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Newsletters>
Nutrition and Your Back Are Important
September 1, 2006
Newbury Park Athletic Club
Newsletter
September 1, 2006
Newbury Park Athletic Club
Current Events
Labor Day Hours 7am-1pm
Parents Night Out
September 8th 5:30pm-9:30pm
Members: 1 Child-$25/2 or more $15
Non-Members: 1 Child-$35/2 or more-$20
The Hood Teen Club will feature on September 9th
from8:30-midnight with Whisky Business. Live music!
Transformation Challenge
Starts September 15th
Orientations September 5th and 12th at 6pm
R.I.P. (Real. Intense. Physical)
Next Class Starts October 16th
Preview Class will be on October 2nd and 4th at 7pm
Learn to eat healthy and feel fantastic!
Meet Nicole Frattali
Nicole was born and raised right here in Newbury Park.
She is the oldest of three; attended Newbury High School
where she was “All Honors” participated in the
International Baccalaureate program and played soccer and
softball.
After high school, she decided to attend the university
in San Diego to major in biology. This is where things
started to go array. The stress, pressure and the move
affected her health as she developed an eating disorder,
anorexia nervosa. She had lost 45 pounds and only weighed
85 pounds! Nicole couldn’t walk up stairs, her hair was
falling out and she couldn’t sleep at night. She knew
something was wrong and got up enough strength to see a
nutritionist. While waiting in the reception area, she
started reading a brochure describing the physical
characteristics of anorexia nervosa and it was like a slap
in the face.
Nicole started to see the nutritionist, a therapist and
an MD and it was time to come home. She transferred to
Moorpark for two years and then on to Cal State Northridge
where she obtained her BS in dietetics in 2005. She is now
working on her Masters degree in nutrition and dietetics
while she interns to obtain her Registered Dietician
credential. “I liked biology so the study of nutrition and
the body was a natural progression for me.”
“I like helping people. I’ve had my struggle with food
and how it can affect the body physically and
psychologically. I especially like to help children. Eating
is a habit. If we could learn how to eat healthy when we
are young, then we wouldn’t have all these health problems
of obesity and disease. If we could engrain good eating
habits at an early age we’d be better off.. I especially
like helping people with eating disorders. I had one myself
and it was so hard! Two years on intensive therapy. People
die from it. Since I’ve experienced it myself I understand
the mind set and can help them.”
Nicole has been working at NPAC for a few months now.
If you are interested in meeting with her, go to the front
desk and they can schedule you.
“Your body is the only place you have to live. If you
don’t take care of it, where are you going to live?”
I couldn’t have said it better myself. Don’t you just
love her?
A conservative approach to relieving back pain
By John Platero
Here are some interesting facts from the Arthritis
Foundation on back pain.
• Back pain affects 50 to 80 percent of people in the U.S.
at some point in their lives.
• In any given year, 10 percent of adults experience back
pain or other symptoms, such as limited mobility or
stiffness.
• Each year, Americans spend an estimated $24 billion on
treatments for back pain
• Back pain can last for a few short days or can linger for
weeks, months and even years.
• Arthritis is a common form of back pain. The earlier
arthritis is diagnosed, the more steps can be taken to
reduce disability in the future.
• Other factors that aggravate back pain include suffering
from stress, not getting enough sleep, being overweight,
and having poor posture or not being physically fit.
• Back pain should not be considered a normal part of
aging; it is a chronic condition that calls for similar
lifestyle changes as diseases like arthritis and diabetes
do.
“Back pain” can be a “catch all” term; however, there are
many different causes. Disc herniation (both mechanical or
degenerative), sciatica, central or lateral stenosis,
spondylolisthesis, SI (sacro-iliac) dysfunction,
hyper-lordosis, weak abdominals, hamstrings or tight hip
flexors just to name a few. If you have back pain, make
sure you consult a physician, chiropractor and a physical
therapist before you start your training program.
Here is a common or conservative approach to
improving the musculature that assists in suppoteing your
pelvis and vertebral column. The goal is to strengthen all
the muscles that might affect these areas to help support
the back. Start with one set, and progress to two or three
sets.
Dead Bug
Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on
the floor. Push your lower back towards the floor. Keeping
your arms straight, slowly raise one arm behind your head,
then the switch arms. If there is no pain, lift one leg
followed “in time” with the opposite arm behind your head.
If there is no pain, lift both arms and both legs off the
ground like a dead bug dying of a douse of Raid bug spray.
Sorry, I didn’t name the exercise. Hold, that position for
up to two minutes. The key is to keep the abdominals tight
so your back stays pressed against the floor.
Bridging
In the same position as the dead bug, raise your hips
one inch off the ground and maintain your hips level for
ten seconds then return to the floor. If there is no pain,
raise your hips as high as you can while maintaining a
level pelvis for ten seconds, then return back to the
floor. If there is no pain, lift the hips again and extend
one leg and hold for ten seconds. Now switch legs. If you
can’t keep your pelvis level when extending the leg, lower
your pelvis a little, tighten your abs and try again. It’s
very important to keep the pelvis level. Perform all of
these movements very slow. Think slow motion. Once you’re
proficient, progress to a stability ball following the same
progression.
Partial Sit-Ups or Crunches
Start on your back in the same position. Cross your
hands across your chest and begin by squeezing your
abdominals. This should raise your shoulders off the
ground. Pulling with the abdominals and leading with your
sternum, lift your upper body a little bit higher and hold
for ten seconds.
Alternate Knee Pushes
On your back in the same starting position do
alternating knee pushes. Left hand against right knee
alternating with right hand against left knee. Hold the
push for ten seconds before alternating sides.
Stability Ball Sit-Ups
Lie on the ball with your lower back flat and your
head and shoulders off the ball. The ball should be fairly
solid. Cross you arms across your chest. Pulling from you
abdominals, lift your shoulders off the ball and hold for
four to eight seconds before returning to the start
position.
Superman
Because the prone position (lying face down) may be
painful in certain back conditions, you might begin with a
pillow under the belly button to prevent any pain.
Forcefully tighten your abdominals and follow the same
progression as the dead bug. Start with one arm, alternate,
progress to single leg, alternate, and then integrate
alternating arms and legs, finally holding both arms and
legs off the ground. Hold each movement for a count of ten.
You may progress to a stability ball.
Quadruped Exercises
In an all-fours position with the wrists under the
shoulders and knees under hips, tighten the abdominals and
slowly imagine someone were sliding a piece of paper under
your hand. Only lift the hand slightly. Follow this with
the knees, then alternate arms and legs, followed by
extending alternating arms and legs. Hold for ten seconds.
Do not allow your body to tilt when lifting or extending
either your arms and/or legs off the ground. Be careful not
to arch your lower back when extending your legs.
Prayer
Kneel on the floor with your forearms on the ball in a
prayer position. Keep your abdominals tight and slowly roll
the ball forward keeping your forearms on the ball. Don’t
allow your lower back to arch. Keep the abdominals tight.
Swimming
Lying face down on a stability ball placed approximately
under the abdomen with abdominals tight, feet and legs
extended. “Swim” with the arms extended as in a crawl
stroke for about a minute.
Rowing on a stability ball
Lying face down with the ball under your abdomen pick a
light set of dumbbells of three to eight pounds. Keeping
the abdominals tight and the elbows out to the side at a 90
degree angle, row, pinching the shoulder blades together at
the top of the motion. Hold for three seconds at the top of
the motion. Perform 20 to 30 repetitions.
Push-ups-Pike on the ball
In a push-up position, place the ball under your shins
or feet, tighten the abs, draw the ball with your shins or
feet towards your head, return to the start position and
then perform a push-up. Repeat up to twenty repetitions.
Wall Slides
Place a ball behind your lower back against the wall,
with legs shoulder width apart. Draw in your abdominals and
gently roll down the ball into a sitting position and hold
for a count of ten seconds. Keep the back flat and
supported against the ball. Progress to 30 reps, and then
add a light weight.
Remember, this is not a bodybuilding routine. It is to
be done slow and controlled. If any of these exercises
cause pain, immediately stop and consult a doctor. Good
luck.
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