Category: Moving Like A Mother Blog

Cardio or strength training; Which is best?

Cardio or strength training; Which is best?

Posted on by Monica

There are so many benefits of exercise. Improved mood, improved circulation, weight loss, weight gain (for some), increased bone density, improved ability to carry your children around…I could go on and on. And sure, we probably all know we should exercise but a common question I often hear is what type of exercise is best? And while there are lots of different ways to exercise two of the main types of exercise are cardiovascular “cardio” and strength training. So lets compare, contrast, and look at cardio vs strength training exercise. Then you can make an informed decision on what type of exercise is best for you.

Cardio:

Cardio exercise raises your heart rate and your breathing rate and challenges your cardiovascular system for 10 minutes or more. It involves exercises that range from low to high intensity but usually involve some type of moderate intensity prolonged exercise. The recommended amount of time to spend performing cardiovascular exercise is 20-60 minutes. At this duration, your body burns through its available glycogen energy and begins to burn stored fat.

Common types of cardio:

  1. Running
  2. Brisk Walking
  3. Cycling/ Bike riding (hello Peloton craze)
  4. Swimming
  5. Rowing
  6. Chasing your kids around
  7. Dancing
Pros:
  • Improves the function of your heart, lungs, and circulatory system
  • Helps your heart become more efficient at pumping blood thereby lowering your resting heart rate and reducing the stress placed on the heart day in and day out
  • Burns calories
  • Can help control your appetite
  • Boosts your mood through the release of endorphins, which are feel-good chemicals released by your brain
  • Helps you sleep better at night
Cons:
  • Time consuming
  • Potential for over training leading to overuse injuries or exhaustion
  • Risk of muscle loss- when the body is in a caloric deficient state it will turn to muscles as a fuel source
  • Your body can adapt to repetitive aerobic activities. You will need to increase the intensity of your cardio exercise to make continued gains

 

Strength Training:

Strength training is using your body weight or other tools to increase muscle mass, the strength, and the endurance of your muscles. It is typically done a few times a week and often involves repetitions and sets, commonly thought of as endurance strengthening or circuit training. Strength training can also be used to increase the size of your muscles by lifting medium to heavy weights at high reps or lifting very heavy weights for a few “max reps”. Strengthening is great for building lean muscle and decreasing body fat. Many women are worried about “bulking up” but this is not going to happen unless you are also eating to gain weight and muscle mass.

Common types of strength training exercise:

 

  1. Lifting weights (dumbbells, kettle balls, etc)
  2. Core/stability exercises
  3. Resistance bands
  4. Using weight machines
  5. Using your body weight (or the weight of your kids) to challenge your muscles
Pros:
  • Helps you burn fat
  • Increases your metabolism- strength training helps your body maintain metabolically active muscle mass
  • Improves your ability and ease to perform everyday activities
  • Increases bone density, reducing risks of osteoporosis (especially important in women)
  • Lowers blood pressure and lowers cholesterol and triglyceride levels, reducing risk of heart disease
Cons:
  • Important to maintain good form to reduce risk of injury
  • Often requires some equipment unless using strictly body weight
  • Does not burn as many calories as cardio (in the moment)

So which is best?

So now you have a better understanding of each exercise type. My personal opinion is that not enough people, especially women, incorporate enough strength training into their exercise routines. I believe that women focus too much on the number of calories they burn. Instead they should remember that building lean muscle is important for overall more calorie burn throughout the entire day. Additionally, building muscle helps you feel strong and better able to handle many of the physical stressors we put our bodies day in and day out.

But to answer the question of “which is best?”…the answer is neither. You should try to incorporate both cardiovascular exercise and strengthening into your routine. Now, I know what you’re thinking. Whoa whoa whoa Monica, pump the brakes…who’s got time for all that? While, lucky for you there is secret category number three that includes exercises that challenge your cardio-respiratory system while also building strength (either through resistance, body weight, or through endurance strengthening)

(Secret third category!) Strengthening & cardio exercises:

These type of exercises build muscular strength while also getting you breathing heavy for a sustained period of time. They are my favorite types of exercise because you achieve all the pro’s of strength and cardio in a shorter more efficient time. And isn’t efficiency crucial in motherhood?

Exercises for building strength & cardio fitness:

  1. HIIT workouts involving squats and lunges
  2. Yoga (specifically Vinyasa flows)
  3. Swimming laps or water aerobics
  4. Circuit endurance strengthening

My favorite place to find great HIIT workouts is YouTube (this is one of my go-to’s). You can also find great free circuit training routines on the Nike Training Club app (I have it downloaded on my phone) or by looking through Instagram. Finally, I’ve got a confession…I still frequently do my old Jillian Michael DVDs I’ve had since I was in college. They are quick, efficient, and to this day they make my buns burn and my arms shake. Thanks Jillian. 

–Monica

The best (& cheapest) ways to massage yourself at home

The best (& cheapest) ways to massage yourself at home

Posted on by Monica

There’s nothing like a good massage. Laying face down on a soft heated table while eucalyptus essential oils waft through your nose and you listen to soothing ping-pongy music as someone gently rubs out all the tight tissue on your body is truly what heaven must feel like. Not to mention no one is asking you questions like “Do we need more milk?” and “Where did the sky come from?”…um, it came from the sky…duh. But in addition to the wonderful relaxation and psychological benefits massage brings it also has numerous physical benefits to help our bodies work and feel better. Unfortunately, with all the time constraints life brings (not to mention the global pandemic) it may be hard to find time to get out and get a massage. Luckily there are several wonderful tools and easy ways to give yourself a massage at home. 

Benefits of Massage:

When muscles are overworked or we spend too much time in a particular position, the soft tissue known as the fascia becomes inflamed and tight. This is what causes the feeling of tight and sore muscles. By performing massage (or self myofascial release) you can help to loosen this fascia and improve your mobility, reduce pain, and improve your overall feeling of well being.

The benefits of massage include: 
  • Improved circulation
  • Pain relief
  • Reducing muscle fatigue & tightness
  • Improved flexibility
  • Improved athletic performance

So while it might be challenging to get out of the house for a massage you can use some very inexpensive tools to massage yourself at home. Below are some of my personal favorites: 

The best tools to massage yourself at home:

Thera-cane:

This is best for knots around the shoulder blades. This awesome tool is designed to allow you  to dig into muscle knots (or trigger points) around your upper back. By keeping sustained pressure on these knots you can encourage them to release. 

Thera Cane Massager: Green

Foam roller:

This tool is best for rolling out tight muscles such as hamstrings, upper back, lower back, your IT band and calves. It is a great way to relieve tension and tightness in these muscle areas but requires a bit of coordination. Use a foam roller by rolling over a painful area using your body weight and hold for up to two minutes to release pressure. A foam roller can also be used for improving posture by laying over the top and stretching out your chest and increasing your thoracic (mid back) mobility. 

AmazonBasics High-Density Round Foam Roller, 36 Inches, Black

 
Muscle Roller Stick:

A muscle roller stick is a wonderfully nifty little device. It is a great tool to use on tight leg muscles such as your quads, your shins, your IT bands and your calves. This is great for walkers and runners who often have very tight muscles and fascia in these areas. Simply roll the stick up and down while applying a bit of pressure to help relieve tension and tightness. In a pinch you can even substitute a rolling pin to perform the same task. 

 

TheraBand Roller Massager +, Muscle Roller Stick for Self-Myofascial Release, Deep Tissue Massage Rolling Pin, Trigger Point Release, Muscle Soreness, Best Gift for Runners, Athletes, Crossfit

Tennis Ball (can also be a lacrosse ball): 

This is a great way to work out knots and tightness in the hip and gluteal region. It is especially helpful for anyone experiencing gluteal or sciatic nerve pain. (Ahem, where my pregnant ladies at?) But a tennis ball can also be used similar to a foam roller. Simply use your body weight to apply pressure to any tight regions of your body. Use of a tennis ball is also very helpful for scapular pain, neck tension, and foot pain. 

Wilson Prime All Court Tennis Ball 3 Ball Can

 

I use many of these tools on a regular basis both in the clinical setting and also on myself at home. If you’re a runner or a walker you should definitely be incorporating some type of massage or foam rolling to work out those tight leg muscles. Regardless of your activity level, regular massage is great for your muscles and your body. It hurts so good. I promise. 

–Monica

Why Your Knees Hurt (& 5 stretches to help)

Why Your Knees Hurt (& 5 stretches to help)

Posted on by Monica

Parenting is extremely physical. As parents we are constantly carrying our kids around, squatting low, standing up, pushing strollers, carrying car seats, running to grab snacks, picking up toys, taking the stairs two at a time to grab a diaper because you just ran out downstairs and your baby is threatening to poop on the carpet at any second. Phew! So it’s no wonder that many of us moms experience knee pain, either in one knee or both knees. There are several different reasons you might have knee pain but luckily many of the ways to treat it are the same.

Reasons your knees hurt

Extra Weight :

Extra weight places extra pressure on the bones and ligaments of your knees. And a quick weight gain (such as during pregnancy) causes increased wear and tear on the cartilage of your knees. However, extra weight might not be from actual weight gain but from carrying your kids (plus all their stuff) around all day. Carrying your 10lb or 30lb toddler up the stairs every night is placing a lot of stress on your knees. It has been said the stress placed on your knees is 1.5 times your body weight. So just an extra ten pounds of weight is quiet a bit of extra pressure on your knees. Ouch!

Bad Alignment:

The way your legs are aligned is very important. Ideally, if you draw a line from the hip down to the knee, down to the ankle it should be a relatively straight line. Unfortunately, for us women with our wonderfully wider, childbearing hips this “line” is often not straight. Without getting too “physical therapy-ish” on you there is something called a Q-angle that goes from the outside of your hip to your knee and then from your knee down to the middle of your shin. If that angle is too high it can cause your muscles to pull awkwardly on your knee cap leading to inflammation and pain usually under and around the knee cap. Long story short, often the wider your pelvis is the more at risk you are for a bad Q-angle and potential knee pain.

Weak muscles and tight muscles

The knee can be a very picky joint. It bears much of our weight and takes a lot of stress from our body when we stand up, walk, squat, do stairs, run, and jump. And the knee needs to have sufficient amounts of strength and stability from the muscles around it as well as good flexibility. If either the strength or flexibility conditions are not met your knee is going to let you know it’s not happy. And if you start a new activity or exercise and your muscles are not strong or flexible enough your knee is going to get real ticked off. Pain most commonly occurs when our hips or quadriceps aren’t strong enough and when the muscles on the outside (IT band), inside (your VMO), the top (quadricep), or the back (hamstring) are too tight.

How To Fix Knee Pain

Ok, great. So now we know why your knees might hurt but the burning question is “how do we make them feel better?!” Obviously, it’s hard to know why specifically your knees hurt without formally assessing what is tight, what is weak, and what your alignment looks like. However, below are some general tips and stretches that can likely help to relieve your knee pain.

Activity modification

It may be necessary to change how you are moving to allow your knees a chance to heal. For example, if you recently started a new exercise program you may want to rest or modify the exercises (such as limiting jumping or squats). Also you may want to avoid squatting too low when interacting with your kids or having your partner do more of the heavy carrying. Butttt…I’m a realist and know this is often not possible. So what’s next.

Knee brace or shoe inserts

If you think you might have bad alignment it may be helpful to try out shoe inserts that provide support to the arches of your feet. This can help improve your alignment and reduce the pressure placed on the middle part of your knee. You can find inexpensive, over the counter ones that work great. 

 

A soft knee brace can also provide some external support and help keep your knee cap in a good alignment. A brace is helpful during times when you are more active such as when you are exercising or on a long walk. 

Ice

If you are having pain under or around your knee cap you may have some inflammation of your ligaments. Try applying an ice pack at night on your knees for 10-15 minutes to reduce pain and inflammation.

Strength

Having good muscle strength is honestly one of the best ways to prevent or treat knee pain. As I mentioned earlier, your knees take a lot of stress and those suckers need to be strong and stable to prevent wear and tear on the ligaments and cartilage. These pelvic stabilization exercises can be helpful. Other exercises include quadricep strengthening, any and all gluteal (butt) strengthening, and calf strengthening.

Stretching

Stretching our muscles is very underrated. I myself often neglect stretching my muscles. Below you can see several basic stretches that are great for stretching the muscles around your knee that may be pulling on the joint and causing pain.

Stretches to Fix Knee Pain:

Hold all stretches for 30 seconds and perform 2 sets. Aim to stretch daily. With stretching… the more the better. 

1. Hamstring Stretch

Place legs out straight in front and reach towards toes. Should feel a stretch in back of legs.

2.Quadricep Stretch

Grab your foot with one hand and pull your knee back. Try to keep your knee perpendicular to the floor. Should feel a stretch along the front of your thigh.

3.Butterfly Stretch

Sit with your feet together and knees flaring out. Should feel a stretch along the mid tight and into your groin.

4. Hip Flexor Stretch

Perform a deep lunge forward with the tight leg backwards. Press forward the hip of the leg that’s extended backwards. Should feel a stretch in the front hip of the leg that is back.

5. IT Band Stretch

Stand upright and cross the leg you are stretching behind the other leg. Pop the hip outwards on the tight leg and lean your trunk away from that hip. For a deeper stretch you can reach forwards towards your front foot.

Enjoy and happy stretching.

 

–Monica

why your knees hurt

Recent Posts

Motherhood & low back pain

Motherhood & low back pain

Posted on by Monica

Low back pain. Good ol’ LBP. Probably one of the most common complaints I see in both the clinical setting and in my personal life. It is estimated that 80% of people have low back pain at some point in their lives. Yikes! And I don’t know any formal statistics on this, but based on personal experience I would guess that even a higher percentage of mothers experience some form or intensity of low back pain in motherhood. What with the enormous (no pun intended) body changes pregnancy brings and the everyday wear and tear of motherhood, I bet most mamas have (or will) experience low back pain. There are numerous causes for low back pain before or during motherhood. But luckily, there are several easy everyday stretches you can do to ease the symptoms when that dirty devil LBP shows up. 

Common causes of low back pain

Repetitive motions

It is often repetitive low load, long duration activities that bring pain upon the muscles of our body. And the constant and repeated use of our low back muscles when lifting, carrying, and reaching for our children are prime examples of repetitive motions that can cause low back pain. Not to mention the cooking, sweeping, desk sitting, vacuuming, toilet scrubbing, lawn mowing, grocery carrying, gardening activities that also wreck havoc on our low backs

Acute injury

Sometimes back pain arises from a sudden wrong movement or other type of mechanical issue. This is what is commonly thought of as a sprain, strain, or “muscle pull”. Sudden muscle strains can come from car accidents, falls, or may come from performing an exercise or activity in an improper or “unfamiliar” way causing your low back muscles to spasm. This spasm commonly feels like a cramping, tightness, or a pulling sensation with lingering pain with activity. If you suffered an acute low back injury that does not subside with time, rest, ice, or simple stretches you should consult with your doctor about other treatment options, such as a physical therapy evaluation.  

A sudden change in your body weight, strength, or laxity of your ligaments (i.e. pregnancy)

A sudden weight gain (as in what happens during pregnancy) can place added stress on your joints and ligaments as your body does not have sufficient time to acclimate to the quick additional pounds. Your body needs sufficient muscle strength to hold itself up and the more weight there is the more muscle strength you need. Additionally, when you are pregnant your body releases a hormone called relaxin which allows the body to grow and expand to make room for the baby. However, as your ligaments become more lax there is less stability surrounding your core and pelvis placing you at increased risk for low back pain. 

Musculoskeletal imbalances

Muscle imbalances?…what does this mean? This means one part of your body is too tight, while the opposing side is too loose; or one muscle group is doing too much work while the opposing (but complimentary)  muscle group is not doing enough. Think of your body as a teeter-totter and all the muscles need to work in good balance for your body to function properly. Common causes of muscle imbalance related to low back pain include tight hamstrings, weak core muscles, weak glutes, and tight hip flexors.  

Treatment

As promised there are several easy stretches you can do at home to ease the symptoms of low back pain. These can be done with no equipment (mostly…see photo of me using my son’s toy slide) and can easily be worked into your busy day. So whether it’s done laying in bed in the early morning or laying on your living room floor while catching up on the Bachelor, try out some of these low back stretches to ease your LBP. 

6 Easy at home stretches to ease low back pain: 

1. Single Knee To Chest

Gentle pull one knee up towards your chest using your arms. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat on the other leg. You should feel a pull or stretch in low back and into buttocks. Perform 2 sets. 

2. Double Knee to Chest

Gentle pull both knees up towards your chest using your arms. Hold for 30 seconds and breath letting your low back relax into the mat. You should feel a stretch in low back and into buttocks. Perform 2 sets

3. Low Trunk Rotations

Gently let your knee rock to the side while your shoulders remain flat on the mat. You should feel a stretch along your low back and into the side of the hip.  Hold for 15 seconds and then repeat to the other side. Repeat 3 sets to each side.

 

4. Cat/Cow

Begin on hands and knees.  Slowly let your stomach fall and your back arch downwards. Lift your head and neck upwards. Hold 5 seconds and then slowly arch your back upwards (like a scared Halloween cat) Tuck your head and neck and lengthen your spine. Hold for 5 seconds and then then return initial position. Repeat for 10 repetitions

5. Lateral trunk stretch


Standing straight reach one arm up and overhead and to the side. You should feel a stretch along the side of your body and into your lower back. Hold 15-30 seconds and repeat on other side. Perform 2 sets.

6. Hamstring Stretch

Standing with both your hips facing forward lift one leg up onto a slight raised surface (a step, stool, chair, or kiddie slide). Keeping both legs straight gentle reach forward as though trying to touch your toe. You should feel a stretch down the back of your leg. Hold for 30 seconds and then repeat on the opposite leg. Perform 2 sets. 

 

 

Again, you should always consult with your doctor if you are experiencing intense or persistent back pain or back pain in pregnancy. But for the common, everyday back pain motherhood can bring these stretches can provide some much needed relief. Enjoy and happy stretching!

-Monica 

Moms with Back Pain