Exercise with Arthritis

If you' live with the daily pain and discomfort of arthritis, you're not the only one. In the United States, an estimated 46 million adults (about 1 in 5) have been diagnosed with arthritis. Hopefully your doctor has given you suggestions about how to reduce the symptoms, lessen the debilitating effects, and improve your quality of life. One of these suggestions was probably to engage in regular physical activity. So how do you get motivated to go to the gym when you can't even get out of bed without pain? Is exercise really going to make a difference? Research shows a positive relationship between arthritis and exercise: A 14-year study published in Arthritis Research and Therapy, analyzed aerobic exercise and its impact on joint pain. Researchers found that exercise was associated with a substantial and significant reduction in pain, among men and women of various shapes and sizes. A 2003 study published in the Journal of Arthritis and Rheumotology found that patients with RA (rheumatoid arthritis) can safely improve their level of physical fitness using a regular strength and endurance training program. Long-term studies have shown that people with inflammatory arthritis can benefit from moderate weight-bearing activity, and reduce the bone loss and small joint damage associated with this condition, wthout increasing pain or disease severity. According to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, strength training can help people with arthritis preserve bone density and improve muscle mass, strength and balance. If you have arthritis, three different kinds of activity should be incorporated into your exercise program: flexibility training, strength training and aerobic exercise. That may seem like a lot, but once you get into a routine and notice the benefits each provides, it will become a normal part of your everyday life. In my next blog I will present exercise ideas to help you be healthy and active. Check out http://www.arthritis.ca "The Arthritis Society website" for more information.

Let's connect at info@gaiaadventures.com. Catherine D'Aoust at GAIA Adventures, Kinesiologist, Workshops www.gaiaadventures.com

Kayak for fitness and fun

Imagine yourself seated at water level, in a narrow cockpit, legs pressed out to the sides to stabilize your boat, and you are beginning to get the idea of kayaking. You need to engage your core and back muscles to paddle effectively. You turn the boat with your rudder and your paddle. You can go as fast or as slow as you like. The paddle is light, made from aluminum or fiberglass, with two blades on each end, spanning about 210 to 240 cm long. You need to orient it in the correct direction for effective paddling (the paddle blade has a name on it). You also need to hold the paddle gently (no death grip) with your elbows bent at your side. The rudder is like a tail-surface that you can extend and retract. You control the rudder with your feet using a system of pedals and cables. On the water, it’s quiet and sublime; swimming seals pop up next to you, wanting to play. There are shores to hug and explore, colourful starfish to marvel at, and if you are lucky, you will be see the jellyfish drift by you as you glide along the surf. Designed to remain stable, a kayak does not easily tip over (especially the heavy plastic ones). There are hidden dangers that you should be aware of: cold water (a forced plunge in water below 8 C can provoke hypothermia within minutes), tides and currents (currents between 1 to 4 knots are average, kayakers maintain an average speed of 3 knots) wind (has a drift effect) and weather. I highly recommend that you learn how to perform a rescue and self-rescue by taking a course. I booked a private lesson with Ecomarine and I am now confident in my skills and abilities. Contrary to popular belief, you cannot roll an ocean kayak very easily. Also it requires good strength and endurance to be able to perform a self-rescue.

There are many wonderful kayaking companies and tours out there to try: Ecomarine (Jericho and Granville Island) Deep Cove Kayaking and Rocky Point Kayaking. GAIA Adventures is offering an introduction to kayaking, women only, in Rocky Point Inlet (sheltered and fabulous) www.gaiaadventures.com. See you out there. Catherine D’Aoust, GAIA Adventures Fitness and Adventures for Women, www.gaiaadventures.com

Exercises for low back health

The following exercises have been chosen to spare the spine, enhance the muscle challenge and enhance the motor control system to ensure that spine stability is maintained in all other activities. Having stated this, they are only examples of well-designed exercises and may not be for everyone—the initial challenge may or may not be appropriate for every individual nor will the graded progression be the same for all clients. These are simply examples to challenge the muscles of the torso. Cat-Camel (or Cow) The routine should begin with the cat-camel motion exercise (spine flexion-extension cycles) to reduce spine viscosity (internal resistance and friction) and “floss” the nerve roots as they outlet at each lumbar level. Note that the cat-camel is intended as a motion exercise—not a stretch—so the emphasis is on motion rather than “pushing” at the end ranges of flexion and extension. Repeat Five to eight cycles.

Curl-up The cat-camel motion exercise is followed by anterior abdominal exercises, in this case the curl-up. The hands or a rolled towel are placed under the lumbar spine to preserve a neutral spine posture. Do not flatten the back to the floor. Flattening the back flexes the lumbar spine, violates the neutral spine principle and increases the loads on the disc and ligaments. One knee is flexed but the other leg is straight to lock the pelvis-lumbar spine and minimize the loss of a neutral lumbar posture. Alternate the bent leg (right to left) midway through the repetitions.

Birddog The extensor program consists of leg extensions and the “birddog.” In general, these isometric holds should last no longer than seven to eight seconds given recent evidence from near infrared spectroscopy indicating rapid loss of available oxygen in the torso muscles when contracting at these levels; short relaxation of the muscle restores oxygen. The evidence supports building endurance with increased repetitions rather than extending time.

Reference: "Enhancing Low-back Health through Stabilization Exercise", By Stuart M. McGill, Ph.D., Professor (Spine Biomechanics), University of Waterloo Let's connect at info@gaiaadventures.com. Catherine D'Aoust at GAIA Adventures, Kinesiologist, Workshops www.gaiaadventures.com