See Our Pictures

The open house was such a great event that we had to capture some of the great moments.  Please check out our FACEBOOK PAGE to see the photos of the night.  While you are there please "like" our page and share it with your friends, family, and coworkers.  We are constantly updating it and often have great deals for free screens, discounted workout equipment and other fun goodies.

Open House - Did You Miss It?

Did you miss the open house?  Maybe you were busy, out of town, with your family, or just didn't hear about it.  We would like to invite EVERYONE to stop by and get a tour of our new location.  We have customized the space to best serve the public's need for individualized programs that include premier one-on-one manual therapy and therapeutic exercise.

Open House - A Success!

All of us here at Hayashida and Associates Physical Therapy want to thank everyone who attended our open house at 319 Anacapa Street. It was a great night with great food, drinks, and conversation.   The open house gave us a chance to show off our new custom space and explain to patient, clients, and local business owners how we can get them reach their functional and movement goals.

Does a 7-Minute Workout Work?

If you talk to many fitness professionals they may tell you that you need to combine high intensity cardiovascular activity and resistance weight training.  What if we were to say that you can get a high intensity workout that fulfils these needs in only 7 minutes? A recent scientific article in the American College of Sports Medicine’s Health & Fitness Journal gives us evidence that you can!

In this article scientists were able to show that “a few minutes of training at an intensity approaching your maximum capacity produces molecular changes within muscles comparable to those of several hours of running or bike riding” at submaximal effort.   The exercises should be done in intervals. This recovery period between large muscles groups of the upper and lower body should be a maximum of 10 seconds.  The nice thing about alternating between the upper and lower body is that during an exercise, the unexercised muscles have a moment to recover, which can make the order that you perform the exercises very important. 

“The exercises should be performed in rapid succession, allowing 30 seconds for each [with a 10-second rest between exercises], while, throughout, the intensity hovers at about an 8 on a discomfort scale of 1 to 10, [director of exercise physiology at the Human Performance Institute] Mr. Jordan says. Those seven minutes should be, in a word, unpleasant. The upside is, after seven minutes, you’re done.”

Ref and Img: http://lifehacker.com/this-7-minute-research-based-workout-exercises-your-wh-498676327?utm_source=feedly

Img: http://www.my7minutes.com/Content/Images/my7minutes-logo.png

Energy Drinks: Good or Bad for Fitness?

Energy drinks are all over.  You see them in your local drug store, convenience store, and even nutrition stores.  There have been claims that these drinks can help your training and your performance in sporting events.  There are also worries about how safe they are to use for fitness or if they are even safe to consume on a regular basis.  So are these drinks good for you and your performance?

Do they help my performance?

Based on many recent studies there is limited to no data that shows the main active ingredients in energy drinks, caffeine and carbohydrates, can help with your aerobic or anaerobic exercise performance.

Are they safe?

Caffeine is one of the most studied substances in the food supply and it has always been shown to be safe when consumed in moderation.  I guess it goes back to the old saying, “The dose make the poison”

Suggestion?

It does not seem that energy drinks have any beneficial effects to your sports or fitness performance and may be dangerous for your health.  There is little data indicating short term, low dose use will be bad for your health but little long-term studies have been conducted.

Ref: www.nsca.com/contenttempletes/publicationarticledetail.aspx?id=2147486468
Img: http://www.energyfiend.com/the-15-top-energy-drink-brands

Heat or Cold Therapy?

Every day I have an evaluation and one of the questions that always comes up is, “Should I use heat or cold for my pain/injury?”  Since it is such a common question, I thought I would address it here.

Heat: The Good and Bad
Superficial heat can help improve flexibility to your tendons and ligaments, reduce muscle spasms. It can also alleviate pain and elevate blood flow.  “Increased blood flow occurs in the heated parts of the body because heat tends to relax the walls of blood vessels.  That is one reason why sports doctors recommend you steer clear of the practice of heating already inflamed joints.”

Cold: The Good and Bad
Cold therapy can also reduce muscle spasms but is most noted for pain relief and reducing swelling.  The cold actually “deadens” the nerve-cell activity.  Some issues with the pain relieving effects are that people get so much pain relief that they often return to work too soon.   Studies have shown that cold therapy, when combined with compression dramatically decreased swelling.  This is because the cold constricts the walls of the blood vessels and compression restricts the amount of blood that can reach that part of the body.  Studies show that cold produces large decreases in edema or swelling and better reduction in discomfort, compared to heating.

My first option is always ice but it is important to look at the pros and cons of each modality.  If you are still confused, contact your local physical therapist for a better evaluation of your specific issue.

Ref: http://physical-therapy.advanceweb.com/SharedResources/Downloads/2013/012813/PT_HotCold.pdf
Img: https://www.mountainside-medical.com/product_images/uploaded_images/HotCold_01.jpg

6 Reasons Why You Should Stretch

Everyone knows that regular exercise is good for your health but many do not know that regular stretching is just as important.  Many patients and/or clients of mine always ask how often they should stretch, when they should stretch, or even if it is important to do so.  There are many reasons that stretching is important for you and your health.

Stretching For Your Body….

-          Helps improve flexibility (increases your range of motion)

-          Assists in correct posture by lengthening tight muscles that pull areas of the body away from their intended position (because of so much time at our computers, many of us have tight chest muscles which pulls the shoulders and head forward, leaving us with a hunched shoulder look).

-          These is a potential to decrease injury by preparing muscles for work before activity

-          Increases blood and nutrient supply to muscles, thereby possibly reducing muscle soreness

Stretching For Your Mind:

-           Even a short amount of time (10-15 minutes) of stretching can calm the mind, provide a mental break, and give your body a chance to recharge

-          Classes like yoga or Pilates offer you a chance to spend an hour releasing tension physically and mentally.

Main ideas are to stretch muscles that tend to be tight; spend longer times on areas where you have symptoms or notice increased tightness.  Stretch when your muscles are warm such as after a workout. Don’t just stretch for short periods of time.  Sometimes you need a session or two each week that lasts up to 45 minutes to increase your flexibility.

If you need help building a stretching program visit your trained physical therapists at Hayashida & Associates Physical Therapy.

Ref: http://www.fithealthy365.com/6-reasons-why-you-should-stretch/

Img: http://www.organicsoul.com/5-great-daily-stretches-for-your-body/