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Category: training (Page 1 of 2)

Forming Habits For Your New Years Resolutions

Continuing on from last weeks post about SMART goals and to hit actually hit them, you really need habits/systems in place to get you there.

SMART is a great way to set you up, but habits and systems is where you really get things done.


 So here are my top tips in forming habits:

​Your Environment


To make a good Habit you need to make it easy to do, this has a lot to do with the set-up of your environment.

If you want to go running every morning, lay your running gear out the night before. If you want to eat more fruit, make the fruit easily accessible by putting it out in a fruit bowl in the middle of the kitchen table.

A lot of what we do it down to ease and comfort, it’s why binge watching tv series on Netflix is so easy to get sucked into! As once you finish one episode the next one is starting, before you know it you’re 2 seasons in and it’s 3am!

If you want to stop a bad habit of yours all you need to do is the opposite and make it hard to do, but again you can change you environment to help you massively with this.

​Here are a few examples of changing bad habits…

​1. If you want to stop checking your phone so much, put it in another room whilst you work.

2. If you want to use your games console less, unplug it after each use and put it in a cupboard. This makes it a big effort for you to then get it out, plug it in and start to play and makes a book that you’ve left purposefully on your coffee table much more appealing and therefore more likely to be done.

​Habit Stacking


Another way of improving your habits is called Habit Stacking. The idea here is that you pick something you do already and then after you’ve done that habit you then introduce a new habit that you then want to do…

e.g. After I have my morning coffee (something you do already) I will do 5 minutes of Yoga (a new habit you want to pick up) Once this has done I will then get dressed into my work clothes but put the book I’m currently reading on my bed to read tonight (a new habit you want to pick up) so when you go to get into bed your book is already there.

The possibilities of this really are endless and the end result is that this because autonomous. ​This then eventually turns into a habit such as walking into a dark room and going straight for the light switch. That is how basic you can go with habits.

​Habit Stacking to Tracking


Tracking your habits is a sure way to improve your accountability and to keep it up in the long run. If you miss a day it’s not the end of the world, just start again the following day. The trick is not to let it snowball into 2 days missed, then 3 days missed etc etc.

Something to note however, is knowing when number tracking is good to use and also when not good to use… a great example is using your weight on the scales to track your progress .

The number on the scales might not be going down as fast as you’d like it to, so you could track other areas such as how much more energy you feel you have or how your skin is changing. The main point from this is that just because it’s measurable doesn’t mean you should use it!

​Baby Steps


This time of year everyone likes to go all out and make massive goals for ourselves and do everything at once. We’ve all heard people say I’m going to quit smoking, join the gym to lose 15 pounds take up a language and learn take that cooking course I always wanted.

99.9% of times doing all of this at once is just a recipe for disaster! If you were to do all that you’d 1. Be a completely different person to who you are now and 2. You’d last a few weeks at best and before you know it you’d be back in your old routines.

A way around all this is to pick 1 maybe 2 to focus on and start really small.

A substitute to taking French classes could be to download flashcards on your phone and do 2 minutes a day, slowly increasing your time spent doing them as the weeks progress.

Similar for the gym you could start doing a 5 minute workout at home to start getting you used to doing some light exercises. As with the French you could then slowly increase the amount of time spent on that task as you become more accustomed to it.

​One More Thing


Lastly one thing to remember with our habits, goals systems etc is that we often expect a straight line increase in progress the more we practice doing something.  In reality the results of our efforts are often delayed and only really come to show themselves months or even years down the line.

This can result in the early stages  of being stuck in what some people call ‘The valley of disappointment’ which is where you can feel discouraged and disheartened after putting in work for weeks and months but not seeing much if any returns on your efforts.

​You must always look to the bigger picture and know that the work was not wasted, it is just being stored and compounded as you put in the graft. It is only a lot later that the value of all your efforts is revealed!

Hope you got some good ideas from this post about how to go about making systems and habits that will propel yourselves towards your goals in 2019!

If you have any questions or want help with your habits or goals, don’t hesitate to message me and I’ll be happy to help! For further reading, the book I got this from is called Atomic Habits. What I told you only scratches the surface, so if you want to really dive into changing your habits and life I can’t recommend this book more highly.

Help my tension headache


What is a Tension Headache?


A tension headache is the most common type of headache. It can cause mild, moderate, or intense pain in your head, neck, and behind your eyes.

Some people say that a tension headache feels like a tight band around their forehead. Alternatively, sometimes it can feel at the back of your skull, just above your hairline

​Complications


Because tension headaches are so common, their effect on job productivity and overall quality of life is considerable, particularly if they're chronic headaches. 

The frequent pain from these headaches may render you unable to attend socials, the gym and even work. If you do manage to make it to work your ability to do your job to 100% may very well be impaired.

Lifestyle and Treatments

1. Down time, ice packs or a long and hot shower may be all you need to relieve a tension headache in the short term. A variety of strategies can help reduce the severity and frequency of chronic tension headaches without resorting to pain killers.

​2. One way is to manage your stress level. A great way to help reduce stress is by planning ahead and organizing your day thoroughly. Another way is to allow more time to relax and have some me time even if it’s just for 20 minutes. If you're caught in a stressful situation, consider stepping back.

​3.Perfect your posture. Good posture can help keep your muscles from tensing. When standing, hold your shoulders back and your head level. Pull in your abdomen and buttocks. When sitting, make sure your thighs are parallel to the ground and your head isn't slumped forward.

Safety first, please: severe headaches often need medical investigation

​​

​When to see a Doctor!


There are many other types of less common headaches — literally hundreds and hundreds of them — and some of them have serious medical causes. Headaches can be their own problem (primary), or they can be a symptom of something else. You need medical assessment if your headaches are:


  • unusually persistent, more than a day at higher pain levels, more than a week at moderate pain levels)
  • unusually sudden, a so-called “thunderclap” headache, which comes on in seconds to minutes
  • unusual in any other way associated with other worrisome symptoms
  • ​Medication

    You can take over-the-counter pain medications, such ibuprofen to get rid of a tension headache. 
    However, these should only be used occasionally and you ​should not become dependent on this.
    ​ Using over-the-counter medications too much may lead to “overuse” or “rebound” headaches. These types of headaches occur when you become so accustomed to a medication that you experience pain when the drugs wear off .

    ​Hydration

    Hydration and headaches: don’t get too thirsty, but don’t worry about it too much either!

    It’s also a just about the easiest possible treatment to test: just drink a couple glasses of water! The blood pressure changes that should make a difference take place quite quickly.

     If your headache is dehydration-powered to any significant degree, you’ll feel a lot better fast, within 20 minutes

    ​Headache Diary!

    ​A headache diary can help you determine the cause of your tension headaches. Record your daily meals, ​drinks, activities, and any situations that trigger stress. For each day that you have a tension headache, make a note of it. After several weeks or months, you may be able to make a connection. For example, if your journal shows that headaches occurred on days when you ate a particular food, this food may be your trigger.

    ​Would You Like More Help??


    ​Watch my trailer below for a quick look at my 3 part series on Tensions Headaches.

    In my series I go through step by step instructions with stretches, exercises and meditation techniques to make your Tension Headaches a thing of the past!!

    ​Like what you see then click here to take your first step in becoming Tension Headache free NATURALLY!



    ​Rob Manning

    ​Owner Of Fully Fit Therapy

    ​" I created this 3 part series to help people like yourself to stop having to take paracetamol every time you had a headache! 


    ​It is simple and easy to follow videos, starting off with basic exercises and then going into more advanced ones "

    Marathon Tips Part 2

    Now with the London Marathon withing Touching distance here is part 2 of my top tips for running a marathon....


    11.

    Think Laps in laps, Not Miles

    Instead of obsessing about each one of the 26 miles, look at each three mile segment as a lap, this makes it more manageable mentally. To concentrate on every mile would be like paying attention to the speedometer for a 3 hour drive.

    12.

    Drink Early & Often

     Take sports drink at the first aid station and every one after. Taking in carbohydrates and fluid early will help postpone or prevent serious dehydration or carbohydrate depletion later, so you’ll be a lot more likely to be able to keep at your desired pace.

    During prolonged exercise, our thirst mechanism isn’t able to keep up with our actual needs. Then, as you become dehydrated, less oxygen ​ is delivered to working muscles, causing you to run slower!

    13. Push Later On

    No matter how much you’re itching to go and set off quick, keep things under control until well past the halfway mark of the race

    ​Once past this mark, you can aim to increase your pace. If you feel relatively good at 18 miles, you’re down to eight miles to go, so if you’re still fresh, you can approach it mentally like a shorter race.


    14. Enjoy it!!

    Why do we do most things in life?? because we enjoy it!  + you have made a great donation to your chosen charity!

    Soak up the atmosphere and your surroundings before the race, during it with the crowds and at the end.​


    So there you go, my top tips for running a marathon (primarily the London Marathon)

    If you'd like a last minute session before or a session after feel free to get in touch! 07759689612 or mail me via the contact form on the contact page!

    Enjoy the race!​

    Marathon Tips Part 1

    ​With the London Marathon fast approaching I thought it was only right to give out my tops tips for helping get your best time possible!

    You don't have to follow all of my tips but maybe just implement 1 or 2 into the last few weeks of your training routine.


    ​1. If possible, start doing runs on the same topography as the marathon. For example, go up and down lots of hills if you’re running New York City.

    As this is all about the London Marathon, this is a flat and fast course. Therefore you want to run on flat routes in the lead up to as you’ll be using the same muscles for the whole race.


    ​2.Drink on the Run

    Practice during your remaining long and semi-long runs with the sports drink and energy gels you intend to refuel with during the race

    If you are a serious racer and or have picky stomachs you should be using the sports drink that will be available on the race course. You also want to find out how often your marathon will have aid stations, and practice drinking at that rate.

    If you don’t run with fluids, place bottles along your training route.


    ​3. Dress the part (all the gear but a good idea)

    Don’t run in a cotton t-shirt, you’ll prefer it and perform so much better in a running top!

    A couple of weeks before, you want to go for a run in it to make sure it does not irritate your skin!


    ​4. Clockwork

    If you can, run at the same time of day as the start of your marathon. This way, your body’s rhythms–including the all-important bathroom routine– will be in sync with your marathon needs come race day. The more often you can do this, the better, but try for at least the last three days before the race!


    5. Run a Dress Rehearsal

    Four or five days before the marathon, do a two- or three-mile marathon-pace run in your marathon outfit and shoes. Picture yourself on the course running strong and relaxed. Besides boosting your confidence, this run will provide one last little bit of conditioning and will help you lock in to race pace on marathon day.


    6. Chill

    Reduce the outside stresses in your life as much as possible for the last week of training!

    Try to have your work projects under control, politely decline invitations to late nights out with friends and family etc.

     Most of all, put your feet up!

    Save museum tours and trips outs for after the marathon, and don’t spend four hours the day before shopping for a post marathon treat to yourself!


    7. Set Two Goals

    Review your training and set one goal for a good race day, and another as a backup plan in case it’s hot or windy or you’re just not feeling great,”.

     So many things can go wrong in a marathon, from a blister at the half way point or just not feeling great the day of the race.

    Therefore you need that secondary goal to stay motivated if things aren’t perfect, which they rarely are.


    So that's the first part of my marathon tips!

    If you'd like more information, help or to book a last minute session feel free to give me a call on 07759689612.


    Fit For February Offer

    ​Have you got your new years resolution fitness resolutions off to a good start and looking to maintain it if not improve it?

    ​Alternatively are you starting to get a niggle or some aches and pains coming on from starting off so far in 2018?

    Or lastly are you struggling with stress from the New Year?

    Well you are in luck, I can help with all of the above and more!

    Be it rehabilitation and pre-habilitation (think preparing to not get an injury)​ plans and treatment, all individually tailored to you.

    If you just want to get rid of stress I can instead tailor a Sports and Swedish massage to you.

    Most importantly I will help you set goals that we can track​ together.

    Below is a couple of testimonials from clients i've helped... My next testimonial could be from you!

    ​Testimonials

    Injury Treatment review


    ​L. Brymner


    ​​I had suffered a bad strain from the gym in my upper back trap area and was very immobile and causing me tension headaches. Rob managed to source the problem and relieve some of the soreness and get me on the road to recovery my back and neck were back too 100% within a couple of days and I was back in the gym, could not recommend rob more if you've got any pains or long lasting injuries I'd highly suggest you see Rob! Lewis


    ​T. Doteva


    ​I had excruciating neck pain that was going down through my left shoulder to the lower back. In three sessions Rob managed to improve my condition tremendously. In addition, he examined and corrected my posture and recommended exercises to do, so to prevent further injuries. I'm very grateful! Thank you Rob!


    To book in with me now and get your initial assessment and follow up with £10 off call me on 07759689612 or email me at [email protected]!


    If you're still unsure about booking in with me I now offer free 15 minute consultations over the phone to see if sports therapy is right for you. To arrange one contact me by phone or email and I'll be happy to sort one out for you


    The 1# Cheat To Improve Your Squat

    ​Wouldn't you love to buy a bit of kit that would help you improve your squat ten fold?

    Sounds too good to be true doesn't it?

    Well.... this cheat is lifting shoes!

    ​How Do They Work?


    Lifting shoes angle your foot so it is resting in a slight bit of plantarflexion (i.e movement of pushing your accelerator to the floor)

    It does this by having a slight heel of around 2 to 2.5cm.

    This slight heel increases plantarflexion by 3.5 degrees to 5 degrees, this then makes it feel like your dorsiflexion has increased. However it is more of an illusion as instead of your foot starting of flat it starts of slightly plantarflexed


    ​Conclusion


    So if you are too lazy too follow my previous blog posts on fixing your squat this is a perfect cheat to help you squat a lot better by just changing your shoes!

    If you aren't happy 'cheating' and want to improve your squat without relying on some magic shoes book in with me today to help you get on track and fully fit... see below for one of the many clients I have helped 

    ​​

    Injury Treatment review


    ​L. Brymner

    ​Recreational Gym User

    ​​I had suffered a bad strain from the gym in my upper back trap area and was very immobile and causing me tension headaches. Rob managed to source the problem and relieve some of the soreness and get me on the road to recovery my back and neck were back too 100% within a couple of days and I was back in the gym, could not recommend rob more if you've got any pains or long lasting injuries I'd highly suggest you see Rob! Lewis



    ​For more information on squatting shoes give the below a read!

    Sato, K., Fortenbaugh, D., & Hydock, D. S. (2012). Kinematic changes using weightlifting shoes on barbell back squat. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 26(1), 28-33.

    6 Tips to get the most out of your squat

    1

    If you’ve got an existing injury or previous reconstruction of the PCL, it is best to restrict flexion (bending your knee) to 50°to 60°so that posterior shear force is minimized as much as possible.

    If you are wanting to work your quads their development is maximized by squatting to parallel, with no additional activity seen at when you go deeper into the squat.

    However hip extensor movements increase with increasing squat depth, so full squats may be beneficial for those seeking to maximize strength of the hip musculature i.e. glutes.

    2

    How fast should I squat?

    The speed of the movement should be based on goal-oriented

    Specificity to the force-velocity curve. However, given

    that speed of movement has been shown to significantly

    increase both compression and shear forces (You want to minimise this as much as possible) , there is a trade off between optimal transfer of performance and

    risk of injury. This is especially true on the eccentric aspect (going down into the squat)

    of the squat where rapid deceleration generates exceedingly high joint forces at the knee.

    3

    Failure to control this descent can result in the ballistic contact between the hamstrings and calf muscles,

    which can cause a dislocating

    effect on the knee ligaments. Therefore, unless

    your goals specifically dictate otherwise, squat descent

    should always be executed in a controlled fashion, with

    a 2 to 3 second eccentric tempo is a good rule of thumb.

    4

    Additional muscles you can target when squatting-

    A wider stance squat is preferable for those seeking optimal

    development of the hip adductors and hip extensors.

    Where as a closer stance is more appropriate for targeting

    development of the gastrocnemius.

    Stance can also be varied to alter joint-related forces: a narrow stance helps to

    minimize patellofemoral and tibiofemoral compression

    while a wider stance results in less forward knee

    translation and thus reduces shear force.

    5

    Low bar or high bar?

    Low bar back squats tend to produce greater hip extensor

    torque and a decrease in knee extensor torque compared with high

    bar back squats. However, the magnitude of forces for both

    movements are well tolerated by the associated joint

    structures.

    This means it is down to personal preference where you decide to have the bar

    The front squat produces significantly lower

    knee compression and lumbar stress in comparison with

    back squats, making it a viable alternative for those

    suffering from various knee and back pains.

    5

    Low bar or high bar?

    Low bar back squats tend to produce greater hip extensor

    torque and a decrease in knee extensor torque compared with high

    bar back squats. However, the magnitude of forces for both

    movements are well tolerated by the associated joint

    structures.

    This means it is down to personal preference where you decide to have the bar

    The front squat produces significantly lower

    knee compression and lumbar stress in comparison with

    back squats, making it a viable alternative for those

    suffering from various knee and back pains.

    6

    Fatigue can have a detrimental effect on squatting

    technique, potentially leading to knee instability and

    increased lumbar shear force. Therefore you may want to think twice about one last rep.


    So there you have 6 tips you can utilise next time it's leg day to help you get where you want to be. If you would like more help with your squat click below to book in with a session... for further reading the paper I used is

    Schoenfeld, B. J. (2010). Squatting kinematics and kinetics and their application to exercise performance. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 24(12), 3497-3506.


    Click Below To Book In Today!



    7 Ways to get your your New Years Resolutions back on track!!

    Has your New Years Resolution fallen by the way side?? Is your gym membership gathering dust, your language text book becoming a door stop or maybe even your goal of hiking in wales has turned into a 'hike' to the shops...

    If so continue reading below to get the rest of your 2017 back on track by reading below on how to set goals that you can achieve and smash the rest of 2017!

    This is your framework for setting up a goal, this is called SMART and can broken down into….


    S - Specific  -  make you goal precise

    M- Measurable - make it easy to track progress

    A- Attainable- Make it a challenge but don't go too far with it

    R-Relevant - Will it help what you want to achieve?

    T- Time - Deadlines help get you into action

    Take a minute to right yours down on a piece of paper, maybe a few times as it may take a while to get your goal down to a tee!

    Now you’ve laid out the framework for your goal you want to break your goal down to a microscopic level…..

    For a 1 year goal you want to break it down into 6 months, 3 months, 1 month, 2 weeks, 1 week and daily goals.

    It sounds like a lot of work however when broken down to a daily level it makes everything much more manageable and gives you little goals which over time snowball into your weekly goal, fortnightly goal and so on so forth.


    To help get yourself organised break everything you do down into significant pieces, sort them by components, sequences and priorities

    You have this big collection of ideas from your brainstorming/planning session. The first thing to do is to simply go through them and pull out the significant ones. You’re looking for the essential pieces that will take you from A to B. You can be quite broad in this step.

    Once you have the Significant pieces, you’re going to order them. A lot of the time some steps rely on other steps to be accomplished first, so they should be put into the obvious order. When you make your list leave big gaps between each one, there is always things you then add to it.

    Finally, add in details until the steps are comfortable for you. For me, “comfortable” means “small enough that they can be done in reasonable chunks, like an hour or two.” If a remaining piece is too big for me to accomplish in that short of a timeframe, I keep breaking it down into smaller details.


    • Plan Plan Plan and Plan some more!
    • Try and make some sort of timetable of your daily life, break all your daily habits down to try and eliminate all the unnecessary ‘white noise’ e.g. spending 5 minutes when your alarm goes off browsing Instagram or 20 minutes watching clips from Love Island on facebook… when people say ‘they haven’t got time’ it means what they havn’t got time for isn’t a priority for them.

    • Don't put things off
    • When you start thinking ‘I can skip today, it won’t matter’. DON’T. A 6 month goal is completed by REPEATING the basics daily

    • Make it enjoyable
    • If you don’t enjoy it, you won’t do it. There is more than one way of doing something. E.g. if you don’t like running on your own, find a running club.

    • Broadcast
    • Put your goals up on social media and posting your daily or weekly progress- This is key in keeping yourself accountable!

    • Rewards
    • Set small rewards e.g. when you meet a monthly goal- this little incentive can give you the extra incentive to push and motivate you!

    • Make the goal BIG
    • then if you fail to reach the Big goal you’ve more than likely done pretty well!

    • Determination
    • One of the most common characteristics of people that constantly achieve their goals is that they are determined and relentless. When the going gets tough, grit your teeth and remember why you started your goal in the first place.

      So there you have it, get your 2017 back on track!!

      If you've liked this post on goal setting please subscribe to get more regular updates, share and comment.

    How To Tackle Shin Splints- (Runners must read this)

    Shin splints, massage, manual therapy, stretching

    Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome otherwise known as shin splints are one of the most common injuries of the lower extremity. Most frequently seen in runners, sprinters and footballers.

    Shin splints occur due to repetitive loading of the tibia. Think of how many times your tibia is loaded during only 500 metre run… that’s quite a few steps which means also rather a lot of loading.

    As well as the loading another possible cause of shin splints is having a foot that’s stronger to point outwards causing the foot to go flat when walking and running.

    Both the above reasons can cause the soleus muscles (one of your calf muscles) to be overloaded.

    A potential predisposing factor to shin splints is having a previous foot injury as this doubles the likelyhood of getting shin splints.

    Diagnosis of shin splints can be confirmed via a physical examination by a therapist such as myself.

    So…. how do you treat shin splints


    Firstly in the acute phase you want to rest yourself and ice the shin for 15 to 20 minutes at a time.

    After the initial 48 to 72 hours it is a good time to start using low impact exercises such as swimming and cycling to keep on top of your fitness.

    Then after a few weeks you want to look into returning to pain free activity and halving what you were training at, this includes the distance, intensity and frequency.


    Whilst returning to pain free activity you want to be stretching and strengthening your calves.

    A great stretch is an eccentric calf stretch- for this you want to have the balls of your feet on a step with the arch and your heels hanging of it. You then slowly lower yourself down and hold for 5 to 10 seconds and then lift your self back up – repeat 4 to 5 times.

    This can also strengthen your calve when you raise yourself up from this position- kills two birds with one stone.

    Coupled with this you also want to look at strengthening your hip and core – you can refer to my previous posts to work on core and hip strength!


    If you need more information or advice feel free to message me or give me a call!

    As always remember to subscribe below for £5 off your next treatment! – the journals relating to all of the above are below…

    Bebeley, S. J., Yi-Gang, W., & Yang, L. (2016). Athletes’ Knowledge about Preventing Sports Injuries like: Achilles Tendinitis (AT), Runner’s Knee (RK)/Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS) and Shin Splints (SS), as Prime Prevention Strategies in Slowing Ageing Process. Journal of Exercise Science and Physiotherapy, 12(1), 25-37.

    Galbraith, R. M., & Lavallee, M. E. (2009). Medial tibial stress syndrome: conservative treatment options. Current reviews in musculoskeletal medicine, 2(3), 127-133

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