Exercise is essential to muscle health

Achieving a healthy state in your body requires more than massage; it also requires regular exercise good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle.  Your massage therapist can relieve muscle tension and trigger points, but if you do not stay fit your muscle disorder is much more likely to return. 

Definition of being physically fit
One definition of physical fitness is as follows: “Being physically fit is having the energy to perform your daily duties alertly and with vigor, while also maintaining adequate energy for leisure activities.”  Over a series of articles this simple statement will be dissected and additional components will be filled in to provide readers with an understanding of what their goal really is when they say they want to be physically fit.

Definition Component #1 – “having the energy”
First, being physically fit is “having the energy…” Energy is the capacity to do work.  You must first have a reserve of energy before you can do any work.  An airplane receives its energy from its stores of gasoline while our body receives it energy from our stores of glucose (sugar) and fats which are produced by the foods we eat. 

In order to use the energy, however, we must have an efficient system of converting the energy to work.  The potential energy in a tank of gasoline may be very significant, however, if the engine has mechanical problems we may not even be able to get started in the morning, let alone make it through the entire day with vigor and alertness.  Additionally, if an airplane has more potential energy then it has the capacity of using, the energy is just extra weight and is not useful.  Similarly, an obese person has an enormous amount of potential energy in his body.  Each pound of fat can produce about 3,500 calories of energy, however, carrying all of that extra energy is inefficient and actually detrimental.  Unlike a polar bear that has to accumulate vast quantities of stored fat so he can live off it during hibernation, it is not healthy for humans to have significant fat stores.

Therefore, one of the first goals of getting fit is to eliminate the excess fat.  By converting fat to muscle we take extra and unproductive weight fat mass and convert to a useful muscle mass.  Unlike fat, muscle has the useful ability to use energy so it can sustain itself and can help carry an extra load such as the load you put on it each day while working and playing.  Carrying an extra 20 pounds of fat is like carrying 20 pounds of groceries on your back.  It is a reserve of energy that is unnecessary and unproductive.

Hawaiian Experience Spa is more than a fluff and buff day spa.  We provide a complete range of services from exotic and relaxing spa treatments to serious medical level massage.  The spa is great for special occasions, regular “every month” massages, and injury and pain treatment.

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In order for a muscle, and consequently your body, to function optimally it needs three things: Strength, Stamina, and Flexibility.

Strength is the ability of your muscle to contract when needed to handle a load placed on the muscle.  Increasing our level of strength prevents injuries and allows us to better perform day to day tasks, with less chance of injury, such as carrying groceries, moving a box, lifting a child, etc.

Stamina, when pertaining to muscles, is the ability to contract a muscle for long periods of time.  If our muscles have stamina (also called endurance) we are able to function better on a day to day basis without tiring.  Increasing stamina increases our energy level.

Flexibility is defined as the ability to move our muscles and joints through their full range of motion.  Flexibility is joint specific so a person can be flexible in one joint, and inflexible in another.  Flexibility is in part the result of a muscle property called elasticity.  Elasticity is the ability of muscle tissue to stretch and then return to its normal length without using cellular energy.  This is similar to the way a rubber band stretches and then returns to its original length.  If you are not flexible you have a much higher risk of injury and chronic pain, especially low back pain.

So how do you maintain flexibility?  The answer, of course, is through proper stretching.  Stretching muscles to maintain flexibility may be more important for many people then exercising their muscles to maintain strength and stamina, although all three are vital.  Ideally, you should perform a full body stretching routine lasting approximately 30 minutes, about three times a week, separate from any workout you perform.  You should especially concentrate on your hamstrings (back of upper leg) and low back.

Below are a few quick tips for stretching:

• When exercising it is much more important to stretch after exercising. A moderate stretching routine, especially focusing on muscles you worked out during your workout, is recommended after exercise.
• For maximum flexibility training, stretch separately from your workouts.  A stretching routine conducted three times a week is ideal.
• It is not recommended to stretch cold muscles. If you do stretch when your muscles are not warmed up, do it very lightly.
• If you want to stretch before a workout you should do it after a 5 – 10 minute warm up. Also, the stretching routine should only be light.
• You can stretch lightly between sets of weight lifting if you wish.  Remember, only light stretching is recommended during a work out.
• Increasing functional range of motion through stretching requires time. You cannot rush it.
• Stretching should not cause any pain.
• Hold your stretches about 10 – 20 seconds but no more than 30 seconds without special training and for a special purpose.
• If you experience any pain, STOP, and consult a professional.

Practical Summary

If you have the time to exercise then you have the time to stretch afterwards – no excuses. If you do not stretch afterwards your muscles will develop an unhealthy over contracted resting length that actually will make you weaker and more prone to injury.

If you don’t go to the gym you should still stretch.  Stretching can be done almost anywhere.  You can walk around the block for a warm up, then dedicate some time for stretching. If you can’t spend the ideal 30 minutes, spend as much time as you can focusing on problem areas such as the hamstrings and low back. 

If you have any kind of medical condition you should always consult your doctor before starting any exercise or stretching routine.

Article written by:

Steve Ibach, Licensed Massage Therapist, Nationally Certified in Therapeutic Massage

Hawaiian Experience Spa
10855 N. 116^th St., Ste 130
Scottsdale, AZ 85259

480-661-2991
www.HawaiianExperienceSpa.com

IMPORTANT – Nothing you read in our blog, on our web site, in our newsletter, etc., as well as nothing we discuss with you individually is meant to treat, diagnose, cure, or prevent any disease. You should consult with a physician or other qualified professional for all medical advise.

By: Steve Ibach

Have you ever considered using electricity, in the form of a TENS Belt, to tighten those muscles?  If so you might want to think again.  TENS, which stands for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation, is a method of treating pain used by physical therapists.  However, America being what it is, this medical device has made its way to the general public in the form of a TENS Belt which is used to tighten abs without working out.  You can even tighten those abs while watching TV – or so the ads go.

My article today is about a client of mine who used such a device with unexpected results. Last week she called the spa to make an appointment with me for a Neuromuscular Massage Treatment because she was getting severe pain in her left leg. She had seen her doctor the previous day for the pain and he diagnosed her with phlebitis (an inflammation of a vein).  My assessment of her leg showed extreme sensitivity to pressure (the slightest touch caused severe shooting pains) and hypertonic (tight) muscles in the adductors (inner thigh muscles) and gluteal areas.

I work on clients daily with pain caused by a vast variety of reasons, however, I had never seen anything quite like this.  If my client did not just come from her doctor I would have recommended that she see one.  However, something else was different this time.  My client told me she had been using a TENS belt. Obviously, I have no clinical evidence of this, however I believe, and her doctor has subsequently agreed, that there is a high probability that the TENS belt over stimulated the client’s nervous system causing her symptoms.  I was able to release the muscles in the area and calm the nerves down using heat and ice, however, that was not the end of it. Her pain in her leg was gone, but pain in her abdominal area started.

It is still not clear what is causing this pain but she did find out something new yesterday about the TENS belt.  Hidden among its approximately eight pages of warnings – warnings which include such things as don’t put this belt around your neck – was a warning relevant to her: Don’t use this device if you have a hernia. Due to the vast number of warnings, many of which were simply ridiculous or common sense, she had missed this one.  My client was diagnosed with a hernia about two years ago.

Whether or not her pain is related to using the TENS belt with a hernia, or whether it just over stimulated her abdominal muscles or nerves is not clear.  Again, we do not actually have clinical evidence that the TENS belt caused all of this – maybe it was all a huge coincidence.

So what is the point of this whole post?  Well the point is this.  There are no safe shortcuts to fitness.  The further you move away from simple mainstream exercises by adding electronic devices, taking wonder supplements, using a 3 minute a day super exercise routine, or whatever, the more careful you have to be.  Every warning must be read in detail, and the device, supplement, or routine should be discussed with your doctor and/or someone with the training to understand the new fangled exercise enhancer you are considering using.

Better yet, just stick to the simple stuff. Sit ups, push up, and squats may not be sexy but you can do them while watching TV if you want.  They will get you in shape in a healthy and natural way.  If you are struggling with getting in shape, invest that money you where going to spend on QVC in a session with a personal trainer.  He can show you how to tighten those abs safely – lets save the electricity to power your iPod while on the treadmill.

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