Spinal Rotation exercises. Increase your golf swing by doing these.

I hope to see everyone healthy and happier.  Summer is upon us so please take full advantage of the weather and get outside and move!! Remember the sun is your friend, please take advantage of the wonderful benefits from it. This Thursday’s Thoughts are exercise based. Sports, work , your everyday life, spinal rotation and strength are vital to help you perform at your best and help you to reduce injuries. Having a strong spine is key to all movements. Reducing pain in this area is also the way we continue to push ourselves while exercising, hanging with loved ones, and just feeling better.I have depicted in a video below 2 excellent ways of increasing range of motion and flexibility in your spine. In addition, the strength component is vital to help you increase rotation while reducing the chance for major injuries.  

1. Weighted trunk rotation in prone 3 point stance. Performed while using a small weight in the 5 to 10 pound range in one hand at a time. While grasping the weight in one hand and leaning over with your other arm on a bench or coffee table creating a 3 point base of support. Rotate your upper body to the weighted side and use momentum by extending your active arm to the right and towards the ceiling. Perform this movement 10 to 12 reps per side.  Below is a link for proper form and explanation. 

2. Torso Twists. Perform this by sitting at the edge of your bench or coffee table. Both legs off the ground and crossed, at the same time lean your torso back. Find your balance and then cross your arms and start rotating your shoulders right to left. Note in the video my head is facing forward. Perform this 30 times in each direction.


By increasing your range of motion in your spine you can increase your ability to hit farther and reduce your chance of injuries while playing a sport or just dealing with everyday movements. 

Please share this with someone you know that can use these exercises and thoughts for better health and wellness.

Or can just send me their emails so i can add it to our health group.Enjoy your family, give everyone a hug when you can!

/0 Comments/by

Thursday’s Thoughts. Summer arm series # 3

Hey all. I hope you are well and getting out in this beautiful weather. Maybe not the last couple of days due to the fires. I would like to apologize for missing last week’s “Thoughts”. This week’s ,“Thoughts” is going back to the exercises for upper arms and shoulders. Summer series part 3: shoulders and arms and core.

Try these 4 in your next workout.


1. Halo : using a kettlebell, free weights or weighted ball. This will be performed standing. The Base of support is feet touching. Start by grabbing your weight with both hands, and rotate the weight in a “halo” position around your head. Making sure you don’t rub your head or graze it. Repetition: 15 rotation  to the right and reverse direction to the left . Repeat two sets.

2. Seated double arm bicep curls with dumbbells.  Perform while sitting. Place both dumbbells directly over your knees with your palms facing to the ceiling. Slightly lean forward from the hips with your chest up. Curl both arms up to your shoulders. And then back down to knees. Reps are 12/15 and repeat 2 sets.

3. Dips. Perform this while using a bench or a chair. No additional weights are needed. Place both hands on the bench with your palms flat. Both of your legs extended forward and straight. Bend both elbows to create a 30 degree angle and repeat motion 12/15 times. 

4. Crunches. Performed on a bench or the floor. Lie on your back with your legs bent and up with your ankles crossed. Both hands together behind your head. Movement is elbows toward your knees. 30 to 40 reps. 

Check out the YouTube link to refer to the other videos for your workouts!

Attachments areaPreview YouTube video Summer Series # 3 Upper body and core.

/0 Comments/by

Thursday’s Thoughts: Death is here to help with Life.

Hey all, I hope to find everyone well and enjoying the great weather.

We were away on vacation last week. Sorry about not getting a “thought” out last thursday. This week’s thought is something a little different than our normal health and wellness blog. The subject matter is one that all of us will eventually come to. Our time here is very limited and precious. What I mean is we all will eventually pass away. Here are some of my thoughts about Death to understand the meaning of Life. I don’t want this to be something morbid or sad, I just want you to understand the meaning that I have for life and try to understand why we all have to go through Death.

1. Natural- Death is a natural part of Life’s cycle of development. ” There is a certain limit to the appropriate length of time in this world. Just as fruits and veggies are limited by the seasons of the year, everything should have its beginning , its life, and it’s ending, after which it should pass away. Wise people willingly submit to this order”. –  Marcus Tullius Cicero

2. Wholeness– The paradox is that death makes life whole. ” What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly. -Richard Bach

3. Surrender and Acceptance– Surrendering to nature, and accept that you won’t get around to some things. “Never postpone a good deed which you do now, because death does not choose whether you have or haven’t done the things you should have done. Death waits for nobody and nothing’. – American Indian wisdom.

4. Just visiting– You are just a visitor on earth. ” Remember, you don’t live in the world, you only pass through it”. – Leo Tolstoy

5.  Length- A certain amount of life has already passed, and you don’t know how much longer you will get. ” Remember how long you’ve been putting this off, how many extensions the gods gave you, and you didn’t use them. At some point you have to recognize what world it is that you belong to; what power rules it and from what source you spring; that there is a limit to the time assigned to you, and if you don’t use it to free yourself you will be gone and will never return.” – Marcus Aurelius.

6. Depth– Due to the unknown length, your best bet is to live deeply and fully. ” What is important is not the length , but the depth of life. What is most important is not to make life longer, but to take your soul out of time, as every sublime act does. Only does life become fulfilled.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

 7. Purpose– Living deeply and fully could simply be called living purposely. ” Your life may be cut short at any time; therefore, your life should have a deep purpose, a significance that will not depend on whether it is short or long”. – Leo Tolstoy

8. Know yourself– Have awareness of your essence and know yourself. “#1 Regret of the dying: I wish i’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.” – Bronnie Ware

9. Art of living– Awaken the art of living to understand the art of dying ( and vice versa)  “One learns the art of dying by learning the art of living: how to become master of the present moment” – S.N. Goenka

10. Today– A single day is a fractional  version of a lifetime. ” Each night , when I go to sleep, I die. And the next morning, when I wake up, I am reborn.” -Mahatma Gandhi

11. Unbusyness– Busyness is one of the biggest distractions from living. “I worry that i;; face my death and realize that my life got lost in this frantic flotsam of daily stuff”. Brigid Schulte

12. Presence– Life only exists in the present moment. ” The longest-lived and those who will die soonest lose the same thing. The present is all that they can give up, since that is all you have, and what you do not have, you cannot lose”. – Marcus Aurelius.

13. Final revelations– Know that some things won’t be revealed until the verge of death. ” In our final moments we all realize that relationships are what life’s all about. Wisdom is learning the truth sooner rather than later. Don’t wait until you’re on your deathbed to figure out that nothing matters more’. – Rick Warren.

14. Beyond Death– Contemplate what may happen after death.  ” The gift we receive on the inner journey is the knowledge that death finally comes to everything- and yet death does not have the final word. By allowing something to die when its time is due, we create the conditions under which new life can emerge”. – Parker Palmer

15. Overcoming fear– It is possible to truly overcome the fear of death while you are alive. ” Remembering that i’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Almost everything- all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure- these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what’s truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose”.  – Steve Jobs 

I want everyone to live the best life you can. Hug and kiss your partner, love your children with your whole heart. Smile more and love your pets. LIve while we still have time. 

/0 Comments/by

Thursday’s Thoughts: Do this one thing to improve your health.

Good Thursday, my friends and family! I hope to find everyone healthy and happier than the last time we talked. Sometimes keeping positive in this world is tough. We have to keep going forward. Maybe a turn here and there but keep going forward. 

This week’s topic is the most underrated exercise you can do for free! There are so many benefits and, to my knowledge, no downsides. It’s something that you can do by yourself, with your partner, or your pet. You can get a book or your favorite music. You can call someone you haven’t connected with in a while. All you need is 20 minutes a day. You know it’s Walking. Not to belittle it, but it’s a thing most of us can do anytime and anywhere!A single activity that we as humans do every day. We are the only creatures in nature that walk upright. Yes, some birds walk upright but have a counterbalance with their spine. What I’m trying to get across is “JUST DO IT” and reap the benefits. Here are just a few Benefits of walking 20 mins a day:

  1. Cardio Health: Increase heart strength and endurance. Increase your blood flow to bring all the nutrients and vital supplies to your body.
  2. Metabolic Health: Help reduce insulin resistance. It helps with increasing the way you metabolize your food into energy. 
  3. Muscle and skeletal system: Aids in reducing muscle loss, increases bone density, and overall strength and endurance. 
  4. Balance: Balance is provided by proper gait on uneven surfaces. Remember, you don’t hop around; you walk on one foot at a time. Proprioception has increased. Vestibular stability will increase.
  5. Healthy Weight Maintenance: Increasing calories burned will aid your weight loss program. An additional benefit for you is an increase in weight due to the build-up of muscle mass while increasing your walking programs to a more strenuous pace.
  6. Better Sleep: Walking in the morning directly improves your circadian rhythm. 
  7. Increased Immune System: Regular walking can benefit your immune system by helping immune cells perform effectively – increasing blood flow, reducing stress and inflammation, and strengthening antibodies.
  8. Brain Health: Increases cognitive performance and decreases the chance of Dementia. 
  9. Mental Health: Decreases stress and anxiety and increases mood and well-being.

All you need is 20 mins per day at a comfortable pace. Down the road, you can increase your pace and move to more challenging terrain, hills, and uneven surfaces. The point of this is, Please get out and try it! t’s a great way to get healthier and reduce stress. 
Please feel free to share this with a friend or send me their email and I will add them to our weekly email. Have the greatest day of your lives today!
Ben

/0 Comments/by

Thursday’s Thoughts: Lumbar Stabilization.

Lumbar instability – is a significant decrease in the capacity of the stabilizing system of the spine to maintain the intervertebral neutral zones within the physiological limits so that there is no neurological dysfunction, no major deformity, and no incapacitating pain. Patients with lumbar instability show loss of spinal motion segment stiffness in which normal external loads may cause pain, spinal deformity or damage to the neurological structures.

Stabilization exercises have been used successfully to treat patients with segmental instability and chronic pain. Evidence suggests that the lack of muscle strength can itself contribute to low back pain even in the absence of degeneration.

Therapy for lumbar instability must address not only the lumbar region but also the surrounding anatomical structures such as the muscles of the abdomen and lower extremities. The kind of exercises depends on the status of the patient. Not all patients show a loss of the feedforward mechanism but in those where the mechanism is not working well, the patients will have more pain.© Primal Pictures

Low back pain (LBP) is the fifth most common reason for physician visits and affects nearly 60-80% of people throughout their lifetime. Some studies have shown that up to 23% of the world’s adults suffer from chronic low back pain. This population has also shown a one-year recurrence rate of 24% to 80%. Some estimates of lifetime prevalence are as high as 84% in the adult population. A systematic review demonstrated an annual rate of adolescents suffering from back pain of 11.8% to 33%, 11-12% of the population being disabled by low back pain. 

There are different definitions of low back pain depending on the source. According to the European Guidelines for prevention of low back pain, low back pain is defined as “pain and discomfort, localized below the costal margin and above the inferior gluteal folds, with or without leg pain”.  The most common form of low back pain is the one that is called “non-specific low back pain” and is defined as “low back pain not attributed to recognizable, known specific pathology”.  

Low back pain is usually categorized in 3 subtypes: acute, sub-acute and chronic low back pain. This subdivision is based on the duration of the back pain. Acute low back pain is an episode of low back pain for less than 6 weeks, sub-acute low back pain between 6 and 12 weeks and chronic low back pain for 12 weeks or more.

Low back pain that has been present for longer than three months is considered chronic. More than 80% of all health care costs can be attributed to chronic LBP. Nearly a third of people seeking treatment for low back pain will have persistent moderate pain for one year after an acute episode. It is estimated that seven million adults in the United States have activity limitations as a result of chronic low back pain. 

I have three go to lumbar spine exercises and stretches if performed daily can make a significant differences in pain and healing: 

  1. Windshield Wipers: This exercise is performed on the floor on your back with both knees in the bent position. 90 degree of flexion with both arms out to the side and your palms facing towards the ceiling. While in the supine position the truck will rotate in the lumbar spine side to side.  keeping your arms on the floor at all times. Areas of movement will be lumbar spine, abdominal obliques, and shoulders. You will also feel mid thoracic and hip movement. 
  2. “Open the door” stretch: this movement will require you to lie on the floor on either side as you will perform it bilaterally.  While side lying is required, tuck both of your knees into the fetal position, both arms are extended and overlapping. This position is considered “closed”. To open the movement, keep your knees and feet together and rotate the top arm and thoracic spine to the opposite side. Hold this movement for 3 seconds for the first 2 x’s, then on your last “open door” hold for 10 sec. Repeat to the other side. Areas of movement are bilateral lumbar spine, hips. Abdominal obliques, shoulders and mid thoracic region.
  3. Torso Twist: this movement requires you to sit on a bench or a chair. While sitting upright you are required to sit at the end of the bench and lean back so that you have the feeling of “leaning” too far. Keeping your arms across your chest and head forward, start rotating your upper body side to side. If this movement is too easy you can raise both legs up and cross ankle to counter balance your upper torso. Areas of movement are bilateral hip flexors, lumbar spine, and abdominal obliques.  

Video of the form is linked below.https://youtu.be/NNMt6K2Uku8

/0 Comments/by

THURSDAY’S THOUGHTS. SUMMER ARMS AND SHOULDERS. PART 2

Here’s your weekly dose of MTS wellness. Please pass this along to a friend or family member. The best gift we can share with someone is good health, and by learning about good health, you can start being a mentor to some of the most important people in your life. 

The great weather is upon us. Please go outside as much as you can, enjoy the sunlight, and reap its benefits. Vitamin D is essential to our well-being; it supports the retention of calcium and phosphorus and has amazing effects by reducing cancer cell growth.This is Part 2 of the Summer Series of exercises for your shoulders and arms. These are some of the most shaping and strength-building exercises for your arms. 

  • Single Dumbbell “Headbangers” Extensions. While standing, grab a medium-weighted dumbbell that you can control over your head. Your stance is close, with feet touching and parallel. Hold the weight with both hands directly over your head (right behind your head, but please don’t head bang). With your elbows bent at a 90-degree angle, I want you to extend both hands directly skyward until your arms are fully extended to 0 degrees. Do this 15 reps x 3 sets. 
  • Single Dumbbell Bicep Curl. This is a single-arm movement. While grabbing a single dumbbell in your hand, your palm facing the ceiling. Your arm should be fully extended, and your knuckle surface should rest on your same thigh. Slightly bend laterally to the side so that your elbow is touching your side, curl up to 90 degrees, and then back down fully extended so you’re touching your thigh again. Repeat to the other side. 2 sets x 16 reps. (noted that this movement will feel slightly harder than most curls). 
  • Dumbbell Front raises. Alternating arms movements. While holding two dumbbells in front of your thighs with your arms fully extended and palms facing your thighs. Extend one arm at a time in front of you so that your arm is parallel to the floor and in front of your “nose.” Alternate each movement until you reach 16 reps per side. Continue this for 3 sets. 
  • Close Grip Dumbbell Curls. This exercise is a two-arm movement. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palm facing upward. Hold the weights close enough to touch the pinky surface of the dumbbell. While curling the weights, make sure the weight remains touching throughout the range of motion. The movement is performed in 3 sets and 15 reps. 
  • Single Arm Kickbacks. As the title states, this exercise is performed with only one weight in hand. With your opposite hand, lean forward from your hips and support your upper body on a bench or a chair. With the arm that is moving, hold the dumbbell in your hand like a hammer. While bent over, extend your weighted arm to full, return to 90 degrees, and start again. Perform this one arm at a time for 12 to 15 reps for 3 sets each.

Here is a video to help you with your form. If this may help anyone you know, please pass it along. 

/0 Comments/by

Thursday’s Thoughts. Better in one year.

I hope to see everyone feeling and living better. The weather has been great. Go outside and get some sun and enjoy the benefits of our great star. 

This week’s thought is “Things that you can do today to better your life in 1 year”.

Yes, the title is a bold statement; with boldness, you need a plan to reach improved wellness and a better life. 

Needed: 

  • Discipline: Commit to a time you can genuinely allocate. Stick to it no matter what, no excuses! 
  • Good Habits: By creating these, you can never make the same mistake more than twice. Learn from our old habits.
  • Attainable goals: Make them easy at first. Don’t lift 500 pounds in 3 months….40 pounds at the same time is way more attainable. 
  • Science-based strategy: Use plans that experienced people have laid in front. No hearsay techniques, only true roads. Study great people, learn from them, and mimic them. 
  • Results: True results come with goal planning. A great way to try this is with a calendar to stay focused.

Achieving your goal sounds daunting. Better health, lower my golf score, save for college, and lower my A1C. Just remember, anything that takes time is usually lasting. You won’t run a marathon tomorrow, but you can achieve anything with a plan.

Here are One Time actions that lock in good habits. 

  • Nutrition: Buy a water filter to clean your drinking water. Use smaller plates to reduce caloric intake.
  • Sleep: Buy a good mattress. Get black-out curtains. Remove your television from your room.
  • Productivity: Unsubscribe from emails. Turn off notifications—mute group chats. Set your phone to silence. Use an email filter to clear up your inbox. Delete games and social media from your phone. 
  • Happiness: Get a dog. Move to a friendly social neighborhood. Sit in the Sun daily.
  • General Health: Buy good shoes to avoid back pain. Buy a supportive chair or stand desk. Walk Daily. 
  • Finance: Enroll in an automatic saving plan. Set auto bill pay. Cut cable service. Call your service provider and ask them to lower your bill.

If you only do these things, I promise you’ll be living a better life one year from now. Changing your life takes a little time. Just remember it’s a good time. Give these ideas a chance. 

Please consider passing this information forward to a friend, family or someone who may need this. Wellness is a great gift!

/0 Comments/by

Thursday’s Thoughts. Desk Stretches.

Here’s your weekly dose of MTS wellness. Please pass this along to a friend or family member. The Best gift we can share with someone is good health.

Desk Stretches – Episode 2 is the topic for today. Please add these exercises and stretches to your daily routine while stuck behind a desk for hours. The longer we sit, the more the muscles group in our neck, shoulders, and legs get stiff and show signs of pain and discomfort. The main culprit are the forward head, slouching, and poor lumbar extension.

When you try to stand after and extended period of sitting during work, it seems like you can’t strengthen up, and your legs are “killing” you. When you don’t move enough, your muscles start the early stages of atrophy. We all know the quote, ” Sitting is the new smoking.” The truth is the circulation is one of the best cures for diseases and physical isssues.

Flexibility and range of motion daily is a natural cure for many issues. Reduction of pain and injuries, prevent atrophy, and many others to name a few.

These will help you relieve pain and increase your energy levels. Add these daily; they should only take appox. 8 to 10 mins.

Here are 5 great exercises to help you daily:

Sitting exercises for the home office worker.

  • Shoulder cross overs: By sitting up tall in your chair, extend your left arm forward and straight (parallel to the floor). Use your other hand, reach under your left elbow, and pull your left arm across your body. Make sure your left thumb is pointing to the ceiling. Hold this position for 30 seconds, then repeat the other arm. Perform this twice. Muscles affected: posterior shoulders, mid to upper back muscle.
  • Sitting Hamstring Stretches: This exercise requires and additional chair or support. While sitting up tall on your chair, extend your right leg on the other chair or support. Extend your leg as much as you can. While sitting in that position, you should start feeling tightness in your hamstring and the back of your calf muscles. I want you to then lean forward from the hips and keeping your posture upright, not bending in the mid back region. Repeat to the other leg, hold for 30 seconds, and repeat twice per leg. Muscles affected: Hamstrings and claves. Lower back.
  • Over Head Side Bends: This stretch is in my top 10 list. Well it’s time to stand up. While performing this movement, I want your stance within shoulder width. With your right hand, grab your left wrist and reach together directly overhead, then side bend to your right just using your mid back, while pushing your left hip out to the side. Your line of pull with your right and is directed towards 2 o’clock. Repeat twice with a hold for 30 to 40 second then switch. Muscle affected: Shoulders, side back, and obliques. Hips and lateral legs. Lower Back.
  • Two-arm Protraction (diving into pool stretch): While sitting upright, extend both arms in front of you, palms facing each other and parallel to the desk. Extend both arms forward like you’re going to dive into a pool. I want your head to look down at your desk while you stretch forward. Hold this position for 30 seconds and repeat it two more times. Muscles affected: Mid to upper back, lateral posterior shoulders, and neck.
  • Standing Modified Downward Dog: Perform while standing and using the back of your desk chair. Stand behind your chair and extend both over the top of the back rest while keeping your arms extended. Bend at the hips and lean towards the chair while your head goes through your arms. Keep your knees in the fully extended position. Hold this for 30 to 40 seconds and repeat twice. Muscles affected: Bilateral shoulders, mid back, low back, and hamstrings. The posterior neck will also feel this movement.

Below is a video for proper form:

https://youtu.be/0FeRW-351XI

/0 Comments/by

Thursday’s Thoughts. Summer Series: Shoulders and Arms

Here’s your weekly dose of MTS Wellness. We will do multiply fitness series; this week’s topic is “Summer Series: Shoulders and Arms.” Theses exercises can be used in your fitness library and brought up with others to create your own personal workouts.

Summer is upon us; warm weather allows for tank tops and tee shirts. We are outside much more that usual, doing yard work, barbecuing, and going to the beach.

I’m putting together a group of different workouts and exercises to help shape and strengthen your arms and shoulders. Yes, we need strength and endurance for work and play, but we also want to look good and feel good.

Time is a big factor for all of us, and these series give you the most proven and effect exercises to make gains in the shortest time possible. No more wasting time at the gym; try these 2 times weekly, and your results will follow.

/0 Comments/by
, , , , ,

Tips to Ponder.

MTS will provide the most cutting edge health tips and new Dietary advances>

Time! How does it effect our productions levels in work. The time of day has been studied recently as a major reason production levels in schools have had ups and downs with grades in high school students. A study in California has shown that classes dealing with math and analytics were higher in scores in the morning hours than those taken in the afternoon. The same study shown the classes with more free thinking and less problems solving thrived, in the afternoon.

Production during different times a day has shown there in 60% increase in the morning , with a low curve in the afternoon hours , then an upward trend after 6 pm.

We have to take in account the many different types of people in the world, we have “Larks, Owls and normals”. We all have a different production level. Just take some time and determine the best time of day your most productive and set your daily “Todo List” accordingly.

/1 Comment/by