Here comes spring... time to talk
TOOTSIE
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THE IMPORTANCE
Of Warming Up!
So, it’s February and winter has grabbed us a bit. We find ourselves inside hiding from the cold most of the time, so why not benefit from this time indoors and continue on our fitness goals. In the fitness world, there are always “hot topics” that come up and every guru in the world starts to weigh in on the best approach. The best part about this is that we find new ways to do the same old thing. Let’s be honest, sometimes it just takes a little freshening up to renew the focus. At times, it’s just a small bit that needs tweaked to improve performance. By James Campbell ACE Certified Personal Trainer - PRIME Fitness
Today this hot topic I’ve been all wrapped up in is how to warm up properly for basic and athletic performance. In the end, the general public that works out more than twice a week could benefit from a more athletic warmup. Once you start dedicating a significant part of your daily life towards something, you want it to be worth it and hit you with a payout. When I warm up or have my clients warm up, I want the same thing. That’s exactly why I dove in on this topic; what I found is pretty exciting too. Let me begin by saying that the more you work out, the more detailed or specific your warmup will be. First, you need to get the body moving by jumping on the bike, elliptical, or treadmill for 2-5 minutes at a moderate pace. After that, we go to the joints for some additional movement patterns for the shoulders, knees, hips, and back. These are very basic movements, not meant to be taxing, and done in short bursts not intended to be a static stretch. For example, for my hips, I do knee circles. To perform these, you begin on your hands and knees. Then, shift your body weight SLIGHTLY to one knee, lift the other a little and draw circles on the floor with the elevated knee. Do these circles at the edge of your hip’s range of motion, keeping your hips flat. Do 5-10 circles one direction in a slow steady pattern and then switch directions. Put the knee back down to the floor and repeat for the other side.
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Now for the more explosive warmup! This is not meant to tax you completely, but it is meant to get the heart going and get the muscles that we’re focusing on to
activate. I’ll use an example of what I use for myself and for the athletes I work with. Keep in mind, the difficulty is always kept in perspective for the individual. These moves are meant to complement the day’s work, so in this case, I’m going to use a back-focused day with the main lift being the deadlift. The first move is meant to get the heart racing a bit in the name of conditioning. For this example, I’m going to use the row machine; it’s a great total body movement. Usually, I use time for my measurement because it keeps things moving and on the rower it’s usually 45-60 seconds. The next move is almost always a core movement. On back day especially I like to use one that is going to get some elasticity in the lats and shoulders, so I like to use either the ab wheel for rollouts or a brutal little monster known as the body saw. These are pretty basic moves, but wordy to explain. So, for the sake of space on this page, I’ll just to tell you to reach out to your fitness professional for proper technique (as with any of this that you may not understand or have questions about). Now, some days I’ll do only one more exercise in this circuit, but others I’ll do two. It really depends on the individual needs of the person. It’s important to get proper glute engagement on this day in particular so I’ll definitely do a banded stability thrust, aka bridge on a ball with the band just below the knee. It doesn’t have to be that specific move, but should surely get activation with the posterior chain. Moral of this story? Well, first of all, never skip warm-ups! Always base the selection of your exercises on your individual abilities and KNOWLEDGE! By all means experiment, but do your due diligence before asking your body to do something. As always, it’s been great interacting with you! Feel free to contact me with any questions, comments, or concerns. You can find me at PRIME almost anytime and find us on Facebook or Instagram as well! Until next time my friends . . . MUSCLE UP . . . live fit
allowing staff the ability to pull up a patient’s records with a few clicks of the mouse. “It gives our patients better care,” Rose says. Instead of doctors requesting charts from other doctors and waiting days or weeks to review them, physicians at Karim HealthCare can see immediately what procedures and recommendations other doctors have given to any patient and move forward from there. It also reduces the need for duplicate procedures. Rose and many other staff members at Karim HealthCare have been working on implementing this system for months and EPIC went live in mid-January. The process took a lot of time and education but Rose says it will be very beneficial to their patients which is what all the staff is working toward. “It will give our patients better care.” Karim HealthCare is constantly looking to improve services and care for its patients. Recently a clinic was opened in Quincy and several months ago in October 2019, Dr. Karim bought Dr. Wolf’s practice in Pittsford and opened a clinic there as well. “We want every underserved community to be served,” says Dr. Karim who also has clinics and practices in Hillsdale, Jonesville, Coldwater, Sturgis, Bronson, Litchfield, Reading, and Cement City. In addition to the many locations providing the best possible care close to home, Karim also offers a wide variety of services to allow patients to receive many types of care without having to travel far to do so. Services at Karim HealthCare include primary care, urgent care, in-house laboratories, allergy testing and allergy shots, sleep labs, ultrasound, x-ray, bone density testing, echocardiograms, and recently a vascular lab offering vascular services in the Hillsdale office. The Advanced Veins and Vascular Management, run by Dr. Abushmaies, will treat patients with circulatory ailments, blockages in legs, and varicose veins. These services will not only help relieve pain but can prevent amputations as well. All procedures are outpatient.
“The patients are getting the best care possible,” Rose says of the staff at Karim HealthCare, adding they strive to offer the most comprehensive care possible. She says this helps cut down on driving for their patients as well as multiple co-pays. “It is a big convenience for them.” Walk-ins are always welcome at Karim HealthCare and all offices are accepting new patients. Dr. Karim says he wants to make sure everyone is able to have access to HealthCare and a wide range of HealthCare. Karim HealthCare participates with all major insurance companies as well as Medicaid and Medicare. Karim HealthCare was voted Best of the Best in multiple categories including Best General Practice Doctor by the Hillsdale Daily News and Best Allergist by the Coldwater Daily Reporter. Rose plans to continue to learn and grow in her position at Karim HealthCare. “I am learning as I go,” she says. “I want to continue to grow as a manager and learn from my peers.” She may someday fulfill her dream of becoming a nurse and knows if she does she plans to work in the community that she loves for the doctor who gave her a chance when she was just out of high school. Rose is married to her high school sweetheart Robert and together they have two children, Lucas and Adalee. The family loves to do anything outdoors including hunting and fishing.
For more information about Karim HealthCare, visit their website at www.karimHealthCare.com which includes contact information on all their offices and clinics. To reach their Hillsdale office, call 517-437-3879. To reach their Coldwater office, call 517-924-1444.
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Keeping It in Stitches Yes, It’s a Big Hairy Deal
By Diane K Clow Sewist and Long Arm Quilter Eversew Quilted
There are many important people in each of our lives. Our family, friends, co-workers, clients, and neighbors. Then there are those who take care of us. Our doctors, dentists, chiropractors, and our pets’ veterinarians. Securing our personal and material safety are law enforcement, firefighters, insurance agents, bankers, and accountants. If you think about it, there are probably large numbers that make our lives a better place. But there is one that stands alone: our hairdresser. More than 25 years ago, I was sporting a super curly “Fro” that was permed into my hair so all I had to do was wash, dry and fluff out with a “pick”. Prior to this, I had that long, hair-to-mybackside, parted in the middle, 70s look hair that you could easily hide behind like a curtain. The “Fro” allowed similar privacy as it puffed around my head like a dandelion gone to seed. In this look, I met Her. My hairdresser. It was 1992, and we were attending a little league baseball game where both of our sons were playing. She approached me and asked what I did with my hair. I told her about the perm and pick. She responded that it kind of looked over-processed (her word was “burnt”) and basically not very healthy (her words were “like crap”). We’ve had a client-hairdresser relationship ever since. While She makes sure my hair color is “natural” (meaning, without gray) and my naturally
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curly hair is conditioned and soft without any chemical kinking, She is so much more. She has been an amazing listening ear through good times and bad. Over the years, we’ve exchanged recipes, child care advice, natural health treatment options, and, okay, maybe a few husband stories. Together we’ve survived our children’s high school graduations, their weddings, and our becoming grandmas. She has been forgiving when I forgot my appointment and would have given me a makeup date even if I hadn’t plied her with coffee and baked goods. She makes sure I don’t walk out without my hair product purchases, as I am easily distracted and prone to do so. As a former “perm and pick,” I had no idea of hair care or the tools available for styling. She had to advise me on hair products and how to wield a curling iron. (And just how do other women seem to know how to do all this stuff? Especially before YouTube?) Periodically I ask Her if I am too old to wear my hair this length. I trust Her to be honest, as she was during our first encounter, and give it to me straight. And this, along with all the rest, is invaluable, putting Her in a league of importance all its own. Thank you, Penny, for my hair, and for Keeping Me in Stitches.
Life is the Berries From Chaos to Calm
Do you live in chaos? Do you “ugh” and roll your eyes at your messy house? By Laura Loveberry Elementary School Assembly Author/Speaker, Inspirational Speaker Women’s Retreats/Conferences, Caricature Artist
This was our home not too long ago. I determined to focus on simplifying my life a few years ago when we faced major stress in the family. I could not control the situation, but I realized there were some things I could control and actually do something about to ease the stress levels. I could simplify my living space. I had an organized friend who spent a day in my closet. We sorted out clothes that no longer fit, were definitely not my color, did not look flattering on me, I never really loved them, had a rip/hole/worn look, or were itchy or uncomfortable. Those went to one of four boxes: give away to a friend box, throw away box, give to charity box, sell box.
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Next, I starting with the easiest room and continued to sort one room at a time completely. Absolutely everything was removed from the space. I put back—properly—only what I loved and used. Having boxes on hand marked TOSS, KEEP, REGIFT, ATTIC, FIX LATER, and CHARITY simplified the process. If you use plastic bags, choose black bags so you and your family won’t see the contents and be tempted to keep useless clutter. This takes time and back-aching effort. Do your attic last. Over the years, I actually decluttered our whole home on three different occasions. Each time, the layers of clutter became even more minimal. I read declutter books for motivation. The rewards are freedom from visual stress and creating a home that is a retreat for the mind to rest, enjoy, and soak in the bliss.
Then she taught me all shirts face the same direction. Line up from light color to dark color and then from sleeveless to short-sleeve to long sleeve. Hang like items together. I got all black velvet hangers that are no-slip, narrow to save space and uniform.
The bonus is I have fewer distractions from doing the purpose to which God has called me: to encourage others through writing and speaking. I made room for a delightful prayer chair space for my morning devos. I even created a presentation on “DECLUTTERING YOUR HOME AND HEART” to speak at women’s events. You are welcome to book me at www.lauraloveberry.com.
My closet is now an absolute joy to walk into every single day. I converted a small bedroom into my make-up station, jewelry, and clothingcenter hub. I ended up sorting out every piece of makeup and jewelry I did not love, did not wear, or was out of style. I tossed out a ton.
The Bible refers to a time to keep and a time to throw away. You can keep your stress levels down when you throw out your overwhelming clutter and distractions. This frees your mind and heart to focus on God’s purposes. Goodbye, chaos. Hello, calm.
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Time to Go
Boho Chic
Based on the free-spirited, footloose lifestyle of gypsies, boho
style is romantic and flowy and often includes vintage items and elements from many cultures. Colors are rich and vibrant, and patterns are mixed with abandon. To bring boho chic into your home, look to the mainstays of the style. It's carefree, worldly, eclectic, and blends the old and the new for a one-of-a-kind, life-well-lived look that expresses your unique personality.
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