Tag Archives: Fitness

What I want All Hockey Parents to know

Posted by Dec 2, 2016 fitness, health, Hockey training, kids, parenthood, parenting, sports, workout, yoga, yoga for athletes, yoga for hockey players , , , , , Leave a Comment
What I want All Hockey Parents to know

First off, I am not a surgeon, physiotherapist or medical doctor of any kind. I am a yoga teacher and a student of bodies. I have worked with countless individuals through yoga with varying degrees of athleticism but can say that I have seen hundreds if not thousands of young (13-25 years old) hockey players move on their mats. When I teach yoga to these athletes I am observing and learning by watching their movements. Over the last seven years I have seen noticeable trends that I want to share with you in the hopes that you may find this information helpful and possibly prevent a serious, even career-ending injury. You can choose to disregard my recommendations and opt to hear this from a medical doctor but by the time your son/daughter is in front of one the condition might be so severe that surgery is needed.

I am assuming you are still reading because you are a concerned (and even proactive) parent who wants their son or daughter to be in the best physical health and secondarily have a enjoyable hockey career. As a former athlete and now parent myself we want to see our children thrive in athletics into adulthood. The trends in youth sports now is early specialization. And as it pertains to hockey, year round, versus seasonal participation. This fact makes the following information even more valuable.

Here are the trends I am seeing over and over;

VERY TIGHT ANKLES AND FEET

Hockey skates are designed to be very restrictive and supportive and do not allow for much flexion and extension in the ankle. This is very helpful for skating biomechanics but what happens over time, especially with frequent on-ice training, is the ankle loses it’s required mobility. Without any sort of counter exercises to balance this the athletes develop very limited range of motion in the ankle joint. Why does this matter? Well over time as we age this mobility decreases anyways which makes activities like running or walking more challenging and in our senior years will lead to instability and falls. And if your child participates in any sports or activities other than hockey, or even running/speed tests on dry land for hockey camps and testing, there will be some running involved. A foot that is tight and unable to perform the range of motion needed for speed and acceleration means that the surrounding muscles and joints will bear the burden and this will lead to imbalances in the body and injuries. Want to test this out for yourself? Ask your son or daughter to kneel on the floor and sit back on their heels, now watch their face and body language. If they complain of pain or severe discomfort then they already have limited range of motion. I see this develop around age 12-14 and often quite severe in athletes aged 18 and up when not addressed.

SORE AND TIGHT HIPS

Hockey players of any age will likely identify their hips as a problem area because of the skating stride. When skating the hips are called upon to stabilize the athlete, abduct, adduct and flex the hip and so the muscles that are needed to perform these different movements get very stiff and sore. The amount of time spent on the ice and off the ice strengthening the quadriceps, gluteals and hip flexors is not usually off-balanced with lengthening and recovery time needed for these muscles. In young athletes especially this is even worse due to the amount of time spent sitting during the day. As a result imbalances occur, scar tissue develops and injury to the back and groin.

TIGHT BACK AND SHOULDERS

Posture in most teenagers and even adults for that matter is poor. Add into the equation the rounded, athletic stance of a hockey player on the ice and you get slumped shoulders to say the least. I have done posture assessments on NHL level players and let’s just say it’s a good thing they aren’t getting paid to stand properly. But poor posture overtime again contributes to imbalances and injury. Most off-ice training programs focus on exercises that strengthen the larger muscle groups of the back and chest and aren’t refined enough to target the muscles needed to properly support a healthy posture. The end results is very limited mobility throughout the back, chest and shoulders.

So what does all this mean? My answer to off-set hockey training on and off the ice is to incorporate a recovery program. This should comprise of yoga, massage (either self-massage using therapy balls and/or by a trained professional) and rest days. Now if you think the 2 minutes of stretching you do after a training session is enough, think again! Yoga is not just stretching. The body needs to also recover through proper breathing and relaxing the mind. A trained yoga professional can guide you through all the benefits and coach you along the way. Some might say “there is not time for recovery, we need more training and practices to get better at hockey”. Well I would challenge that! Finding a balance of rest, recovery and activity will go a long way to improving any athlete’s overall health and performance. If you start practicing yoga and don’t see results right away remember to have patience. It took years to create these imbalances and it takes time to undo them.

Invest in Rest!!

How being a YOGI helps me in the gym

Posted by Sep 16, 2015 sports, workout, yoga for athletes , , Leave a Comment
How being a YOGI helps me in the gym

I have worked out in a gym much longer than I have been practicing yoga. When I think back to my time in the gym before yoga I realize that I wasn’t working out as efficiently as I could due to a lack of knowledge and coaching. So here is how becoming a yogi has made me better in the gym.

Breathing

When practicing yoga you develop a refined sense of your breath. You learn to observe, control and deepen your breath. You begin to discover ways that your breath gives you strength beyond what you perceive yourself capable of. This doesn’t end when you finish your yoga practice. You can use these tools to help you maintain body awareness in the gym too ensuring that you stay safe in your exercises and to give you the ability to lift more or do more reps.

Improved range of motion

Yoga is touted with being one of the best ways to improve flexibility. And while it does so much more than that it certainly is a means to getting deeper in your squats. A lot of athletes don’t think they need more flexibility. Yet if you remove the weight in some of their exercises and ask them to show you their range of motion they likely won’t get very far with their body properly aligned….and they expect to do it properly with weight?! You will feel so much more power in your movements when you move with more ease through a full range of motion. And less likely for injury to happen when compensation is at a minimum.

Core strength & awareness

I’ve seen strong athletes with apparent, defined abdominals struggle to hold a side plank. It’s not that they don’t have the core strength to do so but they also need to fine tune how they use their core. Once we learn to stabilize from the core we can develop more strength and power in our movements. I see this in myself when I spin. When I’m aware of my centre and I draw in (like I’ve practiced so many times in yoga) it allows me to use less effort to push harder.

Energy locks

In yoga we refer to energy locks as Bandhas which means to lock, to hold, to tighten. There are three bandhas in the body and one that ties them all together. I won’t go into much detail here about how to find them or what they do. For that you are going to have to give yoga a try. To understand them you need to imagine that energy can move out of the body (not very useful when training) or stay within the body (more energy in to push harder or longer). Here’s an example that you can try if you’ve ever done prowler runs. Try a set with your chin forward then try a set with your chin drawn into your chest (i.e making a double chin). In the later you should feel stronger, faster, and the exercise slightly easier. Remember it takes practice to refine this just like anything else.

I love being in the gym, pushing myself, and I also love yoga, taking care of myself. I cannot imagine doing either one of these without the other anymore. If this has piqued your interest maybe it’s time to set the dumbells down and roll out a yoga mat!

How to FIT fitness in!

Posted by Jan 21, 2015 fitness, health, new year's resolutions, workout, yoga , , Leave a Comment

We hear it all the time “I’m too busy, I just can’t find time to workout”. Maybe you’ve said these words yourself. I know I’ve heard people say to me “It must be nice to have time to do yoga and workouts”. I get it you’re busy. We’re all busy with work, kids, appointments, chores around the house, errands etc. Just when we think we couldn’t possibly be any busier the pace of life gets even faster. And even if we made resolutions and intentions to allow ourselves more time to be healthy on Jan.1 we might now be sacrificing for something more pressing. So again we find an excuse not to be active…or do we??

We all know by now that leading an active lifestyle is vital to our health and longevity. And the occurrence of obesity and inactivity in our current sedentary lifestyles are high. Yet many people still do not prioritize exercise. There are certainly valid reasons to rest; recent surgery or treatments, healing from an injury, etc. But most of the people yet to commit to a daily routine do not fall under these categories.

Common Excuses:

  • I’m tired.
  • I’m busy at work.
  • My kids have their activities.

and my favourites!

  • I’m too out of shape.
  • I can’t afford it.

It’s about priorities and lifestyle changes. Do you want to be healthy? Be fit? Get strong? Then come up with a plan to get there. Right down the tasks that you need to get done in a day and where you need to be then get creative. There are so many resources available to help anyone make some major gains. There are online exercise programs and yoga classes. Gyms and training centres everywhere. Free community classes or energy exchange programs*.

Here are some tips on how to get creative with your time and get moving!

  • Wake up early and start your day with a workout. Maybe it’s a run or walk outside or maybe you hit your local training centre where someone guides you through a routine (perfect if you aren’t a morning person and need a kick in the butt!)
  • Use your lunch break at work to get your sweat on. Find a close by gym or yoga studio, or maybe you are lucky enough to have one in your workplace. Gather some coworkers and head outside for a walk. You will surely boost your productivity after you get your blood pumping!
  • At the end of your day head straight to a class instead of heading home and plopping yourself down on the couch. You will feel great about yourself!
  • Coordinate your children’s activities with something for yourself. Go for a run or see if there is a facility close by so that you aren’t just waiting around for them. What a great example you are setting for them!

Remember, you don’t need a full hour every day. Take 30 minutes and do a short body weight circuit in your living room. Or maybe you just need to make some logistics changes. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, park further away from the grocery store, walk to do an errand instead of driving. These changes may take time to implement but get going today! Don’t wait another day!

Stay tuned for my next post about how to motivate yourself and create healthy habits! And if you need help to get yourself moving then leave me a comment and we can discuss.

*Energy exchange programs are when you can perform small tasks at a facility i.e. yoga studio in exchange for free classes. These tasks are usually things like mopping the floors and changing garbages.10426135_10154775219575029_1832537439728938325_n-2

“I want to try yoga. Where do I start?”

Posted by Jan 10, 2015 fitness, health, new year's resolutions, yoga , , Leave a Comment
“I want to try yoga. Where do I start?”

“I want to try Yoga. How do I get started?”

This is by far the most common question I get asked as a Yoga Teacher. Even more so at this time of the year when many are using the new calendar year to introduce or renew healthy habits. The answer however is a complex one but I will try and offer some guidance. A short history lesson Yoga means ‘to yoke’ or ‘unite’. There are eight limbs to yoga; yoga poses are just one of the eight. In the Western culture we tend to focus mostly on the Asana practice (yoga poses) when we refer to yoga as a physical exercise. When you first set out to try yoga do not get overwhelmed by yoga theory or Sanskrit terms. In time, when you feel ready to know more, there are many resources available to peak your interest and take your practice to a different level.

“What type of yoga class is best for me?”

There are a lot of factors to consider but start by asking yourself “What do I want to get out of a yoga practice?” Perhaps you want to relax and unwind, maybe you want to stretch and release tension or, feel stronger. The answer will determine where you start. Yoga is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor, the options are endless so take some time to shop around. There are tons of yoga studios around now and most offer a variety of classes. Check out their websites and see if there are recommendations for beginner students. Or call the studio and speak to someone who can suggest a class based on your needs. Always check with your healthcare provider first to make sure you are ready to start a new program.

“What equipment do I need?”

You really don’t need much. Dress in some comfortable, lightweight clothing. Take a bottle of water and if you have a yoga mat that’s great but most studios will also rent them. In time I highly recommend that you invest in a good mat. Yoga mats can cost $20 or $100. If you want to stick with yoga a higher end mat will allow you to practice without your hands and feet slipping and the frustration that it will bring.

“I don’t think I will be good at yoga”

When you are first starting out it might take some time before you find the right class and a teacher that speaks to you. You likely will feel out of your element and slightly uncomfortable but this is completely normal and it will pass. It’s a great idea for the first month or so to introduce yourself to the teacher before class and let him or her know that you are just starting out. It’s always important that you let them know if you have any current or past injuries that may affect your practice. This way they can offer modifications for you and make your experience more enjoyable. Don’t worry about looking silly or not doing the poses the “right” way. Part of yoga is not letting the ego make decisions for you. The best way to enjoy a sustained yoga practice is to always listen to your body. Let the heart, not the mind, speak to you. You will never go wrong!

“Remember the emphasis on the heart. The mind lives in doubt and the heart lives in trust. When you trust, suddenly you become centered.” ~ Osho