Athletes
Sports Spine Specialist Chiropractic Team: Athletes strive to achieve their body’s maximum performance by participating in numerous training regimens consisting of strenuous exercises and physical activity and ensuring they meet all of their body’s nutritional requirements. Through proper fitness and nutrition, many individuals can condition themselves to excel in their specific sport. Our training programs are designed for athletes that look to gain a competitive edge in their sport.
We provide sport-specific services to help increase an athlete’s performance through mobility, strength, and endurance. Occasionally, however, the excess workouts can lead many to suffer injuries or develop underlying conditions. Dr. Alex Jimenez’s chronicle of articles for athletes displays in detail the many forms of complications affecting these professionals while focusing on the possible solutions and treatments to follow to achieve overall well-being.
by Dr Alex Jimenez | Agility & Speed, Fitness, Health
Working out in the gym is great, but even the biggest treadmill loyalists can get bored on the moving belt. Our advice? Mix up your sweat sessions whenever you can. Introducing different types of movement into your fitness routine can actually help you get in shape faster because they challenge your muscles in new ways.
That�s why we love with this samba reggae dance workout. It�s a total change of pace from your standard barre class. And you don�t need to be a pro dancer to try the moves either.
Samba Workout
In the video, dance teacher Quenia�Ribeiro, of the�renowned dance school Ailey Extension demonstrates basic samba reggae moves that work up a solid sweat. Ready to get down and groove? Follow along for a heart-pumping, fat-blasting workout you�ll actually have fun doing.
RELATED: 12-Minute Dance Cardio Workout With Katie Austin�
- Samba reggae basic step: Standing with your feet slightly wider than hip-width, bounce from one foot to the other, moving your hips from side to side as you bounce.
- The snake: Adding on to the basic step, roll your upper body and arms in a snake-like movement to the right as you step to the right side. Clap as you return your torso to center, then repeat on the left.
- The shake: Standing with your feet slightly wider than hip-width, step your right leg out to the side as you sit into a squat and pop the hips forward and back. Continue to stay low as you repeat this movement on the other side, stepping out with the left leg. Stay loose in the hips as you alternate stepping out onto each leg.
- Cross-and-pull: From standing, step and cross the right leg over the left as you pull the right arm down in front of the body. Return to center and repeat on the left. Bounce from side to side as you alternate doing this cross-and-pull movement on the left and right.
- Window washers: Standing with your feet slightly wider than hip-width, shift your weight as you bounce your hips from one side to the other, holding your arms out to each side and moving them in quick circular movements, as if washing windows.
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by Dr Alex Jimenez | Fitness
Trying to be a better runner? It’s not just about logging miles (although that certainly helps). The key to running strong and long also has a lot to do with shoring up your muscles, activating your core and back in addition to your lower body,�and keeping your movements fluid. To help do that, start incorporating these full-body strengthening�moves from Nike+ Run Club coach Julia Lucas to your routine three days a week, before or after a run. You’ll start noticing a difference in your strength in no time.
1. Planks
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Planks have long been considered one of the best exercises for your core. In addition to your abs, this move engages your back, quads, and hamstrings, making it a great full-body exercise for runners. To do it, get into the �up� part of a push-up, with palms�on the floor directly under shoulders and legs extended behind you, forming a straight�line from head to heels. Hold for 10 to 30 seconds, keeping abs tight. Do�2 or 3 sets.
RELATED: 20 Ways to Do a Plank
2. Clamshells
Clamshells work your hips and glutes, parts of the body that runners regularly need to activate. To do them, start out by lying�on your side with legs stacked and knees bent at 45 degrees. Rest head on arm; place top hand on hip. With inside edges of feet touching, lift top knee as high as you can without shifting hips or pelvis. Pause; lower knee. Do 2 or 3 sets of 10 reps per side.
3. Side squats
Side squats are a great way to strengthen your outer highs, hips, and glutes. To do, stand with feet hip-width apart, hands on hips; squat. Stand; move left foot a step out. Squat again; step left foot in as you rise. Continue, alternating sides. Do 2 or 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps per side.
Pin all of these moves for later:
by Dr Alex Jimenez | Fitness, Health, Wellness
Add lean protein to every meal and snack
Weight-loss experts have always encouraged us to fill our plates with produce as a way to reap the benefits of its hunger-busting fiber, along with its antioxidants and other nutrients. But if you�ve been laser-focused on loading up on fruits and vegetables, your diet may need more lean protein. You should have a serving every few hours, says Brill. Nuts, eggs, and meat are more caloric than an apple or a pile of power greens�but the protein will keep you full longer and can lower your overall calorie intake for the day.
Moreover, a 2015 study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that incorporating protein into every meal and snack�starting with breakfast�helps control appetite and manage body weight. “A balanced diet that includes some protein helps fuel your muscles,” explains Brill. And as you already know, the more lean body mass you have, the higher your metabolic rate will be. Not to mention, your body has to work harder to digest protein, and through that process you burn even more calories.
RELATED: 13 High-Protein Breakfast Recipes and Ideas
Don�t protein-load. But do try making a more conscious effort to get small, regular doses: Eat eggs or almond butter in the a.m., for example. Make meat, fish, or legumes (like beans and peas) a key component of your lunch and dinner. And snack on hummus, nuts, kefir, or roasted chickpeas�all protein-packed picks to fuel your way to fit.
by Dr Alex Jimenez | Fitness, Health, Wellness
This article originally appeared on People.com.�
Erin is a self-proclaimed exercise addict.
The 39-year-old from San Diego, California reveals on Tuesday�s episode of�the syndicated daytime series The Doctors�that she builds her whole life around fitting in workout sessions.
�I exercise eight�hours a day,� she says in an exclusive clip. �I never get tired, I don�t get sore.�
Even Though Her Body Can Seemingly Handle Her Excessive Workouts
They do not make her feel good.
�I�ll cancel plans, I�ll cancel appointments. It�s been controlling my life,� she says. �I just can�t stop. It�s not giving me the rush that I used to feel just doing three to four hours.�
Erin says she squeezes in early morning workouts before work, and then returns to the gym when she is done for the day.
RELATED:�Why You Should Rethink Your Spinning Obsession
�Around 5 o�clock is when I work out, and then I go to work, and then I work out for another two hours,� she says.
But Erin also reveals she has been using exercise to avoid a painful trauma she experienced in the past.
�Eight months ago I got a message from a girl. It triggered a memory that I had suppressed for 30 years,� she says in the clip.
�Basically I�ve Been Adding On Exercise So I Can Just Forget.�
Host Dr. Travis Stork commends Erin for seeking the help she needs to fight her addiction.
�Before we get into where we need to go from here, we have to acknowledge where we are right now,� he says. �I�m so happy you realize that you need to change, because when I saw those blood pressure readings, there are things in medicine we call hypertensive urgency, and those blood pressure numbers [are] quite alarming.�
Gastroenterologist Dr. Jorge Rodriguez, who is working to treat Erin, says he was also alarmed by the results.
�In the six years that I�ve done the show with you, Erin is the most ill person, the sickest person that we�ve had on the show in my opinion,� he says.
To find out more of her test results and to see if�The Doctors can help Erin, check your local listings and tune into Tuesday�s episode.
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by Dr Alex Jimenez | Fitness, Health, Wellness
Here�s to a different kind of body transformation. On Instagram yesterday, fitness influencer Anna Victoria shared a�follower�s photos that document her inspiring recovery from an extreme exercise habit.
In the “before” pic, @barbellkell_fbg is flexing her biceps in a bikini that shows off her chiseled six-pack.
What It Took To Get That Sculpted Bod Was Anything But Healthy
The photo on the left was taken a year and a half ago, when @barbellkell_fbg was committed to a 10-week plan that involved working out�five times a week, sometimes twice a day, and counting macros (down to chewing gum, vitamins, and cough drops), she explains in the caption. “[Z]ero balance, zero living, zero sustainability,” she wrote. “I had my full time job and this, which was another full time job basically.”
The strict dieting and intense workouts�took a serious toll. By the end of the plan, @barbellkell_fbg had a flat belly, and no trace of cellulite�but her energy levels had plummeted. “I could barely lift my feet to run on the treadmill,” she wrote. A blood test showed her white blood cell count was severely depressed. It was so low her doctor wanted to test her for cancer, she says.
After convincing him to do another blood test in a month, @barbellkell_fbg�committed to getting back to “normal.” She ate “to survive,” she said;�and in time, she gained fat and her white blood cell count recovered.
OD’ing on exercise�is a real thing, and it can�cause everything from fatigue to chronic achiness�even an elevated heart rate, which puts more demand on your ticker. “Overexercising�often contributes to pain,�dehydration, or electrolyte imbalances, all of which can lead to an increase in heart rate,” Kathryn Berlacher, MD, a cardiologist at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, explained to�Health in a prior interview.
Signs That You’re Overdoing It At The Gym
And tips on how to scale back�check out our guide to the symptoms of overtraining.
As for�@barbellkell_fbg, she’s�come a long way in the last 18 months.�She now follows Anna Victoria�s Fit Body Guides, and eats what she wants in moderation. “I feel good. I am strong. I am happy,” she says�and�she loves the body she has now.
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by Dr Alex Jimenez | Fitness, Posture, Wellness
You can get away with slouching at your desk. But looking hunched in your best friend�s wedding photos? That�s a no-no. We tapped fitness expert Lauren Williams for a series of exercises that will perfect your posture, so you can rock a strapless and stand tall at any social event this season. Watch this video for six moves that will sculpt your shoulders and elongate your torso so your wedding-day posture is as polished as possible.
1. YTW stretch:
Lay on your stomach with your hands reaching overhead �so your body forms the shape of the letter Y. Lift your chest slightly off the ground, then lower back down. Next, bring your arms out to your sides to form the shape of the letter T as you lift chest slightly off the ground. Lower back down. From here, bend arms at the elbows to form the shape of the letter W as you lift chest slightly off the ground. Return upper body to the ground and repeat sequence.
2. Renegade row:
Start in a high plank position with hands resting on dumbbells. From plank, lift your right arm into a row movement, lifting the dumbbell off the ground and bending the elbow to form a 90-degree angle. Return hand to mat and complete row movement on opposite side.
3. Best chest opener:
Starting on all fours, reach right hand to the ceiling, twisting the upper body open and looking up at your hand. Return to center and repeat reach and twist on the left side.
RELATED: This is the World�s Greatest Stretch (Seriously!)�
4. Bentover dumbbell flys:
From standing, lean your upper body forward so you�re slightly bent over with a dumbbell in each hand, arms extended long. Lift both arms out to shoulder height on each side with elbows slightly bent, squeezing your shoulder blades together. Return arms to starting position and repeat the fly movement.
5. Single-leg dumbbell balance with row:
Start from a standing position with a dumbbell in each hand. Carefully lower the upper body, creasing at the hips, while simultaneously lifting the right leg to hip height behind you. As you do this, lift weights one at a time toward your chest with the arm bending deeply at the elbow. Lower the leg to the floor as you lift your upper body back to standing upright and repeat movement with the left leg extended behind you.
6. All four shoulder opener:
Starting on all fours, reach the right arm out straight to the side, walking the hand along the floor as you twist the upper body toward the left. Return to center and repeat movement with the left arm extended.
by Dr Alex Jimenez | Athletes, Fitness, Health
Nike Debuted Its�Air Max Sneaker In 1987
featuring a visible air-cushioning unit in the sole designed to absorb shock and�more importantly, some may say�look really freakin’ cool. Over the years, Nike has retooled and reimagined the innovative design, releasing dozens of versions of the now-iconic shoe that’s beloved�by sneakerheads and athletes alike. A variety of new Air Max shoes are now available on Nike.com, and�on March 26�dubbed Air Max Day�Nike will release a running shoe called the Air VaporMax. Ahead of its release, fitness editors like me were�invited to log a few miles in the shoe, which is about 7 years in the making.
This Latest Silhouette
features plush Air Max cushioning across the entire foot and Nike’s ultra-flexible Flyknit upper. The first thing I noticed when I put the shoes�on was how comfortable they felt. I took a few bounces in them, and was also impressed by their light-as-a-feather feel.�As I started my run, I was amazed by how bouncy they felt�it�was as though I had lined up a�bunch of trampolines�leapt from one to the next. Another standout feature: the grip. Surprisingly, those air bags�on the soles really grab the ground. On a snowy, icy, or even rainy day, that would be an awesome feature.
One Potential Downside To This Shoe
The price. At $190, the Air VaporMax is pretty expensive. But, you can be assured that the shoe is built to last. During its initial testing phrase,�more than 350 runners�put 126,000 miles on these babies in a variety of climates and across myriad surfaces. Basically, Nike tried to kick this shoe’s butt. Kathy Gomez, vice president of Nike Innovation, claims your first mile and 1,000th mile will feel exactly the same in the Air VaporMax.
The bottom line:�If you are a fan of Nike Air, are in the market for a new pair of kicks, and are cool with a bit of a splurge, then I would�definitely consider these. They’re light, bouncy, and flexible�and they have 30 years of design innovation behind them. Sounds like a winner to us!
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