Is Physical Activity Bad for Knee Joint Health? part 2

In order to address knee issues in my clients I often prescribe the following training: core exercises to strengthen the abdominals, hip exercises to strengthen hips stabilisers and leg exercises. Stretching of hamstrings, quadriceps, hips and psoas muscles are also essential to maintain range of motion and balance in the body. In the next few weeks I will present good samples of each group for you to try out in order to build your joints.

But today I wanted to present another type of training equally dangerous to your knee joint health: the poorly executed squat and lunge. I also battle with this issue and it was only when I developed foot tendonitis (overpronation of my left foot) that I found out.

SQUAT: Two common errors include descending too rapidly and flexing the torso too far forward. As the body descends, the hips and knees undergo flexion, the ankle dorsiflexes and muscles around the knee contract eccentrically. By slowing your speed and stopping at 90 degrees of flexion (bent knee) you will perform a safer and more effective squat.

Another error where the knee joint is at risk is when the knee is not aligned with the direction of the toes. If the knee is not tracking over your second toe there may be twisting/shearing of the joint and unwanted torque affecting the ligaments. Have your toes pointed out in order to track the knee properly.

LUNGES Go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HacUpgo8h80&feature=related Again common mistakes are leaning forward, knee tracking too far forward or sideways and not being balanced (feet spread to shoulder width).

You may think of most joints as a curved surface that fits inside another curved surface, or ball and socket in a few cases.

To be continued

Let's connect at info@gaiaadventures.com

Catherine D'Aoust at GAIA Adventures
www.gaiaadventures.com


Boot camp class open to men and women, Thursday nights, ongoing 6:00pm at Charleson Park, 999 Charleson Street & Laurel.

Is physical activity bad for knee joint health?

I am working with a very fit 50 year- old woman who is suffering from pain in her left knee. She is an active hiker and loves to travel. She often wonders, as do many of my older clients (as they perform squats): “is physical activity good or bad for the knees?” As a professional trainer, I believe that physical activity is a necessary component of a healthy life; but is this increase in physical activity leading to osteoarthritis?

What Does the Research say:
. there is strong evidence that physical activity leads to tibiofemoral
osteophytes (bony outgrowth covered by fibrocartilage)
. there is also strong evidence that there was no decrease in knee cartilage based on
radiological joint space narrowing

So What?
This research challenges the belief that if we exercise regularly, we are increasing our risk of getting osteoarthritis. We need to get moving because the benefits of doing so are much greater than just improved knee joint health.

To be continued

Let's connect at info@gaiaadventures.com

Catherine D'Aoust at GAIA Adventures
www.gaiaadventures.com


Boot camp class open to men and women, Thursday nights, ongoing 6:00pm at Charleson Park, 999 Charleson Street & Laurel.

Move those Hips

Do you spend a lot of time sitting at a desk, at a computer, or in front of your television? You are not alone. Many of us do lots of sitting; sitting can actually cause our hips muscles to tighten. Increased hip tightness can lead to less hip mobility and may actually add stress to your low back. As hip mobility is reduced, the hips may do less work so that the low back (lumbar) may be forced to work harder than is ideal.

Stretching the hips regularly can increase hip mobility and reduce the risk of back pain. Here is an easy to perform hip exercise that I recommend that may be used by anyone regardless of their fitness level or current condition.

EXERCISE: Wide Knees Side to Side

Starting Position:
Lying on you back with your knees bent and your feet hip width apart.

1. Drop you knees to one side until you feel light resistance.
2. Hold this end position for a second and drop the knees to the other side until you feel light resistance.
3. Perform 5 times on each side.

Progressions:
- Perform the exercises at different range of motions of hip abduction. Begin with 0 degrees and progress to 15, 30 and 45 degrees of hip abduction on both sides.

Let's connect at info@gaiaadventures.com.

Catherine D'Aoust at GAIA Adventures

Boot Camp class for nice and friendly people - ongoing Thursday night at 6:00pm Charleson Park, 999 Charleson Street & Laurel (off of 6th W, there is parking available). Join anytime, $60 for 4 sessions: open to men and women aged 19 and older.

Burning Fat: Part 2

Fat and weight loss is about burning lots of calories and cutting back on the number of calories consumed. When we are trying to get rid of those extra rolls of fat around our waist or hips, it matters little whether the calories burned during exercise come from fat or carbohydrates. Here are some good workouts to help you burn the fat:

Go Hard
Not only does interval training allow you to improve your fitness quickly; it is also more effective than continuous exercise for burning lots of calories during exercise and increasing your postworkout metabolic rate. Try one or two of these workouts each week:

. 5 x 2 minutes at 85%–90% maximum (max) heart rate (HR) with 2-minute active recovery periods
. 4 x 3 minutes at 80% max HR with 3-minute active recovery periods
. join a boot camp class

Each of these interval workouts should include a warm-up and a cool-down of at least 5 minutes in length.

Go Long
Long slow runs, walks, hikes or bike rides (≥ 1.5–2 hours at 65%–70% max HR) stimulate mitochondrial synthesis and promote the depletion of glycogen. Since carbohydrates are muscles’ preferred fuel, muscles “learn” how to use fat more effectively and over time become better fat-burning machines.

Let's connect at info@gaiaadventures.com.

Catherine D'Aoust at GAIA Adventures
Boot Camp class for nice and friendly people - ongoing Thursday night at 6:00pm Charleson Park, 999 Charleson Street & Laurel (off of 6th W, there is parking available). Join anytime, $60 for 4 sessions: open to men and women aged 19 and older.

Burning Fat: Myths and Facts

A popular myth is that there is a specific range of heart rates in which you must exercise to burn fat. Even many cardio machines display a “fat-burning zone” on their panels, encouraging people to exercise in a specific heart rate range. Have you ever wondered if you really have to exercise in a specific heart rate zone to lose fat? And what happens if you venture out of that zone? Jason R. Karp, PhD, writer and exercise physiologist who coaches recreational runners to Olympic hopefuls through his company, RunCoachJason.com, sheds light on this issue.

Fuel Use During Exercise
You use both fat and carbohydrates for energy during exercise, with these two fuels providing that energy on a sliding scale. During exercise at a very low intensity (e.g., walking), fat accounts for most of the energy expenditure. As exercise intensity increases up to the lactate threshold (level 8 or 9 out of a scale of 1 to 10), the contribution from fat decreases while the contribution from carbohydrates increases. When exercising just below the lactate threshold, you are using mostly carbohydrates. At the highest intensity of exercise, you are only burning carbohydrates.

If you exercise long enough (1.5–2 hours), your muscle carbohydrate (glycogen) content and blood glucose concentration become low. This metabolic state presents a threat to the muscles’ survival, since carbohydrates are muscles’ preferred fuel. When carbohydrates are not available, the muscles are forced to rely on fat as fuel.

Since more fat is used at low exercise intensities, people often assume that low-intensity exercise is best for burning fat. However at higher intensity, the rate of caloric expenditure and the total number of calories expended are much greater than they are when exercising at a lower intensity: so the total amount of fat used is also greater (IDEA Health and Fitness Association).

to be continued

Let's connect at info@gaiaadventures.com.

Catherine D'Aoust at GAIA Adventures www.gaiaadventures.com

Boot Camp class for nice and friendly people - ongoing Thursday night at 6:00pm Charleson Park, 999 Charleson Street & Laurel (off of 6th W, there is parking available). Join anytime, $60 for 4 sessions: open to men and women aged 19 and older.
Hike of the month - Lynn Loop Saturday July 16 at 1:00pm, call 604 329.1257 to register

Hike Lynn Loop in North Vancouver

If you are looking for a trail with some ups and downs, but is still “easy” Lynn Loop it is. Located in Lynn Headwaters park, the trail begins by crossing a short bridge over Lynn Creek. Enjoy the rushing water below and Mount Fromme towering in the background.

Turn right and follow the service road at the first signboard and then turn left at the trail leading uphill. The trail climbs for about 10 minutes and then levels out. You are in the coastal forest, surrounded by large Cedar and Hemlock trees. You meander along past mossy stumps and beautiful trees; you feel peaceful and grounded in nature.

After 2 km, you will reach a fork in the trail known as the Second debris chute. We will make our way down the hill towards the rushing water sound of Lynn Creek. The trail then levels out and follows the creek back towards the parking lot. You feel wonderful!

Come join me for my “hike of the month” on Saturday July 16 at 1:00pm (open to women aged 19 and older, cost is only $7 for you and $5 for you and a friend each). It’s a great way to enjoy summer and beautiful BC. Call or email me today to register at 604 329.1257.

Let's connect at info@gaiaadventures.com.

Catherine D'Aoust at GAIA Adventures
Boot Camp class for nice and friendly people - ongoing Thursday night at 6:00pm Charleson Park, 999 Charleson Street & Laurel (off of 6th W, there is parking available). Join anytime, $60 for 4 sessions.

10 Good Reasons to do Yoga - part 2

I watched a woman stretching and doing yoga poses at Sunset Beach last night and I was inspired. She seemed so strong and fluid in her movements. Yoga only takes a mat and you can build up your elasticity within days of practice. Here are 5 more good reasons to practice yoga:

6. Improves Balance: you change levels from up to down in asanas, stand on one leg bracing the other leg against you. It's great for balance.

7. Helps Body Awareness and promotes a sharper Mind: yoga prepares for focus on the present moment improving concentration, coordination, reaction time and memory.

8. Perfects Posture: yoga helps improve body alignment and may relieve back, neck, joint and muscle problems.

9. Cuts Stress: yoga encourages relaxation and lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the body. It helps lower blood pressure and reduces anxiety, depression, fatigue, asthma and insomnia.

10. Cardiovascular conditioning: gentle yoga practice can lower resting heart rate, increase endurance, and improve oxygen uptake during exercise.

So let's do it; let's practice yoga at least once or twice a week and enjoy better health.

Let's connect at info@gaiaadventures.com.

Catherine D'Aoust at GAIA Adventures
Boot Camp class for nice and friendly people - ongoing Thursday night at 6:00pm Charleton Park
Hike of the month: Lynn Loop, Saturday July 16, 1:00pm, 2 hours, $7 for you, bring a friend $5 each. Call or email to register 604 329.1257.

10 Good Reasons to do Yoga

I have a "love/hate" relationship with yoga. For some reason, I find it difficult to get to class regularly and on time. My muscles are tight and I know that it is going to be uncomfortable for me. Unlike in many of my other activities (hiking, running, swimming) I do not feel proficient at it; it's work and it takes concentration. But I also LOVE the feeling that I enjoy afterwards. My mind is peaceful, my muscles feel stretched and relaxed, it's awesome.

If you feel like me and you want a little motivation, here are 10 reasons to do yoga:

1) It boosts flexibility and enhances your good health: practice yoga regularly and your flexibility, range of motion and mobility will improve. Your body will feel supple and vibrant.

2) Brings concentration to breathing: by incorporating deeper, slower breaths, yoga can improve your whole body's ability to deliver more oxygen to each cell.

3) Connects the mind and body: you feel calmer, more centered and at peace and sleep better too.

4. Increases your strength and endurance: Yoga postures (asanas) work both big and small muscle groups in the body, increasing your strength from head to toe.

5. Eliminates muscle imbalances: all of us have tight or weak areas that we need to balance as well as the right or left side dominance issues. Practicing yoga helps address these issues.

to be continued

Let's connect at info@gaiaadventures.com.

Catherine D'Aoust at GAIA Adventures
Boot Camp class for nice and friendly people - ongoing Thursday night at 6:00pm Charleton Park
Hike of the month: Lynn Loop, Saturday July 16, 1:00pm, 2 hours, $7 for you, bring a friend $5 each. Call or email to register 604 329.1257.