Monday July 7, 2014

Personally I love to eat, and I like to enjoy what I'm eating.  Sometimes that leads to enjoying a little red wine with a meal - moderation is the key.  We know that nutritional requirements are biologically imperative - without nutrients we don't survive long. 

This same nutritional intake is required on a cellular level, meaning our cells need to be fed in order to survive or the tissues die. 

You've probably heard the term degenerative disc disease before,  and probably have associated it with aging.  You may even consider it as a disease that creates back pain, forward posture, a decline in health and immobilization. Perhaps you think its a bacteria or fungus that eats away at the discs of the spine to cause this condition. 

Degenerative disc disease (DDD) is actually the result of years of extreme dieting - on the cellular level.  Instead of linking the term to age, it should be linked to years spent in a particular posture that has decreased the amount of nutrients to the area. 

The flow of blood throughout the body is what delivers the nutrition to the bodies cells, and that includes the intervertebral discs.  The most important part is how nutrition reaches the tissues.  When we think of blood moving through the body, we think of the heart doing the pumping - however, it is really the action of skeletal muscle contracting and relaxing that creates this flow.  In other words movement, and lots of it.

Your habitual postures are joint positions that you have made default positions.  You return to these default positions over and over, and eventually the muscles stiffen.  When the muscles are stiff, they fail to assist with nutrient delivery, resulting in cellular death and eventually  in the case of DDD, the discs collapse. 

You can however start the process of nutritional delivery by stretching.  Stretching causes a pull and release of tissues that begin the massage action that creates the flow, and that which also aids in waste removal from the deepest part of the spinal disc.  Properly designed mechanical loading of the spine therefore, maximizes nutritional flow.

For best back health, its not just the spinal muscles that  needs to be stretched, but any muscles that affect the position of the spine.  Include then the calves, hamstrings, groin and psoas.  In additional to stretching muscles that are easy to get to, we also want to stretch those that are not so easy. 

Strength and Restore class starts tomorrow (Tuesday) at ARC (Adult Rec Centre) at 9:00am .  Don't forget your Yoga mat and good supportive shoes for the Strength portion.  If you have a good quality Stability Ball, please bring it along.

There are a couple of spaces left in Saturdays 10:00 Yogilates (Timeless Mobility) - which is an hour of Restore along with some Yoga and Pilates inspired movements.  

REMINDER - there is no Saturday class this coming Saturday (July 12).  This should have been indicated on your receipt. 

This weeks workouts:

Keep walking 2 x's per day 30 - 45 mins

*Do not put these walks into 1 long walk - movement throughout the day is ultimately the best medicine for your health and the health of your cells. 

Add:  2 - 3 days of strength training exercise (make it easy, go to class Tuesday and Saturday + 1 on your own)

Restore Mobility/Stretching - every day if possible.  Try adding a couple of stretches you remember from class after your walks.  It will save you trying to set aside additional time. 

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