Brunswick Blog

How My Training Elevates the FUN in My Life!

1/21/2020

I have always been an active person. I enjoy doing all kinds of things outdoors regardless of the season. My husband and I both grew up skiing, and converted to snowboarding as adults....because of course snowboarding didn't exist when we were kids! When the winter's are cold I find that getting outside and enjoying what the season has to offer is the best medicine for getting through the coldest months of the year.

This year I set a goal for myself to get out on the slopes with my husband Eric at least 5 times. I haven't been on my snowboard as much as I would like over the past couple of years, so this year I took to putting it in writing to hold myself a little more accountable. I attended a business retreat in the White Mountains of New Hampshire just after the New Year, and one perk was the opportunity to get out on the slopes for a couple of hours one afternoon. This was absolutely perfect because it gave me the itch to get to my goal.

Aside from the couple of hours of riding in New Hampshire, which does not count towards my goal by the way, I made it to Mt. Abram the day after a Saturday snowstorm. The conditions in New Hampshire and at Mt. Abram were completely different. New Hampshire was a spring skiing kind of day. The snow was soft as were the occasional ice spots. It was a perfect day all around. The Mt. Abram day was a "powder day", but keep in mind that powder in New England is usually heavy unlike the infamous powder of the western U.S. mountains. But I LOVE it none the less.

During both of these days out I couldn't help but be blown away by how my training has benefited my riding. Keep in mind that I opened Wilcox Wellness & Fitness because I wanted to make an impact in my community. I had known Mike & Paige Wilcox for many years and was impressed by what they had created in Bangor, and I wanted to share it with my community in Brunswick. I've never been a gym goer. My past experiences at a gym included a clip board and a monotonous routine that I quickly became bored with. My lack of regular strength & conditioning training started to become more evident as I "got older". I noticed that I would injure myself more easily, which landed me in physical therapy on a couple of occasions, but even more so my overall strength & mobility was suffering.

What is interesting is that I didn't entirely appreciate the waning mobility as it was happening. When I would be out riding I'd notice that it had become more difficult for me to rotate my body in order to look behind me and uphill for oncoming traffic. I chalked it up to the layers of bulky snowboarding clothes that I was wearing.

During my day in New Hampshire I noticed how much stronger I felt as I literally shredded the mountain. We only had 2 hours so we wanted to maximize our time and we rallied to get in as many runs as we could. As I carved the edges of my board into the soft snow I noticed how my ab engagement would support the most gracious carves through the snow. I was able to lean into my turns with power and control. When on my heal side edge I could sit into a squat position without the quad burn of years past and power into my turns in the opposite direction. I felt AMAZING! I had never felt so strong in all of the years that I've been snowboarding.

So when we got a big snowstorm predicted for Saturday and overnight into Sunday I was rearing to go! Eric and I got up bright and early so we could get onto the trails early before they were skied off. Much of the mountain remained un-groomed and we were ready for a fun day on the mountain. As I got ready to get out on the trails I reflected on my experience just a couple of weeks earlier in New Hampshire, and I knew that I would need to adapt my riding approach to the different conditions. As I said earlier, even though it was a "powder day" I knew that the snow would be heavy and it would be a lot of work. The edging that I was mastering the trip before wouldn't do me any good in these conditions. I needed to feel this out and figure out how my new strength and stability would benefit me in the powder.

Within two runs I had it figured out. When navigating through tracked powder each turn can be unpredictable. The snow gets piled up into soft moguls by the skiers and riders who had been down the hill in front of me. In the past these kind of conditions would have felt intimidating. I would have to work hard to maintain control, moving my board nearly 180 degrees from side to side to maintain a checked speed. I would use my legs to power my board from side to side.

But this time was entirely different!

I realized that my thoracic mobility was markedly improved.

I could comfortably look up hill behind me, yet the clothes I wore were exactly the same.

The strength through my core and obliques were working for me.

I was able to use this strength to almost effortlessly move the board from side to side.

This gave me the confidence to go much faster, knowing that I could easily correct my trajectory if the line I had picked was different than I had imagined and I would need to change course without warning. My legs also feel stronger, so as I surfed over the unpredictable moguls choosing to carve in between some, bank off of others, and ride up and over...maybe even catching a little air.

The powder was hard work. I overheard some people in the lodge talking about checking out early because they were so tired. Eric and I were working so hard we had to go into the lodge to cool down, not warm up as normally the case on an 18 degree day, but that only encouraged us as we set out for run after run, right up to the end of the day.

With every run I would reflect on the work that we do in the gym, and recognize the subtle movements that my body was naturally making, allowing me to maximize every turn.

I love the feeling of recognizing the benefits of my commitment to my training sessions.

Remember, before making this big decision to open my location of Wilcox Wellness & Fitness I didn't visit a gym regularly. Although I have spent a great deal of time in preparing for the opening of this business studying and learning about nutrition, exercise science, and the skills of being a great coach I wasn't super fit. I'm on this journey right along side the people within the WILCOX community who have also made themselves a priority and take the time each week to invest in their health & fitness.

When I feel the impact of my training I get so excited. Not only because I'm able to live my very best life because of the time I take to be healthy, but because it provides me with so much perspective around what each client is experiencing.

Everyone is on their own journey, finding their own path to their commitment to wellness, and learning and growing at their own pace....but I know that with each day that they spend in the gym, each opportunity they take to step outside of their comfort zone and try a new movement, each time they commit to the movement, they are contributing to some greatness outside of the gym. I love hearing the stories that clients share with me about where they feel the benefits of their training program. Whether it be doing household chores, playing with their kids, or embarking on a new adventure of some kind or another the benefits of their commitment to their health & fitness is seen.

I love what I do. I love impacting people's lives in a positive way. I love that I have the opportunity to share this experience and provide people with the tools that will allow them to feel absolutely amazing in what ever it is that they love doing.

Are YOU Looking to Elevate the FUN in YOUR Life?

I would love to talk with you to learn more about what you're looking to get out of a health & fitness program, and to share more with you about how we work with our clients.

Click below to schedule a brief phone call to talk about how we can help you live your very best life!

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Put That Strut Back Into Your Step...It's Good For Your Health!

12/26/2019

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A few years ago I had a flu shot that caused a lot of pain in my shoulder. When the pain didn't go away after a few weeks my doctor referred me to a physical therapist.

I learned that the whole issue stemmed from poor posture!

And wouldn't you know that as soon as I corrected my posture through my chest, shoulders and upper back I started to notice issues in hips and as that got corrected the issues traveled down to my feet.

My time in PT was a process of correcting my posture.

This investment in my posture over several months provided an opportunity to learn more about my body. I began to take more notice of how I moved and how I felt as I moved in different ways.

From that point forward I became much more aware of how I walk.

I make a point to pay attention to how I'm walking and how my body moves when I walk my dog, Moe.

Walking my dog is a time that is quiet - I'm not running to get somewhere and distracted by a to-do list, so this has been my time when I take the opportunity to be mindful about how I'm moving.

As I walk I pay attention to how my arms swing relative to my stride, where my feet are making contact with the road and how they feel inside of my sneakers. I notice how I am using the muscles in my legs and butt to support my walk, and how I am holding my upper body - are my shoulders pulled back and strong or am I leaning forward as I propelled myself down the road?

I notice that when I pay attention to how I walk my body feels better.

During my time in PT I learned that when I walked I wasn't engaging my feet with the road with each step. Because of that I wasn't fully engaging my quadricep and glute muscles (thighs and butt) as I walked, and as a result I wasn't properly absorbing the impact of each step, and this was causing me to have lower back and hip pain after a long walk.

Under engagement of our glutes is a problem for a lot of people. This usually results from tight hip flexors, which is due to the extended time in which we tend to sitting this day and age. We sit a lot at our jobs, we sit in our cars during our commute, and we sit on our couch when we finally get some time to relax.

When our hip flexors get tight an equal and opposite response occurs to the opposing muscle, which in this case is the gluteus maximus.

Tight hip flexors = under engaged glutes = lower back pain.

So, now when I walk I pay attention to all of this. I engage my feet with the road, I flex my quads and glutes as I propel myself forward, I engage my abdominal muscles, which in turn gives me strength through my trunk and supports my posture through my shoulders. I pull my shoulder blades back and make sure my shoulders aren't kissing my ears as is often the case in this cold weather, and I hold my head high.

When I am mindful about how I walk my body feels so much better. I end my walk feeling refreshed and strong rather than sore and tired.

I've noticed something as I've become more aware of my walking stride, and I'm going to tell you what it is!

I noticed that I'm strutting as I walk!

I'm walking with confidence, with strength, with purpose.

It seems that as we get older it becomes taboo to strut as we walk. Why is this the case?  Strutting is actually good for you!

It's interesting to consider the definition of strut vs. walk.

To walk is to move on the feet by alternately setting each foot forward, with at least one foot on the ground at all times. Simple enough, right?

Now, think about what a strut is. A strut is a brace or support that will hold something in place or to strengthen it. To walk with a strut is to move while in a position of strength and support, with a proud step, and with the head erect.

When you strut while walking you are literally holding yourself with a strengthened, upright support. You are in control of your posture and you are walking with purpose and strength.

My challenge to you as we enter the new year is to pay attention to how you walk and to walk with purpose.

We know that our behavior affects how we feel.

When we walk with strength we feel strong.

When we walk with purpose we feel purposeful.

When we walk with our posture in mind we will be more aware of our posture in our other activities.

To your health...and to good posture in 2020!

Our posture impacts so much in our lives. It's worth it to invest some time in good posture. I have a free gift for you to help you gain proper posture.

Our Restore Your Core guide will help you become stronger from the inside out.

This guide will show you how to improve your posture, protect your back and neck, and gain core strength in and outside your training sessions. To download your free copy click below.

Restore your Core

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The Importance of Rotational Movements in the Gym & in Everyday Life

12/12/2019

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At Wilcox Wellness & Fitness continual improvement is our #1 core value. In the world of exercise and fitness there are constantly new ideas and approaches to make exercise even more effective and increase the benefits seen in every day life. Being part of a culture that is continually exploring new ideas and looking to improve our training techniques is incredibly satisfying and I'm so proud to be a part of it.

We use a functional training approach in our programming, with the goal of helping our clients live their best life, free of limitations, outside of the gym.

The exercises that we use in our training sessions are movements that we all use throughout our day.

For example, every time we sit down we are essentially doing a squat, and practicing squatting movements helps to ensure that we are able to sit down and stand up effortlessly, now and as we age. When we perform a deadlift we are practicing safe and effective ways to pick up heavy objects.

This time of year clients will comment on the practice that they experience in the gym and its correlation to stacking wood or shoveling snow. I always love hearing clients talk about how they are seeing the work that they do in the gym apply to their every day life!

We move our bodies in three planes of motion - Sagittal, Frontal and Transverse. The sagittal plane includes movements from front to back such as a squat, a lunge, or a bicep curl. The frontal plane refers to movements laterally or off to the side, and the transverse plane is all about rotational movements.

It's important to incorporate exercises that include movement in all three planes of movement since that's how we move in real life!

In our daily lives we move in all three ways constantly, and maintaining balance across all three planes is what allows us to move effectively in our daily life.

We move sagittally when we sit down and stand up, and when we walk or run.

You might move in the frontal plane side stepping a puddle, or any movement where your arms or legs move out to your side.

Transverse movements include rotation, and occur constantly throughout our day.

Our bodies move in the transverse plane when shoveling snow and chopping wood and also quite likely when you're moving groceries from your cart to your car, picking up your kids and moving them from one place such as the floor to another place like their chair, rotating the body to change the position. We rotate constantly....in fact, if you really pay attention you're actually moving in the transverse plane when you walk as you swing your arms and rotate through your thoracic spine....the mid back and portion of the spine that is connected to your ribs.

Transverse movements are incredibly important, and when designing training sessions it is important to create a balance of sagittal, frontal and transverse movements. This ensures that there is balance in how our muscles are being trained to move and allows us to move through our lives freely, gracefully, and with reduced chance of injury.

We are always looking for ways to incorporate transverse movements into our training sessions, and the process of exploring and practicing new exercises for this purpose is a lot of fun!

The Brunswick team recently had the opportunity to spend a day with Mike Wilcox discussing the importance of transverse movements in functional training and exploring some new exercise ideas and ways to incorporate these kinds of movements into our training sessions in fun and effective ways.

I feel fortunate to work amongst a team of people who are so committed to getting better at what we do, continually learning, growing and sharing for the benefit of our clients. The commitment from Mike & Paige Wilcox is incredible. Their wealth of knowledge is an amazing resource to me and my team as is their commitment to our clients across both locations.

Since Mike's visit to Brunswick two weeks ago the team has had a lot of fun incorporating new movements into our training programming, but even more so the approach that we are taking in coaching these movements was broadened through Mike's education. It's easy to do a skater hop and get a nice lateral (side to side) movement of the arms and legs....I will often joke that I feel like I'm a speed skater in the olympics when doing a skater hop...it's a fun and effective movement. However, when we truly coach the transverse movement of the skater hop, with focus on rotation of the spine through the movement you will experience a real difference. It changes the movement entirely and makes it far more effective at training the body to move in this fashion.

As we continue into the winter season the potential to slip on ice will only increase. Training the body to rotate more effectively, increasing our mobility of the thoracic spine, and making stronger brain-body connections in how this movement feels will help us recover more quickly when slipping and greatly reduce our chance of falling smack on our butts.

It's been a lot of fun incorporating these movements and improved coaching techniques into our training sessions. Several clients have told me how much they are enjoying moving their bodies in this way and experiencing muscles that they haven't felt in a while.

I'm excited to be part of the Wilcox Wellness & Fitness "family" and to have the opportunity to provide our clients with a fun and effective training experience that will enhance all aspects of their lives.

Photo Credit: Paige Wilcox. Thank you Paige for joining us and taking so many great photos!

How's your posture?

Our POSTURE is critically important to living a healthy life. Restore your core and become stronger from the inside out. This guide will show you how to improve your posture, protect your back and neck, and gain core strength in and outside your training sessions.

Download our FREE Restore Your Core Guide

Do you want to learn more about how we support our clients & how our programs work?

Let's chat! I'd love to learn more about you and your health & fitness goals. We are all on our own personal journey and the Wilcox team would love to support you on yours. Schedule a call so we can talk more about how we can support you and your goals.

Let's Chat!

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How My Training Elevates the FUN in My Life!

Put That Strut Back Into Your Step...It's Good For Your Health!

The Importance of Rotational Movements in the Gym & in Everyday Life

How's your posture?

Do you want to learn more about how we support our clients & how our programs work?

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