Bored with your Ab routine??? Try this one out, and save your back while your at it!

Stability Ball Plank x 45sec
Stir the Pot x 10r/10L
Side Planks x 30 Sec R/30 Sec L
3 sets

Contralateral Toe Touch x 10r/10L
Rollouts(Wheel or Stability Ball) x 15
Stability Ball Knee Tucks x 15
3 sets





Plank and Stir the Pot : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hnBPlooA-o
Contralateral Toe Touch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bv5N_6xqqg
Rollouts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbZs_zjTbRw
Knee Tucks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2y03dkaK1O0&feature=related

WEEKEND HURRICANE WORKOUT!

Even though Hurricane Irene will keep us indoors this weekend, there is no reason why we can't get a workout in. Below is a basic workout you can do in your home with no equipment necessary.



Reverse Lunges w/ Arms Overhead x 15R/15L
T-Pushups x 10R/10L
Hip Extensions w/ Feet on Chair x 25
Opposite Arm/Leg Superman x 15/15
Close Grip Pushup x 20
Side lying Oblique Plank x 45 Sec each side
Squat Step Outs x 25

2 Sets


Single Leg Burpees x 8/8
Tricep Dips x 20
Russian Twists x 20/20
Squat Jumps x 20
Plank x 1 min
V-Ups x 20

2 Sets

ENJOY! Post on Facebook if you have any questions!

Benefits of Swimming

Swimming is a great cardiovascular exercise that burns tons of calories! It is a low impact, joint-friendly modality of exercise that can add variety and a sure boost of metabolism to any weight-loss program. Anywhere from 500-650 calories/hour can be burned from swimming depending on how efficiently you swim, the intensity that you swim at, and how much body-fat you have. Regular swimming builds endurance, muscle strength and cardio-vascular fitness. It can serve as a cross-training element to your regular workouts. Before a dry-land workout, you can use the pool for a warm-up session. Swimming with increasing effort to gradually increase your heart rate and stimulate your muscle activity is easily accomplished in the water. After a land workout, swimming a few laps can help you cool-down, move blood through your muscles to help them recover, and help you relax as you glide through the water.
Swimming can also be a form of meditation that helps relax the mind and take you away from the stresses of work, school, or everyday life. It leaves you feeling refreshed and with a sense of well-being.
Swimming can be a great aerobic alternative if you are injured, or suffering from certain chronic illnesses such as arthritis, protecting the joints from stress and strain. It is also a great way to beat the summer heat and spend some time with the family!



Matthew Fender MS, CSCS, USAW, FMS I &II
Bodyology Personal Training

The TRX Suspension System was created by the company Fitness Anywhere. Yes, the name is fitting for the products they produce because they can be used anywhere. I personally take my TRX everywhere with me. I attach it to trees, doors, and light post. In combination with the natural surroundings (stairs, hills, benches) it makes for the perfect workout. Above is a picture of one of my recent workouts in Spain. If you have any photos of yourself exercising in unique environments, please share by posting on The Bodyology Facebook Page

Fitness anywhere should be a part of our mindset as well. You do not have to be in the gym to get a solid workout. There are plenty of outdoor areas which provide more than enough tools to work up a sweat. Parks, playgrounds, trails, and hills are to name a few. Pushups, squats, lunges, pull-ups and burpees can be done anywhere, so go out side while the weather is still nice. Get creative and try something new. There is no reason to make excuses not to workout. If you need ideas or suggestions, don't hesitate to ask us on our Facebook Page

7 Snack-Smart Guidelines | Eat This, Not That

7 Snack-Smart Guidelines | Eat This, Not That

9 Strange But True Health Tips

9 Strange But True Health Tips

Yo, Adrian

TRX Kickstart was featured on Daily Candy this week! Check out the article and stop by the Art Museum on Tuesday and Thursday Mornings @ 6:30am to KickStart your day with a great workout!





Yo, Adrian

What Golfer Dads Want This Father’s Day: A Lower Score

What Golfer Dads Want This Father’s Day: A Lower Score


Visit www.Bodyologypt.com or email Rob at rob.licata@yahoo.com to schedule an appointment

Benefits of Working Out!

A workout is 25% perspiration and 75% determination. Stated another way it is one part physical exertion and three parts self discipline. Doing it is easy once you get started.

A workout makes you better today than you were yesterday. It strengthens the body, relaxes the mind and toughens the spirit. When you workout regularly, your problems diminish and your confidence grows.

A workout is a personal triumph over laziness and procrastination. It is the badge of a winner – the mark of an organized, goal-oriented person, who has taken charge of his or her destiny.

A workout is a wise use of time and an investment in excellence. It is a way of preparing for life’s challenges, and proving to yourself that you have what it takes to do what is necessary.

A workout is a key that helps unlock the door to opportunity and success. Hidden within each of us is an extraordinary force. Physical and mental and mental fitness are triggers that can release it.

A workout is a form of rebirth. When you finish a workout, you don’t simply feel better, you feel better about yourself.

George Allen

Lower Crossed Syndrome

Do you spend most of your day sitting, driving, working on the computer?  Do you NOT exercise CORRECTLY enough?   If the answer is yes, then you may have something called Lower Crossed Syndrome. LCS is a grouping of weak muscles (abdominals/glutes) and tight, over active muscles (hip flexors/lower back). These groupings create a predictable movement pattern in the low back that often leads to injuries not only in the back, but in the hips, knees and shoulders.  

For example, if you sit in a chair for eight hours a day, in time, your hip flexors will become shortened or tight.  Your brain will automatically start to shut down your glute muscles which are on the opposite side. Since your glute muscles are now not working properly, your body must recruit other muscles such as the hamstrings and low back to assist in movements that should primarily should involve the glutes.  When compensation occurs, injury is much more prevalent.

LCS, which is basically, Tight Hip Flexors and Tight Lower Back paired with Weak abdominals and Weak Glutes may look like this:






As you can see, this combination of muscle imbalances leads to an excessive arching of the lower back and rounding of the upper back, a flabby stomach and a flat butt. Not only does it look bad, but it places extreme stress on your lower back and prevents you from moving the way you were intended to.

So how do you fix this?
Foam Roll
Trigger points in your muscles may prevent them from working properly.  Foam rolling for 10-15 minutes a day could help break up these muscle adhesions.

Stretch your Hip Flexors.
Half Kneeling Lunge

Strengthen your core through stabilization exercises.  (Planks and Anti Rotational Movements)
Situps are not good if you have LCS. Sit-ups further recruit your hip flexors and add stress to your lower back. We want to prevent that. You need to practice being  in straight alignment, not hunched over.

Strengthen your Glutes:
Squats, Hip Bridges, Mini-Band Steps, Alternating Superman.




Please contact me if you have any questions!



Healthy Regards,


Rob Licata, BS, CSCS, TPI-CGFI
Bodyology Personal Training
www.bodyologypt.com

FREE 30 MINUTE WORKOUT!

No gym, trainer or equipment required! Just your body and 30 minutes!!!

The holiday season is here and exercising is slowly moving to the bottom of the list of things to do. I know, the kids have this and that going on, you have shopping to do, holiday parties, the family is visiting, etc,etc. How could you possibly fit in a workout?

It doesn't have to take as long as you think. In only 30 minutes, you could get a solid, heart pumping workout right in your home, using only your body. This cuts down on travel time, to and from the gym giving you more time to do all the other things on your list and best of all, ITS FREE!!! No trainer, gym or equipment required!

Just because you're working out in your home doesn't mean you should be multi tasking during your workout. If you're only spending 30 minutes on exercise, you need to focus one hundred percent giving it everything you have. Clear your mind, and focus on YOU! I guarantee you will have more energy throughout your days and you will feel great!

This is the time to eliminate the new years resolution of starting to workout on January 1, 2011. Stay in shape NOW so your not starting over come the new year.


FREE WORKOUT:

As many rounds as possible in 30 minutes

Alternating lunges + twist x 12/12
Pushups x 12
Single Leg RDL with Reach x 12/12
Alternating superman x 12/12
Squat thrust x 12

Workout Demo

Bored with your Ab routine??? Try this one out, and save your back while your at it!

Stability Ball Plank x 45sec
Stir the Pot x 10r/10L
Side Planks x 30 Sec R/30 Sec L
3 sets

Contralateral Toe Touch x 10r/10L
Rollouts(Wheel or Stability Ball) x 15
Stability Ball Knee Tucks x 15
3 sets





Plank and Stir the Pot : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hnBPlooA-o
Contralateral Toe Touch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bv5N_6xqqg
Rollouts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbZs_zjTbRw
Knee Tucks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2y03dkaK1O0&feature=related

Effects of Alcohol on Muscle Growth

Everyone knows that working out while under the influence of alcohol is dangerous because of the likelihood of injury, but few athletes realize that consuming alcohol after a workout, practice, or competition can cancel out any physiological gains you might have received from such activities. Not only does long-term alcohol use diminish protein synthesis resulting in a decrease in muscle build-up, but even short-term alcohol use can impede muscle growth.
In order to build bigger and stronger muscles, your body needs sleeps to repair itself after workouts. Because of alcohol’s effect on sleep, however, your body is robbed of a precious chemical called “human growth hormone” or HGH. HGH is part of the normal muscle-building and repair process and the body’s way of telling itself your muscle needs to grow bigger and stronger. Alcohol, however, can decrease the secretion of HGH by as much as 70 percent! Also, when alcohol is in your body, the production of a substance in your liver is triggered that is directly toxic to testosterone, a hormone essential to the development and recovery of your muscles.
Speeding the recovery of sore muscles and injuries is integral to optimal performance. Alcohol is a toxin—a toxin that travels through your bloodstream to every organ and tissue in your body, thus slowing your body’s ability to heal itself. Additionally, once alcohol is absorbed through your stomach and small intestine and finally into your cells, it can disrupt the water balance in muscle cells, thus altering their ability to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is your muscles’ source of energy. ATP provides the fuel necessary for yo ur muscles to contract.


Pumped: Straight Facts for Athletes about Drugs, Supplements, and Training, C. Kuhn, S. Swartzwelder, and W. Wilson (New York: W.W. Norton, 2000).

SMALL GROUP TRAINING...THE WAY TO GO!

Pros of small group personal training

Cost: if one-one-one or partner personal training packages are just a little much for your budget right now, small group personal training provides an attractive alternative.

At approximately $30 a session, they’re about half the cost of a one-on-one personal training session.

Accountability and Adherence: just like with one-on-one and partner personal training you have the added benefit of accountability from your trainer. It’s easy to make excuses to yourself and not stay consistent with an exercise program on your own.

The added benefit of small group personal training is you also have accountability to others in your group. This is not to be taken lightly as it’s very effective in helping you stick with a fitness program.

Motivation and Camaraderie: there’s just something to be said about working out with a group of people just like you. When everyone is working hard doing their best and having fun, there’s an abundance of positive energy.

Bottom line is you’ll be more inspired and find yourself looking forward to the workouts instead of dreaded them.

Support: you get built in support when you’re part of a small group personal training program. Once again the benefit of this should not be taken lightly. Support is an integral component for success in seeing results with a fitness or weight loss program.

It’s great if you have support from your family and friends but with a small group personal training program you have support built in from the other participants.

Take a look at shows like The Biggest Loser and Celebrity Fit Club. Even when the competitors are in direct contention, they still band together and cheer each other on. Shane Doll

What is High Fructose Corn Syrup?

High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a manmade sweetener that’s found in a wide range of processed foods, from ketchup and cereals to crackers and salad dressings. It also sweetens just about all of the (regular) soda Americans drink. HFCS used in foods is between 50 to 55 percent fructose—so chemically, it’s virtually identical to table sugar (sucrose), which is 50 percent fructose. Metabolic studies suggest our bodies break down and use HFCS and sucrose the same way.

Yet, after HFCS began to be widely introduced into the food supply 30-odd years ago, obesity rates skyrocketed. And because the sweetener is so ubiquitous, many blame HFCS for playing a major role in our national obesity epidemic. As a result, some shoppers equate HFCS with “toxic waste” when they see it on a food label. But when it comes right down to it, a sugar is a sugar is a sugar. A can of soda contains around nine teaspoons of sugar in the form of HFCS—but, from a biochemical standpoint, drinking that soda is no worse for you than sipping home-brewed iced tea that you’ve doctored with nine teaspoons of table sugar or an equivalent amount of honey.

Even Barry Popkin, Ph.D., a nutrition professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who previously suggested, in an influential 2004 paper, a possible HFCS-obesity link, stresses that the real obesity problem doesn’t lie just with HFCS. Rather, it’s the fact that sugars from all sources have become so prevalent in our food supply, especially in our beverages. He scoffs at the “natural” sweeteners sometimes added to upscale processed foods like organic crackers and salad dressings. “They all have the same caloric effects as sugar,” he explains. “I don’t care whether something contains concentrated fruit juice, brown sugar, honey or HFCS. The only better sweetener option is ‘none of the above.’”

At EatingWell, it’s our philosophy to keep any sweeteners we use in our recipes to a minimum—and likewise, to limit processed foods with added sugars of any type, including HFCS. We recommend you do the same.

Did you know?
The corn syrup found on supermarket shelves is only a distant cousin to the high-fructose corn syrup used commercially. Both start by processing corn starch with enzymes and/or acids, but the HFCS process is much more complex and results in a different chemical structure. By Joyce Hendley, September/October 2007

This Is The Beginning of a New Day

This is the beginning of a new day,
God has given me this day to use as I will.
I can waste it or use it for good,
but what I do today is important
because I am exchanging a day of my life for it.
When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever,
leaving in its place something that I have traded for it.
I want it to be gain and not loss; good and not evil;
success and not failure; in order that I shall not
regret the price I have paid for it.

'Unknown'

Golf Fitness.....Prepare Your Body, Stay Injury Free, Play Better Golf!

Is your golf game struggling? Is it the clubs? Or is it limitations in your body which restrict movement and cause less efficient swings?

As a Certified Golf Fitness Instructor by the Titleist Performance Institute, I can help you.

Factors like strength, flexibility, balance, endurance, stability, power and posture all influence the body's mechanics. Utilizing a 12 exercise movement screen, we measure your ability to generate and transfer power throughout your body. We will isolate any physical limitations, correlate these findings to your swing technique and prescribe a custom-conditioning program.

Through the movement screen we will be able to isolate weak links throughout your body. These weak links could potentially cause faulty swing mechanics which lead to your slice or any other consistent problem area in your game. As a Certified Golf Fitness Instructor, I will be able to form a relationship with your golf pro in order to work together as a team to improve your golf game as fast and efficient as possible.

Contact me at rob.licata@yahoo.com for more information or visit www.thebodyologist.com

Home Gym Essentials

If you struggle getting to the gym 3 or 4 times a week, here is a list of equipment that is perfect for your house. With these tools, full body workouts could be completely with many varieties and modifications. There is no reason not to get a quick 30 minute workout done when you could bring the gym to you!

1. TRX Suspension System

2. Iron GymPull up Bar

3. Adjustable Dumbbells(for most women weights of 5, 10, 12,15,20, 25 lbs should be sufficient)

4. Jump Rope

If you would like more information on any of these pieces of equipment please email me at rob@thebodyologist.com

What is Metabolism????

Everyone always talks about raising their metabolism. What exactly is your metabolism?By definition Metabolism is all the chemical reactions that take place in your body which include all reactions of your brain, liver, digestive tract, muscles, heart, lungs, and every other tissue and organ.

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) The number of calories the body uses just to exist, sleeping and breathing. (Estimated to be around 800 calories)

Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) Assuming that you don’t sleep and breathe all day long, we could add an additional 100-200 calories for additional movements such as reading a book, fidget around, or thinking.

So this brings use to about 1000 calories a day without exercise.

Now lets add in:

Daily Activities, (100-200 calories) going to the store, cleaning the house, walking around the office

· Digestion (100 calories) As your liver, pancreas, stomach and intestines produce digestive enzymes, calories are being burned. Think about how you may feel hot or even sweat after eating a large meal. So if you think dieting will work, the less you eat, the less your digestive system will work, and the lower your metabolism will get.

· Exercise (approximately 300-500/ hour if done at the proper intensity)

· Post Exercise: Glycogen needs to be restored in the muscle, triglycerides needs to be replenished in fat cells. The harder and more prolonged the exercise, the greater demand for replenishment. If you work hard enough, your body could continue to burn calories for up too 36 hours post workout. (50-100, depending on exercise duration and intensity)

So this brings us to about 1500-1800 calories per day.

So as you could see your metabolism is made up of all these little processes. If you feel that your metabolism is slowing, analyze the list above and see what might be missing. Chances are if your relatively healthy, your BMR is the same as it always was. If you feel your lacking in a category(EXERCISE!), that could be the reason why your not losing the fat that you want to lose.

Implementing an exercise program can increase all of these metabolic processes!

Bailey, Covert. (1994) "Smart Exercise"

Runners Knee

By Jonathan Cluett, M.D., About.com Guide

Chondromalacia patella is a common cause of kneecap pain or anterior knee pain. Often called "Runner's Knee," this condition often affects young, otherwise healthy athletes.

Chondromalacia is due to an irritation of the undersurface of the kneecap. The undersurface of the kneecap, or patella, is covered with a layer of smooth cartilage. This cartilage normally glides effortlessly across the knee during bending of the joint. However, in some individuals, the kneecap tends to rub against one side of the knee joint, and the cartilage surface become irritated, and knee pain is the result.

What happens to the cartilage with chondromalacia?
Chondromalacia is due to changes of the deepest layers of cartilage, causing blistering of the surface cartilage. The pattern of cartilage damage seen with chondromalacia is distinct from the degeneration seen in arthritis, and the damage from chondromalacia is thought to be capable of repair, unlike that seen with arthritis.

Who gets chondromalacia?
Chondromalacia is interesting in that it often strikes young, otherwise healthy, athletic individuals. Women are more commonly affected with chondromalacia. Exactly why this is the case is unknown, but it is thought to have to do with anatomical differences between men and women, in which women experience increased lateral forces on the patella.

What is the treatment for chondromalacia?
The treatment of chondromalacia remains controversial, but most individuals can undergo effective treatment by resting the knee and adhering to a proper physical therapy program. Allowing the inflammation of chondromalacia to settle is the first step of treatment. Avoiding painful activities that irritate the knee for several weeks, followed by a gradual return to activity is important. In this time, cross-training activities, such as swimming, can allow an athlete to maintain their fitness while resting the knee. The next step in treatment is a physical therapy program that should emphasize strengthening and flexibility of the quadriceps and hamstring muscle groups. Use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication is also helpful to minimize the pain associated with chondromalacia. Treatment with surgery is declining in popularity for two reasons: good outcomes without surgery, and the small number of patients who actually benefit from surgical treatment.

Does this sound like your situation?

You're a self-proclaimed athlete--certainly in shape, but not quite a professional runner/cyclist/etc. You decide to train for the local 10-mile race, or perhaps even a marathon, maybe you're a cyclist who is riding more than usual. Your knee starts to give you trouble, so you see your doctor and are diagnosed with chondromalacia.

You're given the treatment for chondromalacia: rest, medications, exercises. You participate, to some degree, with these treatments, but the knee pain persists.

Why is chondromalacia a persistent problem?

I can't tell you how common this story is in an orthopedic surgeon's office. One of the most common problems we see is chondromalacia, and patients often take a long time to recover. Here is why the recovery from chondromalacia can be so difficult:

• You are doing activities your body is not ready for.
  Running 10 miles or a marathon is not a normal activity. You are asking your body to take on a terrific burden by participating in these activities. Often patients complain that "this doesn't seem to happen to others." Absolutely wrong! Nagging injuries in part-time athletes, even in professional athletes, are probably the most common reason for a visit to a sports medicine specialist. On top of asking your body to do some un-natural activities (running 20 miles is NOT natural), many patients spend the rest of their day at a desk. Then they set aside an hour or two to cram all their physical activity into the late afternoon.
  Don't get me wrong...distance running and other activities that cause chondromalacia are great for the body. The benefits to the heart, lungs, etc. far outweigh the knee pain of chondromalacia. But be understanding of the limits of your body. It is not abnormal for your body to develop symptoms of chondromalacia if you are a distance runner!
  
• You don't really participate in the treatment.
  This is certainly not true for everyone, but it is true for the majority of patients. If you want to rid yourself of chondromalacia, you MUST rest. Any activity that causes chondromalacia knee pain, be it a run, walking up steps, or anything else, is causing further irritation to the cartilage under the kneecap. You need to give your body a chance to heal. Many patients are given a knee strengthening program or sent to a physical therapist. The reason for this is not so much to make you stronger (the average patient with chondromalacia is quite strong), but to better balance the muscles around the knee. Without specific exercises to balance these muscles, and a proper stretching routine, the problem of chondromalacia will likely not be solved. Doing the exercises every day is an important part of treatment.
  
• You haven't set aside enough time to recover.
  Many patients have a race in two months, have the onset of chondromalacia, and expect a few days of backing off their training schedule should cure the problem. Sorry. You need several weeks, at a minimum, to allow the irritated cartilage to settle down. You'll then need several more weeks to slowly build up your activities in order to resume your training schedule.