The role of stress on recovery

Posted on April 5th, 2022 by Andries Lodder

One of the most important aspects when it comes to seeing results after training, is recovery. Some of the most well-known recovery methods include:

Active recovery workouts
Correct nutrition before and after workouts
Enough rest days

If we all only focus on how well we recover from physical exercise, we may forget that both physical and mental stress plays a major role in total recovery and affects how soon we are able to exercise again.

We have all experienced stiffness after intense exercise, and we often think that we are ready to go again the second that stiffness is gone. There is however, that possibility that exercising at high intensities can take a toll on your body if you are experiencing high stress levels even if you don’t feel tired or sore physically.

When our bodies experience stress, your brain sends a signal through your autonomic nervous system to tell your body to either deal with the event or run away, the so-called fight or flight response. Our sympathetic nervous system then provides a burst of energy to deal with the event while our parasympathetic nervous system promotes the rest response to calm the body down. Psychological stress can cause physical changes in the body such as increasing blood pressure, heart and breathing rate.

These responses are useful when we are in actual danger but can cause issues when the physical danger is not real. Repeated activation of this stress response can lead to chronic stress with frequent illnesses, fatigue, sleeping issues, anxiety, and depression.

Exercise does have benefits with regards to stress. Tough workouts can be used to help reduce mental stress and take the mind off whatever is causing the stress. Feel good hormones released when exercising helps increase your mood and distract your mind from any stress.

On the other hand, exercise can also add to the stress and strain on your body. Even if your body is feeling physically fine, accumulative, and continuous high intensity exercise can add to the stress you are already experiencing. Continuing training at high levels when you are already stressed will lead to a decrease in recovery and will just increase stress levels even more after each session. Prolonged stress will decrease your tolerance for exercise which will lead to poor adaptation to training and poor performance.

Fitness and wellbeing are dependent on three things:

Exercise
Nutrition
Rest & Recovery

If you are stressed about work, family and working out, your autonomic nervous system is in overdrive. This prolonged stress will lead to poor recovery and performance.

The three best ways to boost recovery are as follows:

Exercise: Exercise is a great way to relieve stress. When training, your body uses the energy rush from the stress response to start breaking down stress hormones and release endorphins. Regular exercise also improves fitness and well-being which can also decrease stress. To gain maximum benefits and achieve fitness results, you must balance training with recovery.
Sleep: Sleep quality is an indicator of stress and recovery. It is essential for recovery from exercise and daily stress as restorative functions like muscle growth, tissue repair and protein synthesis, all take place mostly during sleep.
Poor sleep can affect cognitive function, mood, and motivation. It can affect training directly through fatigue, or indirectly through increased anxiety levels. Poor sleep can also increase your overall risk of illness and injury.
Breathe: Deep breathing can help boost recovery. There are several breathing techniques to help trigger the relaxation response and relive stress, but these all take practice. Mindful breathing done for 10-20 minutes a day can help build resilience and reduce overall effects of stress in the body. This helps the body recover more effectively, achieve better results, and be better prepared for exercise.

If you need any more assistance on how to train when stressed and what recovery techniques you can look at, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Tendonitis and Overuse Injuries

Posted on March 1st, 2022 by Andries Lodder

By Daniel Sauer

Tendonitis is an inflammation or irritation of a tendon, a thick cord that attaches bone to muscle. Tendonitis is most often caused by repetitive, minor impact on the affected area, or from a sudden more serious injury.

There are many activities/movements that can cause tendinitis, such as:

Gardening
Painting
Scrubbing
Tennis
Golf
Throwing
Beginning exercise too quickly and over-loading your muscles

Other risk factors for tendonitis include:

Incorrect posture at work or home or poor conditioning before exercise or playing sports.
An abnormal or poorly placed bone or joint that stresses soft-tissue structures.
Stresses from other conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, gout, psoriatic arthritis, thyroid disorders, or unusual medication reactions.
Overuse or doing too much too soon when the tendons aren’t used to making a movement or doing the task taken on.

Tendinitis can occur in almost any area of the body where a tendon connects a bone to a muscle. The most common types are:

Common Symptoms of Tendonitis or Other Overuse injuries

tenderness or pain in the affected muscle or joint
a throbbing or pulsating sensation in the affected area
tingling in the limb
temporary loss of sensation
loss of strength
reduced range of motion as a result of pain/discomfort

Rehabilitating and Preventing a tendonitis or overuse injury:

If you feel you have any symptoms of a possible tendonitis, pain, or limited range of motion, Contact us and we will help you rehabilitate your injury and return to your exercise safely, and better equipped to prevent further injury!

Vitality Wellness Day Killarney Country Club

Posted on March 1st, 2022 by Andries Lodder

Please click on Picture to book your session

https://www.discovery.co.za/portal/individual/wellness-booking/#/?event_id=7792153

Vitality Wellness Day Bryanston

Posted on March 1st, 2022 by Andries Lodder

Please click on Picture to make your booking

Postural Awareness

Posted on March 1st, 2022 by Andries Lodder

By Sean Pickup

Many of us believe that our posture is very good, but the truth is that our brain has adapted to feeling balanced and straight when we’re not.

Posture refers to a person’s body in space and the alignment of different body parts in relation to one another. The human skeleton is designed to hold our bodies up, but bad posture means that different muscles are forced to do the job of the skeleton. When our muscles take over, it means they are burning unnecessary energy and not doing what they are meant to do. Constant bad posture can lead to musculoskeletal pain and to correct this, we need postural awareness.

‘Postural awareness is the subjective conscious awareness of body posture and is associated with pain intensity, physical and mental impairments in patients who experience chronic pain. Understanding one’s posture patterns is crucial due to its many benefits to maintain on optimal state of health.’

A relationship has been observed between spinal pain and posture which means that improving one’s posture can lead a decrease in musculoskeletal pain. Good posture can also lead to other benefits such as improved oxygenation and reduced pressure on intervertebral discs.

Posture can also be divided into either dynamic or static posture.

Dynamic posture refers to how we hold ourselves when walking, running or lifting things. Muscles and other structures must keep working to adapt to changing circumstances.

Static posture is how we hold ourselves when we are not moving like when sitting or standing. Our bodies are held in a static position by various muscle groups working together to counteract gravity.

The spine has three natural curves – neck, upper back and lower back – and good posture means maintaining these curves. In an ideal posture, a line should be passed through the lobe of the ear, the shoulder joint, the hip, the knee and the ankle.

If posture is poor for prolonged periods of time, it can start affecting your health. Increased spinal pressure, neck and back pain, decreased flexibility, make breathing more difficult and affect joint movement are just a few of the issues that could arise.

With over two years of many of us working from in front of our computers at our homemade workstations, our postures have gotten worse and worse. Therefore, is so important now to focus on correcting these imbalances and make our skeletons do the work instead of our muscles.

Work on your postural awareness during everyday activities, stay active, strengthen your core, maintain a healthy weight and make sure your work surfaces are at a comfortable height, so you are not slouching when working.

For any assistance in correcting your posture, contact us and book an assessment.

Heart Awareness Month

Posted on February 1st, 2022 by Andries Lodder

https://www.udmi.net/cardiovascular-disease-risk/

By Daniel Sauer

February is Heart Awareness Month!

Here is some information on getting a stronger, healthier heart!

Over the past 4 decades, numerous scientific reports have examined the relationships between physical activity, physical fitness, and cardiovascular health. Expert panels, convened by organizations such as the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), and the American Heart Association (AHA) have established that approximately 1 in 4 deaths annually is a result of heart disease every year. The most common heart diseases are: Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack), Stroke and Coronary Artery Disease.

Some of the main risk factors for heart diseases are: High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol, Stress, Smoking, Hereditary factors, and Sedentary lifestyles. So, you may ask: How do I combat this and live a healthier lifestyle?

Exercise. Exercise is how one can manage and prevent heart conditions from developing or getting worse. We know regular exercise strengthens muscles, but it also helps the heart do a better job of pumping blood throughout the body. After all, your heart is a muscle!

Lower blood pressure. A healthy heart pushes out more blood with each beat, enabling it to function more efficiently. This decreases stress on the heart and surrounding arteries, potentially reducing blood pressure. If you have high blood pressure, cardiovascular exercise may help lower it. If you don’t have high blood pressure, exercise may help prevent it from rising as you age.
Improve blood flow. Regular cardio-based physical activity enables the heart to achieve improved blood flow in the small vessels around it, where blockages of fatty deposits can build over time. Better circulation in these areas may prevent heart attacks. Evidence even shows that exercise can cause the body to create more physical connections between these small blood vessels, meaning the blood has more ways to travel to where it needs to go.
Improve workout efficiency. As you begin a new workout routine that includes cardio activity, it may take a while for your body to adjust to the faster pace. But the more routine exercise becomes, the quicker your body pulls needed oxygen from your blood during workouts. Regular cardiovascular training also allows your body to recover quicker after exercise.
Lower cholesterol. Many studies show that exercise is linked to healthy improvements in cholesterol, such as increasing the amount of healthy HDL cholesterol and lowering bad LDL cholesterol by as much as 10 percent.
Decrease risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Studies show regular exercise helps reduce the risk of coronary heart disease as much as 21 percent for men and 29 percent for women. Additionally, active people have 20 percent less chance of stroke. Regular exercise also helps keep blood sugar levels in a healthy range and, in turn, helps lower risk for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.
Promote other heart-healthy habits. According to the American Heart Association, regular exercise can help you maintain a healthy weight, and make better nutritional choices.
Reduce Stress. Exercise has proven to release hormones and lower one’s level of stress. This in turn, better manages several other risk factors that the average individual experiences, as well as improves one’s sleep and productivity.

For any questions, or tips, or assistance in improving your healthier and better lifestyle, Contact us and book your appointment with our biokineticists.

Benefits of Cardio

Posted on February 1st, 2022 by Andries Lodder

https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/health-fitness/exercise/weights-versus-cardio-keep-them-separate-or-combine

By Sean Pickup

Cardiovascular exercise is one of the most important forms of exercise that exists for us. It is also one of the easiest forms of exercise to do since you don’t often need any form of equipment to do it.

Cardiovascular exercise includes running, hiking, cycling, swimming, dancing, or any form of exercise that elevates your heart rate and keeps it elevated for a prolonged amount of time. This form of exercise has endless possibilities, and they all lead to an improvement in your quality of life.

This form of exercise has numerous benefits when done regularly, including the lowering of resting heart rate and blood pressure. This takes pressure off your heart by ensuring that it does not have to work as hard all the time to pump blood throughout your body.
The American Heart Association recommends doing 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise (50-70% max heart rate) or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity exercise (70-85% max heart rate) spread throughout the week. This exercise can be split into 30-minute sessions each day or 3 10-minute sessions each day.

It’s not just your heart that benefits from cardio exercise, here’s a list of some of the other benefits you can expect:

Brain and joints: Cardio exercise improves blood flow thus decreasing stroke risk.
Improvements in memory and thinking ability.
Fights of osteoporosis, manages arthritis and maintains joint range of motion.
Skin, muscles, and weight: Increased circulation leads to healthier skin.
Working your muscles leads to increased oxygen supply which allows your muscles to work harder. Over time, those muscles adapt to the increased workload, making exercise seem easier.
Pairing regular exercise with good nutrition can lead to weight loss. The increased number of calories burnt during exercise can lead to an overall decrease in weight. Losing weight will also decrease risk of developing diabetes, some cancers and heart disease.
Pancreas, lungs, and blood: Your pancreas helps your body convert food into energy. Regular exercise improves blood sugar levels and decreases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
This type of exercise also leads to an increase in blood flow to the lungs and reduces feelings of breathlessness in people with chronic lung conditions.
Sexual function: Regular exercise helps decrease the risk of erectile dysfunction while the positive body image and improved psychological health increases sexual well-being in women.
Mood: Regular exercise helps decrease stress by releasing feel good hormones like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. The regular exercise also helps combat depression and increase self-esteem.
Sleep and energy: Regular cardiovascular exercise helps your fall asleep faster and promotes REM sleep. More sleep also means more energy for the days following.

Now that we have seen all the benefits cardiovascular exercise has on your body and wellbeing, we will now look at various types and exercises you can do to get yourself going.

Moderate intensity exercise can be maintained for long periods of time before the body becomes fatigued. This is because at 50-70% maximum heart rate, the heart is not working at its maximum capacity so our breathing is still calm, and we can continue for longer.

Examples of moderate intensity exercise are:

Walking
Cycling on a low resistance
Light jogging
Slow swimming
Hiking
Skipping

Vigorous intensity exercise cannot be maintained as long as moderate intensity exercise. This is because at 70-85% maximum heart rate, our hearts are working much harder to deliver oxygenated blood to our working muscles. This results in our breathing being much more labored and fatigue setting in much sooner. Regular vigorous exercise sessions will cause adaptations that will make the exercise feel easier such as improved blood flow to working muscles, a decreased need for highly oxygenated blood in working muscles and increased cardiac output which leads to greater cardiac pumping ability.

Examples of vigorous intensity exercises are:

Crossfit type workouts (lifting weight fast with other sprints included)
Fast jogging
Sprinting (Running, cycling and swimming)
Fast dancing

If you need any assistance with your current cardiovascular exercise programs or are wanting to start on of your own, do not hesitate to contact us.

Disability Rights Awareness Month

Posted on November 24th, 2021 by Andries Lodder

https://www.up.ac.za/family-medicine/news/post_3030936-disabilities-awareness-month-2021

By Daniel Sauer

November was International Disability Rights Awareness Month.

The international theme proclaimed by the United Nations for this year is: “Removing barriers to create an inclusive and accessible society for all.”

Approximately 15 – 20% of the world’s population are persons with disability. There are many types of disabilities affecting a person’s movement, vision, hearing, thinking, remembering, learning, communication, mental health, and social relationship.

Research suggests that exercise for persons with disability is even more important than for those without a disability. Why? Well, did you know that conditions such as diabetes, obesity and chronic heart conditions have been proven to be up to 66% more likely in people with disability? Physical activity is essential to improve one’s quality of life.

Sedentary behaviour that is often associated with disability, leads to deconditioning and health risk. The problem is so specific that is described as Disability-Associated Low Energy Expenditure Deconditioning Syndrome.

The impact of these chronic diseases can be reduced by Physical activity. Furthermore, there are many benefits to exercise.

Health Benefits:

Physical Activity has amplified importance for cognitive, emotional and social difficulties.
- Psychological benefits such as enhanced self-perception through successful Physical Activity experiences.
- Physical Activity can reduce stress, Pain, and depression.
- Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) become easier to do.

Social contact:

Physical Activity can reduce the stigmatisation process and negative stereotypes.
- Physical Activity can contribute to improving social status.
- Social benefits as the nature of many sports activities leads to increased social integration, bonding and friendship.

Fun:

Physical Activity leads to mood benefits.
- Enjoyment through social interaction of both fitness staff and other participants.

Extended Benefits

Reduce anxiety
Reduce feelings of stress
Encourage clearer thinking
Bring about a greater sense of calm

Increase self-esteem
Reduce risks of depression
Improve sleep
Improve one’s posture
Restore one’s abilities to an extent

“Focus on the ABILITY, not the disability”.

For any questions, or to get started, contact us at any time and let us assist you in being your best selves!

Keep Moving While You Rest

Posted on November 24th, 2021 by Andries Lodder

By Sean Pickup

December is fast approaching and many of us will soon be on leave making our way to our holiday destinations. These end of year holidays are great for everyone to just take a deep breath and take a break from the stressful year. Although we will be resting, it is important to stay even just a little active in order to keep the body healthy and to keep up those fitness levels.

In this article we are going to go through some different exercises and stretches we can do from the comfort of wherever you are staying without any equipment needed.

Exercises:

Body Weight Squats: This is a great exercise for your legs as well as your core which can even be done in front of the TV. Standing with your feet shoulder width apart and your toes pointing slightly out, push you bum back as if you are going to sit down. Squat until your knees are at 90 degrees and then come back up. Make sure to keep your upper body nice and upright and do not round those shoulders. Do 10 repetitions for 3 sets.

Lunges: Another exercise to be done anywhere and anytime. Take a big step forward with one leg and going onto the toe of the back leg. Making sure your body remains upright, bend your back knee straight down to the floor and back up. Make sure not to shit forward as this will put pressure on the front knee. Perform 10 on one leg and then swap for a total of 3 sets.

Push-ups: The good thing about these are that they can be done at various difficulty levels. Begin by using the back of your couch as the easiest level. Place your hands on the back of your couch just wider than shoulder width. Keeping your body in one line and keeping your elbows close to your side, lower your chest towards the couch until your elbows are at 90 degrees and back up. If this is too easy, move to your coffee table or even to the most difficult option, on the floor. Perform 10 reps for a total of 3 sets.

Dead Bugs: This exercise is great to improve your core strength. Start by laying flat on your back. Bring your legs up off the floor with your knees bent at 90 degrees and your arms straight out in front of you. Keeping the core tight, lower one leg down while the opposite arm moves above your head. Bring both your arm and leg back to the starting position and change sides. Perform 10 reps on each side for a total of 3 sets.

Plank: The class elbow plank position is a great exercise to help strengthen your core. Start by lying flat on your stomach, place your elbows directly below your shoulders and lift your body into the air while staying on your toes with your legs straight. Hold this for 30 seconds to a minute. To make this more challenging, either hold for longer and longer each time or lift either an arm or a leg for 10 seconds at a time. Do 3 sets of these.

Stretches:

Glute Stretch: This stretch can be done while sitting on the couch or at the pool even. Sit up straight on the edge of your couch or chair, place your right foot on top of your left knee. Bend your left knee until it is at 90 degrees and you should already start feeling a stretch in your bum. If you do not feel a stretch yet, lean forward with your upper body, this will intensify the stretch. Hold this position for 1 minute and then change legs. Repeat these 3 times per leg.

Hamstring Stretch: This is also a stretch that can be done from the comfort of your chair. Again, sit upright on the edge of your chair. Keeping one leg bent, extend the other one straight out in front of you with your heel on the floor. If you are not already feeling the stretch in the back of the leg, lean your upper body forward by moving your chest towards your knee. Hold this for 1 minute and then change legs. Repeat each leg 3 times.

Upper Back Stretch: This may be one of the simplest stretches you can do, it can even be done while lying in bed. Clasp your hands together out in front of you. Push both hands forward while trying to make your back as round as possible. This will pull your shoulder blades apart and stretch the muscles of the upper back very nicely. Hold this for 1 minute and repeat 3 times.

Chest Stretch: My apologies, this one you are going to have to stand up for. Go find yourself a doorway and place each forearm against either side of it. Place on foot in front of the other and lean forward so that your cheat begins to open and start to stretch. Hold this position for 30 seconds before swapping legs for another 30 seconds. Repeat these 3 times.

If you need any help with your training, don’t hesitate to contact us.

Covid 19 Vaccine – Answering your exercise related questions!

Posted on November 3rd, 2021 by Andries Lodder

BY DANIEL SAUER

COVID-19 has drastically changed our lives over the past 2 years — from the way we interact with other people to the way we work. It has even changed the way we exercise.

These days, the availability of the COVID-19 vaccine is helping us get back some sense of normality in daily life. For many people, that means going back to the gym or pool. But, as with any kind of new treatment, people naturally have questions.

What are the common side effects that I should be aware of?

Each vaccine has slightly different side effects. However, research and anecdotal evidence have shown that the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccines share a number of common side effects. These may include:

pain, swelling, or discoloration in the vaccinated arm
headaches
muscle soreness
nausea or an upset stomach
fatigue
chills
fever

Many people report mild side effects after the first dose of a two-dose vaccine. However, one study showed that about 50% of people experienced moderate-to-severe side effects after their second dose. It is important to note that most side effects are normal, as they are the body’s way of responding to the vaccine.

Is it safe for me to exercise after receiving the vaccine?

Yes. Even though everyone’s body will react differently and show different side effects, recent research has not identified any risks. A 2021 New England Journal of Medicine study states that side effects may be more intense after the second shot than the first. However, it does not mention any danger as a result of exercising. Essentially, a person should listen to their body after receiving the vaccine and expect not to feel 100% during their next workout. Research has proven that exercises generally reduces the severity of side effects following a vaccine.

Should I avoid exercise after the vaccine?

You may want to avoid moderate to vigorous exercise immediately after receiving the vaccine only if you have an allergic reaction to the vaccine itself.

Common symptoms of an allergic reaction to the vaccine include: hives, swelling, and wheezing (a sign of respiratory distress). These symptoms usually occur within 4 hours of receiving the vaccine. If you have a history of asthma or any respiratory issues, you may want to avoid vigorous aerobic exercise until you know how your body will react to the vaccine.

What types of exercise should I do after COVID-19 vaccine

There is no specific type of exercise recommended after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. However, exercise in general has been shown to be an effective immunity booster and may even increase the effectiveness of the vaccine.

In a 2021 review on exercise and immunity, researchers noted that moderate to vigorous physical activity resulted in a 31% reduced risk of community-acquired diseases and a 37% reduced risk of mortality from infectious diseases. In addition, exercise has been shown to increase the potency of the vaccine by increasing antibody concentration. These results were not specific to COVID-19, but this is another benefit of habitual exercise.

Researchers looked at aerobic exercise and resistance training individually and in combination; and it all proved to show benefits to those who do exercise.

The Bottom Line

No research has suggested increased health risks associated with exercising after getting the COVID-19 vaccine. Exercise is recommended to help manage pain at the injection site and reduce side effects severity.

Exercise may be difficult if you have more severe side effects. If you have symptoms of an allergic reaction to the vaccine, such as hives, swelling or trouble breathing, contact a doctor and hold off on exercise.

If you feel up to exercising after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, it shouldn’t cause any issues. Exercise may even be helpful in reducing the risk of infectious disease and improving the potency of vaccines. If you feel well enough to move, then do it!

For any other questions, CONTACT US for advice and more!