You can help BodyBasics support area teachers!
Chris Litten, wants teachers to know they are valued. During his first year in middle school, it was one of his own teachers that made a difference and steered him in a positive direction when he needed it most. He went from a troubled youth making poor choices to a “B” student, simply because his 6th grade teacher cared. Now, 20+ years later, Chris is in a position to pay it forward.
Here are a few of the items that teachers have requested.
- Bookman trade credit vouchers
- floor pillows or cushions
- electric pencil sharpener
- copier paper
- card stock
- letter size hanging files
- sugar free gum
- small flag-it post-its
- thesaurus
BodyBasics also offers a deeply discounted rate for any teachers who participate in personalized small group classes.
- September 14th – last day to drop off supplies for teachers
- September 21st – Potluck Party at the studio 1:00
Sciatic Nerve Pain
By: Clive “Mike” Haas
- Why do so many people experience sciatic nerve pain (sciatica)?
- How can I make the pain stop and what causes it?
- How can I prevent it from starting?
So, looking at just the anatomy, you can appreciate how this nerve could impact every day patterns such as sitting, standing and walking.
Sciatica is a set of symptoms including pain caused by general compression or irritation of one of five spinal nerve roots of each sciatic nerve—or by compression or irritation of the left or right or both sciatic nerves. Symptoms include lower back pain, buttock pain, and pain, numbness or weakness in various parts of the leg and foot. Other symptoms include a “pins and needles” sensation, or tingling and difficulty moving or controlling the leg. Typically, symptoms only manifest on one side of the body. The pain may radiate below the knee, but does not always.
If you are one of the many who does suffer from sciatica, listen up. We believe in teaching you preventative strategies to help get you back to moving better, feeling better, and living better. Follow these four steps.
- Get a proper diagnosis. Many people with lower back pain miss this very important and necessary first step towards prevention. As we just finished discussing, sciatic pain is a symptom resulting from a number of causes. That means one exercise program could be perfect for one person and actually inflammatory for another. Get to your doctor if the pain is affecting your quality of life. Your doctor will then be up front with you in determining if you need to first work with a physical therapist or if you can get back to your trainer.
- Exercise regularly. This is the most important thing you can do for a number of reasons. For starters, exercise involves moving our joints. Keeping our joints moving through full ranges of motion is a key ingredient to preventing pain period. Second, exercise improves muscle balance. A symptom such as sciatica is often positively influenced by attending to training muscles to be equally strong on both sides of our body. Third, a properly developed exercise program can improve posture. Many people suffering from sciatic pain also present with postural deviations, hyper-extended lower back for example. Exercises can be provided to improve many postural abnormalities.
- Maintain proper posture when you sit. Choose a seat with good lower back support, arm rests and a swivel base. Consider placing a pillow or rolled towel behind the small of your back to maintain it normal curve. Keep your knees and hips level. Pay attention to the position of your pelvis. A quick and easy method of doing so is to feel for the bony parts of your buttocks, your ischial tuberosities for those who like their anatomy. Ideal positioning of your pelvis is the point at which your butt bones are aligned under your shoulders while sitting upright.
- Use good body mechanics. If you stand for long periods, rest one foot at a time on a stool or small box from time to time. When you lift something heavy, let your lower extremities do the work. Keep your back straight and bend only at the knees, and hinge at the hip. Hold the load close to your body. Avoid lifting and twisting simultaneously, and keep your core engaged. Find a lifting partner if the object is heavy or awkward.
If you know someone that suffers from sciatica on a continual basis, refer them to us for a free evaluation. We will show them which exercises and activities might be contributing to the problem and how to move more safely and effectively.
Client Spotlight
Mary Jo Schwartz
This month we would like to recognize Mary Jo Schwartz in the Client Spotlight. Mary Jo began her BodyBasics experience in August, 2012. During this past year, she has seen some terrific results from all of her hard work! Her fitness goals were to run for 30 minutes three times per week, and to lose weight. Mary Jo’s initial Functional Movement Screen (FMS) uncovered some potential problems that signaled she was at higher risk for injury if she started a running program.
After several months of diligent effort, Mary Jo has greatly improved her form, posture and core stability during sessions with Mike. In January, Mary Jo transitioned to participating in the noon group workouts twice per week while continuing to work individually with Mike once a week. This change of pace really improved her cardiovascular endurance, while maintaining a focus on perfecting her form. Currently, she is running intervals while doing cardio three times per week in addition to her workouts. To date, Mary Jo has lost 20 pounds, decreased her body fat by almost 3%, decreased her BMI by 3 and a half points, lowered her blood pressure, and has eliminated all functional asymmetries reflected by her much improved FMS score. Most importantly she feels great after a workout and has remained injury-free! Keep up the great work!
Hip Stability with Chris & Mike
Yogurt Dill Dipping Sauce
Looking at the calendar, everyone can see that football season is quickly approaching! This is a good thing on so many levels! One of the best parts about enjoying football is all the great food to enjoy while watching your favorite team out on the field or on TV. It’s easy to get carried away and overeat at your tailgate party or on your couch, but here’s a great recipe to try that will satisfy your hunger, and replace an unhealthy food like sour cream or ranch dressing with a much healthier option that’s cool and lemony…and so easy to make!!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup Non-fat Greek yogurt
- 1 clove garlic (small, minced)
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon peel (finely grated)
- 1 squeeze of one half of a lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Directions:
In a small bowl, mix ingredients, chill.
Serve with your favorite veggie or healthy cracker…Enjoy!
Serves 1, just multiply for your next tailgate!
Nutrition:
23 grams of protein
9 grams carbs
0 grams fat
Each client that refers a friend or family member has a chance of winning a nifty prize as a token of our gratitude.
Edrice referred her friend, Judy Ferrig and Rylund had so much fun in our youth fitness skills class that he invited three of his friends to join him!
to Mary Sciabarra for upping her game and taking that next step to work out in our small group classes. She’s doing a great job and is a great addition at 7 am!
to Mike Drake for returning to small group class. Consistency is key! Keep up the good work, Mike. We love seeing your smiling face!
to Fran Crepea, Judy Krautter, Mary Lynn Guyot, and Ross Markwardt for being more consistent in their cardio workouts. We’re so proud of all of you!
