KettleBell Olympia

For todays posting I’m turning the reigns over to Jake. Jake is the trainer for my gym and is one of the smartest people I know when it comes to “functional fitness”. Jake is also the star of this video.

Yours In Health!

Dr. Wendy

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Everyone on this planet should be able to sink into a deep squat, hips slung between the legs, with a straight (not upright) back. This position requires good flexibility and good trunk stabilization aka “core strength”. In the western world we’ve lost the ability to squat properly, largely due to our sedentary lifestyle, and our propensity to sit in chairs for long periods of time.

Ironically, the chair can be used to regain the strength and flexibility to squat properly. Using a chair to reinforce good form and correct muscle engagement is relatively simple and progressive. Here is the drill:

1. Use a sturdy chair or bench about eighteen inches high to start. Eventually you can lower the chair/bench and then finally progress to free squats. Eighteen inches is a great place to start if you haven’t squatted in a while or have very tight muscles.

2. Your stance should be hip width or a few inches wider. Make sure to have your toes turned out about thirty degrees.

3. Keep your back flat or slightly arched throughout the movement. Engage your abdominal muscles before each rep.

4. Start the movement by pushing the hips back, this is very important. Flexing your knees forward is not a good way to start the squat and can aggravate any knee issues. Reach way back with your glutes, forcing your knees out as you descend.

5. When you sit down relax your hips for a split second (not your torso). Then engage your glutes to power yourself off of the chair/bench. The up phase should be faster than the descent.

6. Make sure you stand up to full hip extension at the top by squeezing the gluets as if you were pinching a coin. Breathe out towards the top of the movement.

This type of squat can be used as a teaching tool or as an advanced exercise. It’s a great way to get some reps in at your desk, as long as your chair doesn’t have wheels!

Power To You!

Jake

This is my (kettlebell) “send up” of the viral video, “Leadership Lessons from Dancing Guy”. I look forward to your thoughts and comments.

Yours In Health!

Dr. Wendy

AN UPDATE

Hello. I’ve been receiving some questions and e-mails about “what is happening with that lady at the 2 minute 10 second mark in the video…is she removing her bra?!?”

The answer is no, she is not removing her bra. Her name is Yasemin and she is removing her lumbar support. She wanted to show everyone that she no longer needs it. Yasemin came to Abundant Fitness Center with severe pain hoping to keep herself from having surgery. A short 6 months later she is pain free, strong and fit. This is just another testament to the power of Russian kettlebells.

Yours In Health!

Dr. Wendy

I’m currently reading, “The Primal Blueprint” by, Mark Sisson.

So far I’m really enjoying it. It’s a book about vibrant health and boundless energy. Check it out when you have a moment. I think you will really enjoy it.

Yours In Health!

Dr. Wendy

Hello. I’m very excited to share this with everyone who reads my blog. Recently, Joannna Daneman, one of the Top 8 Amazon dot com book reviewers took the time to review my book, The 7 Steps To Amazing Health! Here is what she had to say:

by, Joanna Daneman – Top 8 Book Reviewer @ Amazon.com

Like a Vitamin Capsule for your Entire Well-Being

Dr. Wendy Schauer has encapsulated some excellent health advice in a book that will probably change your life. We can attest to the value the advice Dr. Schauer has to offer. This book has it all in a very digestible form, with ideas for health that are easy to incorporate into the American lifestyle.

A lot of what “ails” Americans is what goes in their mouths. We have a good story on this; when we lived outside the US for a few years, we noticed the quality of the food (most of what we got was bought from local organic markets, there was no fast food and we ate local meats, cheeses and home prepared foods.) What we ate really had an effect on our health and more so, our mood. One of us was sensitive to wheat and one of us had allergies to various fruits and grains like buckwheat. We started paying attention to what went into our mouths. A naturopath was our normal physician and he guided us medically – this was something that was not out of the ordinary where we lived in Europe. We used herbal medicines for colds and mild illnesses.

Then we returned to the US. What a change in only a few years; fast food abounded. Healthy food was hard to find. Store-bought produce was overgrown, underripe and tasted–odd. We then took great pains to find organic produce (a local co-op and farm stand), to get raw milk (a local farm) and good meat (an Amish butcher who uses no hormones and grass-raises the beef.) After a tough return to the US diet, we found a way to improve how we ate.

We take supplements and eat simply. Our health went from bad to better. It would seem as you get older, you really have to pay attention to what you absorb. The body just doesn’t repair itself as fast or as well. Meanwhile, we looked around at our local fellow citizens and marveled at how fat people have become and we don’t blame it all on TV and video games. It’s just too easy to find fast food and too much of a struggle, with a busy schedule, to cook healthy grains and vegetables and to get that required exercise.

But it’s vital.

Nothing in Dr. Schauer’s book will make you crazy or look crazy to your friends. These are easy changes. You can adopt them one by one. Just let Dr. Schauer take you by the “virtual” hand and I promise you, these suggestions will really work.

We absolutely can attest that the information Dr. Schauer offers will change your life.

If you get just one book on changing your health habits, this one will serve you well. I found more than a hundred good pieces of advice here, simple things you can do that really work. I recommend you read and follow Dr. Schauer if you want to improve the quality of your life.

I went for a walk today, 5 miles, in beautiful sunshine (with a nice breeze). I needed to get outside and be with nature. I have spent the majority of my life in a temperature controlled environment and I realize that being outside is necessary for health. This is something I try to do on a regular basis (I’m committed to doing it on a more regular basis). Living in the state of Washington can make it difficult to get outside. Well, maybe just for me as I am a fair weathered person. You will not see me walking in the rain.

I walked five miles yet there are people who cannot walk from the parking lot to the grocery store. I am not talking about those with a neurologic/orthopedic condition or the very elderly. I am talking about your every day American. How is it that we as a society became so out of shape? I believe computers have made us fat and lazy. Not lazy in work but lazy in taking care of our bodies. Are you aware that if you do not exercise you will lose 14% of your muscle mass between the ages of 40 and 50? 14%!!! That is huge. It is time to make a change. Park one stall over from your normal parking spot. Do squats at your desk. Make sure you get your butt way back like you are trying to sit on an outhouse toilet. Great analogy isn’t it? Do something, anything.

Yours In Health!

Dr. Wendy