Welcome to the Fitness Fixer
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Healthline
Just as smoking "works" for weight loss, but is not a smart or healthy way to do it, many exercises "work" for cosmetic results, but result in long-term injury, and promote bad movement habits. Other common exercises don't work your body the way you need to move in real life, resulting in strains and injuries when going about daily activities.
This Fitness Fixer health column will show you hundreds of simple ways to change your exercises, stretches, and daily movement, to make them fun, healthy, and the way you really need to move for healthier daily life. Instead of repeating what others claim about health, I do original research. In my laboratory research in human physiology, and my sports medicine clinical practice, I see patients every day who are hurting and unhappy, despite all the exercise and fitness they do. Many of my patients are yoga teachers, physical therapists, and Pilates teachers with back pain, hip pain, and neck pain. I see personal trainers with herniated discs and knee pain. I see body builders with back pain, despite all the abdominal exercises they do. I see patients, including fitness instructors, who aren't getting more flexible no matter how much stretching they do. I see people who are stressed, tired, achy, and not in shape, even though they spend hundreds of dollars a month on supplements and pills, gizmos, equipment, trainers, and classes. The answers are simple, and this regular column will cover many easy changes you can make so that your fitness becomes not only more effective, but fun and healthy.
Get started now with the next in this series - What is "Fitness as a Lifestyle?"
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Read success stories of these methods and send your own.
See if your answers are already here - click Fitness Fixer labels, links, archives, and Index.
For personal medical questions - Replies to Medical Questions.
Limited Class space for personal feedback. Top students may earn certification through DrBookspan.com/Academy. More fun in Dr. Bookspan's Books.
---Read success stories of these methods and send your own.
See if your answers are already here - click Fitness Fixer labels, links, archives, and Index.
For personal medical questions - Replies to Medical Questions.
Limited Class space for personal feedback. Top students may earn certification through DrBookspan.com/Academy. More fun in Dr. Bookspan's Books.
Labels: abdominal muscles, disc, fix pain, injury, knee, lower back, nutrition, practice of medicine, spirit, strength, stress, stretch, yoga
8 Comments:
At Sunday, October 05, 2008 5:21:00 AM, wondering oriental said…
Thank you for your sound advises.
Carry on with your good work
At Wednesday, February 11, 2009 10:01:00 AM, Anonymous said…
Do you know of any therapists in the Kansas City area who use your methods?
Thank you.
At Saturday, March 13, 2010 11:28:00 AM, Anonymous said…
my husband is a physical therapist and says that we typically walk with our feet slightly outward. I think that I read in one of your posts that we should keep our toes pointed straight ahead--I can't find the post now. I broke my ankle last fall and am trying to rehab it as well as prevent further problems. Thank you for your answer.
At Tuesday, March 16, 2010 1:49:00 PM, Jolie Bookspan, M.Ed, PhD, FAWM said…
Dear wondering oriental, I enjoy your many wise comments to different articles. Thank you. Visit again soon.
Anonymous 1, I do not know of anyone. Check my website Class Page - www.DrBookspan.com/classes to learn directly. People come from all over the world.
For Anonymous 2, There is a difference between "typical" and "healthy." It is typical to smoke and slouch too.
Some schools teach it is typical to point outward, others to point straight. Often both just repeat what they heard, that someone else wrote, from what they heard, and so on. What we do differently here is check for ourselves. Like others, I learned untrue things in school. I went into a research career to change that.
The difference between feet pointing "slightly outward" and straight ahead won't rehab a broken ankle. Pointing straight gives built-in daily stretch to the plantar fascia and Achilles tendon with each step, and prevents the wear that turnout makes on the ankle, hip, and knee see - Plantar Fasciitis Part I. For rehabbing and preventing future ankle problems, see How To Treat Ankle Sprains and Prevent Them. Use the label ankle for many others, plus the Fitness Fixer Index on my web site - http://www.drbookspan.com/fitfix-index.
Sorry to hear of your injury. Stay hopeful. There is much here to regain all function, even surpass previous abilities. Enjoy reading and getting better.
At Monday, March 22, 2010 10:51:00 AM, anonymous 2 said…
Thank you so much for answering my question about walking straight! I found your website after having problems with my sacral-iliac area. I have had si problems for years! then I started having crushing pain in both hips and my upper legs--thanks to your advice on neutral spine, the pain has been greatly reduced!!! I have also had feet problems for years too and your advice has revealed to me how much I walk like a duck!! So, I am working on that too. And then I broke my ankle...I feel like I am in total makeover due to your advice and feeling much better. but, I have a question:
I am getting heartburn when I use your method to pick up things--this is a new problem for me...
At Saturday, April 03, 2010 9:26:00 AM, wondering oriental said…
I am grateful for your wise fitness lessons and do these daily; can sit quite straight now but still having problem with my 'forward head', though I have learned at Taijiquan to stand straight, imagining having eyes at the back of my head looking backward/ same as your advice chin in and ears above shoulders.
Wish I had known you earlier!
A grateful wondering oriental
At Saturday, April 03, 2010 9:39:00 AM, wondering oriental said…
Still a fan and disciple of you, wishing that I have known you earlier.
At Taijiquan I learned to stand straight also with eyes at my head's back to look forward and backward/similar to your advice 'chin in, ears over shoulders'.
Still have problem in correcting my forward head.
At Thursday, April 08, 2010 4:47:00 PM, Jolie Bookspan, M.Ed, PhD, FAWM said…
To Anonymous 2, Glad you are feeling much better, that is the whole idea of my work. With your smart work, you will be able to find and stop causes of the rest. Healthline has told us we will be taking a break from this format. Use my website at www.DrBookspan.com for all the good and health.
Wondering Oriental, Hello Sir, thank you for kind words. It is an honor coming from you. From my web site, the pages for Books and my Academy have contact links www.DrBookspan.com. Because of your wonderful work and mind, e-mail me directly where we can complete the rest for you.
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