Impressive Warm Up Routine for Packers vs. 49ers game

Well...anyone who knows me knows that I bleed green and gold.  Tonight's game, the classic Packers-Bears rivalry, is only a few hours away.  I sure hope "my team" (Hey, they are my team.  I've got a framed Packers stock certificate hanging on the wall at home!) plays well tonight and gives us our first W of the season. 

Last Sunday, I was at the season opener of the Packers vs. 49ers at Lambeau Field.  I was inside Lambeau early enough to catch the players warming up.  What impressed me (and disappointed me as a Packer fan) was the deliberate and well executed warm ups from the 49ers.  Not knowing one 49ers player from another, I don't have any names to share with you.  They were wearing shirts and sweats without their names or numbers on them.

There were foam rollers that many 49er players were using to roll out their quadriceps, ITB (aka iliotibial band), adductors and backs.  This is a great way to warm up the fascia and get the muscles ready for deeper stretching and work (or the game in this case).

Another pre-game warm up some of the players did was AIS (Active Isolated Stretching) for their hamstrings, adductors and quads.  Some of them were performing the AIS with assistants and others were doing it on their own.  I have a poor video below (I never said I was a camera man!) of one player stretching his adductors after he finished with his hamstrings, and another is being assisted as they begin AIS for the quadriceps.

I was truly impressed with the concentrated effort of the 49ers during warm up.  Not only were they doing techniques I often suggest my my clients do, but they were focused and intent on the delivery of their warm up exercises.  There was a precision in their movements.  When I compared their warm up to the Packer's warm up, I knew we'd be in for a tough game.  Unfortunately, I saw the Packers just going through motions in their warm ups.

I sure hope that my team performs better tonight in the pre-game preparation and the game itself.  Starting out the year 0-2 will not sit well with Packer Nation or in my house!

GO PACK GO!

Have you had your Vitamin F today?

Not one of my normal posts, but good info!  I receive many requests to forward on emails of various types. While not accustomed to doing so on a regular basis, I thought you would benefit from this particular “forward” I received from a friend of mine today. I hope you enjoy it!

Why do we have a variety of friends who are all so different in character? How do we get along with them all? I think that each one helps to bring out a “different” part of us.

We joke with one friend.

We sit down and talk about serious matters with one.

With another, we laugh a lot.

We may have a coffee with one.

We listen to one friend’s problems.

Then we listen to another one’s advice for us.

Our friends are all like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.

When completed, they form a treasure box.  A treasure of friends!

There are friends who understand us better than we do, who support us through good days and bad days.

Real Age doctors tell us that friends are good for our health. Dr. Oz calls them Vitamin F (for Friends) and counts the benefits of friends as essential to our well being. Research shows that people in strong social circles have less risk of depression and terminal strokes.

If you enjoy Vitamins F constantly, you can be up to 30 years younger than your real age. The warmth of friendship stops stress and even in your most intense moments, it decreases the chance of a cardiac arrest or stroke by 50%.

Make an effort to keep a stock of Vitamin F!

In summary, we should value our friends and keep in touch with them. We should try to see the funny side of things and laugh together, and pray for each other in the tough moments.

Thank you for being one of my Vitamins!

Regular Massage? How Often is Beneficial for Me?

Happy New Year! As we reflect on what we accomplished in 2011, it’s a great time of year to plan for where we want to go in 2012. What are your goals? Your dreams? Are you going to reach for the stars this year? Do you want more time with the family, to gain more productivity or success at work, or are you selecting the ever popular “lose weight” resolution?

Whatever your resolution is (or isn’t for those who don’t make them or stick to them!), one of the most important things in life is your health. When you’re sick or in pain, everything in your life suffers…your relationships with family/friends may suffer because you feel awful (you can’t keep up with them on the tennis court with a sore hip), or you may have to stay home from work when your back decides to go out which may cause your success to be less than productive.

If you want to take care of yourself and your health in 2012, consider regular massage. What exactly does “regular massage” mean? People often ask me how often they should get massage. There is no one-size fits all when it comes to massage frequency. “Regular” massage can be a different frequency for everyone, and it can vary over time for a person. The frequency of how often you should get in for massage or bodywork depends on your body, how you respond to bodywork and how active you are.

Rehab an Injury
If you are trying to recover from an injury, the frequency may be more often for shorter amounts of time (e.g. 30 minute massage sessions 2 or 3 times per week). Once you have fully recovered from an injury, it’s a good idea to get on a preventative maintenance schedule to avoid future injuries.

Athletic Feats of Accomplishment
If you enjoy pushing your body to the edge with strenuous athletic activities, do repetitive activities (golf, weight lifting, even knitting!) or are training for an athletic event (marathon, century bike ride, etc.), you will find that weekly 60 or 90 minute massage sessions keep you performing at your peak. The therapist will work through tight muscles that have not had a chance to become problematic yet and you will be able to continue to train at a level that will help you attain your goal.

Preventative Maintenance
For the person who doesn’t want unforeseen musculoskeletal problems to arise in their lives (remember when your back when out after you stood up from that long car ride to visit relatives this past holiday season?), massage every 4 – 5 weeks is ideal. This frequency helps alleviate physical tightness, but it can also relieve stress of a hectic work schedule, holiday stress (good thing that is gone!), and improve the quality of your sleep. By moving the body into the parasympathetic state, our body shifts out of “fight-or-flight” mode and into “rest-and-digest” mode. Circulation improves, endorphins are released into the blood stream, and cortisol levels are decreased with regular massage. The benefits are numerous.

Many who work out and perform repetitive motion activities think that massage is only needed once you start feeling pain or there is an injury. In the long run, if you receive massage “regularly” (whatever that is for you), the benefits compound. You are less stressed out physically and mentally, you are able to continue working out/training athletically (which again reduces stress and keeps those excess pounds off), and may even cost you less than if you wait until you have an injury and have to come in for multiple sessions, take time off to go to see a Doctor/chiropractor, etc.. Plus, many therapists offer a reduced rate if you purchase more than one session. I offer package specials of 3, 5 and 10 sessions that have a price reduction the more sessions you purchase together.

Don’t you deserve to take care of yourself this year? Give yourself what your body ordered for 2012…relaxation for your mind, body and spirit. May 2012 be the year you hit that PR!