Monthly Archives: March 2013

Work Your Core

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Work Your Core

 

Have you found that you’re not can’t find time to go to the gym, but still want to stay fit. It’s important to exercise consistently in order to stay healthy, and your core is important as it is used in many different exercises. Below are some reasons to exercise your core, as well as some easy exercises that you can do at home, when you don’t have time to go on a run, or just don’t want to because it’s raining.

 

Did you know?

 

            -Your core muscles are crucial for trunk and hip stabilization; having a weak core can result in back, hip, and knee injuries, poor posture, and damaged muscles

            -Core muscles improve both balance and stability in every movement that we make, as well as when we are staying still

            -As there is no single muscle that controls spine stabilization, it is important to focus on strengthening all of the contributing muscles in order to achieve balance and maintain stability across the entire range of functional daily movements

            -Training of core muscles allows for better maintenance of a neutral spine posture, which is the safest posture for lifting and other daily activities

 

Exercises to improve core stability and strength

 

Here are two exercises that are great for beginners as well as advanced athletes to work on development and maintenance of core strength and stability. Other exercises to try are Bridge, Oblique curls, Prone, Ball/BOSU crunches.

 

Crunch

 

Crunches are an excellent exercise to target the rectus abdominus muscle, but are often done incorrectly.

  1. Lie face-up on an exercise mat with legs bent at 90 degrees, and hands at temples or behind head
  2. Contract abdominals by coughing, thinking about tucking your ribs closer to your hips; contract pelvic floor by doing a Kegel. Curl up just enough so that your head, neck and backs of shoulders are off the floor – this is your “start position”
  3. Without losing contraction, curl up a few inches by bringing your ribs closer to your hips, NOT by lifting directly off the floor
  4. Hold at the top, then slowly lower back down to the start position (not all the way to the floor!)
  5. Repeat 10 times, then rest.

Be careful not to curl up too high, as this will stop working your rectus abdominus and instead work your hip flexor muscles.

 

 

Plank

 

Plank is an excellent exercise for people of all fitness levels to work on stabilization. It can be modified for beginners by planking from the knees instead of the toes.

 

  1. Lie facedown on an exercise mat with arms facing out front, elbows stacked directly beneath shoulders; tuck toes underneath feet
  2. “Tuck your tail”
  3. Lift body onto forearms and toes, maintaining a neutral spine and without sinking down into your shoulders
  4. Maintain posture for 20-60 seconds, then lower

A Good Night’s Sleep

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Getting a good night’s sleep is more important than you think.  Sleep problems can have a negative effect on our mental health by influencing our emotions, thoughts, behaviors and body sensations.

 Emotions: If your sleep is disturbed, you might feel irritable, grumpy, numbed out, sad, anxious, worried or stressed.

 Thoughts: Sleep problems can make it difficult to concentrate or think clearly, or make decision the next day

 Behaviors: We are more likely to avoid our usual activities when we are experiencing sleep problems.

 Body Sensations: Sleep difficulties can leave us feeling tired, drowsy and worn out.

 Although sleep problems are common, there are some easy ways to improve the quality of your sleep. Many people find their physical and mental well being also improves when their sleep improves. Here are 7 useful tips to help improve your night’s sleep.

 1. Follow the same routine- try to keep the same sleep and wake schedule everyday, setting your internal clock.

 2. Avoid caffeine, alcohol, smoking and exercising at least 2 hours before bedtime. These can cause some disrupted or trouble sleeping.

 3. Avoid being hungry or eating heavily before going to bed; instead eat balanced meals and snacks at regular intervals during the day.

 4. Make your bedroom comfortable and only use it for sleeping- Avoid using your bed for watching TV, work, studying, or any other mentally stimulating activities.

 5. Get up if you do not fall asleep within half an hour. Leave your bedroom and do something relaxing and later return when you’re feeling drowsy. Over time this will likely reverse sleep problems.

 6. Avoid taking naps if you are experiencing sleep problems. If you do take a nap, try to keep it to 45 minutes or less.

 7. Challenge the belief we can’t function without a perfects nights sleep- Don’t get anxious if you aren’t able to sleep and are worried about your productivity the next day.     

Quiet Hours are the most important residence standard for a reason. 

QUIET HOURS

Sunday to Thursday          10pm-7am

Friday to Saturday             1am-7am

For more information on:

 How to get a good night’s sleep
http://www.helpguide.org/life/sleep_tips.htm

What happens if you don’t get a good night’s sleep.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_deprivation

How Much is Enough?

 It’s different for everyone- some people need more than others but most need 6-8 hours. If you are frequently tired or irritable during the day or find yourself sleeping an extra 2 hours each night on weekends, then you’re probably not getting enough. 

It’s not just enough sleep – it’s about getting the right kind of sleep as well. Student who don’t get enough REM sleep perform way worse recalling newly learned information. It’s the last couple of hours of sleep that contain the most REM sleep – it’s the good quality REM sleep that suffers.