Month: November 2014

If you are overweight and/or have elevated blood sugar levels (pre-diabetic) you are at an increased risk for developing Diabetes, Heart Disease, Cancer, and Dementia.  The two most important things you can do to control of your health is change what you eat and perform regular exercise.

As part of a comprehensive program that includes acupuncture to reduce food cravings, improve digestion and lower cortisol levels, I recommend High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) or Burst Training.

Don’t be intimidated by the name. The intensity is relative to your own physical capabilities. The focus of the program is not only to lose excess weight but improve important health markers: hip to waist ratio, blood sugar levels, blood pressure.

(HIIT) or Burst Training is an effective form of exercise for weight loss, blood sugar control and anti-aging. The best part about it is that you can do it almost anywhere, you don’t need any special equipment, and it doesn’t take very much time.  You only need 20-30 minutes 2-3 times a week.

You can do it in a stairwell, on a hill, or just plain old walking or running.  If you have access to a gym or exercise equipment, you can use a stationary bike, elliptical or rowing machine.  Any type of movement will do as long as you can perform periods of intense work followed by a period of rest.

*Always check with your doctor before beginning a new exercise program.

Basic HIIT or Burst Training

  • Begin at a light pace to warm up your muscles for 5 minutes
  • Increase intensity to the maximum you can sustain for 30 seconds. (If possible increase resistance, not speed to prevent injury)
  • Return to a light pace/resistance or no exercise for approximately 2 minutes
  • Repeat #2 & #3 4-5 times in a row
  • Finish off with 2 minutes at a light pace/resistance

The key is to find the resistance level or intensity that leaves you exhausted by the end of the 30 second high intensity interval.  If you are new to exercise you can begin with 10 second intervals and work your way up to 30 second intervals.  Work at your own pace. It is always better to use higher resistance rather than increasing speed to reduce the risk of injury.

I like to use a stationary bike which allow me to easily switch intensity for the rest and intense periods.

What form of exercise do you like to use for Burst training?

Tech Neck or Text Neck are terms used to describe Anterior Head Syndrome or the forward position of the head relative to the shoulders.  This pattern is becoming prevalent in many people due to excessive use of computers, tablets and mobile phones.  You are at risk of developing this pattern if you spend a lot time gazing down at a screen.

Every one inch of forward head posture away from neutral increases the weight of your head on the structures of the neck and upper back by 10 lbs.  Neutral or normal position is when the center of the ears line up directly over the shoulders.

Even though people have traditionally looked down to read and write for a considerable amount of time in a typical office job, they would typically take breaks and assume a normal posture.  With the advent of smart phones and tablets, people now spend a lot of their time away from the desk, after work, and weekends looking down at their tablets, smart phones or laptop computers.  This increased strain on the neck over time can lead to various undesirable symptoms.

Symptoms or Injuries Related to Text Neck

  • chronic headaches
  • upper back pain
  • shoulder pain
  • neck pain
  • increased curvature of the spine

 

Helpful Tips:

  1. Take frequent breaks
  2. Hold mobile devices at eye level so you are no straining the neck
  3. Do neck stretches and corrective exercises daily
  4. Use posture centered exercises like yoga, chi kung, pilates or gyrotonics

 

Therapeutic Solution:

Acupuncture to correct muscle imbalances with corrective stretches exercises to restore correct posture.  Frequency of treatment should be 1-2 times per week depending on severity of symptoms for a period of two months

Neck Stretches:

#1 Chin Tuck: Tuck your chin back while elevating the top of your head.  Hold for 10-20 seconds.  repeat several times.

#2 Rotating Side to Side: Start by looking straight forward. (Your neck should be as close to neutral as possible- see step #1) Rotate your head to the right looking over the shoulder, hold for 10 seconds. Return to center.  Rotate your head to the left looking over the shoulder, hold for 10 seconds.  Repeat several times.

#3 Lateral Stretch: Start by looking forward. Gently drop the right side of your head towards the right shoulder.  (Ear to shoulder) You can place you right hand on top of your head to increase the stretch.  Hold for 10-20 seconds. Return to center and repeat on the left side. Repeat several times.

Corrective Exercise:

#1 Squeeze Shoulder blades together- Simply roll your shoulders back and squeeze your shoulder blades together.  This should naturally push your chest out.  Hold this position for 10 seconds.  Repeat several times.

#2 Lift chest and head– Lay on your stomach with hands by your sides on a solid surface.  Gently raise your head and chest off the floor while reaching with your hands towards your feet. Hold for 10 seconds or as long as you are comfortable. Repeat several times. (A variation of this exercise can also be done while standing and facing a wall with your torso against the wall.)

#3 Wall Angels- Stand with your heels 6-12 inches away from the wall and your back against the wall. Your sacrum, shoulder blades and back of your head should all be touching the wall. Extend your head upward while tucking your chin back.  You want try and elongate the spine as much as possible.

Next extend your arms out to the side with your elbows bent at a 90 degree angle. Hands up and palms facing forward.  Your arms should be in a L shape.  If possible your elbows and the back your palms should touch the wall. At this point, most people will feel a stretch in their chest muscles in this position.

If you feel comfortable in this position, you can begin raising your arms up around 45 degrees in a slow deliberate movement. Arms should stay touching the wall or as far back as comfortable. Then bring the arms back down to the original 90 degree position.  Repeat this up and down motion for one minute or for as long as it is comfortable.

There are many instructional videos online that show different variations of the “Wall Angel” exercise.  Just do a web search for “Wall Angel Exercise”.

Another site that has some great information on corrective stretches and exercises is http://www.wikihow.com/Correct-Forward-Head-Posture.