We've Got Your Back!

Pilates: The New Pain-Relief Pill

An IdeaFit article from May 2010 shows that Pilates may help with fibromyalgia pain! At one of our recent seminars, we learned from Dr. Blaine Kingsbury that fibromyalgia is chronic muscle pain, fatigue, and soreness. It can be caused by many metabolic and neurological factors, and treatment is difficult.

Luckily, Pilates can help alleviate much of the fibromyalgia pain!

A study conducted in Turkey showed that Pilates improved fibromyalgia pain much more effectively than an at-home stretching exercise. Although the pain relief didn’t last for weeks of no exercise, it has been shown to be great as part of a pain relief regimen.

So even if you do not suffer from fibromyalgia, Pilates is a great way to not only gain strength, but to alleviate your aches and pains!

To see if we have any other educational seminars coming up, check out our Events Page here! Or take a look at our fitness equipment to pursue Pilates!

For further information, read the full IdeaFit article here!

Stay tuned for more information from Ilona, Rita, and the We've Got Your Back team!

Trading Rest for Pilates: Strengthen for Your Weekly Workouts

It’s common knowledge that six days of exercise should be rewarded with a day of rest. But recent studies show that trading simple rest for some rehab exercises, such as Pilates, can actually have amazing benefits for your workout week.

As it turns out, slow and sustained exercise can rejuvenate your body. The moves and deep breathing of both yoga and Pilates release your hard-worked muscles so you can keep going with even more strength the next day.

And with those who have muscle pains or back problems from exercise, these slow and gentle exercises help quell the pain, so you feel rejuvenated!

With our instructional exercise books and yoga equipment, you can use your day of rest as a refreshing day of gentle exercise! Check out some of our fitness products here.

For more information on the popular types of rehabilitating exercises, read the full New York Times article, “Urban Athlete,” here. Thank you to author Shivani Vora for this workout-changing insight!

Stay tuned for more tips from Ilona and the We've Got Your Back team!

Keep Your Metabolism at Its Peak!

Metabolism is individual, just like you! You burn calories by sleeping, breathing, and even eating! Over time, the number of calories you burn doing daily activities decreases. Even though everybody's metabolism is unique due to different factors--height and weight, age, gender, and muscle and fat content--there are 4 tips that can rev up any metabolism!

• Cardio exercise burns calories for hours after you stop sweating! A recent study found that a 45 minute burst of cardio exercise can cause your body to burn calories at an increased rate for up to 14 hours. Just 2 to 3 sessions of vigorous cardio exercise per week can help you lose half a pound per week and keep your metabolism at peak performance!

• A full night's sleep does metabolism maintenance. It turns out that a sleepless night can reduce your metabolism by 5% the next day, and causes digestion to use 20% less energy. And groggy people are more susceptible to over-eating to boost energy levels. Aim for a 7 or 8 hour night in order to keep your metabolism going strong the next day!

• Build some muscle to defy aging! In women especially, metabolisms slow down after age 40. Due to the estrogen dips that come with aging, estrogen receptors in the brain (which contribute to metabolism) get less activity. This causes an estimated 50 calorie per day decrease in metabolism. How to fight it? 3 sets of 10-12 reps of 8-10 exercises 3 times per week can help you burn about 45 extra calories per day to make most of your age!

• Consistent blood sugar levels mean a steady metabolism. Your metabolism goes idle when you have drops in blood sugar. When you don't have enough sugar to feed your brain, your body takes energy from tissues, including muscles, in order to gain energy. Instead of letting your body eat away at muscle mass, have small, healthy snacks between meals! 100 to 200 calorie snacks will keep blood-sugar levels even and your metabolism burning. And if you eat a small snack before bed, you can even shed calories while you sleep!

Maintaining your body and well-being are at the core of a healthy metabolism. At We've Got Your Back, our wide variety of exercise and relaxation tools will get you on the right path to a healthy, happy lifestyle.

To check out the full article, read "Make Over Your Metabolism" by Paige Greenfield in the January/February 2012 issue of Health Magazine.

Stay tuned for more tips from Ilona, Rita, and the We've Got Your Back team!

Stress and Back Pain? You Can Relieve Both!

It turns out that stress in our everyday lives--from a hard day at work to an improper diet--actually takes a toll on our backs. There are 3 different kinds of stressors: physical (exercise, illness, and sleeping habits), mental (emotional reactions), and chemical (what goes into your body). Any of these stressors has the same negative effects on your body.

The limbic system in your brain reacts to any degree or type of stress with the "fight or flight" reaction. Stress hormones (cortisol and adrenaline) rush through your body, causing shortness of breath, increased heart rate, muscle tension, and joint stiffness. Even your breathing becomes altered! Breathing from your diaphragm (the dome-shaped muscle in your abdomen) is proper and stress-relieving, while breathing from your chest causes headaches, upper back and neck pain, and poor posture. Being constantly in a state of stress takes a toll on your body by keeping you in a constant state of stiffness and over-alertness.

Fortunately, you can take a few easy steps to decrease the stress in your life and end up with less back pain! Here are 3 great tips:

• Have a few healthy snacks between meals. When your blood sugar is low, a hormone called insulin is released. This stresses your body chemistry and causes mood swings and cravings. Eating 3 meals a day with 2-3 snacks in between (and remember to keep them healthy!) can leave you feeling happier and more energized.
• Wake up without white noise. Set your alarm clock 15 minutes early and take some time for yourself. Spend your waking minutes in a quiet place and reflect on yesterday, plan out today, or just enjoy a quiet moment.
• Breathe easier for stress relief. With a little practice, you can learn to breathe through your diaphragm to increase oxygen flow and decrease back and neck pain. Lay on your back with a pillow under your kness and one hand on your chest and one on your abdomen. Slowly inhale through your nose. Make sure the hand on your abdomen is the first to move, and the hand on your chest is second. Exhale through pursed lips. Practice this for a few minutes daily to feel refreshed and invigorated!

We all have stress in our life, but with these tips, and the wide variety of relaxation tools at We've Got Your Back, you can be stress-free and pain-free before you know it!

For the full article, "Stress and Back Pain: The Link," by Perry Nickelston, check out To Your Health here!

How Intense is Your Exercise? Take the Talk Test!

There are many calculations and measurements that go into determining a person's appropriate exercise level. Usually, people use maximum heart rate calculations to stay within a "target range" during exercise. However, the Talk Test is a simple test with the same results!

In a November-December 2011 article in Fitness Journal, author Ryan Halvorson writes of studies that prove that athletic people can use the Talk Test instead of complicated calculations! When saying the Pledge of Allegiance during exercise, runners were within their target heart rate range. Once they were unable to recite the Pledge, they were also over-exerting themselves!

So next time you are exercising, use the Talk Test to see if your workout is too intense! You can even check during one of our Wednesday Pole Walking classes, a full-body workout that you can enjoy in the company of friends. And if you need help reaching your target heart rate, stop by to look at the helpful exercise tools We've Got Your Back offers!

Stay tuned for more from Ilona and the We've Got Your Back team!

The 10 Commandments of Health

If you devote 5% of your time to staying well, you won’t have to give 100% of your time to getting over being sick. That was the U.S. Congress’ first appointed doctor Dr. George W. Calver’s solution to the drastically high mortality rate of the 1920s. He preached a continuous schedule of moderation: not too much, and not too little of anything, all the time. Dr. Calver passed this regime around Washington, D.C., on placards reading “If a man wishes to be on the job and physically fit, he must obey the following simple rules.”

1. Eat wisely
2. Drink plentifully (of water)
3. Eliminate thoroughly
4. Bathe cleanly
5. Exercise rationally
6. Accept inevitables (don’t worry)
7. Play enthusiastically
8. Relax completely
9. Sleep sufficiently
10. Check up occasionally

These rules still apply today. The secret to great health is to do the right things for your body, but without going to extremes of exercise or dieting. A life of moderation is a life of happiness.

For a helping hand on your road to good health, check out our collection of relaxation tools and fitness equipment. Or stop by our store for some great tips on exercise and relaxation!

For more details and a success story of Dr. Calver’s commandments, check out the January-February editorial by Jim Toedtman in the AARP Bulletin.

Stay tuned for more tips for happy, healthy living from Ilona and the We've Got Your Back team!

The Dangers of Being Tied to Your Desk

More and more studies are revealing the dangers of constant sitting. Between driving a car, working at a desk, and relaxing in front of the television, the average person spends more time sitting than they do sleeping. Our technology-driven lives only add to the harm by reducing the need to do physical household chores, making us more sedentary than ever. Unfortunately, even people who exercise on a regular basis are at a much higher risk of obesity, diabetes, cancer, and early death than those who sit for fewer hours during the day.

For detailed information on the harmful effects of sitting, check out our blog, “Lose Weight, Feel Better, Live Longer...Just By Standing Up!” here.

Here are quick and easy tips that can shave hours off of your daily sitting time and improve your health drastically:

• Stand up during TV time. Remind yourself to stand when you’re changing channels or fast-forwarding. Or sit on a balance ball, where slouching means falling off, so you can sit actively.

• Enjoy your chores! Look at them as an easy way to improve your health and maintain your home.

• Put your computer on a crate on your desk, so that you can stand while working. Or you can take the extra step and arrange for a desk that hangs over a treadmill, so you can walk during your workday!

• Forget the phone and take a walk to your colleague’s office. Also, place your stapler, wastebasket, and printer at a distance from your desk to require a short stroll. You can even walk to the bathroom downstairs for a step workout.

• Remind yourself to stand when on the phone. You can even set computer reminders to stand every half hour!

For a healthful work space, take a look at our sit-to-stand desks and other ergonomic equipment! With our expertise and tools, we can help you on your path to a longer, healthier, and happier life!

For more information on this topic, read the January-February 2012 issue of the AARP Bulletin. We got this great information from Elizabeth Pope's article, "Sitting: Hazardous to Your Health."

Stay tuned for more tips and tricks from Ilona and the We've Got Your Back team!

 

To Stretch or Not to Stretch?

Stretching is a controversial topic in the exercise world. Experts have been debating it for years. Does stretching harm or help you? Do you stretch before or after exercise?

With so many different opinions, the Saratoga Ave. Back and Neck Center says that one thing seems certain: stretching should depend on the person.

If you are a naturally limber person, you are already enjoying the benefits that stretching would give you: the looseness and flexibility in your muscles. If you have naturally tight muscles, stretching may pull or strain a muscle, but if done properly, it can limber up your muscles to prevent injury during exercise.

Deciding whether to stretch before or after exercise depends on the individual person as well! Try a day of stretching before exercise, a day of stretching afterwards, and a day of stretching both before and after to determine which system works for you.

A stretching regime is meant to benefit you, so find the stretching system that works best for your body in order to keep it healthy!

If you want to learn how to stretch in a healthy and relaxing way, come into We've Got Your Back for a variety of tips, tools, and classes to help you stretch properly! You might even find the perfect gift for your fit loved ones this holiday season!

Stay tuned for more updates from Ilona and the We've Got Your Back team!

And don't forget to check out the full article here!

Lavender, Your All-Purpose, All-Natural Medicine

Lavender has extraordinary health benefits. According to Central Coast Lavender, it is a quick, easy way to eliminate common health issues. Here's how!

Get rid of headaches, respiratory problems, and muscle pains by massaging lavender into your skin.

By rubbing this herb into your temples, you can remedy migraines. Rub it into your neck, chest, and back to breathe more freely during a cold or if you suffer from asthma or bronchitis.

Lavender is a natural antiseptic, antibacterial, and antifungal substance with insect repelling properties too!

Lavender can even treat your skin! Massage it into problem areas to get rid of acne, burns, dry skin, eczema, itchy skin, sunburn, seborrhea, and skin inflammation.

Come into We've Got Your Back to learn more about the amazing healing properties of lavender! We've stocked up on Central Coast Lavender products for the holidays, so that you can feel relaxed and well during this important time. Whether you're looking for lavender butter, oil, incense, or an easy-to-use mist, we've got the right lavender product for you!

And don't forget to check out Central Coast Lavender for more information on the benefits of lavender!

Less Sitting Means Better Health...But How Do You Do It?

In our last blog post (read it here!) we shared the easy secret to living longer, feeling better, and being slimmer with you: standing up more often! Standing triggers lipoprotein lipase, an enzyme designed to burn fat. This not only helps you shed pounds, but decreases your chance of cardiovascular disease and increases your lifespan! And don't forget the benefits for your back. Your spine feels great in a standing S-curve, but is under a lot of pressure in a sitting C-curve. We know that standing up can be difficult to work into an office lifestyle, but Health.com's article "6 Ways to Sit Less Every Day" by Sarah Kehoe has great tips to improve your lifestyle!

1. Spend your phone conversations as walking time. Pace around or even just stand in place while chatting.

2. Take a short walk after meals. This will trigger lipoprotein lipase, and get your metabolism to burn those after-eating calories!

3. Perch on a bar stool. Sit on the front third with your feet a little over hips' width apart. This provides that comfortable S-curve in your spine.

4. No seat means no sitting! Leave your chair at home when you're going out. If you don't have a seat at the park, you'll spend the time standing up. Or bring a blanket, since you will naturally spend some of your time on the blanket and some of your time standing up.

5. Instead of calling your coworker, stroll down to his office. You'll burn calories by walking to and standing in his office, and your spine will have the pleasure of good posture.

6. Mix up your workstations by relaxing on the floor (sitting cross-legged aligns your spine naturally), stacking books under your computer for a standing workstation, or improve your work space with a sit-to-stand desk!

With these tips, and the expertise and equipment at We've Got Your Back, you can spend more time standing...and more time feeling and looking great!

Stay tuned for more tips and tricks from Ilona and the We've Got Your Back team!

And don't forget to read the full article here.