDER is what I'm saying!

4. Obliques, or side abs, don't really need to be big. But toned is nice, and frames the centre six-to-eight pack nicely. Side planks, Paloff presses and light rotational movements like wood chops fit here. It's also a good idea not to ignore the lower back, because that is part of the core. Bird-dogs and back extensions will do the trick.

So, there you have it. Happy ab hunting!

Being Human

I'm reading a book called 'How to win friends and influence people'. It was recommended to me by a co worker who regaled me for some time about the things he had learned and used from it's pages. 

Self-help?! I'm there.

It has good advice - never criticize, show appreciation - and the author reminds us often as to the potential monetary gains from basically caring about people instead of just yourself, but he hasn't yet adressed the gains we can make in ourselves. 

It feels GOOD to pay someone a compliment and they brighten up. Sometimes you have to look pretty deep, but most people have some place you can reach them. (Many a relationship has its roots in a shared love of cats!)

When you're nice to people, nice things happen. People sometimes let you go ahead of them in line at the grocery store. Or you get a great gift or other 'pennies from heaven', I call them.  Sometimes life just goes well for awhile. It's because when you're nice you can bring out the nice in other people and that makes the world a better place.

I Was Forced To Write This😼

My cat got a blanket for Christmas. Actually, I got a heated blanket from my brother, but Beau thinks it's his. 

Beau is thirteen, missing one eye and blind in the other, but he still finds things to make him happy. And this blanket - OH how it makes him happy! 

What I like about cats, and I think Beau is extra-special this way, is that they find the little things in life to take joy from. 

For this and about ten thousand other reasons, people should be more like cats.

Oops I did it again!

I'm back! 

A situation is unfolding in my life that is teaching me SO much, I had to share.

I did something a little bit mean. And just before I did it, I thought 'should I?'. And I knew the answer was no but I did it anyway. In my defence, I was a tiny bit drunk, but I wish I could take it back.

I think I hurt someone's feelings - NOT my intention - I was just trying to be funny, but I'm pretty sure it's because of my silly action that now I'm on the hotspot.

What am I taking from this? First, I'm going to apologize. Second, I realized that every time I do the slightest thing that could be taken as mean, and behave in a way that I know to be contrary to my true self, it comes back to bite me in the ass, harder than I think I deserve. EVERY TIME.

The universe is trying to tell me that I need to be true to myself and my mission to make the world a brighter, not darker place. What you put out, you get back.

And now I am at peace.

Sleep Hygiene

PThe other part of my talk was on sleep hygiene. Sleep is when our brains and bodies rest and repair. Adults need 6.5-8 hours a night. More is not good either, unless it's catch-up, because the lymphatic system becomes sluggish and this can increase the risk of certain cancers. 

Before sleeping: 

Get up at the same time every day.

Get outside during the day and get some exercise. Let your body know it's daytime.

Go to bed at the same time each night - and with a soothing routine beforehand, if possible. Dim the lights, listen to soft music, or read.

The bedroom should be for sex and sleep only. Keep it cool and dark.

Avoid:

Bright lights before bed. This includes computers, phones, TVs and actual lights. They confuse the brain into thinking it's daytime.

No drinking two hours before bed. This seems self-explanatory, but I'll also add no alcohol to this rule. It may help sleep come on but it dehydrates the body and that can wake you up.

Meditation can help if you have trouble falling asleep, and it can be as simple as counting your breath.

Sweet dreams!

Are you ready?

Okay, so it's been awhile. And I'll tell you why. My mother, who was bipolar all her life, committed suicide by stepping in front of a train over a month ago. 

It's sad, tragic, and has been very stressful on my family. But I like to try to put a positive spin on things, so in pointing out the positive aspect, I'll say this - I won't go out like that.

Two weeks after I heard the news, I gave a talk on the importance of exercise and sleep in terms of mental health. It was hard, but I wanted to help. Exercise, for me, has literally been a life saver. I had a few episodes in my late 20s when I didn't want to live. It's not that I wanted to die - it was just that living held only pain for me  and I needed a way out. 

I've done the medication thing, which proved to be disastrous for me, but what helped me cope daily was using my body for work, feeding myself good food and getting my rest. 

Nearly a third of mental health patients (bipolar, anxiety, depression) don't respond to medication. Exercise can be as effective as meds as they change brain chemistry by stimulating the pituitary gland to release endorphins - that's right, the feel good hormones. You're also taking an active role in your own recovery, which further boosts self-esteem. Cardio - the term we apply to steady-state exercise where the heart rate remains elevated - is the fastest producer of the runners' high, but any moderately intense excercise counts. Riding a bike, using the elliptical, walking the stairs or just walking, are all examples. Weight training, which I think everyone should do, can also give that high feeling. For me, there's something very cathartic about abusing inanimate iron. 

What about yoga? Well, in a word, perfect! It combines strength and flexibility and the meditative aspect cannot be beat for calming and entering a frazzled mind.

What I learned through this group meeting, and through my recent loss, is that stuff can happen at any time, and you have to be ready. If you have certain tools in place - like nutrition, exercise, rest, support - you'll be better able to cope when things happen. 

Perfect Opposites

I started working out to maintain a healthy body weight and accidentally became a bodybuilder. Not like those huge dudes who look deformed, but pound for pound, I'm stronger than many men and most women.

So what is a bodybuilder doing in yoga/hot yoga classes?

Because they're perfect opposites! Weight training movements are all about contracting - in other words, shortening the muscle, while yoga is about lengthening the muscles. 

When I weight train, I'm fierce, almost angry, even though I LOVE how I feel. I take out my anger on the iron. And talk about solitary - I put on my iPod and focus and prefer not to be bothered.

In yoga class I could not be more different. I feel calm, at peace, and connected with my classmates.

It's good to use your body in different ways. I'll always be a bodybuilder, but doing other activities helps me to be better at the one I love most!

Exercise Presciption

I've been asked to speak at a course on the topic of exercise and mental health. I can't believe I haven't touched on this yet - it's so important!

I'll admit that I started working out for vanity. But what I learned was that as much as exercise is good for your body, it's also good for the soul. 

Of course, there's the endorphin rush. But there's also the focus that brings you into the present, new neural pathways forming with new movements, and the general awareness that you're taking control and actively trying to improve. 

Exercise is as effective as medicine, or more so, in treating depression in many cases. And it's natural and free.

Sometimes when you feel bad it can be hard to even move, but if you force yourself, you'll be glad you did. And if you're already perfectly happy, a workout still won't hurt!

Gratitude For A Gift

I'm pretty bummed out these days. My poor kitty is totally blind now, since his left eye went bad 10 weeks after we took out the right one due to glaucoma. For that and some minor personal medical stuff, I've been wallowing in self-pity, guilt, and general depression. 

But tonight I reconnected with a client I haven't seen in over 4 years, who has since developed a brutal, rare autoimmune disease. It has turned her life upside down. Not that I derive pleasure from the suffering of others, but while she sat there telling me all the things she had planned and now cannot do, I started feeling kind of small.

 Who am I to be sad and blue when I still have my health? Without that, everything is harder. Some things are no longer achievable.

It helped to remind me that I'm supposed to be thankful every day that I'm healthy. I was taking my health for granted, forgetting what a gift it is, and I'm ashamed of myself for that. It could change in the blink of an eye and then I'd be sorry I wasn't grateful before. Lesson learned.

Pick-up Line

I've been riding in the city for over 20 years, and in that time, I have noticed that certain drivers can usually be counted on to behave like cretins, especially around cyclists. 

Taxi drivers are the worst. Bus drivers also appear to resent those of us who prefer 2 wheels. I've been hit by 2 cabs and shoved into traffic and cut off by buses too many times to count.  I'm not saying all cab drivers or all bus drivers are out to get me, but I take extra care around them and I'm never surprised when they refuse to share the road.

The latest group is drivers of pick-up trucks. Again, not everyone who owns that type of vehicle is dangerous driver, but all that towing power and hemi-this and that seems to appeal to the kind of man who takes very stupid risks and it is only because I am such a good cyclist that I haven't been taken out by one of these morons yet. 

What is it? I don't know, but I can't help thinking, 'Big truck, small dick'. Maybe that's why they're so angry?

No Limits

I was working on the squat press yesterday when a member came over and asked me "What's the highest number of plates you've done?" (45 lb plates)

I answered, truthfully, twenty. Yes, 900 pounds, plus an estimated 50 - 60 pounds for the weight of the apparatus. 

She was blown away. Her trainer had her up to 270 and she thought that was extreme. I assured her it was not.

What I learned from my trainer and my own journey, is that women underestimate our strengths, as does society at large.

 I have been accused of using steroids in the past to achieve some of my heaviest weights and my physique. (I have not, and would not EVER cheat like that and destroy my body in the process.)

I told the woman "Don't let yourself be limited by conventional wisdom or 'science'. 

The human body is capable of feats previously thought impossible, and now that it is common for women to weight train, we're killing it and proving a lot of people wrong.

For example, a new client asked me, "is it true that women can't do chin-ups?" To answer I did a chin-up right then and said      "No."

I'm not saying every woman should go out today and try for chin-ups and 900-pound squat presses, especially without proper progression, but don't let anyone convince you that you can't do something because you're a woman. 

The weaker sex? I think not.

Never Too Late

One of the cleaners at my gym started working out recently. She comes in half an hour early and exercises during her break. Now she also does yoga. And she loves it!

This woman is 64, a breast cancer survivor, and besides her day job, spends her afternoons caring for two young grandchildren. 

She's a perfect example of 'never too late'. She's also proof that exercise can strengthen and tone at any age. The best part, though, is her excitement - she's doing something new and positive and it's just for her. 

I love it!

Hope I Die Before I Get Old

I train a diverse group of clients - men, women, and even a 12 year old girl. My oldest client is 66. This woman is the youngest senior if have ever known, and I want to be like her when I grow up! 

Some people get old long before they should. Why? Certainly there may be factors beyond their control - disease, life circumstance, or injury, but the number one reason I think people get old (and I'm not talking about age) is that they slow down.

Our society has this warped idea that past a certain age, you just don't do certain things. People let the number attached to their life limit them, and that, to me, is crazy. 

Signs on some rides at amusement parks say 'You must be this tall to ride', and sometimes they warn you not to ride if you're pregnant or have back issues. But never have I seen a sign that says 'You must be this young to ride'.

So keep moving. Keep having fun, and going on adventures and trying new things. That is truly the answer to staying young.

Shame

I don't watch TV, so it was news to me that Dove has changed their campaign to apparently insinuate that any body shape is fine. Even, so I'm told, to make thin unpopular.

Don't get me wrong - I am all for accepting that most women are size 14 or larger, and debunking the myth that thin thighs and large breasts is the only look going.

BUT. 

But this backlash is going too far. Instead of finding ways to clean up our health, we are instead working around our fat, making it okay. We build bigger seats, use vanity sizing (calling a size 16 a size 12), and now I hear that there is such a thing as 'skinny shaming'. Girls and women with normal bodies are being attacked for NOT being fat!

Besides the backwardness of this, my concern is about the health of our young women. Type 2 diabetes is no longer called adult-onset because 10 year olds are developing it. Obesity in youth is a huge issue, and I know from experience that they are setting themselves up for either a lifetime of fighting the fat, like myself, or a miserable, unhealthy existence topped off by a horrible, painful death.

I don't know how to get an entire continent off sugar. But I do know this - we have to do something soon or we will certainly start to see children dying before their parents. And it's preventable!

Water Babies

I went for my first outdoor swim on Monday night, and it was fabulous. The water was warm, it was sunny and I could watch my shadow swimming on the bottom of the pool. 

I never understand people who say they don't like to swim. The way I figure it, we crawled out of the ocean eons ago, but I feel drawn to water because something about it is comforting. 

We spend the 9 months after conception in amniotic fluid, which is basically sea water. An infant dropped in a pool not only knows how to swim, but how to hold it's breath. Our tears are also like sea water. 

So, as much as I believe we are meant to walk since we evolved to be bipedal, I also believe we still have the innate ability to swim. And what could be better? A refreshing, zero impact workout that works the whole body and the cardiovascular system.

So go and get wet!

Adapt-able

Sorry it's been awhile - my cat had an operation to remove his eye, so I've been preoccupied. He's fine - thanks for asking - but it made me think about how we can adapt.

I used to see a guy in my neighbourhood riding a bike with one leg. I think that's cool. And then you have quadriplegic artists who paint by mouth and myriad other examples of people who have adapted to pretty serious 'disabilities'. 

The difference is mental. Cats don't care if they look different - all they care about is can they still do what they want and if not, how can they find a new way? People need to think this way as well. If we focus on what we ARE able to do, we'll accomplish much more than worrying about what we can't do.

Carb Up

For all my previous competitions, I've done the whole carb-cutting thing. It works, but then...

Both Alex and I agree that there seems to be a rebound effect that causes not only some pretty major weight gain, but also an imbalance in hormones that leads to all sorts of other crazy side effects.  You also feel like crap and look depleted and stringy. 

I now know that for me, just eating clean and working hard is the way to go. Before my first show ever, I was 10% body fat before I carbed down, and looked far better a week after the show!

So, when a new client who wants to train for the stage voiced her concerns about the diet, I was able to confidently assure her not to worry. 

If you need more proof, just look at how many people have gained all their weight back and then some almost immediately after doing the Atkins' diet... 

Moderation, I hate to say it, is the way to go. 

Mother

Happy Mother's Day! I don't have children, but I do enjoy nurturing my cats and the people I care about. I think we all have a little mother in us. Let's all take care of each other - that is the point of life!

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

In any relationship, there may come a time to end it. As a personal trainer, I have found that people are too squeamish to say they're going to move on, either to another trainer or something else completely. They say 'I want to keep seeing you, I'll call you' or some such variation, and then they don't. Any personal trainer worth their salt will not take it personally (pun-ny!) if a client is simply honest. 

The same applies in other relationships. It may be uncomfortable at the time, but it is much kinder to tell the person you're ending it. That way, you're off the hook and the other person isn't left wondering. In the long run, being honest is just better.