Get Fit at Work
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Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
The "Cure" for Round Ligament Pain
Have you ever been walking around or lying down, minding your business, when all of a sudden you feel a spasm or pain on the lower part of your belly? Usually it is close to the bikini line and to the right?
If so, you are probably experiencing round ligament pains. Abdominal pains during pregnancy can be very disconcerting, but round ligament pains are quite common.
According to WebMD, "Your uterus is normally the size of a pear. Thick ligaments, one of which is called the round ligament, hold your uterus in suspension within your abdomen. As the uterus grows in size and weight, these ligaments become very long and thin, stressing and tensing like rubber bands." The pain that you feel are these ligaments pulling on nearby nerve fibers.
There is no need to suffer in silence from these pains. An exercise called hip hikes actually helps to alleviate the discomfort.
To do hip hikes:
1) Stand next to a wall with a stability ball between your right hip bone and the wall. Make sure that your shoulders and hips are perpendicular to the wall.
2) Lift your right leg a few inches above the floor.
3) Move your right hip up and down. Make sure that this action in coming from your hip and not your right leg.
4) Do 10 to 15 reps on the right side and then switch to the left side. Do 2-3 sets on each side.
Try this exercise and let me know how it helps!
If so, you are probably experiencing round ligament pains. Abdominal pains during pregnancy can be very disconcerting, but round ligament pains are quite common.
According to WebMD, "Your uterus is normally the size of a pear. Thick ligaments, one of which is called the round ligament, hold your uterus in suspension within your abdomen. As the uterus grows in size and weight, these ligaments become very long and thin, stressing and tensing like rubber bands." The pain that you feel are these ligaments pulling on nearby nerve fibers.
There is no need to suffer in silence from these pains. An exercise called hip hikes actually helps to alleviate the discomfort.
To do hip hikes:
1) Stand next to a wall with a stability ball between your right hip bone and the wall. Make sure that your shoulders and hips are perpendicular to the wall.
2) Lift your right leg a few inches above the floor.
3) Move your right hip up and down. Make sure that this action in coming from your hip and not your right leg.
4) Do 10 to 15 reps on the right side and then switch to the left side. Do 2-3 sets on each side.
Try this exercise and let me know how it helps!
Monday, July 20, 2009
Take a Hike
For a while now, I have been wanting to go hiking in the Shenandoah Mountains in Virginia. I haven't had a chance to until this past Fourth of July weekend.
Located a mere two hours away from Washington, DC, Shenandoah National Park is home to over 500 miles of trails, including 101 miles of the Appalachian Trail. You can access many of these trails from the famous Skyline Drive.
We did only a mere eight of the 500 miles that Saturday. :) We took the Cedar Run Trail to the top. The trail ends near Skyline Drive (where it was at least ten degrees cooler than where we had started. (Take a jacket!) It is 3.4 miles and can be relatively difficult since it is very steep. The best thing about this trail is that it has a few water holes that you can jump into and a great, natural water slide that ends in a water hole. (Very cool. I will bring my bathing suit next time!)
The Fire Road connects The Cedar Run Trail to the White Oak Canyon Trail. This trail is 4.8 miles long. It is relatively steep going down so wear good shoes. The best thing about it is that there are a ton of wonderful waterfalls! (Me encanta las cascadas!) The waterfalls along the White Oak Canyon Trail are better than the ones along the Cedar Run Trail.
White Oak Canyon, the Fire Road and Cedar Run form a loop. You start with either Cedar Run or White Oak Canyon, but I would suggest that you start with Cedar Run. It is the steeper of the two and would be hard to have to walk down (in my opinion).
If you are not up for a 6 hour hike, you can always go part way and turn around to come back. You could walk up the Cedar Run Trail to the water slide, hang out there for a while and come back. It is about half way up the trail.
No matter where you like to go, take a hike this summer to stay in shape!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Happy Trails
One great way to stay in shape this summer is to take to the great outdoors for a hike, bike ride or walk. It feels great to be outside and you can recruit friends and family to come along with you.
Some popular trails in the Washington DC Metro area include The Capital Crescent Trail that goes from Georgetown to Silver Spring and the Mount Vernon Trail, an 18-mile long trail that follows the Potomac River to George Washington's home.
However, there are some new trails in the area that you should try out this summer.
The Four Mile Run Trail extension opened in May. This three-quarter mile addition in northern Virginia creates a smooth connection between the Shirlington restaurant area and the South Arlington Trail that intersects the Mount Vernon Trail.
To give you something to look forward to: the highly anticipated Metropolitan Branch Trail is opening this fall. The MBT is a proposed 8-mile multi-use trail that goes from Silver Spring, Maryland to Union Station in DC. It will provide direct access to seven of Metro’s Red Line stations and connect to the Capital Crescent Trail. The first mile of this trail will open this fall.
So grab the kids, your neighbors and your dog and hit the trails! You will have such a good time, you will forget you are exercising. Make sure you bring your pedometer and heart rate monitor along to make sure you are working hard enough.
What are your favorite trails?
Some popular trails in the Washington DC Metro area include The Capital Crescent Trail that goes from Georgetown to Silver Spring and the Mount Vernon Trail, an 18-mile long trail that follows the Potomac River to George Washington's home.
However, there are some new trails in the area that you should try out this summer. The Four Mile Run Trail extension opened in May. This three-quarter mile addition in northern Virginia creates a smooth connection between the Shirlington restaurant area and the South Arlington Trail that intersects the Mount Vernon Trail.
To give you something to look forward to: the highly anticipated Metropolitan Branch Trail is opening this fall. The MBT is a proposed 8-mile multi-use trail that goes from Silver Spring, Maryland to Union Station in DC. It will provide direct access to seven of Metro’s Red Line stations and connect to the Capital Crescent Trail. The first mile of this trail will open this fall.
So grab the kids, your neighbors and your dog and hit the trails! You will have such a good time, you will forget you are exercising. Make sure you bring your pedometer and heart rate monitor along to make sure you are working hard enough.
What are your favorite trails?
Sunday, July 5, 2009
"Round Out" Your Workout
Are you looking for a good way to "round out" your glutes and strengthen your hamstrings? Hamstring curls on the ball are a great way to do that. You will also be strengthening your core. (Of course!)
Step 1: Begin by lying down on the mat with your legs extended all the way out and your heels on top of the ball. Press your heels lightly into the ball and engage your abs. Engaging the abdominal muscles first is a very important step, as it will keep you balanced on the ball.
Step 2:Next, you will lift your hips off the mat. Once you are stable, bring your heels in towards your glutes and then extend the legs all the way back out. That is one repetition. Your hips will stay lifted as you execute all twelve repetitions of this exercise. If you are unable to stay balanced on the ball with your hips off of the mat, you can perform this exercise with your hips on the mat.
I would suggest doing at least two sets of these.
You can do this exercise 2 to 3 times per week.
**This exercise is safe to do during all stages of pregnancy, if your hips are raised and you are not interfering with the flow of blood to the uterus. However, if you begin to feeling numbness or a tingling sensation in your lower body, you should stop doing the exercise.
Step 1: Begin by lying down on the mat with your legs extended all the way out and your heels on top of the ball. Press your heels lightly into the ball and engage your abs. Engaging the abdominal muscles first is a very important step, as it will keep you balanced on the ball.
Step 2:Next, you will lift your hips off the mat. Once you are stable, bring your heels in towards your glutes and then extend the legs all the way back out. That is one repetition. Your hips will stay lifted as you execute all twelve repetitions of this exercise. If you are unable to stay balanced on the ball with your hips off of the mat, you can perform this exercise with your hips on the mat.
I would suggest doing at least two sets of these.
You can do this exercise 2 to 3 times per week.
**This exercise is safe to do during all stages of pregnancy, if your hips are raised and you are not interfering with the flow of blood to the uterus. However, if you begin to feeling numbness or a tingling sensation in your lower body, you should stop doing the exercise.
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