Flexibility: Stretch your way to better health

You might be thinking that it’s hard to carve out time in your schedule for exercise, let alone stretching. But most cardio and strength-training programs cause your muscles to tighten. That’s why it’s important to stretch regularly to keep your body functioning well.

Regular stretching:

  • Increases flexibility, which makes daily tasks easier
  • Improves range of motion of your joints, which helps keep you mobile
  • Improves circulation
  • Promotes better posture
  • Helps relieve stress by relaxing tense muscles
  • Helps prevent injury, especially if your muscles or joints are tight

 

Stretching essentials

Keep these key points in mind:

    • Target major muscle groups. When you’re stretching, focus on your calves, thighs, hips, lower back, neck and shoulders. Also stretch muscles and joints that you routinely use at work or play.
    • Warm up first. Stretching muscles when they’re cold increases your risk of injury, including pulled muscles. Warm up by walking while gently pumping your arms, or do a favorite exercise at low intensity for five minutes. If you only have time to stretch once, do it after you exercise — when your muscles are warm and more receptive to stretching. And when you do stretch, start slowly.
    • Hold each stretch for at least 30 seconds. It takes time to lengthen tissues safely. Hold your stretches for at least 30 seconds — and up to 60 seconds for a really tight muscle or problem area. Then repeat the stretch on the other side. For most muscle groups, a single stretch is usually sufficient.
    • Don’t bounce. Bouncing as you stretch repeatedly gets your muscles out of the stretch position and doesn’t allow them to relax, making you less flexible and more prone to pain.
    • Focus on a pain-free stretch. Expect to feel tension while you’re stretching. If it hurts, you’ve gone too far. Back off to the point where you don’t feel any pain, then hold the stretch.
    • Relax and breathe freely.

Don’t hold your breath while you’re stretching.

 

Fit stretching into your schedule

As a general rule, stretch whenever you exercise. If you don’t exercise regularly, you may want to stretch at least three times a week to maintain flexibility. If you have a problem area, such as tightness in the back of your leg, you may want to stretch every day or even twice a day.

Think about ways you can fit stretching into your daily schedule. For example:

  • Do some stretches after your morning shower or bath. That way, you can shorten your warm-up routine because the warm water will raise muscle temperature and prepare your muscles for stretching.
  • Stretch before getting out of bed. Try a few gentle head-to-toe stretches by reaching your arms above your head and pointing your toes.
  • Sign up for a yoga or tai chi class. You’re more likely to stick with a program if you’re registered for a class.

 

What you should know before you stretch

You can stretch anytime, anywhere — in your home, at work or when you’re traveling. But if you have a chronic condition or an injury, you may need to alter your approach. For example, if you have a strained muscle, stretching it as you usually do may cause further harm. Talk with your doctor or a physical therapist about the best way for you to stretch.

Functional fitness: Is it right for you?

Functional fitness exercises train your muscles to help you do everyday activities safely and efficiently. Find out what it can do for you.

Do you live to exercise? Unless you’re an elite athlete, you probably answered no to that question. Most people, in fact, would say they exercise to improve their quality of life.

What is functional fitness training?
Functional fitness exercises train your muscles to work together and prepare them for daily tasks by simulating common movements you might do at home, at work or in sports. While using various muscles in the upper and lower body at the same time, functional fitness exercises also emphasize core stability. For example, a dead lift is a functional exercise because it trains the muscles used when you pick up an object from the floor. By training your muscles to work the way they do in everyday tasks, you prepare your body to move efficiently in a variety of common situations.

Functional fitness exercises can be done at home or at the gym. Gyms may offer functional fitness classes or incorporate functional fitness into boot camps or other types of classes. Exercise tools, such as fitness balls, kettlebells and weights, are often used in functional fitness workouts.

What are the benefits of functional fitness training?
Functional exercises tend to be multijoint, multimuscle exercises. Instead of only moving the elbows, for example, a functional exercise might involve the elbows, shoulders, spine, hips, knees and ankles. This type of training, properly applied, can make everyday activities easier, reduce your risk of injury and improve your quality of life.

What are examples of functional fitness exercises?
Functional fitness exercises use multiple joints and muscles at once to train your whole body. Examples include:

  • Dead lift
  • Assisted lunge with press
  • Resisted squat with overhead press

Are functional fitness exercises for everyone?
If you’re over age 40, haven’t exercised for some time or have health problems, it’s a good idea to check with your doctor before starting any new exercise program. Similarly, women who are pregnant should check with their doctors.

It’s also a good idea to start with exercises that use only your own body weight for resistance. As you become more fit and are ready for more challenge, you can increase resistance by using weights or resistance tubing or performing movements in the water.

The functional fitness payoff
As you add more functional exercises to your workouts, you should see improvements in your ability to perform your everyday activities. That’s quite a return on your exercise investment.

The secret to success: Set realistic goals…

 One of the most important ways to succeed at weight control is to establish realistic goals and expectations.

You might have a combination of goals: your weight-loss goal, your health goals, your exercise goals or your daily servings and calorie goals. Goal setting keeps you motivated and helps you stick with your program, so it’s important to approach it with a thoughtful plan.

The key is to make your goals your own. The more aligned they are with your likes and dislikes — your preferences and priorities — the greater your chances of success. So while yes, the sky is the limit, it’s important to set goals that you can reach and that suit your lifestyle. You can always reassess goals and set more challenging ones as you go along.

Start with outcome goals 
An outcome goal is longer term and focuses on the end result. Examples include, “I would like to lose 20 pounds” or “I would like to weigh 125 pounds.”

Outcome goals:

  • Guide your planning
  • Build the framework for shorter term, or “process goals”
  • Stretch and inspire you

 

Move ahead with process goals
Process goals focus on a specific process or action — such as “I will walk 30 minutes every day” or “I will eat four servings of vegetables each day” — rather than a single outcome. Many people find that when they focus on process goals, the outcomes (such as weight loss) take care of themselves.

Process goals:

  • Build success one small step at a time
  • Help you reach your outcome goals
  • Are the most important type of goal for many people

 

Stay inspired with daily goals 
Each day, it’s important to set goals for both meal servings and physical activity.

It’s also important to set one inspirational goal, such as, “Today I will stop eating before I feel full” or “Today I will focus on positive thinking.”

Daily goals:

  • Are the building blocks for weight loss and good health
  • Provide a daily sense of achievement
  • Keep you motivated to keep up with your program

 

Include enjoyment in your goals
When setting goals, don’t forget satisfaction. A study of individuals who maintained their weight after completing a weight-loss program found that satisfaction with the amount and quality of daily activities was an important factor in success.

 

By Mayo Clinic Staff

15 simple diet tweaks that could cut your Alzheimer’s risk

Have you heard of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet for high blood pressure or the Mediterranean diet for heart health? When it comes to protecting your brain health, a hybrid of the two eating styles may be best.

Dubbed the “MIND” diet, short for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay, this eating pattern goes big on natural plant-based foods while limiting red meat, saturated fat and sweets. And observational studies suggest the diet can reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease by up to 53 percent as well as slow cognitive decline and improve verbal memory.

Researchers developed the diet by looking at the Mediterranean and DASH diets, then focusing on the foods with the most compelling findings in dementia prevention. Vegetables, especially leafy greens, rose to the top. In general, fruit didn’t, though berries made the list.

Then researchers tracked detailed eating logs in an older adult population for an average of 4.5 years to uncover trends among the diets of those who developed dementia versus those who didn’t. Their discovery: Older adults whose diets most closely resembled the pattern laid out in the MIND diet had brains as sharp as people 7.5 years younger. That’s a substantial difference, since delaying dementia by just five years has been suggested to cut the cost and prevalence of the disease in half.

Want to see how your diet stacks up? Give yourself a point for each of the following MIND diet rules you typically follow in your life (up to a max of 15 points).

  • At least three servings of whole grains a day
  • Green leafy vegetables (such as salad) at least six times a week
  • Other vegetables at least once a day
  • Berries at least twice a week
  • Red meat less than four times a week
  • Fish at least once a week
  • Poultry at least twice a week
  • Beans more than three times a week
  • Nuts at least five times a week
  • Fried or fast food less than once a week
  • Mainly olive oil for cooking
  • Less than a tablespoon of butter or margarine a day
  • Less than a serving of cheese a week
  • Less than five pastries or sweets a week
  • One glass of wine or other alcoholic drink a dayAnother interesting takeaway: You don’t have to have a perfect diet to benefit. While the adults in the study who followed the diet most closely (an average score of 9.6 points out of 15) saw the biggest drop in their Alzheimer’s risk, the ones who scored in the middle (7.5 points) still cut their risk by over a third. Consider targeting just one or two of the habits above to improve your score — and your brain health.
  • While both the MIND and Mediterranean diets yield similar reductions in Alzheimer’s risk, the MIND diet is more flexible, which may make it easier to follow for some Americans. For example, the Mediterranean diet recommends eating fish multiple days a week, which can be a challenge.

 

By Angela L. Murad