Again, the North American society I accept on some levels has gotten in my way and slowed down my posting about my fitness regime. No worries, I will play a bit of catch up. Read the rest of this entry
Author Archives: Sam Jarman
Apartment Fitness 4
Apartment Fitness 3
This is now the third installment in my newly minted Apartment Fitness series! If I ever expect any of my patients to invest in their health on a continuous basis I intend to lead by example – these posts are my testament to that (at least where exercise is concerned!). Last time I told everyone about Active Recovery, today I will tell everyone about the beginnings of my general strength protocol! Read the rest of this entry
Apartment Fitness 2
So I successfully completed my personal stair challenge on Monday – it worked out to be 10 repetitions up 10 floors worth of stairs. I kept the pace higher than I thought I would and I took 2 stairs at a time. I did rest and get some fresh air after 5 repetitions. I walked down the 10 floors worth of stairs as rest. There is some muscle soreness in my legs however I would say that most people will limit the pace at which they take the stairs effectively enough that the soreness will not be that bad for anyone. This series of posts is ongoing so I have to tell you about today! Read the rest of this entry
Apartment Fitness
I might have to use a tree instead!
As I have begun my clinical practice my life has encountered a common challenge – the “not enough time for exercise-itis”. None of us in North America are immune to this issue! My goal now is to start a series of posts outlining how I am going to get back to my previously active lifestyle by using what is available to me in (and around) the apartment building that I currently live in. Read the rest of this entry
Should You Train Like The Pros?
In th
e world of physical training there seems to be a desire to emulate the best in the field – while admirable this may be a fools game. It often happens that a person will say “I want to be like Michael Jordan so I will do Michael Jordan’s workout”. You can substitute any name and the thought remains the same – if I want to be the best I need to train like the best. If you want to progress in any physical way it is not the thought that counts! Read the rest of this entry
Running Mechanics – It Is A Full Body Dance
As I said in my last post concerning injury prevention, running is a full body dance that involves all possible movements. There are elements of rotation, bending from side to side, as well as flexing forwards and extending backwards . The hips and shoulders provide the rhythm and propulsion by transferring forces through the spine. The arms set the pace and the legs follow. This is all pretty standard information. What may not be standard is that most people do not consider the movements of the spine itself with regards to running mechanics. Read the rest of this entry
Injury Prevention in the Endurance Runner
Running is a repetitive, cyclic activity. As a result of the repetitive nature of running those involved generally end up with repetitive strain injuries. From a mechanics stand point running is a full body activity that involves all planes of motion. Most of us have restrictions in multiple places that lead to the repetitive forces of running becoming localized in certain spots. When these restrictions are present and someone constantly challenges them with repetitive movements the injuries are not terribly hard to predict. Read the rest of this entry
Walking as a Panacea?
In my internet browsing I was able to come across a very interesting video that I think is very well done. The essence of the video is that walking 30 minutes a day has a very broad spectrum of health benefits. I encourage everyone to watch this video! I will provide a brief discussion after the video to offer my take on it. Read the rest of this entry
Heart Health News For Thought
I have seen two articles/posts recently that got me thinking that I should share them and some of my thoughts. One is posted on the BBC News site here and the other was posted by the always insightful Erica Robinson of Whole Life Health Services here. Read the rest of this entry
Sciatica
A lot of us have heard of sciatica and we all know someone who suffers from it. If you haven’t heard of it here is the nitty gritty: sciatica is irritation of the sciatic nerve which starts at the fourth lumbar vertebrae down to the third sacral (tailbone) segment to then travel down the back of the leg to provide nerve supply to the majority of the area. The sciatic nerve and its branches are responsible for providing control of many of the muscles of the back of the leg as well as sensory information back to the spinal cord. Considering the fact that the sciatic nerve has such a broad influence it is no wonder why it can be so debilitating for some people to have irritation of this nerve. Read the rest of this entry
