1) PIRIFORMIS – you will start by sitting on top of the foam roller. Keep your left leg bent at 90 degrees. Then, cross your right leg and place your right foot over your left knee. You will place your left hand on your right knee and your right hand will be behind you with your elbow slightly bent. You will lean into the right side of your piriformis (between the butt cheek and waist line area). You will feel a “knot”. Roll back and forth on the foam roller until the “knot” sensation goes away. 30-60 seconds is a good time to work the “knot” out.

2) TFL/ IT-BAND – you will start by placing the foam roller on the outside of your left leg where your pocket would be (that is your TFL band). Keep your left leg straight, bend your right knee to 90 degrees and place your right foot on the ground. While keeping your upper body in a straight line with your lower body, put your left forearm on the ground and place your right hand on the ground in front of your chest for support. You will feel a “knot”. Roll back and forth on the foam roller until the “knot” sensation goes away. As you proceed down the leg (which is known as the IT band) you will stop at every “knot” and roll it out until the sensation goes away. Go down the IT band and stop just before you reach your knee. 30-60 seconds is a good time to work the “knot” out.

3) ADDUCTORS – you will start by laying on your stomach and placing the foam roller by your waist line on the left side of your body. Lift your left leg to 90 degrees and place the foam roller on the inside of your leg (your adductors) just a little past the knee. While keeping your forearms on the ground, lift your body off the ground to distribute body weight onto the foam roller. Make sure not to allow your lower back to dip down towards the ground as this may cause discomfort. You will roll the foam roller all the way towards the groin area stopping at every “knot” that comes up along the way. Roll back and forth on the foam roller until the “knot” sensation goes away. 30-60 seconds is a good time to work the “knot” out.

4) CALVES – you will start by sitting on the ground. While keeping your legs straight place them over the foam roller right above the achilles. Then cross your right foot over your left foot. Keep your hands by your sides with your elbows slightly bent. Then inch your way up the calf stopping at every “knot”. Roll back and forth on the foam roller until the “knot” sensation goes away. 30-60 seconds is a good time to work the “knot” out.

5) PERONEALS (THE SIDE OF THE CALF) – start by laying side ways on the ground on your left side. Lift your legs off the ground and place the foam roller right above your ankle. While having your left forearm on the ground and using your right hand for support, lift your body off the ground to distribute body weight onto the foam roller to start rolling out your peroneal. Roll all the way up the peroneal right before the knee. Stop at every “knot” that you feel. Roll back and forth on the foam roller until the “knot” sensation goes away. 30-60 seconds is a good time to work the “knot” out.

6) QUADRICEPS – you will start by laying on your stomach. Lift your hips off the ground and place the foam roller right at the top part of your quads. While on your forearms, not letting your lower back dip towards the ground, move your body forward as the foam roller rolls down your quads. Stop at every “knot” that you feel. Roll back and forth on the foam roller until the “knot” sensation goes away You will roll down your quads just before the knee. 30-60 seconds is a good time to work the “knot” out.

7) HAMSTRINGS – start by sitting on the ground. Lift up your legs and place the foam roller towards the bottom of your hamstrings. While keeping your legs straight and your hands on your side with elbows slightly bent, move your body down as the foam roller comes up your hamstrings. Stop at every “knot” that you feel. Roll back and forth on the foam roller until the “knot” sensation goes away. You will roll all the way up to the top of your hamstrings. 30-60 seconds is a good time to work the “knot” out.

8) THORACIC SPINE (BACK) – start by sitting on the ground and having the foam roller behind you. Lay back and position the foam roller under your shoulder blades. While having your hands behind your head to support the neck, legs at 90 degrees, lift your lower body off the ground to distribute body weight onto the foam roller. You will move your body up as the foam roller comes down your back. Do not foam roll past mid back as it may cause some discomfort. Stop at every “knot” that you feel. Roll back and forth on the foam roller until the “knot” sensation goes away. 30-60 seconds is a good time to work the “knot” out.

9) LATISSIMUS DORSI – start by laying side ways on the ground on your left side. Extend your left arm straight out and place the foam roller under your armpit. With your thumb point at the ceiling, use your right hand and legs to move your body up as the foam roller rolls down your lats. Stop at every “knot” that you feel. Roll back and forth until the “knot” sensation goes away. 30-60 seconds is a good time to work the “knot” out.

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Phone:
(510) 599-7703

Hours of Operation:
M-F 6am to noon & 5pm-8pm
Weekends by appointment only.

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Eggs are high in cholesterol right? The yolk in an egg is bad for you correct? Egg whites are better for you then regular eggs…. right?

These are a few questions that I’ve heard over the years when it comes to the decision of eating eggs. I personally love having my eggs sunny side up. Letting the yolk ooze it’s way towards my potatoes or run into a piece of toast. Egg whites don’t have yolk! But I heard they’re healthier for you so I guess I should cut back on enjoying my sunny side up oozing eggs right? Wrong! Instead of giving up my eggs I went on a hunt for the truth and this is what I found out:

• Eggs are a perfect source of protein which contain all essential amino acids.
• Eggs are loaded with vitamins and nutrients that help your eyes, your brain, and your heart.
• Eggs are the best source of choline (though it’s not a vitamin) it is an essential nutrient that must be consumed in your diet to maintain good health
• Choline is essential for cardiovascular and brain function and for the health of your cell membranes.
• Choline in the egg yolk actually helps prevent the accumulation of cholesterol and fat in the liver.
• Choline forms a metabolite in the body called betaine, which helps lower homocysteine, a risk factor for heart disease.

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That doesn’t even sound like fun. Really it makes no sense. A banana has sugar, are you not going to eat a banana? Bananas help boost energy. Apples have sugar, let me guess too much sugar? You do know apples help resist infection right? Ah yes the evil bad carbs. Carbs aren’t bad ladies. Actually a woman’s daily carbohydrate intake should be 45-55 percent. Carbs are an energy source. Why would you deplete your body of them?

I get asked all the time about diets. My response always is “I don’t believe in diets”. Diets are ridiculous, short term, and don’t teach you anything period. Diets are meant to go away. You wont diet for the rest of your life and what happens when the diet is complete? Over and over again it’s the same story “oh I lost this many pounds on this diet but then I gained it all back”. In some cases they gain it all back and then some.

My fitness tip is learn about nutrition. Take some time to learn about the foods you put in your mouth. Whats wrong about a snickers, ice cream, or my favorite oreos? Have you tried those new marshmallow oreos? They’re awesome! I would never say I can’t have that i’m on a diet. And yes there is a big difference between having two oreos verses twelve oreos. Educating yourself on proper nutrition, having discipline, and eating foods in moderation is key. Someone once saw me eating Haribo gummy bears and said those are bad for you they make you fat. My response was “actually if I ate the whole bag then I would get fat. If I only have 17 of them I will have 31 grams of carbohydrates, 21 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein”.

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Today I want to talk about corrective exercise for your hamstring. There are certain exercises that are hamstring dominant like deadlifts, barbell rows, good mornings, and romanian deadlifts. Most don’t execute these exercises correctly because they have poor form due to lack of flexibility. A lot of people say things like “it hurts my back to deadlift”, “I deadlift but not with a lot of weight”, or “i feel good mornings more in my back then my hamstrings”. These compound exercises use more then one muscle at a time, yes your back will be involved in the movement but there should never be an amount of discomfort that leaves you in pain. There is a difference between challenging yourself and doing something completely incorrect that leads to injury. If something hurts it means you’re not able to do that just yet and you should go figure out why. Here’s a great way to know if you’re ready to deadlift or attempt any of these great compound exercises. It’s called the 90/90 stretch.

1. Lay on the floor on your back
2. Keep your left leg completely straight on the floor
3. Without bending your right knee, try to bring up your right leg to 90 degrees (you could use a band around the foot or have a friend assist)

• If you bend the knee you’re cheating. By bending the knee you take the tension away from the hamstring
• If you can’t get to 90 degrees, you have no business attempting those compound exercises

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• 1 cup of beans contains 11 g – 17 g of fiber per serving
• 1 cup of beans contains 12 g – 15 g of protein per serving
• Beans lower cholesterol
• Beans are a low glycemic food
• Beans carry magnesium, iron, zinc, and potassium

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It was recently brought to my attention that there are two groups of people who should be extremely cautious when it comes to oatmeal. If you’re gluten sensitive be very careful as oatmeal is a grain that contains gluten. If you’re suffering from uric acid (gout, kidney stones) you should know oatmeal contains purines which are substances that break down to uric acid in the body.

What kind of oatmeal do you buy if any? Please don’t tell me you purchase the sugar infested Quaker packs of oatmeal. If you’re a supporter of Quaker do yourself a favor and switch to the 1 minute ready container. Personally I now look for steel cut oats or rolled oats (old fashioned). When it comes to my oatmeal I believe the less processed, the more fiber, the less sugar is best.

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1. They have about 422 mg of potassium per medium sized banana
2. A medium sized banana has 3-4 g of fiber
3. They contain fructoogliosaccharides which is food for the good bacteria in your stomach
4. Bananas get a rating of 12 on the glycemic chart which is in the low part of the medium category
5. A medium sized banana has 105 calories and 27 g of carbohydrates

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Nutritional facts (1 Haas avocado):

Calories: 250

Fat(g) 22.5

Potassium(mg) 750

Carbs(g) 15

Fiber(g) 10

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Now I always tell my female clients that nutrition is especially important for them because they have more areas of fat in the body, less testosterone, and less bone mass density than men. Broccoli also contains indole-3-carbinol which is very beneficial for women for the following reasons:

• it’s a strong antioxidant
• it’s a stimulator of detoxifying enzymes
• it reduces the risk of breast and cervical cancer
• increases the good estrogen levels against the potential harmful ones

When I found this information I could not wait to share it with as many people as possible as my mother passed away from cancer. Live, love, laugh folks and I hope you found this blog helpful. Now go eat some broccoli!

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