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Let’s do it right – 5 essential exercise tips

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Let’s do it right – 5 essential exercise tips

Exercise is great for everyone, as they help maintain your physical and mental wellness. Exercises can be divided into different categories depending on what we are trying to achieve. There are strengthening exercises, stretching exercises, balance and coordination exercises and cardiovascular (aerobic) exercises. They can be further divided into their respective subcategories.  All the four types of exercises are important in order to achieve a better output with respect to injury prevention and physical and mental fitness.




But if the exercises are done in a wrong manner, they can have a worse effect on your body leading to overuse or acute injuries. In this series of articles “let’s do it right” we will go through the basics of exercising and right form of exercises.

Components of your workout routine

People have a tendency to stick to one kind of workout routine neglecting other variables of exercises. For example, a person who loves to run but ignores stretching and strengthening exercises will have a higher chance of injury than a person doing all three in a balanced way.

A good workout routine involves exercises which target all 4 components of exercise. But being said that it’s not that all the 4 components need to have separate exercises, one exercise can target 2-3 components together. For example Lunges – involves balance, strength and stretch.




Start with warm-up and end with cool down

All your workouts or sports should start with a good 10-15 minutes warm-up. A good warm-up includes body temperature raising activities like jogging or spot jogging followed by dynamic stretches and sports specific or workout specific drills. Whereas cool down should consist of short recovery run or walk and static stretches.

Sequencing of exercises

Stable lumbopelvic area

Exercise technique



Tips to prevent and treat Osteoporosis

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Tips to prevent and treat Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a disease in which the quality and density of bone is reduced and the bone becomes porous. The major risk in osteoporosis is getting a fracture which affects one’s mobility and independence. There is a reduction in bone mineral density which makes it susceptible for fractures. There are many contributing factors in development of osteoporosis and one of them is lack of physical activity. Regular exercise is important in prevention and treatment of Osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis is diagnosed through BMD (Bone Mass Density) testing. The most common technique used for testing BMD is DXA scan but there are also other test methods available.

Exercise and Bone Strength

Bone grows stronger in reaction to forces acting on it and exercise increases these forces more than normal. Many studies have indicated that around the age of 30 – 35 years, bone reaches its maximum density and strength. This explains why regular exercises done before 30 – 35 years of age are important for maximizing bone strength. And those who continue exercising in their middle age and beyond reduce the risk of acquiring osteoporosis, as it slows down the bone loss with aging.

Exercise as treatment for osteoporosis

By now we know that exercise is important for bone strength, which is why exercise is an important part of treatment for osteoporosis. People suffering from osteoporosis are prone to fractures in cases involving falls or other high impact incidents. Osteoporosis can also lead to spinal fractures following bending, twisting or compression of the spine and also from postural factors. As you grow older and get caught up with Osteoporosis, your upper back gets hunched easily, which thereby increases compressive forces at spine and can result in fracture.

Weight bearing aerobic exercises like jogging, marching, brisk walking and dancing are a good way to target osteoporosis. Apart from these exercises, balance and muscle strengthening exercises are also important. Muscular strength and balance helps in fall prevention. Strengthening of back muscles helps in supporting spine and reduces chances of spinal fractures.

Before you start

It’s important to undergo a medical health screening and risk stratification, for a person who has been diagnosed with osteoporosis and wants to start exercising. Once the risk stratification is done, an optimum exercise plan is prescribed by the health care professional.

Special consideration

Patients with osteoporosis should avoid high impact and explosive movements. Movements involving bending, twisting and compression at spine should be avoided. A low to moderate intensity controlled activities are prescribed which do not cause pain.

Frequency of weight bearing exercises can range from 3 – 5 times a week with 2 – 3 sessions of resistance training per week. Resistance exercises can be performed using light weights, exercise bands or tubes, whereas balance exercises should be a part of every exercise session and can also be performed separately. Examples of balance exercises are single leg balance supported/unsupported or heel to toe walk.

Rehab Mantra
Stay Fit. Love Life

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Let’s do it right – 5 essential exercise tips

/0 Comments/in , /by

Let’s do it right – 5 essential exercise tips

Exercise is great for everyone, as they help maintain your physical and mental wellness. Exercises can be divided into different categories depending on what we are trying to achieve. There are strengthening exercises, stretching exercises, balance and coordination exercises and cardiovascular (aerobic) exercises. They can be further divided into their respective subcategories.  All the four types of exercises are important in order to achieve a better output with respect to injury prevention and physical and mental fitness.




But if the exercises are done in a wrong manner, they can have a worse effect on your body leading to overuse or acute injuries. In this series of articles “let’s do it right” we will go through the basics of exercising and right form of exercises.

Components of your workout routine

People have a tendency to stick to one kind of workout routine neglecting other variables of exercises. For example, a person who loves to run but ignores stretching and strengthening exercises will have a higher chance of injury than a person doing all three in a balanced way.

A good workout routine involves exercises which target all 4 components of exercise. But being said that it’s not that all the 4 components need to have separate exercises, one exercise can target 2-3 components together. For example Lunges – involves balance, strength and stretch.




Start with warm-up and end with cool down

All your workouts or sports should start with a good 10-15 minutes warm-up. A good warm-up includes body temperature raising activities like jogging or spot jogging followed by dynamic stretches and sports specific or workout specific drills. Whereas cool down should consist of short recovery run or walk and static stretches.

Sequencing of exercises

Stable lumbopelvic area

Exercise technique



Tips to prevent and treat Osteoporosis

/0 Comments/in , /by

Tips to prevent and treat Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a disease in which the quality and density of bone is reduced and the bone becomes porous. The major risk in osteoporosis is getting a fracture which affects one’s mobility and independence. There is a reduction in bone mineral density which makes it susceptible for fractures. There are many contributing factors in development of osteoporosis and one of them is lack of physical activity. Regular exercise is important in prevention and treatment of Osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis is diagnosed through BMD (Bone Mass Density) testing. The most common technique used for testing BMD is DXA scan but there are also other test methods available.

Exercise and Bone Strength

Bone grows stronger in reaction to forces acting on it and exercise increases these forces more than normal. Many studies have indicated that around the age of 30 – 35 years, bone reaches its maximum density and strength. This explains why regular exercises done before 30 – 35 years of age are important for maximizing bone strength. And those who continue exercising in their middle age and beyond reduce the risk of acquiring osteoporosis, as it slows down the bone loss with aging.

Exercise as treatment for osteoporosis

By now we know that exercise is important for bone strength, which is why exercise is an important part of treatment for osteoporosis. People suffering from osteoporosis are prone to fractures in cases involving falls or other high impact incidents. Osteoporosis can also lead to spinal fractures following bending, twisting or compression of the spine and also from postural factors. As you grow older and get caught up with Osteoporosis, your upper back gets hunched easily, which thereby increases compressive forces at spine and can result in fracture.

Weight bearing aerobic exercises like jogging, marching, brisk walking and dancing are a good way to target osteoporosis. Apart from these exercises, balance and muscle strengthening exercises are also important. Muscular strength and balance helps in fall prevention. Strengthening of back muscles helps in supporting spine and reduces chances of spinal fractures.

Before you start

It’s important to undergo a medical health screening and risk stratification, for a person who has been diagnosed with osteoporosis and wants to start exercising. Once the risk stratification is done, an optimum exercise plan is prescribed by the health care professional.

Special consideration

Patients with osteoporosis should avoid high impact and explosive movements. Movements involving bending, twisting and compression at spine should be avoided. A low to moderate intensity controlled activities are prescribed which do not cause pain.

Frequency of weight bearing exercises can range from 3 – 5 times a week with 2 – 3 sessions of resistance training per week. Resistance exercises can be performed using light weights, exercise bands or tubes, whereas balance exercises should be a part of every exercise session and can also be performed separately. Examples of balance exercises are single leg balance supported/unsupported or heel to toe walk.

Rehab Mantra
Stay Fit. Love Life

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Pre Exercise Screening – Prescribing exercise

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Despite all the health and fitness benefits from regular exercise, there are documented risks related to exercise. This article will focus on promoting exercise safety and preventing adverse events during exercise. Fitness industry is aware of the risks in prescribing exercises, but the question is how many of them use pre exercise screening to minimize occurrence of any adverse event during exercise. It is also important at an individual level that people should be aware of pre exercise screening for their own good.




The major concerns associated with exercise are sudden cardiac deaths and heart attacks. These risks are relatively higher amongst people who kick-start an unfamiliar exercise program with sedentary lifestyle or underlying cardiac condition background. Others can be musculoskeletal issues like joint degeneration which can be aggravated from vigorous exercises. That is why before starting an exercise program, a person should undergo screening to prevent risks of injury and illness. Pre exercise screening helps in structuring a person’s exercise program to gain optimum benefit and reducing risk of injury or illness from exercise.

 

Many countries like US, Australia, Singapore have already started incorporating a screening system for the same, which guides fitness professionals to carry out basic screening for their clients and refer for further medical investigations if required.




The most basic screening which can be done is by collecting basic demographic details such as age, gender, and existing medical condition of a person. Using a PAR-Questionnaire is another simple tool to determine risk level and is also easily available online.

 

Par Q

PAR-Q – Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire – This is the most basic, self-guided and entry level questionnaire for screening. PAR-Q comprises of 7 questions which predict the risk level for an individual. Depending on the number of questions answered “yes“ or “no”,  risk level is determined for that individual. For example, if the person selects “no” for all the 7 questions, he is at low risk.

 

At clinical level, an in-depth health screening is done to categorize the person’s risk level. A complete medical history is obtained and necessary investigations are done if any medical condition is suspected. A detailed information about food habits/diet, lifestyle and experience with exercise is also obtained. After complete medical screening the patient is categorized under low, moderate or high risk depending upon the number and severity of existing medical conditions and lifestyle habits.

 

After risk stratification, the person is advised on his limitations towards exertion in exercise and also if he should undergo a medically supervised exercise program or not. This way a person can enjoy all the benefits of exercises by minimizing risk of any illness or injury.

 

So if you are planning to start a new exercise program make sure you undergo pre-exercise screening and if in doubt, consult your doctor.

 

Rehab Mantra
Stay Fit. Love Life

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