Why Does My Low Back Hurt?

One of the most common complaints that I hear from clients but also have experienced myself is low back pain.  I have learned in my years of training that this stems from more than just weak abdominals. 

When people say 'core' typically you just think of your stomach muscles and low back.  What they realize is it also includes your booty muscles, serratus anterior and posterior, erector spinae and your lats.  With that said you have to stretch and strengthen a lot more muscle groups than just your abdominals to reduce low back pain. 

My glutes and hamstrings are the main muscle groups that I've been working on to ensure my low back feels good.  It's not always about strengthening...also remember to stretch to increase flexibility in your lower body.  You can go back into the archives of my blog and check out my stretching entry to get you started.

The most important kind of training for strengthening the glutes is unilateral training.  This simply means working one side of your body at a time.  Everyone has a dominant side and unilateral movements allow each glute to work equally as hard to perform the exercise.  It doesn't allow your dominant side to compensate for the weak.  This also will allow you to make gains in leg exercises that involve both legs working at the same time like a squat. 

So what are some basic glute exercises that will increase strength?  Here are a number of body weight exercises that you can start with.  Enjoy the downtown Milwaukee atmosphere and the blinding sun in these photos.  What a beautiful day it is today and why not lay in the grass on Water Street after a great cup of Collectivo (it will always be Alterra to me) Coffee and perform them for you. Side note: don't exercise in sandals like I am.  I simply forgot to take them off and always have good footwear on when I'm working out.

Glute Extensions:  Lay on your back with your hands at your side and your knees bent with feet flat on the ground.  Lift your hips and squeeze your glutes at the top of the exercise.  Lower your hips back down and repeat.

Single Leg Glute Extensions: You will start in the same position as glute extensions except one leg will be up in the air.  Lift your hips, squeeze your glutes at the top and lower hips back down. Repeat.

 
Hydrants:  The 'look like a dog peeing on a hydrant' exercise.  Start on all fours with your back nice and flat.  Stack your hands below your shoulders and your knees below your hips.  Bring your bent leg up so your leg is parallel with the ground and lower back down.  Don't forget to do both sides.

Side Leg Raises: Start in the same positions as hydrants.  Try to stretch your leg straight out so it is perpendicular to the rest of your body.  If your hips don't allow that kind of flexibility, decrease the angle of your leg.  You are going to lift and lower your leg without touching down.  Think of it as more of a pulsing movement.  Switch sides.

Hip Circles: Start in the same position as the last two exercises.  Kick one leg back, lift your hip and circle your leg back around to your starting position.  You will go the opposite direction as well.  Bring your knee into your chest and then lift your hip in a circular motion.

Forward Lunges and Lateral Lunges: Forward lunges that I have talked about in a couple of my blog entries (go back to my 'No More Excuses' entry if you need a refresher) are a great exercise to increase glute strength.  Another great lunge exercise is a lateral lunge.  Start with feet together and take an oversized step to the side.  Both sets of toes should face forward the entire exercise. The leg that you step out with is going to bend while the other leg stays straight.  Do all your repetitions on one side and then switch to the other.











Here's a quick workout sample for you to try:

Glute Extensions - 3x25
Single Leg Glute Extensions: 3x15/leg
Hydrants: 3x25/leg
Side Leg Raises: 3x25/leg
Hip Circles: 3x25/leg, make sure you go both directions so you will end up doing 50 repetitions total on each leg.
Forward Lunges: 3x15/leg
Lateral Lunges: 3x15/leg
*Don't forget to include stretching of your hamstrings, glutes and hip flexors in this rotation as well.

I would go through each exercise once and then start at the beginning and go through them two more times.  If you don't have as much time, just go through the exercises twice.

I will leave you with this thought.  As we were walking downtown we passed this:

We all have choices.  We have choices to see the glass half full or half empty.  This week try to choose a positive thought even if your first inclination was to think of the negative.  Attitude can be a driving force towards obtaining your goals or a road block constantly getting in your way.  Try to take the high road and embrace all the great things in your life. Work hard, stay positive and keep your goals in the forefront of your mind.  

 

Easiest but Tastiest Salsa Chicken Recipe

I made a great crockpot meal the other day that was so tasty and probably the easiest recipe yet.  I wanted to make a meal of it so I also cooked some quinoa and a 16 bean mix to add to it.

I actually cooked the bean mix a few days prior to making the chicken in the crockpot.  I just followed the bag instructions and let the beans cook for about 8 hours.  I would suggest adding salt, pepper and spices to the cooking mix because they will be very bland if you don't.  Some ideas would be garlic powder, onion powder, minced garlic or even thyme and rosemary.

Here is the easiest recipe ever...

Salsa Chicken

1 package boneless, skinless chicken tenders

1 jar salsa, I used black bean and corn salsa.  It gave the chicken a smokey chipotle flavor and made my apartment smell so delicious. 

1 cup quinoa (cooked separately)

All you have to do is put the chicken and salsa in the crockpot on high for a few hours. Once the chicken starts to cook and the salsa starts to sizzle, turn it on low and keep it in there for another few hours.  I left mine in the crockpot for six to eight hours and the chicken just fell apart and was so tender.  The salsa is a great topping to go with the meat and quinoa.

The quinoa should be rinsed and the cooked according to the package.  Put one half cup of quinoa on the bottom of a bowl and top it with beans and a few chicken tenders and the salsa.  Salt and pepper is optional but gave the quinoa and beans more flavor.  I live by myself and was about to get 4-5 meals out of this.  It makes being busy much easier when I have prepared my meals ahead of time. Enjoy!

Mason Jar Overnight Oats

Do you find yourself hitting the snooze button a couple extra times in the morning and then rushing around trying to get out the door on time?  Well for me, I end up hitting the snooze button about three more times than I should and then I have on average about 10-12 minutes to get dressed, brush my teeth, put my contacts in, make breakfast and pack snacks.

So I came across a recipe that is now one of my new favorite on the go breakfast meals.  You make it the night before and just add a few ingredients in the morning and it's ready to go.  The less time I have to spend prepping, the better.

So here are the ingredients that I've used, though you can pretty much add or take out whatever you want depending on what kind of fruit you like.

Overnight Oats

I used a mason jar to make it in. It's a great portion controller and has a lid so you can save some for later if you get full.

1 cup milk.  I used almond milk but you can use regular milk, coconut milk etc.

1/2 cup rolled oats

1 banana, peeled and smashed, optional.  I've thought about trying it with berries or peaches.

1 tbsp. chia seeds

1 tbsp. hemp seeds

1 tbsp. peanut butter

1 tsp. agave nectar.  You can also use maple syrup or honey.

1. Mix all ingredients besides the peanut butter and agave nectar in a mason jar.  Let sit overnight and then add peanut butter and agave nectar in the morning. Stir well.

I love it because I can eat some for breakfast and the rest for my mid morning snack.  It's very filling and has great flavor.  You can add or take out most of the ingredients and make it your own with whatever you like best. 

Add in a cup of tea or coffee with it on those colder mornings and enjoy. Go Packers!

No More Excuses...

Today was one of those days where I had an internal conversation about why I didn’t want to go workout.  “I’m so tired…I worked a full morning…my kitty is being lazy, I can be too…the gym is probably going to be really hot…I will get hungry and run out of energy mid workout…”  What did I do?  I got myself up before I even attempted to nap and decided that I’d probably feel a lot better once I was finished and worked hard.  My intuition was right.

There are always excuses that can be made when it comes to exercising and eating right.  There are going to be birthdays, holidays, hot days, cold days, sick days, sad days and tired days.  These will all tempt you to eat too many snacks and too much dessert or make you just want to stay in bed. Take it from me, it’s hard to be self motivated all the time on top of motivating others all day being a trainer.  I make the choice though to exercise even on the hard days and let go of excuses and the obstacles that get in my way.

The reason I’m babbling on and on is because I have come up with a no excuse workout for you.  You can do it anytime, anywhere with zero equipment besides the thing you carry with you all the time…your body weight. 

Sidenote: There is nothing I make my clients do that I haven’t done before.  So I proceeded to have my photographer (thanks mom for all your help) take my photos and then got to work.  It didn’t take a lot of time, it got my heart rate up and I was sweating by the end.  Excuses are harder to make when you know your workout will be efficient and make you tired and sweaty…you just have to buckle down and do it.

Some of these exercises I've talked about before so parts will just be a review.  So here’s the break down:

Squats: Start with your feet shoulder width apart with both feet facing forward. Weight should be evenly distributed through toes to heels. To perform the exercise, pretend you have a chair behind you...sit your butt back first as you start to bend your knees.  The weight should shift into your heels and you should be able to lift up your toes at the bottom of the exercise.  The reason for this is to make sure your knees are protected.  The rule of thumb is your knees should never cross the plane of your toes. Try to get your quads and hamstrings parallel with the ground before you come back up to your starting position. 

Push Ups: I did the push up on my toes but you can always modify and start on your knees until you get a little stronger.  Start with your hands about shoulder width apart, back flat and think about pulling your belly button to your spine to contract your abdominal muscles.  You want to make sure that you are lowering your body towards the ground as a unit.  Your back should never arch as it puts a lot of strain on the wrong muscle groups.  As you lower your body, allow your elbows to bend to a 90 degree angle.  Then just push yourself back up to your starting position.

Split Jumps: The split jump is a little more complicated than the basic lunge because you will be adding a little bit of plyometrics to your movement. (If your body does not allow, just stay on the ground and do a basic lunge)  Start with your feet together and take an oversized step forward.  In this position you are going to keep good posture and instead of leaning into your front leg to perform the lunge, you are going to drop your back knee towards the ground.  This will ensure you are continuing to stand up tall and it will also protect those knee joints.  The same rule applies for lunges as they do squats...no knees should cross the plane of the toes. Once you are down in your lunge position, you are going to come up and jump into the next lunge switching your feet so the opposite leg is in front.  You will continue this lunge and jump motion for the duration of your set. 

Oblique Crunches: You are going to start by lying on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.  This is going to be a unilateral movement because we will work on one side of the body and then switch to the other.  Choose a side and drop your bent knees to one side of your body.  The motion is going to be the same as your basic crunch, you will just be working those obliques.  Remember to lift at your shoulders, not your neck and keep a space between your chin and your chest. Switch sides once you're done.

Burpees:  Don't let anyone convince you that burpees are terrible.  They are a wonderful exercise that will work your whole body and get your heart rate up...doesn't get much better than that.  You will start in a standing position with hands overhead.  Jump up off the ground and then bend your knees so that you can put your hands on the ground in the same position as your push up.  You are then going to two foot jump your feet back or walk one foot at a time back into your starting push up position.  Your back should be flat and hands should be stacked directly below your shoulders.  Jump or walk your feet back to your bent knee position and stand up to start the exercise over again with a small jump with hands overhead...see, how fun does that sound?

 
 
 

Plank Up Downs: Start in same position you started in for your push up.  Pick an arm and drop it down to your elbow followed by the other arm doing the same.  You will then be on both elbows in a plank.  With the same arm that you started with, push back up to a straight arm plank position followed by the other arm.  Switch the arm that you start with for each repetition.

Frog Jumps: These are one of my favorite animal exercises...start in a wide stance squat with your toes slightly turned to the side.  Squat down driving your knees towards your toes and once you're in the squatting position put your hands down on the ground but make sure you keep your chest up and shoulders back.  Jump up and then back down back into your squat.














Those all sound like fun right?  So just do 2-3 sets of 15 repetitions each exercise...if you need to take a break at any time, do so just try to complete this as quickly as possible while keeping good form.  Like I said before, there is nothing wrong with modifying any of these exercises.  You know your body and capabilities better than anyone so listen to your body and do what feels right.  If you can't keep good form at any time, take a little break and jump back into it when you can.  Push yourself and break a sweat.

Have a good week everyone and remember there are always going to be a millions things to do and a million reasons to not workout.  Buckle down, put your gym clothes and shoes on and just get there and do it.  Sometimes it's the getting there that's the hardest part...once you're there, keep your goals in mind and work hard.  If you don't belong to a gym all you need is a little space, time and energy and you can get back to your to-do list in no time. Don't allow your excuses to get in the way anymore.

Time To Dust Off The Crockpot...

Since summer is winding down I thought a crockpot recipe in honor of fall coming up would be perfect.  One of my favorite meals to make in the crockpot is chili. There are a million and one ways to make it but I think I have a solid traditional recipe you will enjoy as much as I do.

Crockpot Chili
2 lb ground beef (I've used ground turkey as well and it's also delicious)
1/2 c. onions, chopped
2 cans (14 oz) diced tomatoes...they have diced tomatoes with green chiles if you want to add a little kick.
2 cans beans - black, northern, kidney, red...these are all great choices and I usually choose two different ones to give it some variety.  My favorites are black beans and northern beans.
2 tbsp. white vinegar
3 tbsp. yellow mustard
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt (optional)

1. Brown ground beef or turkey before adding it to the crockpot.
2. Add diced tomatoes, drain and rinse beans and add them to the mix.  Add the rest of the ingredients and spices and stir it all up. 
3. Let cook on high for 4-6 hours to let all the flavors mix together.  Since everything is already cooked before putting it in the crockpot, you can pretty much eat it whenever it's hot enough for you.  I personally like to let it cook for a while.

That's all there is to it.  You can add other Brewers Organics vegetables to it if you'd like too.  Some good choices would be green peppers, zucchini, yellow squash or mushrooms.   I typically put half in the fridge for the week and freeze the rest to eat later.  It's easiest to put it in good portion size containers and then you can just defrost it whenever you'd like.

In other news, I have been on a juicer hiatus for a while and today was the start of using it again.  I'm excited to start incorporating more veggies and fruit into my diet in the most concentrated form.  I am thinking about doing a 3-5 day juice reboot too.  Wish me luck...next up for you though is another great ab workout...stay tuned and have a great week.