If you haven’t heard, the British Journal of Sports Medicine released new guidelines this year directed at employees who sit at work for most of the day. Finally, recommendations to combat the effects of long-term sitting are available. Follow this formula immediately to improve your overall sense of well-being.

20 minutes of sitting ---> 8 minutes of standing ---> 2 minutes of stretching/moving 

NASA also did their own research. Their findings stated that standing for two minutes, 16 times per day helped to maintain bone and muscle density.

Another part of the study says that people who work on their feet at least two hours per day are less likely to suffer from chronic diseases. The bad news is if you are a regular exerciser and also sit most of the day at work without a break from sitting, you don’t compensate for the negative effects of sitting. The negative effects from sitting include increased systemic inflammation that leads to diabetes and cardiovascular disease - two of the most common causes of mortality, besides cancer.  

Although this may be a “downer” to most, the Health Psychology Review said that improvement has been shown by providing education about the dangers of sitting, restructuring work environments, goal-setting related to moving throughout the day, recording sitting times, or alerting people when they should stand.

The bottom line is that you don’t have a run a marathon or a fitness junkie to prevent chronic disease. Focusing on moving more throughout the day is a solution that can fit into any environment. To combat chronic disease and develop a personalized solution to become more active, contact TrainKC at trainkcllc@gmail.com or call (913) 593-7549.

Don’t forget the 30 minute rule! 20 minutes sitting, 8 minutes standing, 2 minutes stretching, 20 minutes sitting, 8 minutes standing, 2 minutes stretching, 20 minutes sitting, 8 minutes standing, 2 minutes stretching, 20 minutes sitting, 8 minutes standing, 2 minutes stretching…….

To read more, visit http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-price-we-pay-for-sitting-too-much-1443462015.

According to the Center of Disease Control, one in three Americans have high blood pressure. In addition to medication, attention to physical activity should be addressed. Starting an exercise program when you have high blood pressure can be complicated without doing research. Certain requirements are a must when first starting or continuing your current routine.

The American College of Sports Medicne (ACSM) recommends a physician’s release to exercise as a first step. Fitness professionals would then prescribe the following guidelines, taking into consideration your physician’s advice, to begin a safe, successful workout routine that will boost your overall fitness while lowering your blood pressure.

1. Aerobic exercise is the focus, so first identify your preferred mode of aerobic activity such as walking, running, elliptical training, or biking.

2. Calculate your maximum heart rate. (220-age = maximum heart rate)

3. Start your aerobic exercise program, staying at about 50-60% of your maximum heart rate (220-age x 50-60%). The length of time can vary according to your tolerance. 30-60 minutes is ideal for most days of the week. Monitoring your heart rate before, during, and after physical activity is necessary to ensure you are getting the most benefit from your activity.

4. You can add some resistance training, performing each exercise for 10-20 repetitions for 1-3 sets. The key to safe resistance training is to avoid isometric exercises and heavy lifting, and maintaining steady breathing.

Medications prescribed by your doctor should be taken in accordance with their recommendations. Aside from medications, preventative care is a great addition to the road to improved health. A moderate level of aerobic activity can lower your blood pressure enough that your doctor may even allow you to stop taking medication while you are having success with your exercise routine.

Let TrainKC help you develop a safe and effective exercise program that can help lower your blood pressure and prevent chronic disease. Contact TrainKC at trainkcllc@gmail.com or call 913-593-7549 for more information.

Every Monday through Friday, millions of Americans find themselves in front of a computer screen, behind the wheel of a car, and slouching in chairs at company meetings. All of these everyday activities of a busy life yield to an unfortunate epidemic - bad posture. In your weekly fitness routine, you should include certain exercises that promote healthier posture and help decrease any upper body stiffness that can greatly impact your physical activity. Here is a great workout that will promote strength and flexibility to the affected muscles of bad posture.


Prone Cobra  (3x15 reps) - Laying on your stomach on the ground, drop your arms to your side and lift the head, shoulders, and chest off of the ground, squeezing your shoulder blades together. Hold this position for 1 second and return to the ground.

Bridge (3x15 reps) - Laying on your back, keep your knees bent and feet on the floor. Lift your glutes and hips off of the floor until your body is in a straight line from shoulders to knees. Squeeze your glutes for 2 seconds and return to the ground.

Lat Pulldown (3x10-12 reps) - Draw down your shoulders as you pull the weight down toward the top of your chest.

Cable or Machine Row (3x10-12 reps) - Make sure during this exercise, you keep your back straight, chest high, and squeeze your shoulder blades together.

Shoulder Shrugs (3x10-12 reps) - With two moderately weighted dumbbells, shrug your shoulders straight up and roll them back slowly. Try not to roll your shoulders forward as this is what they do when you have bad posture.


With these exercises, you should be on your way to recognizing the difference between good and bad posture and will leave you feeling confident with less back and shoulder pain.

After finishing up a summary on walkable communities and what the ideal vision of these places may look like, I’d like to name areas of Kansas City that I would consider walkable. These are communities with easy access to food and grocers, friendly pedestrian sidewalks and crosswalks and low crime. I’d also like to mention that although I’ve lived in Kansas City for over eight years, I haven’t been to every single neighborhood. Most of my coverage through personal and work experience covers some of urban Kansas City, the northland, Johnson County (lived for seven years) and Wyandotte County (lived for one year).

The winner of most walkable area (I would not have said this 8 years ago) is Downtown Kansas City. With the addition in the last ten years of Power and Light District with bars, restaurants, entertainment, relatively lower cost of living (for an urban downtown district, anyway) and a large grocery store (Cosentino’s) for residents. I’d also like to mention, accessibility to public transportation is about to skyrocket with the addition of the street cars slated to open next year. If you work downtown, you are lucky to have increasingly endless opportunities to have a full life. Disadvantages may be traffic, noise and an explosion of tourists during high seasons of the holidays, Big XII tournaments and any teenage cult musician who is stopping to perform at the Sprint Center.

Cross the state line and make your way to Leawood. The Leawood area around Town Center (119th and Nall) has developed into a one-stop shop for every family. The area includes a mall with an AMC theater, skating rink in the winter, trendy restaurants, a diverse Hen House grocery (has a large kosher deli and a large aisle of ethnic food) and is right by a large network of recreational trails (Indian Creek and Tomahawk Creek Trails). I lived a half mile from the center of this area for a long time and could fill my car with gas, get a car wash and groceries in about 15 minutes.

Back over to Missouri, one of the most desireable neighborhoods in Kansas City that is also walkable is Brookside. In the heart of Brookside, residents have some of the city’s best restaurants, coffee shops, two grocery stores, the Trolley Trail and abuts up to Loose Park, a favorite outdoor stop for exercisers and family fun.

As public transportation improves in Kansas City proper, I expect the Crown Center/Crossroads and River Market area to exceed its current walkability status. If you live in Gladstone, with enough research about city improvements and location of amenities, it’s pretty favorable for pedestrians. Other communities on the Kansas side that hold their own are downtown Mission (with the new Johnson Drive improvements), The Village and Corinth Square in Prairie Village and Fairway.

One major area of concern that is unique to Kansas City is the Zona Rosa area. Although the amenities are endless inside four square miles, traffic is very congested. I’ve sat at the major intersections in the area, noticing the awesome bike lanes and friendly crosswalk lights, but am frightened (even being in a car witnessing) by the behavior of motorists and their disregard for yielding to pedestrians, running through red lights and not stopping before taking a right on red. This is a major crossroad of the Northland, and has one of the best malls in the metro area, but vehicle congestion is a major no-no when it comes to walkability.

Continuing to push for these kinds of communities is important in uniting a large metropolitan area. It’s a major motivator to home buyers looking to relocate for convenience and a safe place to raise a family. Increasing your community’s awareness will yield a safer, more productive and happier place to live for you and your neighbors.

The next big question in the third part of the summary of the Surgeon General's initiative to create more Walkable Communities series is “Why don’t people walk more?” 

In other words, what excuses can people come up with to avoid exercise? 

Here’s what the proclamation said:

• “Not enough time.” It’s an easy go-to excuse for just about anything that people don’t actually want to do -- exercising, eating healthy, make the bed, etc. I hear it from everyone -- “I don’t have any time.” Sometimes it’s followed by “Did you see the newest episode of ********** last night?” Hmmmmm…….
• It’s not safe. Luckily I live in a neighborhood that has wide streets, BUT we don’t have sidewalks. Having sidewalks and crosswalks are both important for people to feel like they BELONG outside. When you don’t have room to walk on streets that lack sidewalks that are also narrow and unkept, of course it seems like too much of a risk, especially with children and crazy drivers who don’t pay attention. Other risks are poor lighting, heavy traffic and high crime areas.
• Community design can create barriers for potential walkers. In suburban areas, houses and commercial businesses are spaced far apart. Don’t get me wrong, having a big yard is awesome! When public transportation is lacking and it’s a three mile walk to the nearest grocery store, there’s not much of a chance for people to do their activities of daily living, like “running” chores efficiently on foot.
• Disability, Chronic Conditions, and Aging -- It’s easy to realize that all of these can make getting around on foot difficult. Community outreach is necessary to assist with this limitation, and family intervention and proper planning can make people more comfortable being physically active.

Can you relate to one of these? Start making decisions that can decrease the impact of these limiters and call attention to controllable factors to local government and community leaders to create a better vision to make your community more walkable.

The last summary next time will be about HOW to create a more community and opportunities that already exist in the Kansas City area.

Competing in endurance races is tough on your body - mentally and physically. I’m not sure I could find anyone that would disagree. You work hard for months leading up to the big day. Endless workouts, focused nutrition, early bedtimes -- it all takes its toll eventually. When you’re done with our event, it might seem natural to indulge in a few extra pizza slices, sugary drinks, and too much alcohol.

If you’re like me and like to skip the part after your race when you’re sore and feeling broken down, you should follow some guidelines to help you power through these tough times. This will help you recover faster and get over the sore and achy hump.

• Post-race parties are the WORST! It’s fun to catch up with other participants you met along the way and other friends that are there. Vendors are ready to take advantage of your lower inhibitions and have beer and junk food ready for you to treat yourself. Please, please, please ignore those junky post-race offerings. If you can, find some chocolate milk, fruit and other clean options if available. Post-race brunch or lunch is popular and breakfast joints have plenty of healthy, lean options available.
  

• How well did you hydrate during the race? Lots of athletes have elaborate plans on hydration and nutrition DURING their event. Have a plan for after you’re finished. Guzzle down 20 ounces of water if you can handle it. Rehydrating your body will allow your body to regulate processes that assist in recovery.
  

• *ICE is your best friend after you’re done. The stress you’ve placed on your body causes inflammation, and ice is the enemy of inflammation. Put ice on your sore spots immediately after you get home or to the hotel. Repeat off and on throughout the day. If you feel total body soreness and fatigue, take an ice bath. Put about five pounds of ice into a bathtub and let yourself soak for 7-10 minutes. The optimal temperature should be between 45-55 degrees. I promise you will not regret taking an ice bath AFTER you are done.
  

• *Don’t sit around. You put your body through a significant amount of stress. If you are sitting around the rest of the day, you will ignite tightness in some sensitive areas, such as the hips and calves. Walking is the best activity for recovery later in the day, as tolerated.
  

• *If possible, seek massage therapy a few days after your event. Wait until your soreness is almost completely gone. Don’t get one right away, in case of minor strains. Massage can damage the muscle if you haven’t given yourself enough of a break.
  

These tips should help control muscle damage and alleviate most non-injury-related soreness and aches after your event. The most important tip to remember is to be ready for your event. Spend the appropriate amount of time training for your race and most of your post-race woes can be completely avoided.