back pain

Twitter

Oct 26 2016

Personal Training Success Story Santa Fe

Personal Training Success Story Santa Fe- Rosanna Dill

We have a running joke in the midday class. At about 12:32 Rosanna is going to come screeching in with her workout gear and high heels. She’ll start warming up and be told what the class is that day (no matter what it is) and genially say with a huge smile on her face, “Great, let’s do it!”

Rosanna has one of those minds that likes to figure things out. She is very inquisitive and will generally figure things out on her own. This shows up at home as she is the “handyman” of her family and is pretty successful at it. So she applied the same gusto to her fitness program and got ok results. The problem was that she noticed that her “problem areas” weren’t getting better and in fact getting a little worse. She has what 90% of people have in a thoracic kyphosis. This is a tight upper back that is more rounded than it should be.

Her main goal now was to not be the “hunched back little old woman” so she decided to stop “being a cheap bastard” (her words 😉 ) and sought help. Rosanna saw us on Facebook and read a little on what we do and it really peaked her interest. She decided to commit and work on fixing her upper back by joining our group class.

She jumped in with two feet and worked her tail off. She did all the homework that was given to her and some that wasn’t. Because of this she has drastically improved her posture and is learning tools so to never become the hunched back little old woman. This is also why Rosanna is October’s Member of the Month.

1) What made you decide you wanted/needed to start a program?

I did not want to become that little old woman with the hunched back.

2) What did you do before?

I took Pilates at a gym for a bit until a dog bit me (long story). I am active and do outdoor activities. Most recently, I was doing an at home DVD workout program that has me doing different stuff every day.

3) What results have you achieved since starting your program that you are proud of?

I have so much more awareness in my body. I have much more freedom in my body and I can see my tight upper back slowly going away.

4) Do you have a favorite exercise? Least? What do you like or don’t like about them?

I like all the exercises. I know that they are all helping me and I can feel it. I really enjoy how all the exercises work together in the program. The wall stretch helps me sleep at night and the handful of upper back exercises are really starting to strengthen me.

5) What are some challenges or goals you are currently working on?

Just continuing to open up my upper back. It’s like you said, I am working on the past imbalances in my body and what I am doing to myself now.

6) What do you like best about our program/having a trainer?

I love the fact that the classes are varied, fun and effective.

7) What advice would you give to the other SolCore Fitness members?

Take your time. It is a process to getting results. You are not going to get major results in three months and definitely not in 6 weeks like other programs promise. Stick with it because it is totally worth it.

8) What would you say to someone on the fence about joining our program?

This program is a subtle yet effective practice that realigns your body.

Find out more @

Facebook

Twitter

Sep 14 2016

Personal Training Success Story Santa Fe

Personal Training Success Story Santa Fe – Pat Murphy

Pat is one of the happiest people I have ever met. Just look at that smiling shot for goodness sake! She seems to not have a care in the world. But on the flip side Pat is a very hard worker and has really proven herself over this past year of being with us.

Pat came to Santa Fe after a whole other life in South Beach Miami. She was in Miami before it even started to become the international metropolis that it is now. She was a social worker there working with clientele that had severe head wounds and/or was about to die. All day long that was the majority of her days, until finally she had enough. If she had to fill out one more report she was going to lose it. So she packed up her stuff and Lou (her husband) and moved to Santa Fe.

She had been coming here for 25 years and it seemed like the perfect fit for her new life. She also completely switched gears on what she wanted to contribute in this life. Instead of dealing with death and destruction (literally) she focused on the new joyous beginnings and became a wedding officiate.

I met Pat while networking and right after my “60 second commercial” she said, “You’re talking about me,” with a big ol’ smile on her face. Well I never know if somebody is really serious or not but sure enough she contacted me about a week later.

When she first started it was difficult! We were doing a myofascial stretching hip flexor routine and it was hard because it was new and hard because she needed it. And at the end of the session I said to myself like I say about everybody, “I hope she doesn’t quit.”

Well as I already told you, she made it through that class and all of the others throughout the year. And along the way she has made some amazing progress, so it wasn’t even a question to have Pat be our September Member of the Month.

1) What made you decide you wanted/needed to start a program?

I started to notice that I was getting weaker and starting to have a lot more pain. I also saw that many of my friends were going down the road of surgeries and illness, and there was no way that I wanted to do that. When I heard you speak, it really resonated with me and I knew it was for me.

2) What did you do before?

I tried Pilates, Yoga and some regular group exercise classes, but I didn’t like any of them. They just didn’t know how to address what was going on with me and I was afraid I was going to get hurt.

3) What results have you achieved since starting your program that you are proud of?

The pain I was constantly in is pretty much gone. I feel so much stronger and I am really proud of myself each time I finish a class.

4) Do you have a favorite exercise? Least? What do you like or don’t like about them?

I like the 90/90/90. My hips feel so good and balanced after we do them. I do not like the frogs. I know they are good for me, but they are hard.

5) What are some challenges or goals you are currently working on?

I just want to keep showing up. If I show up good things happen. If I were to stop I know I would go backward.

6) What do you like best about our program/ having a trainer?

I love being in a group where everybody is working hard! And the attention to detail and the knowledge that you guys provide us is wonderful.

7) What advice would you give to the other SolCore Fitness members?

Just keep coming!

8) What would you say to someone on the fence about joining our program?

Just try it and see what you are capable of!

Find out more @

Facebook

Twitter

Aug 25 2016

Santa Fe Are Your Shoes to Blame for Lower Back Pain?

By Jo Van Cutsem

When you think of the causes of back pain, things like sports injuries and heavy lifting probably quickly pop into your head. What you may not know, however, is that there is a less obvious, everyday culprit that can cause that pain: footwear. Your feet are the foundation for all of your movement, and any disruption at that source can put a lot of stress on the rest of your body. Because of this, making healthy decisions about your footwear can greatly reduce your risk for back pain.

Anyone with a job that entails standing for long periods of time, or who regularly has to carry considerable weight at work or at home is particularly vulnerable to the effects of poor footwear.

Connecting backache, and even neck ache to your shoes might not be quite so obvious, however, but the wrong kind of shoe can increase stress on the vertebrae, destabilize the spine and cause fatigue and wear in the muscles and ligaments supporting the spinal column.

It’s not just excessively high heels that can cause back problems; totally flat shoes providing no arch support and the new fitness trend for shoes that separate out the toes can also trigger a cascade of problems in the spine. Some shoes can cause immediate back pain, trigger old injuries to begin hurting again or cause chronic symptoms over time. Shoes affect the way we walk, the way we stand and how much stress is put on the spine as we go about our everyday activities.

A natural gait involves the heel touching the ground first as we step, with the foot’s arch then rolling inwards (referred to as ‘pronation’), then the ball of the foot and the toe make contact and these then provide the momentum to push off the ground again. Those wearing shoes that affect the gait may have either under pronation or over pronation, causing excess shock to the spine or the lower body to rotate inward. Both of these result in excess strain on the back.

Just as ballet flats are terrible for the feet and the spine, so are flip-flops. The peculiar gait necessary to keep flip-flops on the feet causes problems with the back, knees, hips and the feet themselves and such footwear should be avoided for anything other than incidental use at the pool.

When you think of your feet as the foundation for all body movement, it’s easy to understand why worn shoes are a bad idea. They simply don’t offer the support that you need to make sure that your body is moving efficiently and comfortably. Over time, worn shoes offer less shock absorption and arch support, and this can result in back pain as well as a permanent alteration to your gait. Because of this, it’s important to replace your shoes when you notice that they are starting to show wear.

No round-up of shoes bad for the back is complete without the mention of the dreaded stiletto. These narrow-heeled shoes are highly likely to cause a raft of health complications, including leg strain, hip strain, and back pain. High heeled shoes put all the stress on a single point of the foot and every step shoots that stress right up the spine. The body has to work incredibly hard to absorb this stress and balance the body and this can lead to fatigue, wear and tear and premature degeneration of the discs, ligaments, muscles and bones in the spine. Anything over a two inch heel is advised against and even lower heels should only be worn very occasionally as these too can destabilize the spine.

Athletic shoes, on the other hand, have quality cushioning and shock absorption since they are designed for physical activity. Because of this, they are some of the most comfortable, back-friendly footwear options.

Your choice of footwear, together with Eldoa-exercises, offers a daily opportunity to do right by your spine. So, next time you have back ache after a long day standing at work consider whether your shoes are to blame for your lower back pain.

Now, that you have read all the above information, you might understand why we prefer to go barefoot during the workout sessions at SolCore Fitness.

Thanks,

Jo Van Cutsem

Find out more @

Facebook

Twitter

Jul 28 2014

What is a corrective exercise?

Just because it is called a corrective exercises does not mean that it is doing you any good!

Corrective exercise has turned into a term that many people use to describe movements that they think are beneficial to them but in actuality, they are not. Corrective exercise is right up there with “functional training,” “yoga therapy,” and “restorative yoga.” It is not what you call something that produces you the results that you desire, it is how they affect the tensegrity (balance) and bio-mechanical (movements) motions of your body.

A real corrective exercise will normalize (correct) an area of your body that is in essence “not doing its job!”

Lets take for example, the exercise: the “prone cobra” also called the Mckenzie press. It has been used for years, and in the case of yoga A LOT of years, to mobilize and strengthen the spine. For those of you who are not familiar with this stretch, it is when you lay down, on your stomach (prone) and you come up to either your forearms or your hands pushing your upper body up leaving your lower body on the ground. There are some slight differences depending of those who you talk to as whether or not the hips stay on the ground. For this example, it’s not important. The idea is that when you push yourself up, it will open the anterior (front) of your spinal joints and the disc will slide forward. And if you have enough space in your spine, then this is true…

Now, let’s look at how the body reacts to a motion like this. In the prone cobra, when you push yourself up your spine goes into extension (like if you were standing up and you arched your back) and now based on spinal mechanics the posterior (back) part of the spine pinches together.

So how is this a corrective exercise?

In short, this is NOT a corrective exercise! Most people who are performing this exercise have back pain, and are thinking that this will help. Now there a lot of reason why one could have back pain but for this example, let’s stick to just one. Gravity is constantly compressing us, and combined with too much sitting and not enough proper movements, causes improper loading and our spine takes the brunt of it. Many individuals have disc compression and they may not have any symptoms….yet, and for those individuals over the age of 50- they can almost guarantee that they too have disk compression, some degree of bulge/herniation/prolapse.

Now while have some disc compression and doing the prone cobra exercise, your spine is forced into extension and the posterior (back) part of the vertabrae is going to pinch the posterior (back) part of your disc even more. This will lead to further bulging/herniation/prolapse and cause a lot more back issues and pain.

So what is actually a corrective exercise for this?

As I stated at the beginning, a corrective exercise will correct and normalize a problem. When it comes to back pain and spinal compression….The #1….hands down…. best corrective exercise are ELDOA‘s. They are “stretch exercises” that pull one vertebrata away from another, providing much needed space. This space now allows your body to start to function better within that area. This means that your discs will now be able to start to rehydrate and regain their form and volume. Without compression, you will have SIGNIFICANTLY less pain. This means that you can start to live you life with more confidence in your body and be able to do the activities that you want to do.

SolCore Fitness has been successfully using ELDOA’s to relieve back and neck pain when other methods have failed. Our group class members in Santa Fe have gotten amazing results and now see this as an integral part of their fitness routine. If you are in the Santa Fe area and are looking for a corrective exercise program that will lay the foundation for a stronger, healthier, pain free you ….. then please contact us for a free consultation.

Get more information @

Facebook

Twitter