As you have probably heard, whooping cough, also known as pertussis, has been very widespread in California. It is a highly contagious respiratory tract infection. Although it initially resembles an ordinary cold, whooping cough may eventually turn more serious, particularly in infants. Whooping cough is most contagious before the coughing starts. Whooping cough is a serious disease that causes coughing fits often followed by vomiting. It has a distinct sound to it and can last for months. It can be deadly for infants and is easily transmitted to them from older siblings and parents.
For those of you with children, you have probably received a letter from their school stating that according to new law AB354, all students entering into 7th grade or above, starting in July 2011, will need proof of an adolescent whooping cough booster shot, called Tdap, before starting school. (The childhood vaccine is called DTaP.)
Why has this happened? During 2010, several states have reported an increase in cases and/or localized outbreaks of pertussis, including a state-wide epidemic in California. Localized outbreaks are not uncommon and occur throughout the year. Over the last 5 years, 8,000-25,000 cases of pertussis were reported per year in the United States.
We recommend that you plan to get your child vaccinated as soon as possible, and please do not wait until summer when there is going to be a rush of parents attempting to meet the requirement. Tdap is a booster that protects against 3 dangerous diseases: tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough. In addition to children 10 years and older, we also recommend that parents and others at home get vaccinated as well. Even if you have had whooping cough in the past, you should still get the Tdap booster shot as the immunity developed after having whooping cough disease does wear off.
How do you know that your body is ready to start a fitness regimen? Jumping into an exercise routine without making sure that your body is ready can sometimes result in injury. To ensure that our clients are ready to go, we conduct an extensive fitness and nutrition assessment,and we thought it might be useful to share with you why this is so important. There are many different versions of these types of assessments, but we have found that the top 5 evaluations that give us the best overall snapshot of a client’s health are:
Body fat and body mass index (BMI)
Aerobic fitness and metabolic assessment (V02 Max)
Total body power and endurance assessment
Nutritional assessment
Functional Movement Screen (FMS)
As a kickoff to a multi-part series on fitness health, we wanted to share some information with you today on the importance of the Functional Movement Screen (FMS).
Ask yourself the following questions, if you answer “yes” to any of them, please keep reading!
Is one side of your body stronger than the other?
Do you feel pain or stiffness in your back after sitting for extended periods of time?
When reaching your arms overhead, do you feel pain or impingement?
Is it a challenge to touch your toes without bending at the knee?
Do you work out through minor or serious pain?
Everyone has imbalances, but if they affect your basic levels of movement then there is a good chance that you will experience discomfort, pain and injury. It is imperative that your body is free of these imbalances and capable of moving without restrictions before starting any exercise or conditioning program.
As a balanced, mobile body is essential to fitness success, the Functional Movement Screen is a simple and measurable method of evaluating basic movement abilities. The test is comprised of 7 fundamental movement patterns. Through these 7 tests, a certified trainer should be able to identify any weaknesses, mobility issues, and imbalances between the left & right sides of the body. Demonstrated below is one of the 7 tests we conduct, the Lunge Test.
As you can see, by pinpointing these weak links, we can then prescribe to our clients a corrective program that will get the body moving how it was meant to move. After addressing these issues, you can then have greater movement efficiency, which will then lead to an increase in strength and performance. Most importantly, this will decrease the risk of injury. You must first have function before fitness.
If you would like any further information on this type of assessment, or hear more about what we can do for you, please contact us here.
Most of us golfers are constantly working to find and perfect the edge in our game. In order to do so, we often decide a new driver or different ball must be the answer, or maybe our issues will disappear after we purchase an expensive new set of irons. Unfortunately, this is probably not the answer. With golf evolving more and more every year, buying into the latest trends and high-tech equipment, hoping for the “performance-enhancing” promises can often be disappointing.
Rather than focusing on the equipment, maybe it is time enhance your golf performance by investing in your body. You can change the mechanics of your game by focusing on your fitness level. You can have the best equipment on the market, but if your body still swings those new clubs the same way, you will simply get the same results. Whether you are looking to increase your accuracy or hit booming drives off the tee, the power behind that club needs to be just as pristine as those irons. Take some time to work on your fitness health and your golf game will definitely benefit from it. Say “goodbye” to the shankapotomus!
Being fit and healthy is one of the major factors that differentiate good golfers from great golfers. Many golfers do not realize how much physical restriction or weakness in the body can affect their golf swing and ultimately their golf game.
For example, tightness in the lower body: hamstrings, gluteus, and hips may cause a swing fault called early extension. This is any forward movement (thrust) of the lower body towards the golf ball during the downswing. This swing fault causes the arms and club to get stuck behind your body during the downswing, and it forces the torso to rise up and elevate through the hitting zone. The downswing causes two typical miss hits: the block to the right and a hook to the left, and as most players know, having two misses can be disastrous to your score.
Loss of Posture is another swing fault; this may be due to tightness in the shoulders, thoracic & lumbar spine, and hip flexors along with weakness in the core muscles. This fault comes when there is any significant change from your body’s original setup during the golf swing. This loss of posture can affect all aspects of the golf swing including timing, balance and rhythm. Losing your spine angle or altering your posture during your swing usually causes two typical miss hits, the block to the right and a hook to the left.
These examples are just two ways an unconditioned or imbalanced body can affect swing pattern and ball flight. If not addressed, these weaknesses will cause more than just pain on the course; they will cause pain to the body. However, with a good golf fitness program and some personal training assistance, you can correct swing faults and become a better player.
As a Titleist Certified Golf Fitness Trainer and the newest member of our Healthfit 4 Life Fitness Training Program, my mission is to help our clients target their golf fitness needs. Improving your overall fitness level will help you gain more accuracy off the tee, become a better ball striker, and gain more distance.
To kickoff this unique training program, through the month of March 2011, we will be offering a free Golf Fitness Evaluation. During this evaluation, I will be able to assess limitations in your body, which will allow us to then design an individualized golf fitness program.
Please contact us hereif you are interested in hearing more about this special offer.
Written by: Dr. Marcia Whalen
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