Healthy Times
Your Seasonal Newsletter
Spring 2003
Be Creative and Take the Gym Outdoors
With warm weather upon us, take advantage of these sunny days. Don't forget the sunscreen!
Photo at right: Dr. James Grimmett, exercising at Kits Beach. Shown is an incline pull up using a horizontal bar.
There is no shortage of outside activities from which to reap the benefits of a days exercises. There is the usual list of activities like hiking, biking, swimming, running, rollerblading, tennis, volleyball, basketball. Gardening counts too as it can be a good form of exercise. But what about the playground at your local park. With a little imagination the monkey bars, poles, and stairs can be transform into an outdoor gym capable of working your body as thoroughly as any fitness centre. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Incline push ups and pull ups using one of the horizontal bars. Save your shoulders by keeping your chest a distance of at least 4-5 inches from the bar on the push up. - One-legged squats with or without wall support. Remember don't bend the knee beyond 90 degrees.
- Calf raises using the edge of a step.
- Back and hamstring strengthening. Lying on your back with your feet resting up on a step or raised platform lift your buttocks off the ground and try to raise it so that your body is in a straight line.
- Side lifts. Lying on your side lift your body off the ground using a bent arm (forearm and elbow stay in contact with the ground). Try this first with bent knees so that your knees are the other contact with the ground. To make the flank muscle work harder straighten your legs so that now your feet are the contact point. When doing the latter cross the top leg over the bottom leg.
- Stretching routine, yoga, tai chi.
Try to work up to 10 - 15 repetitions for each exercise. This constitutes a set. Do 3 sets. Do the exercises slowly and in control. No pain should be felt outside of the sensation that the muscle feels like it is being worked especially as you approach the end of a set.
Add in one of the above listed aerobic activities like a run or a swim and you have a well rounded workout. Variety not only helps keep activities more interesting and fun, it helps us exercise our bodies more completely.
For Your Information - What is a safe and effective sit up?
Lie on your back with one leg bent and the other completely flat against the floor. Next place one hand palm down under your lower back just above the waist.
Maintain a little inward curve in your lower back so that there is only a slight bit of pressure on your hand. Then lift your upper body off the ground by curling up. While doing this do not let the pressure increase on your hand. You want to maintain the little inward curve the entire time of the sit up. This type of sit up exercises your abdominal muscles while placing minimal risk of straining your back.
Health Quiz
1. A child's backpack should not exceed what percentage of his or her body weight?
a) 25%
b) 15%
c) 45%
d) 35%
2. What percentage of the general public has a herniated (protruding) disc?
a) 10%
b) 20%
c) 33%
d) 50%
3. In runners one sided shin splints, knee pain or foot pain of a non traumatic origin is commonly a result of:
a) asymmetrical restriction in movement ,such as rotation, in the pelvis and or spine
b) a problem solely in the area of pain.
c) poor shoes
d) running too much
Answers to the Health Quiz can be found on the bottom of the this page
For your FREE video on how the spine affects your health, phone the British Columbia Chiropractic Association at: 1-877-390-1100 or local in Vancouver at: 270-1332
Health Quiz Answers:
1.b A child's back pack should not exceed 10-15% their body weight.
2.c A study examining herniated discs in cadavers revealed that one third of the population has one.
3.a For one sided lower extremity symptoms in runners the cause is usually due to an asymmetrical decrease in spinal or pelvic movement. This will create an uneven load on the legs. That said, in addition to treating the symptomatic region, restoring proper movement in the spine and pelvis is necessary to prevent recurrences. Poor shoes and running too much can cause problems in these areas but you would expect the pain to be on both sides.
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