Nov 16

Muscles of Scapular Stabilization: Take Care of your Shoulder Blades

Gymnasts have some of the most impressive body mechanics in the athletic world.  Standing on top of a thin beam with their arms projected out elegantly, their legs are positioned in a precise manner to ensure an undisturbed sense of balance, their back maintains an upright position demonstrating anatomical alignment, their head sits atop their neck absent of any hunching, and their gaze is projected in acute detail in front of them.  Similar to the drawing of The Vitruvian Man by Leonardo Da Vinci, the majestic pose of a gymnast standing atop a balance beam exemplifies optimal postural alignment to where the body is free of the majority of flaws caused by the presentation of postural neglect our society has become accustomed to.

Symptoms of suboptimal posture present themselves in a multitude of areas throughout everyday life.  However, if we walk through our local grocery store, dine at our favorite restaurant, or simply join our colleagues at our workplace, more often than not, we’ll see a prime example of what the antithesis of a gymnast’s pristine posture looks like.  We might see a few heads tilted downward gazing at a phone with a rounded cervical spine.  What follows is usually an arched upper back and collapsed shoulder blades.  It’s true that iPhones and Android smartphones have evolved our society into an advanced human race capable of phenomenological feats to make our lives faster and less complicated.  However, our posture has suffered significantly.

As the forehead is consistently hinged downward, the cervical portion of our spine flexes creating an arch.  Remaining in this rounded position causes the thoracic spine to round as well.  Additionally, as the thoracic spine rounds, the chest gets scrunched together, causing the armpits to get closer together and the shoulder blades to slide anteriorly toward the front of the body.  The result is forward flexion of the neck and upper back portion of the spine.  As the spine rounds forward, we adopt a bodily shape similar to the Hunchback of Norte Dame. As a result, neck, shoulder blades, and upper back pain can occur along with a cornucopia of neuromuscular and skeletal afflictions.

The symptoms of neck, upper shoulder, and mid back are common problems our newer personal training clients bring up as they first embark on a new fitness journey.  A cue that resonates with exercise participants that relieves this situation is to “park the shoulder blades down and back.”  These movements are commonly understood in the exercise physiology world as scapular retraction and scapular depression.  Scapular retraction is the backward gliding of the shoulder blades along the ribcage, bringing the shoulder blades closer to the spine.  Scapular depression is pulling the bottoms of the shoulder blades downward toward the hips.  When performing this movement, the muscles surrounding the posterior border of shoulder blades activate and pull the shoulders back.  The result of this action pulls the head upright and opens the chest.

Parking the shoulder blades down and back is one of the first steps to improving postural awareness and resolving the collapsed forward effects of suboptimal posture.  Perhaps we can be more aware of our posture and use the example of how a gymnast holds their body upright to live with less pain in our neck, upper back, and shoulder blades.

Sean McCawley, the founder and owner of Napa Tenacious Fitness in Napa, CA, welcomes questions and comments. Reach him at 707-287-2727, napatenacious@gmail.com, or visit the website napatenaciousfitness.com.

Nov 08

Lower Back Pain Solutions 101- Pelvic Tilt Exercises

Lower back pain is one of the most common physically debilitating ailments experienced in today’s society.  Symptoms such as pressure and tightness in the thoracic and lumbar regions of the spine affect the population in a variety of presentations.  Dull pain in the lower back when getting out of bed in the morning, stiffness when standing up after extended time in a seated position, or fear and apprehension to bend over and pick something up from the ground due to disrupted lower back pain are a just a few examples commonly experienced by individuals dealing with low back pain.

The cause of low back pain can be created in a variety of ways.  Suboptimal posture for people who sit at desks all day could be caused by rounding of the upper back and lack of activation in the abdominal and gluteal muscles.  The stabilizing muscles connecting each vertebra to each other which are responsible for structural support when standing, bending forward, and walking could be deconditioned.  The lack of muscular tone and core fitness can lead to shifting of the vertebrae past a healthy range of motion, causing pressure on the supporting discs and possibly pressing on the spinal root nerves that give our body’s organs signals to function properly.  Needless to say, the awareness of inadequate conditioning of the muscles surrounding the spine, abdominal, and hip regions of the body can’t be overstated if our goal is to function to the best of our ability in our everyday lives.

In my experiences of interning and working at various physical therapy clinics, I observed the physical therapists I was fortunate enough to mentor under work miracles and cure individuals who came into the clinic with back pain.  We worked with patients who had the common “tweak” in the low back to the very advanced cases in which surgical intervention was performed on the spine weres screws and rods were installed to correct a severe spine injury.  One of the first exercises the PTs recommended was the posterior pelvic tilt exercise.

The PTs would cue the patient to sit down on a chair and put their hands on the crest of their hips in the front of their body.  Then, they would cue the client to bring their hips toward their ribs.  That was, is it.  Being a young intern working on my master’s thesis, I had no idea about the benefits of this exercise and was oblivious to the benefits this simple and effective technique had on people with lower back pain.  “Wouldn’t it be useful to strengthen the core muscles with planks and stretch the lower back?” I thought.  I learned a valuable lesson that my order of operations when addressing lower back pain was pretty much wrong.  Similar to the bracing foundation of the framework and cement foundation that holds up a house, the deep, intrinsic muscles surrounding the spine and connecting the spine to the hips and thighs were what truly needed to be conditioned when resolving lower back pain.

To perform a seated posterior pelvic tilt, place your index and middle finger on the crest of your hips located just below the navel and on the outside of the body.  Gently “tuck” your hips by pulling the crest of the hips toward the navel.  You should feel a slight muscular contraction in your abdominals and glutes.  Depending on the tightness and condition of the spinal stabilizer muscles, you might feel a gentle stretch within the vertebrae of the lower back.

Performing five to ten repetitions of this simple and effective exercise once or twice per week has the potential to not only alleviate symptoms of lower back pain but also help reinforce optimal posture and mitigate the possibility of other nagging pain symptoms caused by lower back pain dysfunctions such as sciatica, piriformis syndrome, of sacroiliac joint dysfunctions.

Strength training and stretching for the lower back is of the utmost importance.  However, let’s not forget about the deep internal muscles that act as the nuts and bolts for our spine and hips.  Without adequate strength in our spine, hips, and thighs, we’ll topple over.  Spend some extra time to prevent injury on the center of the body with pelvic tilt exercises and we can ensure our back remains healthy and strong.

Sean McCawley, the founder and owner of Napa Tenacious Fitness in Napa, CA, welcomes questions and comments. Reach him at 707-287-2727, napatenacious@gmail.com, or visit the website napatenaciousfitness.com.

Nov 03

Returning to Exercise After Getting Sick

Enduring a bout of sickness is one of the least desirable states of existence to be in.  Whether it be food poisoning, a bout of the latest strain of the coronavirus, or the newest edition of the flu floating around in the air, coming down with an infection that hinders our physical well-being affects our productivity and overall quality of life.  In addition to feeling like a wet noodle and having the mindset of a three-toed sloth when feeling under the weather, achieving physical activity or an exercise session isn’t the most attainable task either.

Illnesses affect humans in unique ways.  Additionally, every person handles illness differently.  We have unique immune systems. Our bodies and behaviors differ from person to person.  Daily temperature drops due to the changing of season can cause disruptions in our sinus cavity, imposing symptoms of post-nasal drip, earaches, headaches, or sore throats.

Additionally, a new set of plants are flowers are scheduled to bloom after the rains of the fall and winter seasons grace our presence.  Along with the damp environment and photosynthesis, the sunny days in Napa are blessed with trigger plants to produce a new set of pollen.  This new strain of pollen circulating throughout the town’s air can cause allergic responses to individuals sensitive to allergens to have respiratory distress including snot production, raspy throats, and wheezing.  Furthermore, the decreased temperature exposes our immune system, making a virus’s ability to latch onto our body and induce an infection.  Needless to say, the colder, darker, and damper holiday seasons can bring about a few cases of illness in our lives.

Wearing warm clothes, ensuring to eat healthy food, and getting enough rest mitigates the effects of allergies and contracting illness.  It’s also important to understand what our body’s barometer of physical stress is telling us.  For the “movers and shakers” in our society, the “go-go-go” and “get it done” mentality assists people to be productive and successful in their everyday life endeavors.  Staying fit and ensuring consistent exercise is adhered to on a weekly basis is critically important to aiding us in getting the most out of our busy days.  However, when a headache impairs our thoughts, body aches influence us to move slower, or something just doesn’t feel right in our body, there might be a message being sent from our central nervous system telling us to take it easy.

Consistency in an exercise routine is a key ingredient for living a long and healthy life.  However, exercising while in a physically impaired state can do more harm than good.  In the case of feeling a little under the weather, it might be best to take a day off to recover and let the body recalibrate.  Once the body is free of symptoms of beginning to get sick or is coming with an illness, then we can resume exercise when we feel better.  We get the most adaptation of strength and feel amazing from our exercise sessions when we can perform at our best.

that understanding “less is more” is critically important to our lives.  Exercise is vital to our existence.  Performing at our best is equally, if not more important than exercise adherence.  Listen to your body when experiencing something unusual.  The gym will always be there tomorrow.  It’s not going anywhere.  It’s OK to recover so you feel your best to achieve your best exercise session possible.

Sean McCawley, the founder and owner of Napa Tenacious Fitness in Napa, CA, welcomes questions and comments. Reach him at 707-287-2727, napatenacious@gmail.com, or visit the website napatenaciousfitness.com.

Oct 26

Staying Active to Reduce Stress

“I’ve been busy” Is a common term in response to the question “How’s life been?”  Our everyday lives include a plethora of activities that keep us occupied.  Whether it be the busy life of a parent, forty-plus hours a week of dedication to our jobs, or a sleep-deprived student staring at a pile of assignments due in three days, humans find ways to have something to do.  “It’s better to have too much to do than nothing to do at all” is a common response when expressing our to-do list to others demonstrating how engaged we are with deadlines and obligations.  Humans are achievement-oriented creatures that strive for something to do.  Why else would our brains evolve to such an advanced degree to be the most advanced organisms on the planet?  We all work to prolong our existence.  However, there comes a time when having too much on our plate can cause deleterious effects on our health and well-being.

Understanding and managing the stress we endure is key optimizing to our overall quality of life.  Getting enough sleep and getting to work on time, making sure the kids get their homework done after gymnastics class, or ensuring to pay the bills before late charges ensue can put a person under immense pressure.  If the supporting variables of maintaining a busy lifestyle aren’t regularly tended to, suboptimal repercussions can occur and hinder a person’s ability to live a healthy and productive life.  Understanding and appreciating the effects of overworking oneself and focusing on factors that reinforce our ability to sustain the constant demand to remain productive is commonly overlooked.

The result of putting oneself in a pressure cooker of deadlines, hustling without rest, and taking on cumbersome tasks equates to symptoms of mental, emotional, and psychological stress in the form of anxiety, irritability, or depression.  Furthermore, the physical and physiological effects of becoming overstressed include increased stress hormone response such as cortisol and adrenaline throughout the day, increased heart rate, headaches, storage of additional fat mass, and decreased lean muscle mass.  If action isn’t taken to correct such symptoms, the result is suboptimal for thriving in the beautiful world we’re fortunate to live in.

Thankfully, these symptoms are curable.  We can prevent the likelihood of symptoms of overstress from the demanding confines of our obligations by focusing on exercise and physical activity to reduce stress.  One of the human body’s most remarkable capabilities is its ability to adapt to stresses and demands imposed upon it.  Akin to how Wolverine from the acclaimed X-men comics, cartoons, and blockbuster movies played by Hugh Jackman, heals after an epic, action-packed battle against an evil villain, our bodies adapt to stressful responses in a similar fashion.  Of course, our bones won’t heal at the rate of Wolverine after Magneto smashes him through a wall.  However, following the stresses imposed on our body after a strategically designed exercise session, our body progresses through a remarkable transformation at both the psychological and physiological levels.

Exercise sessions such as resistance training, Yoga, or uphill hiking induce increased heart rate responses.  Additionally, after the first few minutes of exercise, our bodies produce stress hormones to increase our heart rate, increase the rate of blood flow to our working muscles, and ultimately put us in a “fight or flight” period.  Similar to how muscles break down at the microscopic level during exercise and the body repairs exercise-induced intramuscular damage a day or two after an exercise session, the body learns to manage exercise-induced stress hormone responses as well.  After a few weeks of running fifteen to thirty minutes and tracking your heart rate response on your Apple Watch, you might notice that your working heart rate decreases after a few weeks.  This is because your muscles are learning to gather more energy from oxygen, meaning the heart doesn’t need to work as hard.  If there isn’t any demand for the heart rate to increase, then there is less need for exercise-induced stress hormones to be produced.

This adaptation to producing less excitatory hormones throughout exercise carries over to the function of our everyday lives.  The ability to be less fatigued after a long day of work when the body is conditioned allows us to be more productive in getting the kids to soccer practice, making it home from work at a reasonable hour to make dinner, and spending quality time with our loved ones.  The increased heart rate produced by external stress caused by financial concerns, interpersonal relationships, or a concerning current event from the news won’t spark as much of an increase in heart rate response or the influx of stress hormones because your body is attuned to this type of stress you’ve put it through during exercise sessions.  In other words, regular exercise conditions the body to be resilient when the stresses of life present themselves.

Reserve time out to appreciate the gift of setting aside your obligations and participating in physical activity.  Your family, friends, colleagues, and the person you look at in the mirror every day will be happy you did.

Sean McCawley, the founder and owner of Napa Tenacious Fitness in Napa, CA, welcomes questions and comments. Reach him at 707-287-2727, napatenacious@gmail.com, or visit the website napatenaciousfitness.com.

Oct 20

Fun and Safe Exercises to Keep you Going

Light gray clouds brush across the sky during the brisk, damp winter mornings of Napa as we enter the year’s closing months.  “This year just flew by,” can be heard from our peers when Halloween concludes.  Following the celebration of dressing up in creative costumes and as the trick-or-candy hits the clearance rack at grocery stores during Halloween festivities of October, Thanksgiving is next.

Gathering with friends, family members, and peers throughout Thanksgiving week offers time to sit back and unwind.  Thanksgiving week usually includes taking a few days off work and preparing delicious food to gift the people we care about.  Along with the infamous pumpkin spice latte, It’s not uncommon to see Thanksgiving-themed treats at our offices or decadent treats on our counters.

Immediately after Turkey Day, we see December emerge in all of its glory.  December 24th and 25th bring about a holiday that is celebrated throughout the nation.  Similar to the November festivities of having a few days off of work and being surrounded by holiday-themed treats, December brings about a period of bundling up, galivanting through a series of holiday gatherings, partaking in copious amounts of comfort food and drinks, and kicking your feet up with the family to relax indoors.   This is a popular time of the year because we know that we have a powerful representation of society, symbolizing putting forth a game plan to achieve phenomenal accomplishments as December approaches.  New Year’s Day is on January 1st.  After New Year’s Day hits, the next year will be the best year of our lives.  This is where New Year’s resolutions are created.

A resolution can be defined as a firm decision to do or not do something.  After twelve months of living our lives to the fullest and accomplishing milestones through our professional careers, interpersonal relationships, and self-care, the first month of the year marks the starting point to the beginning of a new journey toward accomplishing monumental goals.  One of the most common goals regarding refining oneself for New Year’s resolutions is making decisions to take better care of our bodies.  Common examples of improvements in self-care include losing weight, optimizing our dietary decisions, or engaging in more physical activities.  While these goals are motivating and powerful symbolisms, it’s all too often that these New Year’s resolutions are overlooked, discarded, or forgotten by March or as soon as the first week of the New Year.

Falling off from our goals set forth in our New Year’s resolution can occur due to setting lofty expectations in a short amount of time.  For example, setting the goal of abstaining from sugar is an effective tactic to refine one’s dietary habits to aid in decreasing fat mass and the risk factors of metabolic diseases.  However, to completely omit something commonly consumed in our everyday lives for the previous few years isn’t as simple as it sounds.

Another example that requires strict discipline is making decisions to commit to regular exercise routines.  It should go without saying exercising three times a week for over two hours of rigorous physical activity aids the body in developing lean muscle mass, decreasing fat mass, fending off illness, and improving psychological and emotional well-being.  Who doesn’t want to be leaner, stronger, and feel less stressed?  However, with ads featuring New Year’s specials of signing up for new gym memberships rampantly present in our social media feeds and inbox promotions, this decision seems like a no-brainer.  If it was only this easy.

So, why can’t we simply get a membership to one of our local gyms utilizing a New Year’s discount graciously offered by our local fitness facilities and ingrain a routine of health and wellness that immediately becomes a staple in our lives?  More often than not, humans will either choose to continue or abandon an activity based on whether that activity is enjoyable or not.  In other words, people fall off from their New Year’s resolution of developing a fitness routine because it isn’t fun or it becomes boring.

Who said exercise can’t be fun?  Does exercise need to be defined as driving up to a crowded gym parking lot at 5:30 PM immediately after getting off work?  Or, do we need to enter a small group fitness class led by instructors directing us to perform movements that feel uncomfortable and even painful?  The answer is no.

Similar to revisiting your favorite restaurant three or more times a year, humans enjoy returning to experiences that leave them feeling happy, comfortable, and energized.  For instance, my favorite pizza in Napa Valley is the takeaway pizza from R+D Kitchen in Yountville.  Their Hawaiian-style pizza has a texture that feels toothy and doughy, pineapples and mind-blowing house-made sauce with just the right amount of acidity, thinly sliced red onions that aren’t too chunky, and jalapenos applied in just the right quantity so as to not blow my face off with spiciness.  This same heartfelt and memorable feeling I experienced with food can be said for my experience in my weight-lifting routine and when I play three hours of pickleball with my friends.  I can describe in excruciating detail why these activities bring about such fun and splendor in the soul.  Could I say the same for running for thirty minutes on a treadmill?  Absolutely not.  I would lose my mind.

However, the same can’t be said for others who experience a feeling of mind-opening catharsis when running for hours.  In that instance, running is an entry into a realm void of distractions and stress.  Additionally, perhaps long hikes into the open under redwood trees and mossy-covered trails pave a road of freedom for someone who enjoys hiking.  Or, maybe setting thirty minutes aside to play “Just Dance” or “Dance Dance Revolution” on the Nintendo brings joy to the soul through interacting with a video game while achieving physical activity.  The point is that if there is something we truly enjoy, look forward to, and remember, the likelihood of returning to that activity is increased.  The urge to return to physical activities that are fun creates strong building blocks for developing a routine of fitness.

After these slower, darker, and colder last few months of the year, the motive to refine our physical well-being is going to be a popular mindset as a New Year resolution.  Before we decide to sign up for the next New Year’s special offered by a fitness advertisement, take a step back and identify some physical activities you enjoy.  By choosing a physical activity that warms our soul, we can adhere to a routine that is not only good for our body but also ignites a sense of exuberance in our overall existence.  If we want to make a resolution that can stick with us for the long run, we never want to stop having fun, and we should always want to keep playing.

Sean McCawley, the founder and owner of Napa Tenacious Fitness in Napa, CA, welcomes questions and comments. Reach him at 707-287-2727, napatenacious@gmail.com, or visit the website napatenaciousfitness.com.

Oct 12

Building Exercise Routines: Never Stop Playing

The never-ending, perpetual downward scrolling of Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok douse our minds with stimulating content like the velocity of water coming out of a ruptured fire hydrant valve.  As we scroll through our social media feeds, peering down at the three-by-six screen of our cellular devices, we have the privilege to view whatever content we desire.  The content could be who the latest celebrities are dating, or our favorite foods.  Other noteworthy topics available on social media are posts about health and fitness.

The delivery of health and fitness awareness brought in by social media is a helpful tool for encouraging our society to eat better foods, exercise, and live happier lives.  Living in less pain, having more energy, and encouraging the ability to live longer are values the world can’t have enough of.  However, a problem still remains present in our society regarding reaping positive outcomes in our fitness efforts.  Sometimes, exercising isn’t fun.  In fact, I’ve heard a few people say that showing up at the gym is like making a trip to the dentist.  Nothing against our fellow dentists out there.  Tooth health is of extreme importance.  However, the idea of sitting in a chair with your mouth propped open for an hour, a pair of latex gloves moving around your tongue, and sharp metal objects prodding the gum line can be slightly unnerving.  In some cases, the gym might offer the same experience to people who have similar feelings of discomfort.

Small group fitness biking classes, hot yoga classes, or Cross Fit sessions are valuable resources to encourage class participants to receive positive outcomes in a group setting.  The gathering of exercise participants in biking classes follows along to the beat of enthusiastic spin instructors while motivating music blasts to promote endorphins throughout an hour-long cycling class.  The relaxing breathing techniques in a local hot Yoga class allow participants to breathe and stretch for an hour.  Let’s not forget our buddies at Cross Fit gyms.  Lifting heavy weights, throwing things, and jumping around like chimpanzees with a few other like-minded individuals fit exercise participants’ interests who enjoy pushing their limits.  Small group fitness classes from different activity categories offer life-enhancing results to their participants.  That is, if the humans in the class enjoy these physical activities.

Being forced to do something brings out resentment.  In some instances, individuals interested in improving their fitness don’t know where to start.  So, local gyms, small group fitness classes, or personal training facilities offer entry-level discounts to try out their programs.  While the goal of investing time into a fitness activity is to improve health and wellness, an activity that isn’t energizing and entertaining to an individual can be similar to getting a tooth pulled.  While bright lights, fun music, and cheering during a biking class might be fun to some people, the overstimulation of strobe lights and loud noise can terrify others.  A relaxing and laid-back Yoga class with soft meditation music and the instructor’s soothing voice could be enough to send a person with an upbeat “get it done” personality screaming out of the room.  The clanging of barbells on the ground and heavy metal music in a Cross Fit facility might make a person make an immediate one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn by just taking a glance at the class setting.

Do these two paragraphs sound contradictory?  They should.

The reality is that many forms of fitness applications are present in our society.  We are incredibly fortunate to have an abundance of resources available from certified exercise professionals specializing in specific skills that cater to the vast array of people looking to enhance their health and wellness via an exercise routine.  However, let’s not forget one of the most critical factors that present a successful outcome in a fitness program: consistency.

In order for efforts toward improving health via exercise to be effective, adherence to a routine must be applied.  There’s no way around reaping the benefits of a fitness program if the tactics are inconsistent.  Exercise one day per week and then avoiding exercise for two straight weeks does very little for an individual.  Therefore, find exercise routines that are enjoyable, memorable, and that you look forward to.  If the result of your exercise routine is that you had a fun time, you’ll probably go back to it.  If the routine makes you feel good, you might be motivated to return to that activity.  If the exercise setting gave you an unforgettable experience, the likelihood of wanting that feeling again is increased.  Therefore, if we want to get the most out of exercise to refine our health and wellness, put the feeling of having fun during physical activity as a priority.

Sean McCawley, the founder and owner of Napa Tenacious Fitness in Napa, CA, welcomes questions and comments. Reach him at 707-287-2727, napatenacious@gmail.com, or visit the website napatenaciousfitness.com.

Oct 04

Fun Exercise Equals Consistancy

Engaging with the numerous methods of electronic entertainment is a prominent part of our culture.  Our phones, tablets, computers, and televisions have become integrated into a uniformed presentation of digital media so that we look at a variety of screens present in our lives at any location and circumstance.  Whether it be watching a series on Hulu, playing an online game, or looking at our email, it appears that we are constantly being prompted to interact with our digital lifestyle devices.  Along with those prompts, we can’t help but notice the need to view the advertisements present during our digital experience.

Fitness advertisements and influencers have developed into popular channels on social media platforms, web searches, and even the advertisements linked to the streaming services of our TVs.  It’s not rare to find a twenty-something-year-old gentleman with abdominal muscles chiseled enough to grate parmesan cheese on performing “the best exercise for burning fat.”  Additionally, in any internet browser’s random ad space squares, you might find other health-related advertisements, such as local fitness businesses promoting the next monthly special deal.  Expect to see a massive influx of fitness center membership specials as the new year approaches as well.

While the influence of emphasizing health and fitness has increased over the generations and become a pivotal part of our society, the decision to embark on a fresh new fitness journey can be challenging.  Orange Theory, Planet Fitness, and other local gyms are in the community to help people.  However, entering a fitness facility to speak with a representative who has the body of a Greek god might be a little intimidating.  Additionally, other veteran participants at fitness facilities might have a one-up on newbies since they have had time to refine their fitness levels.  Furthermore, entering a facility housing mechanical running devices, large iron heavy objects, and upbeat, high-energy music is overstimulating to individuals not used to this environment.  Lastly, the advertisements we see while scrolling down our social media feeds or internet browsers initially meant to help us get into the gym and feel healthier can ultimately feel like we are being ordered to sign up immediately.  Messages like, “Join now!” “Don’t miss out!”  “Ends Soon!” could be perceived as an order from a drill sergeant or pushy salesman to get in right away. Why would you want to sign up for something that sounds like your boss telling you to get in and pay for a membership before a specific deadline?

Taking a step back from the pressures and intimating factors of exercise can be a helpful first step for emphasizing physical activity and health to improve our quality of life.  The concept of having fun can get lost in the shuffle of doing something “we want to do and doing something “we have” to do. If activities are fun, the likelihood of remembering the engaging and enjoyable factors of that specific experience might make us want to return to it.  In other words, if we’re looking for an activity to improve our overall quality of life using fitness as a catalyst, perhaps we should focus on physical activities that are fun, memorable, and something we look forward to.

Walking with your spouse or friend to get a cup of coffee a half mile away is a common activity because conversations, sights, and sounds are fascinating.  The additional steps and calories burnt tracked on wearable technology are fantastic.  However, the enjoyable and memorable experience of experiencing the world might be what drives people to take these walks.  Meeting with three friends to play a game of ping pong or pickle ball produces conversations, laughter, and the chance to bask in the sunlight.  Sure, the increased demand for the aerobic energy system and utilizing calories as a fuel source to burn more fat is an appealing feature of playing an hour’s worth of pickleball.  Once again, the fitness-improving variables produced by a social game of pickleball aren’t always the driving factor in participating in the activity.  People keep coming out to the courts because it’s fun, and they look forward to another game with their friends a few days later or next week.

We rarely hear an individual say, “I’m so bummed I didn’t burn the number of calories my Apple watch told me to do.”  However, we might feel slightly disappointed if we miss a walk with our favorite companion or if a pickleball game gets rained out.  The cancellation of these activities produces more disappointment because we look forward to the things that cause elation, joy, and fun.  Perhaps we can take a step back from the consistent prompting and pressures from advertisements and social media influence as the driving force to get us fit.  Stop taking orders and find physical activities that are fun, memorable, and that you look forward to.  If we focus on enjoyment in our physical activity, we have found a gift of happiness, health, and strength by our side for the rest of our lives.

Sean McCawley, the founder and owner of Napa Tenacious Fitness in Napa, CA, welcomes questions and comments. Reach him at 707-287-2727, napatenacious@gmail.com, or visit the website napatenaciousfitness.com.

Sep 23

Managing Chronic Pain and Overcoming Fear of Exercise

Chronic pain presents itself in a wide range of symptoms throughout the general population.  Degenerative bone disease, recovering from significant orthopedic surgeries, or joint misalignments are some conditions contributing to prolonged periods of pain.  Chronic pain can be defined as a symptom of unresolved physical pain that has negatively affected the productive functionality of a person for up to three months.  Examples of the negative impact of chronic pain include disrupting one’s ability to walk, get a full night’s sleep, or perform enjoyable recreational physical activities.

The effects of chronic pain arise at unique times throughout a human’s life.  Sometimes, the occurrence of a random injury causing damage to the spine due to car crashes, picking something up the wrong way, or tripping and falling can result in dealing with some form of pain and discomfort daily.  The repercussions of such injuries can cause prolonged periods of muscle guarding, nerve-related pain, and psychological and emotional stress.  Additionally, degenerative bone diseases such as arthritis, spinal stenosis, or osteopenia can affect significant joints of the body, such as the neck, shoulders, spine, hips, and knees.  Such conditions elicit profound signals of pain in areas of the body.  Pain can present itself as searing, shooting, dull, or sharp sensations throughout particular regions of the body.  Additionally, pain can be temperamental.  It can present itself first thing in the morning, later in the day, or be triggered by activities that are hard to identify what caused the pain mechanism.

Exercise causes similar sensations to the pain signals arthritis and recovering from injuries give to the body.  However, exercise-induced discomfort is a diminished pain response compared to chronic pain symptoms. After performing a set of pushups, a person can expect to feel a slight burning sensation in the chest, arms, core, lower back, and legs.  Some people refer to this byproduct of exercise occurring within the muscle as a minor form of pain.  Another example of activity-related pain can be from the effects of jogging, biking, or a bout of exercise on a rowing machine.  The sensation of fatigue throughout the body and stress applied to the lungs produce bodily discomfort.

An abundance of research supports that routine exercise can potentially mitigate the effects of chronic pain.  It should come as no surprise that adherence to a safe, effective, and efficient exercise routine offers positive physical adaptations toward the connective tissue infrastructure responsible for decreasing bodily pain.  Stronger muscles, tendons, and ligaments act as brackets around joints to reduce bone-on-bone contact.  Additionally, an efficient aerobic energy fends off heart disease and metabolic disease while also offering increased energy to support everyday life activities.  However, the desire for an individual with chronic pain to enter an exercise routine that causes exercise-induced discomfort isn’t appealing mentally or emotionally.  Therefore, a person dealing with chronic pain may not want to exercise because they don’t want to be in more pain.

A few potential solutions can help people overcome the daunting decision to enter an exercise program to decrease chronic pain:

  1. Advice from a professional:  Seeking out the guidance of a qualified professional who understands your situation on both a physiological and emotional level serves as a supportive starting point toward decreasing chronic pain.  Reflecting on the mechanism of pain to a professional willing to help opens up the opportunity to have someone else by your side to help solve the puzzle of reducing chronic pain.  Physical therapists, bodywork professionals, and experienced personal trainers have made their lives work to aid people in living pain-free, happy, and strong.  Having that support system is critically important to starting on a good step.
  2. Set a clear and attainable goal: Pain can cause psychological and emotional distress, creating a scenario in which people might be unable to think straight.  It’s easy to get depressed when the same cycle of pain presents itself daily.  However, taking some time out to set goals of what everyday life would be like with a decreased amount of pain aids in what tactics must be completed to feel better.
  3. Laying of plans: The support of a professional by your side and a clear and attainable goal serve as sturdy starting points to decrease chronic pain.  After the foundation of support is complete, creating a weekly schedule to exercise, receiving therapeutic bodywork from a physical therapist or massage therapist, and passive recovery is another integral step in the journey of reducing pain.  Reserving specific appointments for yourself and decreasing distractions in a weekly planned-out structure sets the stage for tactics toward pain reduction efforts.

Reducing pain is a constant dynamic that needs to be addressed consistently.  The ability to completely eliminate pain symptoms of chronic pain is a challenge.  Taking time out to consistently decrease contributing factors of pain through skilled exercise selection and adherence to rehabilitation techniques play a pivotal role in living a life with less pain.

Sean McCawley, the founder and owner of Napa Tenacious Fitness in Napa, CA, welcomes questions and comments. Reach him at 707-287-2727, napatenacious@gmail.com, or visit the website napatenaciousfitness.com.

Sep 16

Visits to your Local Gyms, Don’t Forget to Warm Up

Most towns have local membership-driven gyms.  Exercise participants can simply approach the front desk associates upon entry, zap their gym cards, and waltz into a vast ocean of gym equipment strewn before them.  Our society is fortunate to have this resource available.  Local gyms offer an exercise environment where participants can enter at their own volition to promote a healthy community.

Treadmills, ellipticals, and stationary bikes encourage participants to train their aerobic energy system.  Resistance training equipment such as the leg press, chest press, and lat pull-down machines are designed to perform repetitions of strenuous movements for sets of ten to fifteen repetitions in an effort to encourage participants to increase lean muscle mass and strength.  Larger local gyms in Napa, such as Healthquest, Active Wellness, and INSHAPE, offer small group fitness classes led by certified fitness instructors scheduled throughout the day.  These classes build a sense of community while also adding the feature of following movements demonstrated by a certified fitness professional.  Needless to say, our local gym scene offers a substantial amount of benefits to the health and well-being of our community.

The gym scene can be fun, invigorating, and an invaluable resource to fend off metabolic disease, arthritis, and sedentary lifestyles.  Seeing progress by noticing the amount of weight lifted on the leg press machine is encouraging.  Your first week of training might include three sets of fifty pounds followed by three sets of seventy pounds after your second week of training.  The ability to walk a mile slightly faster than previous weeks on a treadmill is another feeling of elation, producing a positive gym experience.  Attending two days a week of your favorite core fusion group fitness class leaves you with a smile on your face after hanging out with your class buddies and working up a sweat while listening to exhilarating music.  However, after a few weeks of doing the same thing, what happens if you feel some pain in your shoulder, a crick in the lower back, or nagging and dull pain in the knee?

Unfortunately, performing too much exercise too soon can offer painful side effects.  Our personal training clients approach us with comments about joint pain.  After gathering a brief history of what their supplemental exercise routine consists of outside of their private training sessions, they usually describe a story in which they visit a local gym a few times a week.  An exciting and elaborate story ensues, describing a few trips around the gym floor utilizing the intricate resistance training machines, hopping on the elliptical for ten minutes or so, and taking the group fitness class is a common response.  As part of our initial evaluation, we like to ask, “What does your warm-up consist of?”  A look of sheer bewilderment and shock seems to numb the expression on their face, followed by a moment of deafening silence in the air.  One of two things commonly occurs at this moment:  A hand is held up in where the index finger is touching the thumb, forming the shape of a small circle signifying the number zero, or the words “Nothing” are the answer.

Warming up the muscles surrounding the significant joints in the body before beginning a bout of exertive physical activity is critical for injury prevention and optimizing the body for proficient exercise performance.  A warm-up routine stimulating the neuromuscular system, increasing heart rate, and sending oxygenated blood to the working muscles promotes more than the avoidance of strains or unfortunate injuries.  Setting aside three to five minutes before your exercise routine to prepare your body to move sets the tone of your exercise experience by priming your psychological and mental status for a successful performance.  Once your body and mind detect you are ready for exercise, the likelihood of apprehension and overuse injuries is decreased.

Set aside some time to warm up the muscles of the neck, upper extremities, lower back, hips, knees, and ankles before venturing onto the gym floor.  By giving your body the gift of a warm-up, you are setting yourself up for a successful exercise experience.

Sean McCawley, the founder and owner of Napa Tenacious Fitness in Napa, CA, welcomes questions and comments. Reach him at 707-287-2727, napatenacious@gmail.com, or visit the website napatenaciousfitness.com.

Sep 09

Physical Activity and Motivation: Set a goal and get it done

Weeds.  Once described to me by a dear friend and mentor as “something in which its intrinsic value has not yet to be discovered.”  Seeing as both my back and front yards quickly became overwhelmed with wild weeds that sprouted and proliferated, I fully-heartedly agreed with this statement.  If I happened to be a deer that enjoyed munching on wild foliage throughout a forest in my natural habitat, then perhaps I could find some value in a fifty-square-foot area of weeds.  However, I am not a deer.  I’m a human.  And, I’m not so sure weeds taste that great or would benefit my digestive system.  So, I have no need for weeds.  This led to project “weed abatement”.

Instead of mowing my weeds down once a week or spraying them with a vile weed-killing substance, I researched alternative methods to mitigate the psychological and emotional effects the mundane task of weed management had on me.  Waking up on a weekend morning to rifle through my shed to pull out my lawn mower, getting powder debris of plant matter on my skin and in my eyes, and sweating profusely wasn’t on the top of the list after a long work week.  I’d much rather sit inside for a few hours and look at the inside of my house that I had only seen early in the morning and the last remaining hours at dinner time before I ventured into dreamland.  As a solution, I discovered that covering my weeds with wood chips would naturally suppress their urge to propagate.  Instead of waging chemical warfare on mechanically slicing their leaves to see the weeds regrow to their normal length next week, I could remove the very source that encourages them to grow: the sun.  This meant I had to remove their origin of photosynthesis by putting down used cardboard and covering the area with a copious amount of wood chips.  The best part is that the supplies were the right price, free.

After an inquiry to freechipdrop.com, I had a dump truck’s worth of wood chips in my parking lot in a few days.  A daunting and powerful spectacle, that pile of wood chips resembled a substantial amount of work on my end.  I grabbed my metal rake, wheelbarrow, and flathead shovel.  It was time to start scooping, wheeling, and spreading the chips to cover the colony of weeds that had hindered my relaxing Sundays.  After hours of filling my wheelbarrow up and traveling to the next destination of the weed patch to disperse chips, I noticed I had made a tiny dent in my pile.  I saw what an hours work could do to this pile.  I observed the pile decrease in surface area by reducing the height and radius of how much ground it covered.  This project would take a few days of hour-long labor intervals to complete.

Fortunately, I had a friend who offered their help in this project.  Thank goodness for friends.  I told him that if we simply met for one hour twice weekly, we could knock out this pile.  That meant I had two hours of labor to invest into this pile twice weekly.  Over two weeks my buddy and I produced eight hours of shoveling, wheelbarrow usage, and raking.  Before we knew it, the pile was gone, and I had a driveway to park my car in.  Most importantly, I succeeded in snuffing out those worthless weeds.

A noteworthy observation was how setting appointments with realistic and manageable time frames to get things done accelerated the completion of my project.  A small mountain’s worth of wood chips can be intimidating and challenging to motivate oneself to grab a shovel and start moving the pile.  One scoop full doesn’t seem like a lot.  However, an hour’s worth of shoveling equates to quite a lot of progress.

This experience led me to think about the progress our personal training clients can make in their fitness goals when initially making the decision to motivate and dedicate themselves to a fitness program.  Whether it be a package of ten small group fitness classes or making a more significant investment to sign up for three to six months’ worth of fitness classes with a private personal training facility, Yoga, or Pilates studio, it’s challenging to see the needle move toward making progress.  Losing weight, gaining strength, or decreasing pain doesn’t happen overnight.  Like my enormous pile of wood chips, it takes planning and time to progress and achieve fitness goals.  Fitness adaptations can only be seen if we consistently practice adhering to weekly exercise sessions.

It’s amazing how much can get done if we invest small increments of time into projects and goals.  Sometimes, things don’t happen immediately.  However, if we plan our strategy and make weekly appointments to accomplish tasks, we can see incremental progress until the job is complete.

Sean McCawley, the founder and owner of Napa Tenacious Fitness in Napa, CA, welcomes questions and comments. Reach him at 707-287-2727, napatenacious@gmail.com, or visit the website napatenaciousfitness.com.

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