Check out this video if you are unfamiliar with trigger point therapy…TPR Therapy, Ironman competitor

Have you ever wished you could afford a personal masseuse? One who could come to your home, preferably daily, to help relieve you of the knots and muscle tightness that inevitably occur from daily workouts and, well, being a mom? In search of a solution to my IT band issues, I tried a chiropractor (not money well spent), stretching, massage therapy (therapist too gentle to release deep tissue), and my O.D. The O.D. provided the most valuable information: without proper biomechanics, the body can’t move the way it should. So, we are working on improving the way I move. In the meantime, I bought the TPR kit from Trigger Point Performance Therapy. Wow! What a difference!

How it works: Each tool in the kit is designed to relief muscle tension and release trigger points (those tender knots many of us suffer from that hurt like the dickens when palpated and often cause radiating pain to muscles and joints nearby). Untreated, active trigger points can result in painful and less effective workouts, incomplete recovery from workouts, and eventually, injury. Relieving the tension that TPs place on muscles and the joints they act upon allows the joints to move through their full range of motion the way they are designed to. Basically, it is like getting a personal massage, at home, whenever you need it. I’ve used the kit for several months and love it. Regular use has improved the range of motion in my hips, relieved tension and TPs in my calves, quads, IT-band, pectorals, back, glutes…you name it. I feel fantastic!

The Ultimate 6 kit I purchased is designed to alleviate the trigger points in the calf, quads, IT-band, glute, abdomen, and shoulder that tend runners tend to acquire. I had all of them, and then some. The kit includes the TP Massage Ball, TP Footballer and TP Quadballer, an easy to follow guidebook, and DVD. Ideally, the tools should be used pre-workout, post-workout, and within 90-minutes of going to bed. While the therapy isn’t terribly time-invasive, the first few times you go through the release techniques, it does take at least 30-40 minutes (actually, I think it took me an hour because I had so many trigger points). Once you get the hang of it though, the sessions move more quickly. I have achieved a lot of relief from using these tools and highly recommend them to anyone who suffers from trigger point syndrome, athlete or not.

The cost for the Ultimate 6 is $150. Other kits are available, so check out their website: Trigger Point Performance Therapy

*I am in no way affiliated with Trigger Point Therapy and do not receive compensation for recommending TPR products.

Because I love yoga, and Pilates, but am by no means a guru of either practice, I felt compelled to pass along some helpful resources so that you can learn more. Yoga is one of those activities that evolves as you evolve. The yoga you do today will not be the same yoga you do a year from now, and your body won’t likely be the same body either (note: this is a good thing – Yoga evens ‘things’ out, balances muscles, massages the joints, just all-around good stuff ;0). I’ve learned through my own yoga/Pilates journey that there is always something new to learn.  That said, here are some fabulous resources you can tap for “current” information.

Enjoy!

MAGAZINES

Yoga Journal

Learn the poses and live the lifestyle, online or subscribe to the print version.

www.yogajournal.com

Pilates Style

So far, the only magazine dedicated to the practice of Pilates: workouts, tips, nutrition and products. www.pilatesstyle.com

Whole Living – Your connection to body & soul

A Martha Stewart publication that focuses on green living, organic food and mind-body fitness. www.wholeliving.com

WEBSITES

Inner Idea
Explore all facets of mind-body practices: physical movement, nutrition, mediation, stress management and spiritual renewal. The Inner IDEA website is a great place to find mind-body research, books, DVDs and fitness conferences listings.

Pilates Insight
An all-encompassing online resource for Pilates information, products, and training.

Pilates Digest
Want to further your knowledge of Pilates and expand your repertoire of exercises? On this user-friendly site you can easily find product reviews, training articles, video exercises. You can even purchase mind-body apparel and gear

Pilates Method Alliance
An international, non-profit organization that establishes certification and continuing education standards for Pilates professionals. Use this valuable resource to locate a qualified instructor, or to learn how you can become one yourself.

The Pilates Method
The Physicalmind Institute has been developing teacher-training programs and continuing education resources for instructors since 1991. You can also locate PMI-certified instructors near you using their search tools.

Stott Pilates
Stott Pilates rovides cutting-edge Pilates education, equipment, DVDs, and articles. This site is a reliable resource for both instructors and students.

Yoga Alliance
Individual yoga teachers and training programs that comply with the minimum educational standards established by Yoga Alliance can register with this prestigious organization. Use their registry to locate YA instructors and training programs near you.

Yoga Download
“Take Yoga Anywhere!” is their motto. Use this site to download yoga and Pilates videos right to your computer and work out whenever and wherever it is convenient for you.

Yoga Movement
Find out about yoga events, improve your personal practice, or find a yoga studio when you’re on the road – they list studios in every state and over sixty countries.

Yoga Research and Education Foundation
The Yoga Research and Education Foundation is a non-profit organization whose primary objective it so conduct and promote research on anything related to Yoga.

Yoga Skills
Stress management products and expertise for yoga students and teachers.

Whether you are a die-hard gym-junkie or a “start and stopper” (you start a fitness program, follow it diligently for several weeks or months, then stop), or somewhere in between, no doubt you’ve hit a point when you were either:

• Tired of exercise
• Tired of the gym
• Tired of your routine
• Tired of not making steady progress…

I could add more, but I think you get the point: at some point, your exercise routine, no matter how regimented (or not) it is, might get stale. Psst…I have a secret: An often over-looked, but very important, component of that plan is “recovery” time!

Recovery time is built into fitness plans to allow the body time to rest. During this built-in rest time, lots of good stuff happens. Muscles rebuild themselves and metabolic changes take place at a cellular level. There is a lot going on when we exercise that we may not feel or see. Without recovery days, the body can’t properly rebuild and repair. Miss these important rest days enough times, and several things may occur:

• Burn out
• Injury
• Lack of progress (you won’t see further adaptations – you’ll “plateau”)

Follow this “Rule of Thumb”: 1-2 days of rest per week, not necessarily in a row. For weight training, switching to a cardiovascular activity the following day, or training different muscle groups, will allow the muscles previously trained time to adapt and recover. The same goes for cardiovascular activity: after several days in a row of cardio, a day of rest or cross-training is a good idea. This will give you a chance to work different muscles and allow the muscles typically used a chance to rest. So if you are a runner, cross-training with cycling or swimming gives the “running” muscles a chance to rest. This is why Triathlon training is often called the perfect “triad” — cross-training is built in!

A couple of weeks ago (sorry it has take me this long to follow up ;0), I blogged about Exercising Too Hard, Too Long, Too Often, and shortly after, my in box filled with questions about “overtraining.” The most popular question by far was, “how do I back off my routine without stopping exercise completely?” I have an answer…

If you feel that you are overtraining, backing off your exercise routine for a short time isn’t a bad idea. Start by cutting back to 70% of your current routine. For example, if you currently run 25 miles per week, run 70% of that instead (17.5) for a couple of weeks. If you strength train 4 times per week, 12 reps per exercise, 2-3 sets per exercise, multiply all of the components by 70%, so: 1-2 days/week of training, 8-9 reps per exercise, 1-2 sets of each, and also reduce the weight you lift by 70%. If you leg press 100 lbs, press 70lbs instead. Get the idea.

Basically, you want to give your body a rest without stopping exercising all together. This will help maintain your fitness level while also maintaining your mental state. Stop exercising completely, and within a couple of days you’ll likely notice that you feel a tad depressed. In some cases, you might feel really depressed – everyone is different. This phenomenon is called “exercise withdrawal” and you want to avoid it like the plague. Remember, exercise helps the body release endorphins. Endorphins feel good. Really good. This is why you like to exercise – maybe too much ;0) Again, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but too much of anything is never good.

Tomorrow…what to do if you can’t slow down or stop exercising!

As you might guess from my lack of presence on this block, summer is a very busy time, and I know this is true for just about everyone (and you’re all nodding, “yes, my kids over-run my schedule too!”), so my “theme” for the week is all about making “healthy choices in a snap.”

It is super easy to slack off during the summer. C’mon, you know what I mean…the pool is more enticing than a trip to the gym, the longer days (often filled with kid-focused activities, which, less face it, suck the life right out of even the most energetic mom, and if you are like me and work from home, it is difficult to get any work done, much less a “work-out.”) Enter moi – also known as your kick in the butt.

You CAN still fit healthy activities and healthy foods into your busy days, it just takes a little more creativity.

Try these tips:

1. Include the kids. Outdoor games, family walks and bike rides,
2. Include your pet. Your dog needs a daily walk, right? Follow these tips for exercising outdoors with your dog.
3. Carve out small bits of time for exercise. You can accomplish a lot in just 10 minutes – seriously, you can!
4. Travel with fitness in mind. With a little planning, there isn’t any reason you can’t exercise while vacationing. I know, you might not want to, but it can be done.
5. Can’t get to the gym? Work out at home. Follow these tips for stocking your home gym with all of the basics.

Easy Peasy Recipes for summer

Stir Fried Chicken Tenders from Eating Well

Old-fashioned Spaghetti & Meatballs from Eating Well

The EatingWell Taco

Ravioli w/ Apples and Walnuts from Real Simple

Roasted Pork w/ Brussel Sprouts and Apricots

There, that should get you started. And also remember that you don’t have to take the “all or nothing” approach. Set out to do something that serves as exercise, and try to make healthy food choices – save the strict nutrition regimen and long, tough workouts for the fall when you have a bit more time for you! Summer is meant to be enjoyed, so go – enjoy.