Q:  I just saw my doctor and my blood pressure was found to be “borderline high.” What does that mean and can exercise help get my blood pressure down?

A:  High blood pressure is very common, especially as we age. If left untreated, high blood pressure could lead to strokes and kidney disease and can contribute to cardiovascular disease, which can lead to heart attacks.

Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure,  is defined as blood pressure that is consistently found to be higher than 140/90. Recent research has determined that the best range for blood pressure is actually 110-120/70-80. If your blood pressure is higher than the range mentioned above, you should meet with your doctor as soon as possible to discuss your options and to determine whether or not it is safe to exercise.

Lifestyle management is key to lowering blood pressure, such as achieving and maintaining a healthy weight, limiting sodium in your diet to less than 2000 mg in a day, limiting alcohol to less than 2 ounces per week and doing regular cardiovascular training. Studies have shown that individuals, who spent a total of 150 minutes exercising per week in equally divided increments, were 14% less likely to develop coronary heart disease. In fact, just 15 minutes a day of low intensity activity can decrease mortality and lengthen your life!

The best plan is shoot for a minimum of 30 minutes of aerobic activity on most days of the week. Stay away from heavy weight training until your blood pressure is better controlled as it can actually aggravate hypertension by raising the resistance of blood flow through your muscles. Total Gym users with high blood pressure – stay at a lower incline level to continue to strengthen and stretch muscles at a lower intensity. If your blood pressure remains elevated beyond the ideal ranges after being consistent with lifestyle changes for 4-6 weeks, you should meet with your doctor to discuss what other options are available to you in order to maximize your health.

Exercise will temporarily raise your blood pressure, so exercising when your blood pressure is high and not controlled is not safe. Always talk to your doctor if you are not sure if exercise is safe for you.

So, until next time, stay healthy, KEEP MOVING and enjoy your Total Gym!

Elizabeth Salada, MD

Dr. Salada is board certified in Internal Medicine and has been in practice in San Diego since 1996. She attended medical school at Wake Forest University where she received high honors in Family Practice and Internal Medicine. Her final training was obtained from Pennsylvania State University where she completed her residency in Internal Medicine.

Visit Dr. Salada’s website for more information: http://elizabethsaladamd.com/.

In order for our bodies to function properly, we must have a certain level of sodium in our blood stream. If our sodium level drops too low, we are unable to transmit nerve impulses, we lose muscle function and the cells in our brain can begin to swell. During high intensity exercise we lose sodium through our sweat. If you rehydrate with too much water, you can dilute the sodium in your system and ultimately become hyponatremic.

Signs of hyponatremia are:

• Muscle cramps
• Nausea
• Slurred speech
• Confusion

At first signs of Hyponatremia, you should drink a sports drink containing sodium, like Gatorade, or have a salty snack. If your symptoms are extreme, you should consult a medical professional immediately. In the most extreme cases Hyponatremia can result in seizures, comas or even death.

Now this isn’t meant to make you fear water or get heavy handed with the salt shaker!  Here are a few solutions to help keep you balanced (NOTE:  If you have high blood pressure, please consult your doctor before increasing your sodium intake):

• Alternate between water and a sports drink containing sodium on your long, high-intensity workout days (e.g., longer than 60 minutes).
• Increase your salt intake a few days prior to a long distance event (e.g., marathon, triathlon).
• Avoid aspirin and ibuprofen (NSAIDS) as they may predispose you to Hyponatremia.

Most importantly, know your body! Are your clothes covered in salt after your long runs? Do you find that water goes right through you after working out? Have you determined your sweat rate so you know how much water you should be drinking?  Training is not only meant to increase your strength and endurance, but also to help you recognize when your body is feeling great and when it is just a little off. If you stay in tune with your body’s signals, you can enjoy race season happy and healthy! You can also enjoy a few salty chips prior to your long training days because your nutritionist told you to!

If you have questions or concerns about Hyponatremia, email me at tara@taracoleman.com.

Tara Coleman www.taracoleman.com

Tara Coleman is a Clinical Nutritionist in San Diego, CA. She blogs twice a month with “Tara’s Friday Bite.” Leave us your comments with ideas for future topics or email Tara directly attara@taracoleman.com.

Magnesium is “the relaxer” of the mineral world and is the 2^nd most deficient mineral in the modern diet.  Particularly diets high in processed foods and alcohol.  Here are three ways you can increase the amount of magnesium in your system and help fight your soreness:

1. Eat More Magnesium Rich Foods – these include beans, seeds, spinach, soy milk, salmon and halibut.
2. Supplement with Magnesium Citrate – If you choose to take a magnesium supplement choose a Magnesium Citrate with Calcium and Vitamin D.  Magnesium, Calcium and Vitamin D all work together as a team and help the body utilize each other.  Taking them together will help ensure your body will absorb the nutrients and make the most of the supplements you are putting in your body.
3. Soak in Magnesium – after a particularly tough workout I suggest taking a soak in Epsom Salts.  Epsom Salt is essentially magnesium that you dissolve into a warm bath.  The magnesium will soak through your skin into your muscles and help reduce soreness immediately!

Of course, Magnesium won’t cure you on its own.  Always make sure that you stay hydrated, focus on your post-workout meal timing, stretch and, most importantly STICK WITH IT!  It’ll get better, I promise!

Tara Coleman www.taracoleman.com

Tara Coleman is a Clinical Nutritionist living in San Diego, CA. She blogs twice a month with “Tara’s Friday Bite.” Leave us your comments with ideas for future topics or email Tara directly at tara@taracoleman.com.

Could sports drinks be improved with the addition of protein? That question has long gripped physiologists and nutritionists. It’s well established that the carbohydrates(sugars) that sweeten most sports drinks aid performance. They provide immediate fuel for straining muscles, keep blood-sugar levels stable and allow you to work out for a longer period of time or at a higher intensity, or both, than if you don’t swallow any extra fuel. But why wouldn’t taking in protein, together with carbohydrates, during a workout or race make you even more speedy and durable? Protein, after all, is what muscles fundamentally are made of, so it seems reasonable to imagine that adding it to sports drinks could provide some additional benefit.

Read more …

Are you a fan of sports drinks and think they’ve had a positive effect on your training? Leave us a note or share your thoughts on this article.

Total Gym has been a major part of the fantastic work Project Walk is doing for spinal cord injury patients. We are fortunate to have them right here in our own backyard. What a dedicated group!

Can you imagine one day you are whole and the next you are unable to walk? This is what happened to Kendell Hall from Dallas, TX. A bad car accident left her paralyzed from the neck down. During the last three months at Project Walk, Kendell has regained movement in her upper body and is now doing load bearing exercises to help her regain strength in her legs.

Check out Kendell as she goes along her very challenging life road. Here she is doing squats (unassisted) on Total Gym at Project Walk:

Project Walk does not accept insurance so clients must actively fundraise to pay for their rehabilitation. If you would like to donate to Kendell’s cause, visit www.help-a-fwend.com.

Always consult your doctor or rehabilitation specialist before performing Total Gym exercises if you are injured or recovering from an injury.

Dear Total Gym,

I must highly recommend EFI’s Total Gym as a wonderful product! My trainer and I created a specific program using weights and resistance cables and the EFI Total Gym machine to help me work back from partial paralysis due GBS disease. Additionally, the machine is self-motivating because it is fun, and produces results quickly and smoothly.
I reached my goals of walking and traveling, due to our efforts pointed to our efforts to build a stronger core, which enables me to overcome other semi-permanent physical problems. It is GREAT! Thanks to your machine I traveled to France this summer for 5 weeks, instead of being stuck at home on a walker.

Sincerely,

Bud H. Harris Ph. D.

Do your knees make crunching sounds or have pain when going up and down stairs or during standing squats and lunges?  Many times that pain or crunch is associated with the knee not tracking properly with the foot and hip during movement.  After checking with your doctor to rule out a knee injury that requires physical therapy or medical treatment, try the following progression on your Total Gym three times a week on alternate days.

Set your Total Gym at a low to medium height (level 4-6), squat stand attached & fully extended.

Bilateral Squats (2 legs)

Lie supine (face up) on the glide board with hips at the bottom of the glide board and feet on the squat stand shoulder width apart. Place your toes at the top of the squat stand. Start with the legs straight, but not locked. Glide down the rails (squat) keeping your knees in line with the shoe lace zone of your shoes. Stop the squat when you get to 90 degrees of knee flexion (bend). Lift your head to make sure your knees are not dropping inward toward your big toes or pushing past the ends of your toes. Perform 2 sets of 20 reps.

Unilateral Squats (1 leg)

Next walk your feet toward each other until they are a couple inches apart to prepare for a unilateral squat on the right leg. Bring your left knee above your left hip and hold it there, so now just your right foot is on the squat stand. Slowly bend your right knee to 90 degrees of knee flexion keeping the knee in line with your shoe lace zone. Keep pressure into the heel as you squat up and down. Do a visual check to ensure good knee & foot alignment.  Perform 8-10 reps on each leg. Repeat with a second set and third set as you feel stronger.

While performing the bilateral and unilateral squats keep your spine and hips relaxed on the glide board and abdominals drawn in. Breathe out as you squat down. If squatting to 90 degrees of knee flexion (bend) causes knee pain or crunchy sounds, then don’t squat as low or try placing your toes slightly above the top edge of the squat stand. Work within a range of motion that is pain free.

If knees continue to be pain or crunch free, every 2 or 3 weeks raise your Total Gym up to the next level.

This progression has helped many of my clients have less knee pain and crunch with their other activities. Let me know if they help you or if you have any questions.

I am a physical therapist of many years, and one of my secret weapons is the Total Gym. I do primarily Outpatient Rehab. Working in a small setting I have really had to make use of the space. The Total Gym really helps me do this well.

When I get a patient with a shoulder injury and we are ready for neuromuscular reeducation the Total Gym is my first choice. Starting out supine working towards sitting, and kneeling, the number of exercises and the changes in planes allow for a first class treatment. I like to start with really light resistance at a low level working combination rotational movements to improve flexibility.

Then I begin to move the patient through many of the Pilates exercises such as Saw, Scarecrow, Thoracic Lift with a Pull Up, Thoracic Twist, Swan Dive 1 & 2, Crouching Tiger. These are just the beginning and help to build stability in the upper back and shoulders.

To develop specific shoulder strength  shoulder flexion, abduction, internal and external rotation can each be addressed individually. Patients move from supine to prone, then to sitting and finally to kneeling. Resistance can also be changed by changing the levels on the tower.

Patients like the fact that they can start with an easy exercise and continue to do the same exercise and see progress as they move with confidence to do more resistance by just changing the position of the Total Gym, or their position on the equipment. I also find that the combination workouts train not only the shoulder muscles but all the support and core muscles that allow for smooth control of shoulder movements.

By the time patients are ready for discharge, they feel confident, having been challenged to try all movements relative to their job requirements and activities of daily living. I find patients easily transition back to their everyday activities with the help of the Total Gym.