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The Sequoia Advisor
IN THIS ISSUE February 15, 2009
Congratulations to Dennis Copeland for Winning an Award!!!
Strong Legs for a Stronger Body
Safer Lifting, Less Injury
Strong legs, hips and back are the essential foundation for upper body strength and the ability to lift safely and play most sports. When lifting something, the leg, hip and core muscles are responsible for a majority of the power. In the golf and tennis swing, strong core and leg muscles generate straight, powerful shots. Weak legs contribute to poor body lifting and hitting mechanics and upper body overuse and injury. Common injuries seen are lower back strain, rotator cuff injury, tennis elbow and carpel tunnel syndrome.
Good examples of everyday lifting are picking-up the kids, pushing a heavy wheelbarrow full of dirt or cleaning out the garage. Any of the tennis strokes along with wood and iron shots in golf apply as well. So to minimize your trips to the chiropractor, here are a series of leg strengthening exercises to help build core and leg strength when you need it the most.
The Best Leg Strengthening Exercises
To work safely and effectively, strong legs need a strong core (the back and abdominal region muscles) to push against. The best four exercises for creating strong legs and core are squats, lunges, box jumps and vertical leap. In combination, these four exercises create a strong and unified lower body as well as a balanced and stable core. What makes these exercises so good for leg strength? They most closely imitate the lifting movements we perform in daily life as well as the sports based hitting motions. These four exercises are also effective at training your muscles and brain to work in harmony while stimulating your cardiovascular system.
Lower Repetitions and Higher Weights
The leg and core muscles are designed to provide both strength and support for the entire body. These are large muscles so they respond better to fewer repetitions and higher weights. Of course, you only use weights that you can handle safely. The higher weights do not present a problem for women concerned about the size of their legs. The higher weights just strengthen the muscle fibers faster. Following this approach gives you stronger, more balanced leg muscles in much less time.
A Brief Exercise Review
Squats are the corner stone of any good leg workout. With your feet hip width apart, back straight and head up slowly lower your body until your legs are bent 90 degrees. If you do have knee problems or are very de-conditioned, start with a ball squat against the wall. This takes weight and stress off the knees while you learn good technique. Have an instructor at the club show you good form so as not to injure the knees. Squats strengthen gluteus maximus and hip flexors.
Lunges, both stationary and walking, are a great exercise to add movement and balance to your leg strengthen program. Standing with your feet hip width apart, take a larger than normal step forward. Pause and balance your body. Return to your staring position and step forward with the opposite leg. Always keep your back knee at least 6 inches off the ground. Lunges strengthen quads, core and back muscles.
Box jumps can start with box steps (a 4 to 12 inch step is good) if you don't feel comfortable jumping. Using your arms for balance and lift, jump on the top of the step landing with your knees nice and soft. You can step back down or jump depending on your ability and confidence. Box jumps are a total leg, hip and core strengthener.
Vertical leap is a great total body exercise. You will be surprised how much cardiovascular benefit you get from this one. Stand facing a wall with arms above your head. With both feet, jump straight up noticing how high on the wall your fingers touch. After 10 or 12 tries, mark the highest spot on the wall as your effort. Next time try and beat your mark. Vertical leap is a great total leg, hip and core and cardiovascular strengthener.
When it comes to everyday activities, strong legs are important. Loss of mobility and independence is directly attributed to weak legs. Feel young even as you get older. Contact us for more information on Fresh Start Fit After Fifty and to schedule your free Fresh Start consultation. Call Woody McMahon at 703-464-5171 or email to Woody@SequoiaHealth.com.
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Drink More Water for Better Health
The Staff of Life Water is the most important substance you put into your body. You can survive 40 to 60 days without food but only mere hours to a few days without water. Water is required for proper detoxification of all the cells of your body. Without water, waste products accumulate and lead to disease and illness. The average adult does not drink enough water. There are many diseases associated with mild dehydration such as high blood pressure, kidney stones, urinary tract infections, constipation, headaches, allergies, sinus infections and joint pain.
Important in Many Ways
Water comprises 50 to 70% of your total adult body weight. Today, if you drink enough water, you're in the minority. There is a great debate on how much water you should consume. Many experts suggest that you can get adequate water from drinking beverages and eating foods. Some experts say fortifying your water with vitamins or other substances is a good idea. Just look at all the sports drinks that have popped up. The bottom line. for the average person, pure, unadulterated water is your best bet for good health. Anything less will not help your body work properly. What makes plain old water so special?
Plain Old Water
It all goes back to high school chemistry class. Water is called the universal solvent. Dissolve something in water and the water is literally transformed into a different substance. Just take a look at ice tea, coffee, milk, juice. made from water but definitely not water. When you drink water instead of juice, your body knows the difference. One of the reasons water is so good for you is it doesn't need to be digested or processed by your body. It can be absorbed and used immediately to facilitate digestion, detoxification and metabolism. Water is also self-regulating. Drink enough water and your body doesn't need to retain or "store" fluid. Drink too little and your body will retain fluid to try and keep you alive.
Nutritional Habits Make a Big Difference
A diet containing meat, chicken, fish or dairy products requires a higher water intake than a diet consisting mainly of fruits vegetables. The reason for this is the meat, chicken, fish or dairy diet is higher in protein. When protein is digested, nitrogen is released which combines with hydrogen releasing ammonia, a highly toxic substance. Your cells cannot tolerate even small amounts of ammonia, so the kidneys draw extra water to flush the ammonia. Without drinking additional water, your body can become dehydrated with higher protein intakes.
More Active Means More Water
A very active person requires more water than a sedentary person. Muscles are 75% water and require adequate hydration or they will not work properly. Dehydration can result in muscle strains (pulls) and/or cramps. Joints also require water to make synovial fluid for effective lubrication. Without adequate water, cartilage in the joints is not adequately lubricated and can wear prematurely leading to degenerative joint disease. Simply drinking more water can reduce your future risk for joint replacement surgery.
Aids in Weight Loss
Adequate hydration is crucial for efficient burning of fat and healthy weight loss. A study, conducted at Berlin's Franz-Volhard Clinical Research Center, tracked caloric intake and energy expenditures among seven men and seven women who were healthy and not overweight. After drinking approximately 17 ounces of water (slightly more than 2 glasses), the subjects' metabolic rates increased by 30% for both men and women. The increases occurred within 10 minutes of water consumption and reached a maximum after about 30 to 40 minutes. For anyone wanting to lose weight, drinking more water is a good first step.
A Simple Hydration Formula
To make sure you are drinking enough water, here is a simple hydration formula. Take your current body weight and divide that number by 2. Multiply the divided number by 1 ounce and that is the amount of water you should try and drink everyday. I know, you say if I drink all that water I will be in the bathroom all day. Well, as I used to tell my 95 year old grandmother, "better to go too much than not at all." You can imagine where that got me. You will feel and look your best; all it takes is your willingness to give it a try.
Staying active and physically fit is the best way to avoid chronic illnesses like heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's, osteoporosis and depression. Commit to Getting Active, Eating Healthier and Reducing Stress while living a healthier lifestyle. No matter how old you are, Fresh Start provides the education, motivation and accountability necessary to improve your health while helping you feel and look your best. For a free Fresh Start consultation, please call Woody McMahon at 703-464-5171 or email to Woody@SequoiaHealth.com.
Friday Night Weight Loss Seminar Series Continues February 27th
Fixing the Stress-Weight Gain Connection
Stress driven overeating is the number one reason you are carrying around extra
weight. Get stress under control and the extra pounds will just melt away.
This seminar helps change the way you look at your weight once and for all. I'll show
you how to reduce stress induced overeating while taking better care of yourself.
You'll learn an easier and more effective way to get active and eat healthier foods.
I'll prove to you how much easier it is to lose weight when you work with rather than
against your body.
Big Fat Mistakes! seminar series helps you:
- Look at the most common mistakes keeping you from dropping those pounds
- Bust the weight loss and fitness myths that have you stuck at that same old weight
- Use The Healthy Weight Wheel to create a more effective and healthy plan to lose the weight and keep it off for good
If you are not completely satisfied, we offer a 100% money back guarantee. So you have nothing to loose except those extra inches around the waist.
Cost: $15 per person or $25 per couple
Class Size: Limited to 20 people Time: 6:30 to 8:00 pm
When: February 27th continuing on the last Friday of the month
Location: Sequoia Health and Fitness, Inc. Herndon, VA
Please dress comfortably and bring some water to drink. For reservations or more information please contact:
Woody McMahon at Sequoia Health and Fitness, Inc 703-464-5171 Woody@SequoiaHealth.com
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Special Congratulations to Dennis Copeland!!!
Dennis Wins the Black Engineer of the Year Award Dennis is one of the recipients of the Black Engineer of the Year award. He won in the Professional Achievement-Industry category. I want to congratulate Dennis on both a wonderful achievement and being a very special client and friend. Congratulations again Dennis for a job well done.
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Continued Good Health,
Woody
Woody McMahon The Sequoia Advisor
Sequoia Health and Fitness, Inc. 483A Carlisle Dive Herndon, VA 20170
Required Disclaimer: The material provided herein should not be construed as a health-care diagnosis, treatment regimen or any other prescribed health-care advice or instruction. The material is provided with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in the practice of medicine or any other health-care profession and does not enter into a health-care practitioner/patient relationship with its readers. The publisher does not advise or recommend to its readers treatment or action with regard to matters relating to their health or well-being other than suggesting that readers consult appropriate health-care professionals in such matters. No action should be taken based solely on the content of this publication. The material and opinions provided herein are believed to be accurate and sound at the time of publication, based on the best judgment available to the authors. However, readers who rely on material in this publication to replace the advice of health-care professionals, or who fail to consult with health-care professionals, assume all risks of such conduct. The publisher is not responsible for errors or omissions.
Copyright (c) 2006-2009 by Sequoia Health and Fitness, Inc.
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