3 Stretches to Get Rid of Shoulder Pain

Whether it’s sleeping on your shoulders, spending hours at your computer, or looking down at your phone in less than perfect posture, shoulders tend to get tight and out of alignment if you do any of these too often. Your shoulder(s) being out of alignment can cause not only shoulder pain, but neck and upper back pain as well. I suspect we all know how uncomfortable that can be. . . .

After some good self-massage try these 3 shoulder stretches to get you out of pain and start the healing.

Each of these stretches should be done in a doorway. In a split stance position. Your lead foot should be slightly through the doorway, while your back foot should be slightly behind the doorway.

Hold each stretch for 7-10 slow breaths.

For this stretch, your hands should be reaching out and up towards the top of the door way. Your posture should look similar to the letter “Y”. Your hands will be resting on the door frame.

For this stretch you’ll want to bring your arms down so that your elbows form a 90 degree angle. Both your forearms and hands should be supported on the frame of the doorway.

For this stretch you’ll want to move your hands down the door frame so that they are at about a 45 degree angle.

Most of us could afford to do each of these stretches daily. Some of us could afford to do them a few times a day. Start with once a day and see how they work for you. Please be sure to do a bit of self-massage (rolling) before hand. That way you’ll be able to maximize the benefits.

The Skinny On Carbs

I hope you had a great weekend and enjoyed my newsletter.

One of my clients had a great question that I’d like to answer here. She expressed concern that the carbohydrates (carbs) in the last recipe, on the newsletter, seemed a bit “high”.

The first thing I would ask you to remember is that one meal, slightly “high” in carbs, is not an issue.  What’s of bigger importance is the total calorie intake of protein, carbs and fat over a 24hr period.

We’ve all watched the media bounce back and forth between low carb, high protein, fat-free, and an assortment of other inaccurate and short sited responses to losing weight and keeping it off. 

I personally don’t believe in the “one size fits all” type of philosophy when it comes to nutrition. I genuinely believe that each person is unique in their metabolism, fitness level, time they have to spend exercising, as well as how many calories they burn just doing their daily activities. That is why I take a body composition analysis on each of my clients, as well as find out what a “typical” week of exercise looks like for them, before I create a customized nutrition program.  That way I am sure that the nutrition program meets their individual needs and lifestyle.  And to be quite honest, if the “one size fits all” philosophy worked, we’d be seeing a better improvement in the overall health of our population.

With all of the said I can give you a general rule of thumb when it comes to creating your meals.  My reading is leading me to believe that perhaps portion control is really the key to losing weight and keeping it off (for those that do not want to measure their food).  What I mean by that is this: picture your plate, now divide it down the middle so that you now have two halves. Half of your plate should be full of fresh vegetables (preferably leafy green). Divide the second half into to two equal parts.  In one of those halves you would have a lean protein source (eggs, fish, lean meat, poultry), and the remaining space would be filled with carbs (starchy – brown rice, whole-grain breads, etc.).  Does that make sense?

Divided Plate Chart

The second general rule of thumb is this: if you tend to start your day “high” in carbs, be sure to taper your intake of starchy carbs throughout the day.  The thinking behind this is that you give your body the rest of the day to burn off the starches you’ve taken in during the early hours of the day.

Remember, one size fits all does not work.  Find out how your body works by getting a body composition analysis and that information along with your “typical” week of activity, should help put you right on target and ready for summer swimsuit season!

 As always, please let me know if this information was helpful.

The 5 Most Important Stretches If You Spend Your Day Sitting

Fix Your Shoulder Pain

20 Of The Most Frequently Asked Fitness Questions

Intro to Rotator Cuff using a band

Here’s a quick understanding of the importance of training rotator cuff movements.

Pull/Rotate -- Rotator Cuff Movement

Spend long enough sitting, hunched over a desk and you’ll need movements like these to re-align you’re should and get rid of shoulder discomfort.

Suspension Strap Training

Kurt Elder of Energy F/X Fitness demonstrates a movements using Suspension Straps. This type of training is great for variety, including more core activation, and just an overall great way to improve the quality of your workouts. Here I’m using the Jungle Gym XT.

6-Pack By Summer?

Want Your Midsection In Shape Before Summer?

Think Doing 1,000 Sit-Ups Will Get You There?

Think Starving Yourself Will Get You There? 

If you answered "YES" to any of these questions, then you better keep reading.

It's a simple guide, but one many forget; especially those that wait till the last minute and want instant results.  By the way, you can't cram for abs, like you crammed for tests back in school.  I don't care what the media tells you!

Getting lean and staying that way basically boils down to 3 consistent steps:

1.) Make a Plan:

     Yes, I'm sure you're tired of hearing me say it, but it's the truth.  There is no successful outcome without a plan!

     +  Make time to plan your meals and track them

     +  Make time to plan your fitness (if you're serious, you can't afford to miss workouts)

     +  Make time to get your rest.(transformation happens during recuperation--not while working out)

2.) Do Circuit Training:

     If time is an issue when it comes to working out, then circuits is the best way to go

     +  Ditch the social time workout

     +  Do cardio intervals to get the most out of your cardio time

     +  Try alternating upper and lower body exercises (3-5 exercises in a row)

3.) Consistent Good Nutrition:

     It doesn't have to be perfect, but better than you're eating now.

     +  3 meals per day containing a protein, carbohydrate, and fat (here -->)

     +  2 snacks per day that are basically "mini-meals" (one mid-morning and one mid-afternoon)

     + Cut down or eliminate the sugary drinks and go for water or ice tea (unsweetened).

It's honestly that simple.  Just like a travel itinerary or a retirement plan -- you have to make a plan and stick to it.  Doing these 3 simple steps consistently will get you the results you want and deserve.

Plate Chart

Self Myo--- What? It's time to get rid of the pain . . . . completely!

I have to admit that I see people using the foam rollers and other self massage techniques more than ever before, but it still surprises me how many people still don't know the benefits.

 Whether it's new clients or the regular gym members that consult me on how to get out of pain, I have to tell you self-massage has got to be one of the most underrated "get out of pain and speed healing" techniques I know.

It doesn't matter if you spend your day sitting at a desk, are a weekend warrior with some nagging aches and pains, or a competitive athlete looking to decrease soreness and improve performance, self-myofascial release (self-massage) works.

  As the old saying goes, “sometimes you can’t see the forest for the trees”?  This morning I was reminded of just “how deep in the trees” I am.

I was approached by a woman that I see regularly at the gym who asked me how to get rid of her knee pain she's had for the past 4 weeks.  She stated that she enjoyed Spinning, long bike rides on the weekends, but spend most of her day at her desk at work. In addition, after sitting for long periods of time, standing up is quite painful, though the pain decreases after moving around for a bit. I asked had she had any falls or other impact to her knee and she stated, "No".

She also said that she had begun stretching, but that only made a minor difference in the pain. It’s gotten to the point now where she is unable to enjoy her usual cycling and it's beginning to make her depressed.

 I asked, “Do you do any self-myofascial release or self-massage”?  She said, “What’s that”?  I then proceeded to demonstrate some techniques using my Energy F/X Tube.

While I was demonstrating the techniques it hit me...

 I take for granted that many people don’t know about the benefits of self-myofascial release.  In a nutshell, self-myofascial release is a type of self-massage using a hard roller, tube or ball.  It helps break up scar tissue and increases blood flow to the affected area.  Not to mention it can increase your range of motion and improve performance.

Many weekend warriors and sedentary people end up feeling stiff and hurting, and mistakenly believe there is something wrong with their joints that might require surgery.  In fact, most of the time all they need to do is regular self-myofascial release.

Before you give up hope and think the only alternative to being in pain is surgery, check out the videos below where I demonstrate how to use self-myofascial release techniques to get out of pain.  It's simple to do, and literally doesn't take more than a few minutes a day.