Fond Farewell to Mike Haas
It’s with great reluctance I write this farewell. As most of you all know Mike has been an anchor leg on our team for 8 years so you can imagine my feelings about seeing him go. That said I am super happy for both Mike and his wife Susan as they head off to New Mexico to continue building another chapter in their lives together.
I’d like to take some time and just share a bit about Mike. I was first introduced to him by then director of the Fitness and Sport Science Program at Pima Community College, John Kordich. At the time I was looking for some new hires and had reached out to John via his wife and past BodyBasics’ trainer, Kathleen. I figured if I wanted some strong candidates John would be the one to ask. I was not disappointed. Mike came in for his interview excited and full of energy. His personality was solid and I knew that he had the potential to be a great trainer. We hired him and he did not disappoint, starting first by commuting nearly an hour one way just to get to work and never once in all the years that he’s been with us giving me the impression that his commute was a burden. Mike did what he needed to in order to position himself to be great. Early on he spent numerous hours with me learning all that he could. He also became the example for how to organize and coach our small group classes. His training acumen improved by leaps and bounds as his attention to detail and ability to focus while also keeping a lighthearted environment were shaped into what you have come to know from him today. When I think of how much Mike has contributed to our team and our business over the years, I just have one thing to say. Thank you Mike.
Please join Kris and I and the rest of our team at BodyBasics on Friday, May 20th between 2:00 and 3:30 to celebrate our wonderful teammate Mike one last time. We will be providing light snacks and drinks. We will be compiling a book of memories for Mike and would love any stories, memories or send off wishes you would like included. Please email then to thelittens@yahoo.com no later than May 5th.
Article – Healthy Feet = Happy Feet
Movement could be considered the foundation of our lives. Think about that. Movement is defined as the act of moving from one place or position to another. Foundation is defined as something such as an idea, a principle, or a fact that provides support for something. In other words when we participate in movement of any kind we are supporting life. That is awesome to imagine! I’m sure when you hear the word movement an image comes to mind immediately. My mind conjures up the image of my daughter dancing a few nights ago. The mix of joy, grace and beauty she emotes when she dances is such a vivid reminder of how life-supporting healthy movement is.
One aspect of movement that I am particularly interested in revolves around our feet. I know some of you are less than inclined to appreciate your feet as I do because they have become a source of pain and hardship. I get it. Hopefully I can spark some level of appreciation though as I share some interesting information concerning your feet with you today.
Did you know that our feet are capable of sharing the same level of dexterity as our hands? Forget just being able to pick stuff up with your toes. Mind you, that is a valuable skill to maintain. Your feet can be taught to hold a pencil and write, paint with a paint brush, and even play a guitar!
The health of our feet is directly aligned with how we move. If you’ve ever dealt with any kind of foot malady you understand first hand how true this is! Conditions such as plantar faciitis, neuromas, and bone spurs can literally force us to get off of our feet in pursuit of relief from movement squelching pain. Conversely, when our feet are healthy we look forward to getting around on them. We seek opportunities to move.
Let’s talk about how we can keep our feet healthy. For starters maintain a healthy height to bodyweight ratio. Excessive bodyweight can lead to overstretched muscles, tendons and ligaments which will eventually lead to the arch of the foot collapsing. Given that our arches are designed to be springy and naturally supportive of our bodies as we move about, you can imagine the implications of a collapsed arch. As a general rule use the following formula to ensure that your bodyweight stays in the healthy range. For women begin with a base of 100 lbs for 5 feet and then add 5 pounds to that number for every inch over 5 feet. So, if you are 5’2″ you would start with 100 and then add 10 pounds to that number for a total of 110lbs. Once you have determined your weight by height you now need to hone it in a bit more based on your frame type. For this you will wrap your index finger and thumb of your non-dominant hand around the base of your dominant wrist. If your fingers over lap you are a small frame and will subtract 10% from this total. If your fingers do touch but do not overlap you are considered a medium frame and your ideal weight will be the number already determined. If your fingers do not wrap around the base of your wrist you are considered to have a large frame and will need to add 10% to the total pounds number. So a small frame woman who is 5’2″ would be between 99-110 lbs. A medium frame would be between 110-121 lbs. and a large frame would be bewteen 121-133 lbs. The ranges support hormonal changes that do occur with age. For guys you would follow the same basic steps but instead of starting with a base of 100 at 5 feet you’ll start at 105. Also, instead of adding 5 pounds for every inch over 5 feet you’lll add 6 pounds. So in the same scenario as a guy the results for a small frame would be 105-117, for a medium frame 117-128 and for a large frame 128-141.5 pounds.
Another important aspect of keeping our feet healthy is to move our toes. Much like our fingers, our toes and their joints get stiff if they remain idle for long periods of time. A great place to start is to passively spread your toes by separating them with the fingers of one of your hands and holding this position for around 3 minutes in order to allow tight tissues a chance to soften up. Doing this activity improves the alignment of your bones, muscles, and connnective tissues in your feet so you can start achieving better natural muscle strength, circulation, and nerve health. Eventually you will be able to spread your toes without the assist of your hands. I like to use additional strategies like wearing five toe socks as placing a pair of five toe spacers on my feet as hand free options also. If you’d like a great source for these contact me.
A standing or seated self-provided foot massage is another great way to improve the health of your feet. By using some kind of softer textured ball such as a children’s bouncy ball or a tennis ball you can improve the mobility of your foot’s 33 joints as you realign them by rolling the bottom of your foot with a ball. Unfortunately the shoes that we wear to look good and provide cushion and support for our feet are also the same culprits that cause the joints of our feet and ankle to become less responsive as the combination of cushion and less room for our feet to spread dampen the innate mobility our feet are born with. I suggest starting in a seated position so that you can more easily control the amount of pressure you place on your feet when rolling them with a ball. Start just behind your toes and roll across the ball of your foot 10-20 times. Next roll toward your heel starting to the outside of your foot, then the middle of your foot and finally the inside of your foot. Perform about 10-20 rolls on each of these paths. As you roll your foot “listen” in for any increases in sensation. These increases represent areas that you will want to provide more care to than those that are less sensitive. I would suggest spending 2-5 minutes each day with this self-care activity.
Stretching your feet is another solid way to maintain the health of them. Doing so improves foot movement quality as well as overall circulation. A great first stretch, especially if you’ve been one to wear flip flops forever, is a top of the foot stretch. To do it, simply tuck your toes under as you reach back with your foot. Your aim is to make contact with the top of your foot and whatever surface is underneath you. I like to do this one sitting down because I can get comfortable easier and really leverage my foot position to get a solid top of foot stretch. I would suggest holding for 30-60 seconds per side as a start. Eventually hold for longer periods of time and add toe curls while doing so. At first don’t be surprised if you get a massive cramp right in the arch of your foot. That is simply a product of immobility and will get better with practice. I promise.
Another great stretch I highly recommend for your feet is the double calf stretch. This stretch is great because it is easy to replicate anywhere and you get a lot accomplished in a short amount of time. Doing this stretch will also demonstrate how much we are connected from head to toe! Stand in front of a chair, facing the seat. With your feet pelvis-width apart, knees straight, and feet pointing directly forward, tip the pelvis forward until your palms rest on the chair. If you can’t reach the chair simply raise your resting point. You might try the back of a couch or the kitchen sink as options. Hold the stretched position for 30-60 seconds and repeat 2-3 times.
The strategies I provided for you are a great starting point to improve the health and vitality of your feet. In turn your body will be more inclined to move more as you are empowered yet again to live your life with less pain and more movement. If this has been especially helpful please share it with those you care about so that together we can all move better, feel better, and live better.
Client Spotlight – Kim Holloway
Please join me in congratulating Kim Holloway as this month’s Client Spotlight. Kim started group training at BodyBasics in August of 2015 after observing trainers working with her mom as well as other clients and getting to know everyone in the process. One day, as she was sitting in the reception area waiting for her mom’s session to end, Kim noticed some information pertaining to group classes with a free coupon to try one. She struck up conversation with Mike about the structure and format and felt that the fit was perfect for her. The timing was perfect also. She had been going to a trainer at another facility as well as supplementing with some gym workouts of her own. After her mom’s car accident, and the added responsibilities of aiding in her care that came with it, she found that she was only going to her trainer once each week and skipping the gym. Kim had been searching for a class that would allow her to workout 2-3 times each week, give her accountability, and provide her with variety in her workouts for an affordable rate. Fitness Fusion at 7:00 a.m. was the answer. Kim used her coupon, loved her first session and has been a regular participant of the 7:00 a.m. group ever since.
Kim came into her group sessions at BodyBasics with three primary goals. For starters she wanted to get back to exercising regularly. That goal, albeit ongoing, is a reality. Second she wanted to consistently do weight resistance training to help preserve, and, in her words, “if I’m lucky, increase my bone density.” This one is also ongoing and her next DEXA-scan will tell us how she’s doing. Her last goal was to reduce inches in her trouble spots. When Kim started transitioning from 2 sessions each week to 3 she started to notice momentum going in her favor toward this last goal. Presently Kim is pursuing her ongoing goals of being consistent and putting effort into each of her workouts.
Kim, when I asked you to be this month’s Client Spotlight you seemed to feel undeserving of such a mention. You are deserving of some recognition though! You’re consistency and ongoing pursuit of perfect form in every exercise you do is so admirable. It is clearly evident to me and the rest of our team that you take your health and fitness seriously and want to get the most out of every session you participate in. Thank you for being such a great student of your body and its movement.
In Her Words: “There is so much I can’t control during my aging process, but I want to be as healthy and independent as I can for as long as I can. I think physical exercise is critical to the aging process.”
Welcome New and Returning Clients
The greatest compliment we can receive is a referral from one of our clients or allied health network!
Chris and Susan Bieniarz referred by Dr. Griffin
Kathy Sheppard referred by Dr. Barone
Alice Warren referred by her husband Chuck.
“Shout Outs”
Shout outs are about us voicing victories we witness you all having at BodyBasics. What you don’t know is that we start every Wednesday staff meeting with our shout outs. After doing this for quite some time and realizing how many incredible experiences are being shared, We thought it would be excellent to position a place within our newsletter to share also with all of you. We’ll keep it to our top 5 each month.
Burke Krueger – for making great strides in improving his balance, breathing, and hip control thanks in large part to the persistent focus he places on gaining mastery of anything we teach him!
Barbara Moore – for building up her upper body strength to be able to do a seated dumbbell overhead press with a pair of 15 pounders for 3 sets of 10 reps!
Marjorie Wack – for showing great gains in her strength and recently demonstrating that by pulling a 35lb. rope two times across the floor!
Nathan Miller – for his dedication to continued improvement. Even with a walking boot on he is still excited to train and do all he can do!
Stephanie and Ross Henderson – for increasing the intensity of their workouts by commuting to them on their tandem bike. This has helped strengthen Stephanie’s knee and added greater endurance to Ross in his cycling.
Recipe – Coctel de Camarones
In the spirit of Cinco de Mayo I thought this fun recipe would be appropriate for our May newsletter. This classic Mexican shrimp cocktail can be served as a starter or a quick, refreshing main dish on a warm summer night. Adjust the heat by adding some of your favorite hot sauce. You can eat it immediately or chill it for up to 4 hours if you prefer it colder. Enjoy with warm corn tortillas, chips or cheese quesadillas and your favorite hot sauce. 
Ingredients:
- 1 pound cooked small shrimp (70-90 per pound; see Tip), tails removed (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 1/2 cups diced English cucumber
- 1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
- 1 ripe avocado, diced
- 1 1/2 cups spicy or regular V8 juice
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- Lime wedges for serving
Instructions:
Combine shrimp, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, avocado, V8 juice, lime juice, pepper, salt and cilantro in a large bowl. Serve at room temperature or chilled, with lime wedges.
Nutrition per serving of 1 1/2 cups
260 calories; 10 g fat (1 g sat, 5 g mono); 230 mg cholesterol; 14 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 31 g protein; 5 g fiber; 658 mg sodium
Video – Hip Thrust
Team BodyBasics
Chris, Kris, Mike, Myrya, Michele, Kristian
