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Young woman having knee pain

Women Are More Susceptible To ACL Injuries: 5 Essential Exercises To Minimize The Risk

/7 October 2021/ All MFN blog/

Women have different biomechanics due to a slightly wider pelvis, which means their knees buckle more easily when landing from a jump. Women have looser joints, which is a risk factor for knee problems, and muscular, strength and hormonal issues also play a part.

The ACL provides the knee joint with stability and rotational control during movement. When an ACL tear happens, hearing or feeling a ‘pop’ at the time of injury is common. This is followed by localized swelling at the knee joint.

An ACL injury can occur in several ways:

  • Rapid change of direction
  • Sudden stop
  • Sudden deceleration while running
  • Landing incorrectly after a jump
  • Hyperextension of the knee
  • Direct contact or collision while playing a sport

If you experience any sharp or sudden pain at the knee, especially during sports or from a fall, follow the First Aid RICE protocol immediately — Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate — and seek medical attention immediately.

There isn’t much you can do once the injury happens, but there are ways to minimize the chance of it happening in the first place. Prevention is better than cure so focus on strengthening the kinetic chain and muscles around the knee. If you do lots of sport with plyometric movements, ensure your technique and form is correct, and include agility drills for neuromuscular control.

Here are 5 essential exercises to help stabilize and strengthen your knees, hips and glutes, which in turn will help prevent an ACL injury.

Single Leg Deadlift

Ensure that your knee doesn’t buckle and aim to keep your hips level. Keep your spine neutral and braced throughout the entire movement while maintaining balance.

Elevated Hip Raise

This exercise targets the hamstrings and calves. Maintain a neutral spine throughout the range of movements.

Walking Leg Lunges with Torso Rotation

Maintain an upright torso with your hips squared. If you feel a sharp pain in your knee at any time during this exercise, stop and seek advice from a qualified trainer.

Lateral Squats

Begin by placing your feet wide apart, then shift your weight from left to right while placing most of your body weight on the heels of your feet. If you feel a sharp pain in your knee at any time during this exercise, stop and seek advice from a qualified trainer.

 

Reprinted with permission from www.purelyb.com

Ke Wynn Lee is an author and an international award-winning corrective exercise specialist who currently owns and operates a private Medical Fitness Center in Penang. Apart from coaching, he also conducts workshops and actively contributes articles related to corrective exercise, fitness & health to online media and local magazines.

heart-illustration

Cholesterol and Heart Disease | Fact Sheet from PCRM

/1 October 2021/ All MFN blog/

Nearly 2,400 Americans die of cardiovascular disease daily, with an average of one death occurring every 37 seconds. In 2018, roughly one out of every 10 Americans over the age of 20 had some type of cardiovascular disease (coronary heart disease, heart failure, and/or stroke), and one out of every seven deaths in the United States was due to coronary heart disease alone.

pumpkins

Roasted Mini Pumpkins filled with Ice Cream

/30 September 2021/ All MFN blog/

Roasted mini pumpkins make the perfect fall dessert vessel. The entire pumpkin is edible and packed with anti-aging phytonutrients. Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring “fountain of youth” and pumpkin seeds are one of the best sources. When you’re preparing your pumpkin bowls don’t forget to save the seeds for roasting.

Pumpkin Bowls

  • 4 mini pumpkins
  • 2 tbls coconut oil or vegan butter
  • 1 tbls coconut sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp pink salt
  • 2 drops of vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Fill roasting pan with ¼” water. Wash and dry pumpkins and shave a little off the bottom of each to create a stable base. Cut off top, clean out seeds and pulp. Pat the inside dry with paper towels. Warm oil, cinnamon, sugar and salt in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Brush the prepared pumpkins inside and out with cinnamon mixture. Place pumpkins into water bath and top with lids. Roast until tender and caramelized. The aroma fills your home with holiday spirit.

Remove from pan and allow to rest for 5-7 minutes. Place each one onto a dessert plate and fill with your favorite ice cream. Dust with powdered sugar and cinnamon. I like a little orange zest, too.

Phyte Facts

Say hello to the real “fountain of youth” — hyaluronic acid (HA) is just that, says the latest research. Three nutrients have to be present for the body to assimilate and benefit from HA. Pumpkin has it all going on: Magnesium, Phytoestrogen, and the phytoflavanoid, Naringenin. Vitamin C and Zinc are big players here, too. HA affects every part of our bodies and super-agers have shown to have it in abundance. Pumpkin seeds are the number one source of quality HA in the seed world. Seeds contain a much higher source of HA than nuts.

The bright orange color shows us the presence of beta-carotene and supports the health of our skin, eyes and immune function. Beta-carotene becomes Vitamin A and Vitamin A becomes Abscisic Acid: a powerful cancer killer. That’s another thing our orange fruit and veggie friends do for us: they check the health of our cells and prevent mutation of cancer cells. The humble sweet potato has the best tracking system of all. Nature is so amazing!

Get more great recipes from Tina Martini — her book, Delicious Medicine: The Healing Power of Food is available to purchase on Amazon. More than a cookbook, combining 20+ years of experience, along with her love of coaching, cooking and teaching, Tina offers unexpected insights into the history and healing power of clean eating, along with recipes to help reduce your risk of disease and improve overall wellness so you can enjoy life!

Affectionately referred to as The Walking Encyclopedia of Human Wellness, Fitness Coach, Strength Competitor and Powerlifting pioneer, Tina “The Medicine Chef” Martini is an internationally recognized Naturopathic Chef and star of the cooking show, Tina’s Ageless Kitchen. Tina’s cooking and lifestyle show has reached millions of food and fitness lovers all over the globe. Over the last 30 years, Tina has assisted celebrities, gold-medal athletes and over-scheduled executives naturally achieve radiant health using The Pyramid of Power: balancing Healthy Nutrition and the healing power of food, with Active Fitness and Body Alignment techniques. Working with those who have late-stage cancer, advanced diabetes, cardiovascular and other illnesses, Tina’s clients are astounded at the ease and speed with which they are able to restore their radiant health. Tina believes that maintaining balance in our diet, physical activity, and in our work and spiritual life is the key to our good health, happiness and overall well being. Visit her website, themedicinechef.com

health-wellness-coach-with-client

The Health And Wellness Coach’s Value Proposition

/29 September 2021/ All MFN blog/

Every potential coaching client is looking to have the question ‘What’s in it for me?’ answered. Every coach needs to be able to succinctly answer that question by conveying what they will provide for their client.

Potential coaching clients are rarely familiar with what a coach, especially a health & wellness coach, can do for them. They are used to dealing with educators and consultants, medical and otherwise, not coaches. Usually clients expect to be directed, educated, and led in the best direction for them. All too often they hear a wellness coach tell them something like:

“I’m not going to tell you what to do. I’m not going to tell you what to eat or how to exercise. You’re the one in charge. You’re the one behind the steering wheel. You’ll be making your own wellness plan, and I’ll help you follow it.”

Why should this person become your client when it appears that they, themselves, are going to be doing all the work? Our client-centered approach to coaching does not mean we are not providing value, however we have to communicate the value of what we offer, and do it very clearly. What will the client gain from coaching?

This is true for the self-employed coach as well as the coach working for a wellness program, a disease management company, an insurance carrier, or any other organization that provides wellness and health coaching. It is about engagement. When coaches are confronted with the “incentivized” client, who is reluctantly complying with coaching in order to get their prize (or much-needed insurance discount), conveying the Health And Wellness Coach’s Value Proposition is more vital than ever.

Here is my way of presenting The Health And Wellness Coach’s Value Proposition. Please adapt to your own words and use it!

The Health And Wellness Coach’s Value Proposition*

“Thank you for your interest in improving your lifestyle and your life. You may be new to coaching, and especially wellness coaching, so let me share with you the value that it brings.

Wellness/health coaching is all about you living the best life possible for you. To do that most people find there needs to be some improvements in their way of living, their lifestyle. Making those improvements, those changes is challenging when you have to do it all by yourself. Perhaps you’ve already had some experience with that.

When I work with someone in coaching I’m here to serve you. You are the one in charge of your life and our work together. It’s your hands on the steering wheel. I’m not going to tell you what to do and give you a pre-maid wellness plan. But, together we can co-create a plan to help you succeed at making the lifestyle improvements that you want to make.

As your coach I will be working with you to get very clear about where you are at with your health and well being right now. We’ll help you take stock of that by exploring together, using some coaching tools that will help give you a more complete picture, and by going over the lifestyle improvement recommendations you’ve gotten from treatment professionals. Then we’ll work together to help you form a clear picture of the kind of life you want to live, your healthiest life possible for you. We’ll compare where you’re at and where you want to be and together form a solid plan to help you get there.

Once we have that plan we’ll work together as allies to help you be accountable to yourself and follow through on the steps you need to be taking on a regular basis to help you achieve the goals you have in your plan. I’ll be with you throughout the journey. I’ll be there to help you strategize over, under, around and through the barriers that come up. I’ll help you with challenges that make it tough for you to live the healthy life you want and together we’ll help you keep on track. Together we’ll help you find and develop the sources of support that will make your changes last. We’ll evaluate our progress and adjust the course along the way as we need to. My goal is to assist you in becoming self-sufficient in your wellness, to be able to live a healthy life in a completely sustainable way.

I bring the value of a professional that knows about succeeding at lifestyle improvement. I bring the value of an ally.”

*Created by Michael Arloski, Ph.D., PCC, CWP. Please adapt to your own words and use it! If used intact you must include authorship credit and contact information (Real Balance Global Wellness Services, Inc, https://www.realbalance.com). 

Originally published on Real Balance blog. Reprinted with permission.

Dr. Michael Arloski is the CEO and Founder of Real Balance Global Wellness Services, Inc. (www.realbalance.com). Real Balance has trained thousands of wellness coaches worldwide. Dr. Arloski is a board member of The National Wellness Institute, and a founding member of the executive team of The National Consortium For Credentialing Health and Wellness Coaches. He is author of the leading book in the field of wellness coaching: Wellness Coaching For Lasting Lifestyle Change, 2nd Ed.

senior-woman-virtual-exercise

Two Big Fitness Marketing Mistakes Post Pandemic

/28 September 2021/ All MFN blog/

If you make either of these two big fitness marketing mistakes post-pandemic, it will cost you. You’re going to make them totally unintentionally. I mean of course, right? Why would anyone intentionally make a marketing mistake?

Beyond that, though you may think that yes, you’ve got these two bases covered and realize after reading this and listening to my podcast on the topic, no you don’t.

One way you know is you’re attracting the wrong kind of people.

Another way is you’re not getting any engagement on your social or your content marketing. 

If you confuse, you lose.

  • What are you sharing in your social media posts?
  • Do people understand what you do, why you do it?
  • Are you establishing yourself as a go-to authority in the area where you want people to find you for programs, products, and services?

Analyze:

  • The name of your social media profile
  • The posts you create (one by one because that’s how they see them)
  • The way you’ve positioned yourself

And then apply this to the following to avoid the two biggest fitness marketing mistakes

Big Fitness Marketing Mistake #1: No Specific Audience

The other day I reviewed a business website and social media platforms as part of a social media audit. It was hard to know who the ideal customer was and if I couldn’t tell as a fitness marketer looking for it, how could anyone?

Just because you’re focused on a certain age and gender (demographic), it doesn’t mean that everyone in that demographic wants the same thing.

First, there’s your niche. Are you about food, exercise, mindset, hormones, weight loss? What is your specific niche?

But that’s not even enough.

Here’s an example

Take women in menopause. Many are married, but an almost equal number are single. Are you talking about dating? About traveling alone? Or about family vacations? About drinking wines and trips to Napa? Some (I’m one) wouldn’t enjoy that at all because they rarely, and then barely, drink.

Some women have a conservative view of menopause, what’s happening and possible, while others are thinking about doing triathlons after retirement. Who are you talking to?

Women in perimenopause are more likely to have kids at home full-time jobs, and a unique set of problems, compared to women just post-menopause. There’s a subset of women in post-menopause who did have children later… so who are you talking to? Define it very specifically. And realize, they need to feel “like you.” If your images, videos and copy doesn’t resonate with who they are or want to be, you miss the opportunity to help women looking for you.

Find out the #2 biggest fitness marketing mistake and listen to Debra’s podcast on this topic… visit Debra’s blog, Fitness Marketing Mastery

Debra Atkinson is the #youstillgotitgirl who is flipping 50 and changing the way thousands of women think about their second half. She’s the host of the Flipping 50 TV Show and the Flipping 50 podcast. As a master personal trainer, strength and wellness coach with over 30 years fitness industry experience, she works with women who are pro-aging with vitality and energy. She serves on the MedFit Education Foundation Advisory Board, is an international fitness presenter, and author of hundreds of articles and multiple books. Visit her website, flippingfifty.com

corrective-exercise-stretching-fitness

Benefits of Being a Corrective Exercise Specialist

/27 September 2021/ All MFN blog/

Research shows that 90% of people report painful and limiting musculoskeletal conditions affecting the success of their workouts. (4) In response to this need corrective exercise is booming with fitness professionals becoming educated about musculoskeletal assessments, movement analysis and corrective exercise to help both themselves and their clients feel and function better. Becoming a specialist in corrective exercise and integrating these strategies into your fitness business has many advantages. 

  • Attract More Clients: Latest research indicates the number one reason people seek the help of a fitness professional is to assist them with muscle/joint pain. (4) If you are qualified to address these problems, you will attract more clients.
  • Increased Revenue: Having a sought-after specialty qualification in corrective exercise has been shown to increase your income by as much as 50%. (1)
  • Utilize Fool-Proof Assessments: When a client comes to you with pain or complains of pain during their workout, you can take a strategic and active approach to assessing and correcting the underlying cause of their problem.
  • Use Proven Methods: The corrective exercise strategies contained in well-recognized corrective exercise certifications like The BioMechanics Method have been tried and tested on real clients and produce unbelievable results. 
  • Design Better Workouts: A better understanding of functional anatomy and movement can not only help you get clients out of pain, but it can also assist you in designing more effective exercises. This enables you to create high-performance programs for both weekend warriors and professional athletes.
  • Accelerate Client Results: Injuries and movement dysfunction limit the types and intensity of workouts clients can perform. Helping clients feel better so they can perform better, both in and out of the gym, lets them realize goals sooner.
  • Keep Clients Coming: When clients get injured, they drop out. Addressing your client’s muscle imbalances and movement dysfunction at the outset of their program decreases the likelihood they will experience pain or injuries and ensures they can continue working with you.
  • Increase Word of Mouth Referrals: The ability to help clients get out of pain and achieve their goals is marketing gold. They will confidently refer friends, family and colleagues to you for help. You will also be able to successfully network with health professionals who need a trusted, qualified corrective exercise specialist to whom they can refer patients.
  • Get Ahead at Work: Latest research indicates that advanced qualifications weigh heavily in an employer’s decision when looking to promote a staff member. (2)
  • Edge out the Competition: Statistics show that 89% of clients are looking for a fitness professional to help them alleviate their aches and pains. Yet only 56% of personal trainers offer corrective exercise services.4 The knowledge and skills you obtain by earning a corrective exercise qualification could provide you with a major competitive edge in the fitness arena.

Helping clients overcome aches and pains can be a profitable and rewarding experience. A sound understanding of biomechanics will allow you to develop and use your practical corrective exercise skills. It also provides an outlet for you to market your unique services and become one of the industry’s most sought-after professionals.

MedFit Network (MFN) members receive 20% off The BioMechanics Method Corrective Exercise Specialist certification. Members can get their discount coupon here.

Justin Price is one of the world’s foremost experts in musculoskeletal assessment and corrective exercise and creator of The BioMechanics Method Corrective Exercise Specialist certification (TBMM-CES).  The BioMechanics Method is the fitness industry’s highest-rated CES credential with trained professionals in over 70 countries. Justin is also the author of several books including The BioMechanics Method for Corrective Exercise academic textbook, a former IDEA Personal Trainer of the Year, and a subject matter expert for The American Council on Exercise, Human Kinetics, PTA Global, PTontheNET, TRX, BOSU, Arthritis Today, BBC, Discovery Health, Los Angeles Times, Men’s Health, MSNBC, New York Times, Newsweek, Time, Wall Street Journal, WebMD and Tennis Magazine.

 

References

  1. NASM. 2015. Annual NASM-CPT Survey. Chandler, AZ: National Academy of Sports Medicine.
  2. National Federation of Personal Trainers, 2012. www.nfpt.com
  3. Price, J. 2018. The Biomechanics Method for Corrective Exercise. Champaign, Illinois: Human Kinetics.
  4. Schroeder, Jan., and Donlin, Ayla. 2013. IDEA Fitness Programs and Equipment Trends Report. IDEA Health & Fitness Association.
female-trainer-senior-client-exercise-ball

Flip the Script: How Fitness Professionals Can Overcome Challenging Clients

/24 September 2021/ All MFN blog/

If you are a fitness or medical fitness professional, there is a good chance you have heard one or more of the following statements at least once in your career. In fact, there is also a good chance you have heard these statements on a daily basis. 

1. I am a little tired and my muscles are a little sore from our last session, so I am going to cancel today and rest. 

2. I don’t want to do “that exercise” because I have never done it before.

3. My doctor told me that I should not be squatting, bending, reaching, twisting, etc… 

Many of you reading this article can relate to at least one of the above and may have even let out a slight sigh of frustration when it comes to overcoming challenging clients. Overwhelming amounts of research show that exercise can help to improve your health and fitness without hurting your joints.(1) With your current treatment program, exercise can: 

  • Strengthen the muscles around your joints 
  • Help you maintain bone strength 
  • Give you more energy to get through the day 
  • Make it easier to get a good night’s sleep 
  • Help you control your weight 
  • Enhance your quality of life 
  • Improve your balance 

However, many of our clients still believe that exercise will aggravate their joint pain and stiffness, but that is not the case. Lack of exercise actually can make your joints even more painful and stiff.(2) If the muscles and surrounding tissue are strong, it helps to maintain support for your bones. Choosing not to exercise weakens those supporting muscles, creating more stress on your joints. 

While fitness and medical fitness professionals understand the importance of exercise, the way we translate this to our clients is key. Oftentimes, clients receive misinformation along with mixed messages from doctors, family members, friends, and of course, social media. However, after decades of both academic and professional research working with special demographics, I have discovered a powerful technique to increase clients’ willingness to improve their health through exercise. The answer lies not only in showing the client how each exercise emulates real-life situations, but also how it affects their independence.

For example, telling a client, “Today we will be working on how to safely and effectively execute a squat,” is a lot different than saying, “Today we will be practicing our sit to stand movements so that you have the lower body strength and flexibility to rise from your favorite chair without assistance.” 

Most importantly, it is important to reiterate to your client that their lack of strength, mobility, and balance leads to a more sedentary lifestyle that will decrease their ability to function independently as time progresses. Additionally, muscle atrophy, joint immobility and poor flexibility are key indicators that functional movements, or movements that are required to perform everyday tasks, will soon be a thing of the past.

If a client is unwilling to perform various exercises, here are some conversation starters:

  1. Did you know that this is not just an exercise, but one of the foundational movements to support strength, balance and flexibility in your everyday life?
  2. Do you know the definition of functional fitness?
  3. Do you know that this isn’t just an exercise, but will help you walk up and down the stairs, get up from a seat, carry your groceries, and pick up a grandchild?
  4. Are you ready to give up your independence? 

Christine M. Conti, BA, M.Ed, is an international fitness educator and presenter. She currently serves as the Director of Membership for MedFit Network, sits on the MedFit Education Advisory Board and is a course author for MedFit Classroom. She is also CEO and founder of ContiFit.com and Let’s FACE It Together™ Facial Fitness & Rehabilitation and co-host of Two Fit Crazies & A Microphone Podcast. 

Check out Christine’s online course with MedFit Classroom, Arthritis Fitness Specialist:

References

  1. CDC: Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (2021, April 5). Benefits of Physical Activity. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved September 10, 2021, from https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/pa-health/index.htm
  2. Mayo Clinic. (2021). Exercising With Arthritis: Improve Your Joint Pain and Stiffness. Mayo Clinic. Retrieved September 9, 2021, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/arthritis/in-depth/arthritis/art-20047971