TheFitInstitute_Swim Smart: The Key to Your Best Summer Yet

TheFitInstitute_Swim Smart: The Key to Your Best Summer Yet

N E W S L E T T E R

SWIM SMART THE KEY TO YOUR BEST SUMMER YET

ALSO INSIDE

Meet the Team: Marla Feingold • XPT Extreme Performance Training • Summer Sports Performance • Trivia Challenge: Call In and WIN!

N E W S L E T T E R

SWIM SMART THE KEY TO YOUR BEST SUMMER YET

Swimming is an amazing low-impact exercise that is able to work all of the muscles in the body. Many athletes choose the swimming pool to maintain their fitness as well as for injury rehabilitation and prevention. Whether you are an athlete in the pool or enjoying the cool water in the summer heat, practicing proper swimming technique can make all the difference. Freestyle Swimming Techniques to Help You Avoid Injury 1. Bilateral Breathing. Comfortably breathing from both sides of your body helps you achieve symmetry of motion, and even encourages more smooth and even strokes. 2. Correct Posture. Did you know that your posture outside of the pool can affect your posture inside the pool? During a freestyle stroke, your shoulders should be back and your chest should be forward. Your head should be looking forward and down, so that the water crests above the eyebrows. 3. Kick with Your Legs Rather Than Your Feet. Your kick should originate from the hips and you should keep your knees slightly bent at all times. Don’t worry about your toes – the position of your body will help them to point naturally. 4. Catch and Pull. When entering the water, your hand should be in a position as if making a catch with your third or fourth finger leading. When your arm pulls through the water to follow through with the

movement and propel your body forward, your hand and arm should enter the water as an extension of the shoulder. 5. Body Rotation. As your arm enters the water, your body should rotate slightly toward the direction of the arm that entered. Successful body rotation also aids in ease of bilateral breathing, as your body rotates left and right. In addition to these techniques, it is important to properly warm-up and cool down to reduce injury. By participating in strength training, the rotator cuff, scapular, and core muscles can enable a more powerful swimming stroke. Contact us today for your individualized swimming, strength and conditioning program! Water Strengthening and High Intensity Pool Exercises Are you a workout enthusiast looking for a new challenge? Tired of just swimming laps in the pool? Don’t know how to swim but enjoy being in the water? Then water strengthening and high intensity pool exercises could be just what you are looking for! Pool training can improve your aerobic capacity, build strength without excess stress on your joints, improve movement patterns in the upper and lower extremities, and increase recover after land based training. Examples of Water/Pool Training: 1. Seahorse: Stand in the water so that your head is above the surface, and place a 10LB

dumbbell between your thighs. Squeezing the weight to keep it in place, raise your legs straight out in front of you so you can see your toes, and swim forward across the width of the pool and back using only your arms. 2. Amno Box: hold a 10-15LB dumbbell tucked into one arm like a football, and swim underwater propelling yourself with your opposite arm and both legs across the width of the pool. 3. Dolphin Jacks: Stand in about 5-6 feet of water, fully submerged, holding a light dumbbell in each hand, arms out to sides, feet on the pool floor. Explode up, bringing arms down to your sides as you break the surface to take a big breath. Exhale, sink back under the water, and repeat. 4. Alternating Skater Hops: Stand in chest high water with a dumbbell in both hands. Squat down with one leg and then explode up out of the water to land on your opposite foot. Repeat on the other side. Contactustodayat773.799.2795andaskfor RyanLeFeverformore ideasonpooltraining and proper technique, or visit our website at thefitinstitutechicago.com to learnmore about our services. Sources: moveforwardpt.com/resources/detail/proper- swim-stroke-to-avoid-shoulder-injuries/ • ncbi.nlm. nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2953356/ • usaswimming. org/news/training•swimming.org/masters/improving- front-crawl-technique/

R E A DY T O S T R E N G T H E N Y O U R H E A LT H & B O DY ? C A L L T O S C H E D U L E Y O U R A P P O I N T M E N T T O D AY !

TRIVIA CHALLENGE Test out your XPT knowledge to be entered into a drawing for a chance to WIN a complimentary XPT Workshop*. Simply call 773.799.2795with your answer to each question! *XPTWorkshop ledbyRyanLeFever,up to10 teammembers. CALL IN AND WIN! 1. How many times a day do we breathe? 2. True or False: During breath holds our urge to breath is because oxygen levels are low? 3. What is a BOLT Score? And what is an ideal BOLT score for an athlete? 4. Give two reasons why training in water is good for you?

5. What is a normal range of SpO2 (Saturation of oxygen in the peripheral blood vessels)? 6. Why is “over breathing” bad for us? 7. List some of the benefits of submerging in an Ice Bath for 3 minutes. Think you know all of the answers? Call us at 773.799.2795 before August 15th for a chance to WIN!

M E E T T H E T E AM

N U T R I T I O N T I P S F O R A H E A LT H Y S UMM E R

WELCOME MARL A FEINGOLD, CLINICAL NUTRITIONIST, in collaboration with Nutritional Services offered in house. Marla is a Board Certified Clinical Nutritionist, Board Certified Nutrition Specialist,

1. Brew your own green tea instead of drinking sweet tea to naturally speed up your metabolism.

2. Serve seafood for a low-calorie, protein-packed meal.

3. Eat a breakfast with protein, carbs, and healthy fat to kick your metabolism into high gear and provide energy for the day. 4. Enjoy a variety of fresh summer fruits and veggies to give your body a nutritious boost. 5. Eat less and more often. When you eat more often— five to six times per day—you’re far less likely to overeat and more likely to stay energized. 6. Remember to hydrate often. Start your day by drinking two glasses of water and keep drinking at each meal, as well as before and after your workout, to stay hydrated. Carry a water bottle with you as a reminder. 7. After exercising, blend your favorite summer fruits and a scoop of whey protein into a shake to kickstart the muscle-building process, help your body recover from training, and boost your energy levels.

and Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist. She specializes in Functional Nutrition Testing and Assessment such as: Gastrointestinal Disorders, Vitamin & Mineral Deficiencies, Cardio Vascular Risk Assessments, Diabetes, Heavy Metals. Her dietary programs include: Anti-inflammatory Programs, Detox Programs, Ketogenic Programs, Paleo Programs. Marla accepts new clients of all ages. To schedule your appointment at The FIT Institute with Marla please call 773.656.1725 or email: [email protected].

XPT EXTREME PERFORMANCE TRAINING

improve performance, mindfulness, calmness and recovery.) 2. Move: is based on restoring functional abilities across all areas of fitness and eliminating physical and mental limitations. Includes strength workout, pool training, mobility, yoga, circuit training, intensity workouts (HIIT, endurance, etc), nature (SUP, hiking, outdoor activity). 3. Recover: (ice, Heat, Ice & Heat, Pool).

XPT is a performance lifestyle designed to challenge people in a variety of unique waystosynchronizethesystemsofthebody, harness the power of the mind, and restore the functional abilities of human beings to allow us to live our best lives. XPT is rooted in 3 main core values: 1. Breathe: Breathing is the foundation of health, movement and performance. (Includes breathing protocols to help

WHAT PATIENTS ARE SAYING “Ryanhasbeenextremely in tune inpinpointing issues that other physical therapist missed and is engaged and extremely knowledgeable! I highly recommend working with Ryan if you are in need of recovering from a sports injury or want to get back to high performance sports or weight training.” - P. S. Contact us today at 773.799.2795 and ask for Ryan LeFever or visit our website at thefitinstitutechicago.com to learn more about our XPT workshops and team building opportunities.

SUMMER SPORTS PERFORMANCE FIRST WEEK IS FREE!

• Ages 8-13: 12PM, 2PM • Ages 14-18: 1PM, 3PM 12PM–4PM • Ages 8-13: 10AM, 12PM • Ages 14-18: 11AM, 1PM 10AM–2PM

• Ages 8-13: 12PM, 2PM • Ages 14-18: 1PM, 3PM 12PM–4PM • Ages 8-13: 11AM • Ages 14-18: 12PM 11AM–1PM

“Stephanie Ferro, DPT worked diligently with me, explained the purpose of each exercise, and devised a home program for me that I followed on my phone. Eventually, I wanted to return to the gym and workout, but was apprehensive about what I could & could not do. Thankfully, TFI offers personal training, too. I am happy to share that with Stephanie and Luigi’s expertise, I have returned to the tennis court!” - J. B.

HAS YOUR PAIN COME BACK?

“W” Scapular Retraction Lie on your stomach on a bench with your arms at shoulder height, elbows bent to 90 degrees. Gently slide your shoulder blades down and then squeeze your shoulder blades together gently lifting your elbows off the bed 1-2 inches. Focus on using the muscles in your mid back. EXERC I SE ESSENT I AL S USE THIS EXERCISE FOR SHOULDER BL ADE STABILIZATION Exercisescopyrightof

1 2 3

Keep up with your physical therapy exercises to relieve pain and prevent further injuries If your pain doesn’t subside, consult with your therapist about what other things might be causing pain. Call The Fit Institute for a complimentary injury consultation. We will guide you so you can get back to the activities you love.

1

2

Always consult your physical therapist or physician before starting exercises you are unsure of doing.