SOLCORE FITNESS

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Santa Fe

Why I Race As Part of My Exercise Program In Santa Fe

The first race of the season, for me, it’s probably the most anxious time of the year.

By now I’m pretty sure everyone knows how I have a knack for bicycling.  As much as I like wrenching on bikes and getting others on bikes, I also like to pedal, fast!

There is something really special about racing.  Something that no amount of prize money, no amount of articles written about you, no amount of Facebook friends, or Instagram followers can give you.

Bike RacingAll I want to do is get better, go faster, and have fun. This was my first time competing in the La Tierra Torture, but I have raced Mountain bikes before. It was a new venue for me and there were racers from all over the state, as well as some from Colorado. The course itself is mostly single-track with a lot of flowy sections and winding uphill and downhills. It also has some technical, rocky sections throughout.

I went into this season wanting to be the best, wanting to be better than I’ve ever been.  I believe in myself that I can be, that I can and will do better than last year. But throughout this winter, I felt like I had forgotten why I race.

I didn’t start racing because I wanted to win.  Obviously, winning is something special and no matter what it always feels good, but I started racing to be a part of something, to find a hobby, to have fun, and to challenge myself.  I’m lucky my sponsors and family believe in me, they cheer for me and it brings joy to me to know someone cares about what I do.

I believe mental attitude is a large part of racing and can make or break your race.Joris Personal Trainer Santa Fe

I’ve found that in the past, I’ve been too caught up in worrying about results. How am I going to be better than last year? Did I train enough? Where am I going to finish? Too focused on results!

Just like SolCore Fitness, commitment to training and consistency with your exercises are more important than immediate results.  It takes time and dedication to reach your goals, and sometimes things don’t always go as planned.

When I race, I concentrate on myself and tend to challenge myself against time, more than against other competitors. I focus on the upcoming obstacles on the course. I focus on my breathing. I focus my mindset to keep pedaling as hard as I can.

Some races everything goes well, but sometimes you encounter adversity from unexpected angles. During this race, I had two mechanical issues on the first (of two) lap.

While pedaling uphill, a rock wedged itself between my rear shifting mechanism and the wheel, causing me to come to a standstill. I had to stop because I could not pedal. This resulted in bad shifting and jumping between gears, especially going uphill. This was frustrating while going uphill, since I needed to shift to continue pedaling. I tried my best to not get into my head when this happened, to not be disappointed, and just go with the flow.

Joris Personal Trainer Santa FeWhile I didn’t achieve the result I wanted, I achieved everything I wanted that day.  I fought hard to chase back as many spots as I could.  I dug where I knew I needed to dig, and sat in where I knew I should sit in.  I remembered why racing my bike is fun. I remembered why I race my bike. And when I finished, I finished with a smile and a sense of accomplishment.

I don’t need to be out there racing and thinking about what place I’m racing for, I need to be out there to RACE my bike, to focus on each turn, each acceleration, and enjoy every moment.  I’m racing to be a better person and a better racer. I’m racing for the challenges it brings on and off the course.

I want smiles and hugs and positive attitudes, and that is what I want to bring to the races, that is why I love to race my bike.

 

Jo Van Cutsem

 

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Personal Training Success In Santa Fe

Personal Training Success- Julia Gelbart

When I do these interviews, I am usually trying to dig a little deeper to find out more about the member of the month. I want to find out what makes them tick to be so successful. I generally know this person through being around them all the time, but I always find out more through sitting down with them and talking. This month’s member of the month is much more simple than that. And in her simplicity you discover an admiration as to who she is.

Julia Gelbart is not very complicated in her desire to improve herself. To her, it is just common sense. As she grows older, she doesn’t want her body to fail her so she does something about it. And of course she wants to commit to herself and work hard, because anything worth getting involves work.

It is this absoluteness about why she is doing what she is doing and an incredible positive attitude that have made Julia Gelbart our personal training success May Member of the Month.

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

I was swimming with a friend of mine Vikkie, who was in your program and she raved to me that I had to do it. I am not in this to being tall and beautiful, I knew that I needed to wake up my muscles and strengthen my body especially in the upper body.

2) What did you do before?

I do a once a week yoga class, I walk and I swim.

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

I wanted a preventive program to help me  age gracefully and  improve my strength and balance. I have a great story to demonstrate the different benefits I have achieved.

It was the end of the day out at a house that I was getting ready to show and was walking up these long flights of stairs. Well on one of the times I was walking up them, my foot caught in my dress and started to fall face first toward the stairs. Well I was able to quickly react and put my hands out in front of me and slow myself down and then push myself back up! I avoided really getting hurt.

So first off, I wasn’t tired at all. Just normally in a regular day, I would be a little tired like most people. But I wasn’t even winded from walking up and down those long flights of stairs! And of course I was able to react fast enough and then have the strength to push myself back up! I had noticed a lot of great improvements over the year or so, like better posture and better movement, but after that incident I knew and felt what great progress I had made.

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

Frogs! Even though I know they are good for me, they are so difficult.

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

I will always be working on gaining and keeping my strength.

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

Three things:

1) Being in the group environment is really inspiring. When I first started I wanted to quit, but I didn’t because I am competitive and because nobody else in the group was quitting.

2) The corrections that we are given in class are great. They help me make sure that I am doing the exercises correctly.

3) The accountability. You guys notice when people are not in class and you track them down!

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

Don’t quit!

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

If you are looking for a program that will empower you, as you grow older by keeping your body strong and balanced, this is it. If you truly want to commit to yourself and your health and fitness, this program works!

 

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A Holistic And Scientifically Based Cure For Back Pain In Santa Fe ELDOA

ELDOA, Along With A Holistic Personal Training Program Will Eliminate Back Pain.

Being in the health and fitness field and helping people get rid of back, neck and hip pain, I get a lot of articles sent my way for examination. And I love it! So keep them coming. I love reading about what is going on in all corners on the health and fitness field(s). I really appreciate that people are trying to learn more and are looking for solutions outside of surgery and consistent pain medications. This article is influenced by an article published in the Wall Street Journal about back pain. You can see the WSJ article here: (  http://www.wsj.com/articles/new-help-for-back-pain-1448311243  ).

A little Backgound On When I Had Back Pain

SolCore Fitness Personal Training Santa Fe was birthed out of the necessity. I had back pain from a pinched L4-L5 vertebrae and intermittent Sciatic pain. I tried medications (knowing full well it wouldn’t cure me), chiropractic (helped for a week or so), yoga (didn’t work and made it worse) and some physical therapy exercises that also didn’t work and made it worse. And even though I had all these failures I knew that there had to be some way to “put myself back together.”

Enter ELDOA.

Because of the belief that I could put myself together, I found a program called Soma Training/Therapy, which contains ELDOA. This program completely blew what I knew out of the water and got rid of my back pain. Prior to finding this system, I did what most people did and used general formulaic answers to problems that arose for myself and my clients. But after getting hurt and seeing that this formulaic way of thinking wasn’t working, I was forced to find what would work consistently.

Which brings me to the article. The first thing that caught my eye was the fact that people are realizing consistent surgery and medications are not the way. It has been said that only 1% of the people who go in for back surgery even need it. This article ( http://www.nbcnews.com/id/39658423/ns/health-pain_center/t/back-surgery-may-backfire-patients-pain/#.Vxu1iZMrLeQ  ) talks about how surgery is being used as a cure-all and as a bi-product for pain medication (particularly opioids). But it’s not working. And as the article just prior states, it is really hard to see the cause of back pain from an MRI. Further, if you are looking at  a person 30 years old or older, you are going to see some sort of damage to the spine. The problem is that the observed damage is generally asymptomatic and/or is not the root cause of the pathology.

The idea should be to look at the body holistically, to see how multiple different factors are playing into the issue. Once you do this, you can start to think about using specific stretches and exercises to normalize (correct) the different areas that are causing the imbalanced body. And when you talk of specifics you must take into the consideration the biomechanics of the body.

The initial WSJ article that was sent to me, lists four exercises that should help your back pain. However, as I stated before there could be numerous reasons that you have back pain. The exercise recommendations used in the article seem to assume that the issue is coming only from the spine. In an effort to analyze the exercises and for ease, let’s just go ahead and assume that indeed the problem is originating in the spine. Now let’s examine the exercises.

  • The first, is an exercise that you execute while seated and you roll yourself over between your legs. This exercise is working with the idea that leaning forward will open the back part of your spine, which it will. But it is not very specific as to the level of the spine and as to where the disk bulge/herniation is happening. When you subject a force on the discs, you are going to be working under Pascals Law. This law states that the pressure is distributed evenly on a spherical surface (like the nucleus) and it will go to the weakest point. Meaning that in this exercise you may be trying to open the back of the spine by flexing forward and closing the front. However if your issue originates in the front that creates a problem because the pressure will go to the weakest point.
  • The second exercise is performed lying on your back knees flexed to approximately 90 degrees with your feet on the floor. In this position you rock your legs back and forth. I am not a fan of this exercise… AT ALL! Here’s a little spinal biomechanics. Any time the spine is subjected to a rotational force it gets compressed. If you have some sort of pinch or bulge, a compression will make it worse. Now add the fact that your lower back is the fulcrum of the movement and you have the weight of the legs as you move into this rotational motion. Adding that force (your legs – weight and length) to the movement and you get MORE  force compressing the pinch or bulge.
  • The third one is called the Mckenzie press-up or, in yoga, the cobra. The idea here is similar to the first exercises in that the move opens the front part of the spine by closing the back part, “pushing” the disc back in. Since most pathologies are posterior lateral (back and to the side) it makes sense that you would want to migrate it forward. The first problem with this is, again, Pascals Law. Laws are funny like that. The second issue is whether the spine is in a good enough place and whether it has enough space to move properly to allow it to go forward. Considering most people don’t because of our modern lifestyles, it would not be a good idea. This is one of the main movements that caused me to get worse. I tried it first in PT exercises and then in a yoga class that I was told would be good for my back. Woops.
  • The fourth is a standing side bend with your hand on the wall for a fixed point. A little more spinal biomechanics. When you side bend you will also get some rotation. And remember rotation causes compression which will more than likely cause the issue to get worse.

If you want to mobilize and give your spine some space, then the best things to do are to be able to translate it side to side and to do ELDOA’s. You can see an info video here and a montage of ELDOA’s and Myofascial stretching…. HERE. (This video is for example purposes only and was not designed to be followed).

Again your back pain could come from a lot of different sources and needs to be addressed as such. Don’t settle for a formulaic system to solve it.

If you are truly looking for a cure to back pain, find a practitioner near you who is educated in Soma training/therapy and knows ELDOA. I have been back pain free for 8 years and I’m not held back in the least. ELDOA along with a complete health and fitness program has also helped hundreds of our members get rid of pain and achieve a level of fitness greater than they ever thought.

If you are in Santa Fe and would like to attend a free ELDOA class this Saturday April 30th at 11 am please register HERE.
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What not to have for more energy In Santa Fe!

Do energy drinks work and are they good for you?

They come in shots, cans and powdered form and they are big business.

In 2012, the sales of energy drinks in the United States was $12.5 billion dollars. By 2017 that figure will rise to $21 billion according to consumer marketing research company, Packaged Facts.

They are popular, but do they work? And more importantly, are they good for you? First, the good news. Energy drinks do increase alertness and can decrease sleepiness.

But the bad news is the price you pay may not be worth it. Because Energy Drinks are considered herbal supplements and, unlike soda, they are generally not regulated, which means the manufacturer can add whatever they want to them in whatever quantity they desire.

Having said that, let’s take a look at the three main ingredient groups in energy drinks:

1) Caffeine – An article on The Mayo Clinic website recommends that your daily caffeine intake be between 100 and 200 mg maximum per day. Energy drinks contain between 80 mg and 500 mg per can. Why do they contain caffeine? Caffeine makes you more alert, gives you more energy and helps with your concentration.

However too much caffeine can make you jittery, irritable, give you a tremor and accelerate your heart rate. One energy drink could raise your heart rate by 14 points. So if you suffer from high blood pressure you should definitely abstain. Many energy drink companies add Taurine (an amino acid) to increase the “effectiveness” of the caffeine.

2) B Vitamins – There are massive amounts of B Vitamins in Energy Drinks. Usually eight B Vitamins in total. According to Dr. Keri Peterson, they don’t boost your energy unless you are deficient in them and most people get enough of the various B Vitamins in their regular diet. She adds that getting too much is not a problem except in the case of B3 (Niacin) and B6. Excess B3 could give you blurry vision, liver abnormalities, stomach upset and flushing of the face. Many energy drinks give you 150% of the recommended daily intake of B3. Too much B6 could cause damage to your hands and feet which could cause numbness and tingling, says Dr. Peterson.

3) Natural stimulants – Most Energy drinks contain Guarana which does tend to boost energy. One Guarana seed has twice as much caffeine as a coffee bean. They also contain Ginseng which, some studies show boost your brain power, but only in amounts over 200 mg (most energy drinks contain less than 200 mg.) Ginseng has been known to interact with blood thinners so if you’re on a blood thinner you should avoid Energy Drinks. And, of course, energy drinks also contain sugar. Up to 14 teaspoons per Soda has around 11 teaspoons per serving. The recommended daily intake of sugar as advised by the American Heart Association is 6 teaspoons for women, 9 teaspoons for men.   So if you drink just one energy drink you’ll already be over your recommended daily sugar intake which could lead to weight gain.

If you type “energy drink-related deaths” into Google, you’ll find that there are numerous reports of people whose deaths have been attributed to consuming energy drinks. Energy drinks have also been linked to insomnia, headaches, agitation and seizures.

In the United States, the number of people who went to the hospital emergency room after consuming energy drinks more than doubled from just over 10,000 in 2007 to nearly 21,000 in 2011 (according to a U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration report.)

The age group attributed to the highest number of ER visits was people aged 18 to 25 followed by people from 26 to 39 years old. More than half of all ER visits involved energy drinks alone. 42 per cent involved energy drinks taken in combination with “other drugs” the report says.

The bottom line is that “yes” energy drinks give you a temporary rush of energy, but after that you generally come crashing down and the other side effects make it extremely questionable as to whether they are worth the risk.

If you need to have a little help with you energy, first make sure you going to bed by 9-10:30 pm, are sleeping 7-8 hours, drinking half your weight in OZ of water and eating for your metabolic type. AFTER THAT a good organic espresso or tea would definitely do the trick. Energy drinks are not worth it.  Plus they are not recommended for children and never, never, never mix them with alcohol. They should also not be consumer before, during or after exercise.
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