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Our blog will feature our Healthy Lifestyle article on Ang Peryodiko Newspaper: Rehab and Exercise Tips. This will also be a guide to our Rehab and Therapy clients.
Written by: Taylor Post CAT(C)
Certified Athletic Therapist Mini Bands have recently gained popularity in the fitness world due to their versatility and effectiveness to build both strength and stability. Made of wide, flat elastic formed in to small loops, mini bands usually. They usually come in packs of 3-5 loops, with different resistances represented with individual colours. They are also inexpensive and extremely portable, making them a great way to workout at home or while traveling. Your local gym may also have a set as part of their equipment available for you to use. Whether you are new to working out or have wanted to try adding mini bands into your regular fitness program, here are some exercises to help get you started: 1. Mini Band Squat Place the mini band around legs (just above your knees) and then step into your squat position (feet approximately shoulder width apart). For comfort, the band should be flat against your legs. To initiate the squat, press your butt back and sit down until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Be sure to keep your weight in your heels (can wiggle your toes) and your chest up nice and tall. Push out against the band and do not let your knees collapse in as you squat down. Finally drive back up through your heels and return to a standing position. Repeat 3 sets of 10-20 repetitions. 2. Lateral Walk Place the band just above each ankle and wrapped around both legs. Again, make sure the band is flat, not bunched. Start with your feet shoulder width apart and your knees bent slightly. Keeping your core tight, step left with your left leg. Then follow with your right leg, but try to avoid bringing your feet together—you want to keep some tension on the band. Continue walking left, one foot at a time, moving slowly and maintain the half-squat position (low and controlled). After travelling 10-15 steps (or another pre-determined distance), switch so that you are leading with the other leg. 3. Banded Knee Drive Start by standing with the band around both legs at ankle height. Drive your right knee up as if you are going to sprint forward, bringing your left hand up for added power. Your right hand will naturally drop back to keep your balance. Pause at the top of the movement before bringing your foot back down. Focus on maintaining a square and balanced stance throughout the movement. You can either repeat 10-15 repetitions using the same leg, and then switch. Or perform 20-30 alternating knee drives. Try and complete 3 sets. 4. Glute Bridge Begin by lying face up on the floor, with knees bent and feet flat on the ground. Place your mini band around your thighs, just above your knees. Keep your arms at your side with palms down. Lift your hips off the ground until your knees, hips and shoulders form a straight line. As you lift press your knees out against the resistance of the band. Squeeze those glutes hard and keep your abs drawn in so you don’t overextend your back during the exercise. Pause at the top of the movement before lowering yourself back down to the starting position. Repeat 3 sets of 10-15 repetitions. 5. Bicycle Crunch For this exercise you will have the mini band around your feet. While lying face up, position your hips and knees flexed at ninety degrees so that your lower legs are parallel to the floor. Next, place your fingers on the sides of your forehead. Lift your shoulders off the floor and hold them there, this will help engage your abdominal muscles. Twist your upper body to the right as you pull your right knee in until it touches your left elbow. Simultaneously straighten your left leg. Return to the starting position and repeat to the opposite side. Remember to keep the movement slow and controlled. Aim for 3 sets of 20-30 repetitions (10-20 per side). 6. Triceps Extension Start by holding one end of the band in each hand. Next anchor your left hand (and the band) in the centre of your chest. Make a fist with your right hand and then bend your right elbow to ninety degrees. Slowly press your right hand toward the floor, fully extending your elbow and squeezing through your triceps. Pause, and then reverse the move. Make sure to stand tall, keep your shoulders back and bend your knees slightly to activate your core. Perform 10-15 reps on each arm, for 3 rounds. 7. Banded Push Ups Adding a mini band during a push up is a great way to challenge the stability of the movement. Place the band around both arms, just above the wrist. Get yourself into a high plank position, with your hands under your shoulders and abs tight. Your legs should be extended straight out behind you, with your weight in the balls of your feet. Splay your fingertips and keep your hands far enough apart to keep tension on the band. Keep your core tight and your glutes engaged as you lower down until your chest touches the ground. Then press back up to return to the start position. If you are not strong enough to do a full push-up, lower yourself down to the floor slowly but then use your knees to push yourself back up. Complete 3 sets of 10 repetitions.
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10/9/2018 2 Comments Osteoarthritis of the knee: Part 2Written by: Taylor Post BA-Kin, CAT(C)
Athletic Therapist While it may seem counterintuitive, maintaining an active lifestyle should be a priority for individuals with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. With an exercise program designed around “arthritis friendly” exercises, daily workouts can (and should) become a central part of the OA treatment program. In fact, exercise is considered by many to be the most effective non-drug treatment to reduce pain and improve mobility in osteoarthritis patients. When selecting knee friendly exercises, it is important to look for movements that target the quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes. These muscles make up the main groups that support the knee. Exercises should also be low impact, minimizing excessive forces that will aggravate the knee unnecessarily. Here we look at a few key exercises to include in osteoarthritis rehabilitation programs: Cardiovascular Training Aerobic (cardiovascular) activities are key to improve endurance and maintain a healthy weight. The Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines recommend that adults (age 18-64) complete at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activities per week. They also specify that sessions should last at least 10 minutes to achieve health benefits. Walking, swimming, and cycling are all great examples of low impact cardiovascular activities. Circuit training is another creative way to increase your heart rate during a workout. Select a number of multi-joint exercises and perform them in a series with minimal rest periods in between. Strength and Mobility Training • Leg Raises While lying on your back with your legs extended, raise one of your legs approximately 6 inches off of the floor. Hold this position for 5 seconds before lowering the leg down. Be sure to contract the muscles on the top of your leg before starting this movement, to keep the quads activated throughout. Complete 3 sets of 10-15 repetitions before doing the other leg. • Side Lying Leg Raise Start in a side-lying position, keeping your shoulders, hips and knees in line. Using your arms for support, slowly raise your top leg into the air and then slowly lower it back down. Focus on leading with your heel, by pointing your toes toward the floor throughout the movement. Repeat 3 sets of 10-15 repetitions on both legs. • Glute Bridge Begin by lying face up on the floor, with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground. Keep your arms at your side with your palms down. Once you are comfortable, lift your hips and buttocks off the ground until your knees, hips and shoulders form a straight line. Squeeze your glutes hard and keep your abs drawn in, so you don’t overextend your back during the exercise. Hold this bridged position for 30 seconds before easing back down. Repeat 5-8 times and complete 3 sets of this exercise. If this is too easy, try performing this move one leg at a time. • Mini Squat Hold on to a chair or stable surface, with your knees about shoulder width apart. Bend at the hips and knees as if sitting down onto a chair, and then slowly stand back up. Repeat 10 to 15 times, for 3 sets. Make sure that your toes are pointing forward throughout the movement, and limit the depth of your squats to a pain-free range. • Clamshells Lie on your side with your hip and knee bent to approximately a 90-degree angle, with feet together. While keeping your ankles together, raise your top knee up about 12 inches from the other, in a clamshell type motion. Repeat 10 to 20 times and switch sides. Perform 3 sets in total. • Standing hamstring curls: Holding on to the back of a chair or stationary surface, without moving hip, bend knee as far as possible, bringing your heel up towards your buttocks. Focus on a slow and controlled movement. Do 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps on each leg. These are just a few examples of exercises that are considered knee friendly for individuals with osteoarthritis. It is important to note that just because an exercise doesn’t appear on this list, it does not mean that it is unsafe to include in your workout program. At the end of the day, each person is different, and any movement is going to be better than none. To start, choose activities that you enjoy, and that don’t increase your pain. The best exercises will be the one you are willing to do and will keep doing regularly. It is important to remember, that while this article presents many helpful tools to get started, not every injury or rehabilitation process will be the same. Always listen to your body and be sure to consult a medical professional as needed. Your local Athletic Therapist is a great resource for injury advice, and will design a program to suit your needs and fitness goals! Written by: Melanie Talastas-Soriano BA-Kin, CAT(C), ISSA-CPT Athletic Therapist, Personal Trainer Partner workout is one of the most requested article by our readers. I have written two other articles on working out with a partner and many are requesting for more exercises to do with their parents, friends, siblings and/or significant other. Since school is out and it’s summer time, this article will focus on basketball buddy workout that teammates, siblings, mom or dad can enjoy to enhance basketball skills at the same time get an effective core strengthening exercises. It’s the best time to work on your game. Let’s get started! Ball push-ups > figure 8’s One partner perform one exercise while the other perform a different exercise. Push-up can be completed for 10 repetitions passing the ball from one hand to the other, lowering with the ball on one hand while figure 8 is completed until the other is done the push-ups. Ball pass > reverse lunge Super simple workout with basketball chest pass. When you catch the ball, you would do reverse lunges, one repetition each leg, then pass to your partner that will do the same thing. Complete 10-12 passes in total. Med ball ab twist You can use a medicine ball for extra weight but a basketball is good too. Stand back to back and pass the ball waist level focusing on trunk rotation pivoting on one foot. For this exercise, you can use time. One way for 30 seconds, then 30 seconds for the opposite way. Med ball diagonal pass Similar exercise and timed but this exercise require you to reach up and reach down still focusing on your core as you twist up and down. 30 seconds one way and 30 seconds the other way. Be sure to switch starting lower or higher. Thank you for reading our article. Please do not forget to share this article and to check out our website www.insahyu.com for more articles like this. If you wish to see the video for the exercises please visit our YouTube channel link in our website. Happy training everyone! |
AuthorTeam Insahyu: Certified Athletic Therapists. CategoriesAll Anatomy Arms Athletic Tape Athletic Therapy Back Pain Conditions Elbows Exercises Healthy Lifestyle Hips Knees Orthotics Pregnancy Rehab Tips Running Shoulders Stretching Tips Treatments Winter Wrists |
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