Guest Blogger Sheryl, Medical Guru on Arthritis

I am getting off easy on the blogging this week: videos, reprinting essays, and now a guest blog post. Sheryl, a client of mine who trains before the sun comes up and a lover of 80's music, is also a nurse practitioner. So, she knows what she is talking about with arthritis. Thanks Sheryl!



“Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it.” ~Plato


This is a truth that has stood the test of time. While Plato was without a treadmill, proper shoes, kettlebells, or the benefit of multiple supportive studies about the benefits of exercise, he was still able to notice the effect regular physical activity has on the body. Since that time, we have been able to take this seemingly obvious statement and prove it through study and practice.
As we age, a common complaint of many people is joint pain. What is it? Is it better to rest the joint or work the joint? Should we “play through it” or does that cause more damage to the joint? The most common cause of joint pain is osteoarthritis. The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) reports osteoarthritis occurs when the top layer of cartilage breaks down and wears away. This allows bones under the cartilage to rub together. The rubbing causes pain, swelling, and loss of motion of the joint. Over time, the joint may lose its normal shape. Also, bone spurs may grow on the edges of the joint. Bits of bone or cartilage can break off and float inside the joint space, which causes more pain and damage. Sounds horrible, eh?
One study, published in the Journal of Rheumatology, followed two groups of individuals with a diagnosis of osteoarthritis over fours months. One group followed their regular routine. The other group performed simple weight bearing exercise, including such things as squats and leg extensions. Those who performed simple weight training exercises reported a 43 percent reduction in pain and a 44 percent improvement in physical functioning (walking, stair climbing, sitting, and standing) than compared to the non-exercising group.
The researchers conclude that high intensity, strength training can produce substantial improvements in strength, pain, physical function and quality of life in patients with knee osteoarthritis. They reason that weight training exercise can reduce the symptoms of arthritis because strong muscles act as shock absorbers for the joints. If muscles are able to take pressure off of the joints during activities such as walking, there is less joint-related pressure and pain.
3 Types Of Exercise Are Best For People With Arthritis
What types of exercise are most suitable for someone with arthritis?
Range-of-motion exercise (e.g., dance) help maintain normal joint movement and relieve stiffness. This type of exercise helps maintain or increase flexibility.
Strengthening exercise (e.g. weight training) help keep or increase muscle strength. Strong muscles help support and protect joints affected by arthritis.
Aerobic or endurance exercise (e.g. bicycle riding) improve cardiovascular fitness, help control weight, and improve overall function.
A 2003 study published in Journal of Arthritis and Rheumotology found that people with arthritis can safely improve their levels of physical fitness using a regular strength and endurance training program. And in the Journal of the American Medical Association, studies report strength training can help people with arthritis preserve bone density and improve muscle mass, strength and balance.
Practically, if you suffer from joint pain, it is best to work with a professional trainer who not only knows which exercise are most beneficial for strengthening the supporting musculature, a trainer also monitors your progress and can assess weaknesses allowing for adapting exercises appropriately.
So to answer the question of rest the joints or work the joints, research seems to support Plato's original premise. Keep moving!

To warm-up or not to warm-up….seriously????? Is that really the question?

Client and guest blogger, Jo, offers her perspective on a common, overlooked aspect of training: warming-up.



I would guess that if you are reading this post, you have some vested interest in exercise at some level. You might even be really interested in what might be said in this particular blog post based on the title. So, I suppose I could be “preachin’ to the choir” so to speak….but my experience tells me otherwise.

Let’s start with the bottom line: YES, it is NECESSARY to “warm up” before exercise.

Is that so dang hard? Evidently, yes. It’s not the “do I?” so much as the “WHAT do I?”

In high school (78-81) for me, warming up consisted of “hurdle stretches,” jumping jacks, a little jogging, straddle stretches, and maybe some hamstring stretches and calf stretches. Common themes: stretch and wiggle. Oh, and be sure not to bounce when stretching. That was the totality of my education on warm-up…until I met Dan and began working with him regularly. My whole notion of warm-up was trashed from the get-go. Dan teaches joint-specific warm-ups. Oh – and the term warm-up has a whole different connotation if not definition.

The other night I looked at it this way as I moved around my kitchen. What does “warm up” really mean? Well, the oven must pre-heat before it can effectively and efficiently bake food. Water must be heated to do the work of cooking, disinfecting, etc. An iron (although not in my kitchen) must get hot before creating steam or being able to do the work of smashing out those wrinkles. My conclusion, albeit elementary, is that to do specific work, the specific “machine” must be warmed up. It must be ‘ready’ in order to be effective and efficient (not to mention to not totally ruin a quality product).

I visited a personal trainer friend of mine last week and joined a session she gave to another couple. Warm-up was simply doing step-ups to get my heart-rate up. That’s all well and good, but I then had to do 6 stations that used muscle groups other than my heart. I know I am old(er), but let me tell ya, this machine was not ready to do any kind of work. Tight hips, shoulders, and hamstrings made my workout fairly miserable. Oh my heart rate was going and I was sweating, but pretty much everything else hurt.

Don’t get me wrong. I mean no disrespect to my friend at all. Her clients were in the beginning stages of training and needed their heart rate to be checked frequently for health reasons. For me, though, I am now very appreciative of the education I’ve received regarding joint-specific warm-ups. Not just stretches, but warming up the muscles that have to do the hard work during the workout. For instance, doing scapula pull-ups and push-ups along with a rocker-stretch, foam-rolling, and teacup exercises provides a great warm-up, stretching, and recovery-day routine. These exercises focus on the shoulder and should-blade area. There are many more to say the least. For the hips, I finally enjoy doing the sumo wall squat, as well as single-leg deadlift, single-leg abduction, and the combo calf-stretch/hip stretch. Dan has videos and pictures of many of these warm-up exercises demonstrated properly on this blog.

I challenge you to iron your next shirt with a cold iron – make instant oatmeal with cold water – cook a pizza in that cold oven…before the preheat beep has sounded. Or – hey – better yet, just warm up your IRON and put your pizza in the oven and see how fast it bakes. You’ll get the same quality result in the next workout you perform without specific warm-ups. But hey, you be the judge.