Feb 17

Coach Paul’s Featured Exercise of the Month: Supine Hip Extension

In one of my undergrad classes at Sacramento State University, which emphasized injury prevention, our professor said something that has always stuck with me: glutes & hamstrings. He emphasized that strengthening these two muscle groups is critical to maintaining a strong, pain-free body and reducing the risk of injury.

A simple yet effective bodyweight exercise we often apply to our exercise participants’ training programs to promote muscular activation of the glutes and hamstrings is the supine hip extension, also known as the “glute bridge”. This is a safe exercise you can do at home. Performing 3 sets of 6 to 10 reps daily can significantly strengthen your glutes and hamstrings. A strong posterior chain doesn’t just improve performance, but also influences a decreased likelihood of developing lower back pain and staving off unpredictable lower back injuries.

Paul Atienza

Coach @ Napa Tenacious Fitness

Feb 12

Investing in Fitness and Daily Actions

Consistency can be defined as “the way in which a substance holds together” or “conformity in the application of something, typically that which is necessary for the sake of logic, accuracy, or fairness.”  Adhering to specific actions that reinforce health and well-being supports goals for a fulfilling and enjoyable livelihood.  Daily actions such as setting an alarm to wake up for work, making breakfast that grants sufficient energy and is easy on the stomach, taking a shower, and styling our hair to look polished for the day help us feel good about the impression we present to the world.  Staying fit, managing weight, or ensuring the body is physically capable of handling the stresses of everyday life can feel like a more demanding daily commitment than our usual day-to-day tasks.  The thought of putting on gym clothes, getting all sweaty, and physically exerting oneself isn’t as appealing as sitting down to scroll through an iPad and check the stock market or the news about the next hot topic in sports, celebrities, or world events.  While maintaining consistent efforts to support our careers is invaluable and interacting with entertainment from digital devices is enjoyable, a commonly overlooked missing link is developing consistency in our exercise habits.

When people hear the word investment, they often think about stocks, retirement accounts, or real estate. But one of the most important portfolios a person manages every day is their physical health. The returns from health investments are evident in energy, mobility, independence, and quality of life.   Most successful fitness journeys rarely come from once-in-a-while efforts. Significant, long-term fitness adaptations are built on small, consistent daily actions, which might seem minuscule compared to making regular deposits into a long-term account to build wealth.

Think of daily movement as an index fund of healthy behaviors. Rather than relying on one single type of workout, a variety of options can be selected throughout the week.  For example,  attending a gym session using machines to achieve a full-body resistance-training session on one day, such as leg press, chest press, or lat pulldown. Another day might include a yoga or BodyRock class that improves flexibility and balance. A brisk walk around the neighborhood or simple bodyweight exercises at home, such as sit-to-stands, wall push-ups, or step-ups, could be sprinkled in on days when time is limited.  Each day’s activity may look different, but they all contribute to the same goals of maintaining consistent and effective exercise habits.

Just like financial contributions grow over time, small daily health behaviors compound. Drinking water first thing in the morning, taking daily walks, or performing a brief strength and conditioning routine once a week may seem minor on their own. However, over months and years, these actions build stronger muscles to support joints, refine balance to reduce fall risk, improve circulation and heart health, and build a great sense of confidence in one’s physical capabilities to perform challenging physical tasks.

Many aches and pains don’t necessarily come from doing too much. Underuse injuries can arise from doing too little.  When the body suddenly needs to perform rigorous movement, weakness can lead to severe traumatic injuries such as lower back strains, loss of balance, or falling. Regular movement helps prevent both overuse and underuse injuries by keeping muscles active and joints supported. Reasons to practice simple, effective daily exercise include maintaining core strength, improving knee function by strengthening surrounding muscles, building bone density through weight-bearing activity, and improving functional strength for lifting, carrying, and getting up from the floor.

Outcomes of consistent movement aren’t always visible in a mirror.  The ability to independently and autonomously adhere to daily exercise routines is a potent tool for success in the journey of lifelong fitness.  Being able to carry groceries, play with grandchildren, climb stairs comfortably, and recover more quickly from life’s physical demands enables people to live happy, healthy, and strong lives.   Fitness adaptations rarely hinge on one perfect workout. They come from showing up in small, yet powerful ways, day after day.  In the end, health isn’t built through occasional effort. It grows from daily deposits of simple actions that, over time, yield the highest return of all, which is the ability to live in less pain, feel strong, and look forward to the invigorating gifts life offers us on the horizon.

Sean McCawley, the founder and owner of Napa Tenacious Fitness in Napa, CA, welcomes questions and comments. Reach him at 707-287-2727, napatenacious@gmail.com, or visit the website napatenaciousfitness.com.

Feb 06

Variety in Movement Helps the Body Age Better

“I’m trying not to get old,” Nero responded after I asked how he was doing at the beginning of his training session. Nero is one of our veteran personal training clients with an animated sense of humor who uses physical activity as a key tool to empower his life. As a gentleman in his early seventies and a lifelong endurance athlete, Nero takes his fitness seriously. A few compression fractures in his spine, a hip replacement, and the need to consistently manage symptoms of vertigo are just some of the reasons he adheres to a structured fitness program. Attending strength and conditioning sessions with our coaching staff helps him maintain physical strength, slow the progression of arthritis and osteoporosis, and support his body’s overall physiological function. Most importantly, it’s fun for him.

“The doc says I’m getting old,” Nero mentioned. After joking that he wanted to slap his doctor, who is half his age and doesn’t have to manage the same age-related challenges, Nero added, “The doc also said a good way to manage the aging of my body is to include variety in my physical activities.” Little did he know, Nero was already doing exactly that. He attends strength and conditioning sessions twice per week, follows a customized exercise routine with his fitness coaches, bikes twenty to thirty miles per week, plays golf two to three times weekly, walks with his wife as often as possible, and tends to his vegetable and flower garden. These activities are a prime example of how to build variety into a lifestyle.

It should go without saying that a safe and effective resistance training routine strengthens bones, improves functional strength, and reduces the risk of metabolic disease. However, hitting the gym, meeting with your favorite personal trainer, or attending a Yoga or Pilates class is only a small portion of what creates an “insurance policy” for the body to stay happy, healthy, and strong for years to come.

Ensuring there is something new and exciting creates anticipation and an “I can’t wait” stimulus. When we have something to look forward to, the likelihood of participating increases. While consistent daily maintenance routines such as getting your steps in, managing calorie intake, or taking daily vitamins are important, purposely avoiding monotonous physical activity and prioritizing a variety of engaging and energizing movement options creates an environment that supports physiological, psychological, and emotional lifetime fitness benefits.

Having a gym membership is beneficial. However, if that is the only component supporting exercise, it can become repetitive. Imagine if we had just one TV channel that played the same episode of Lost over and over. Or if our phones had only one game, it would probably be Candy Crush Saga. We would likely get bored quickly and step away. The same can happen with exercise when variety is lacking.

To reduce the likelihood of skipping workouts when motivation dips, take time to explore which physical activities create excitement. Invite someone to join you, try recreational activities such as pickleball, bocce ball, or golf, or map out outdoor walking paths with different sights and sounds. While it’s important to focus on the physiological benefits of exercise, maintaining a consistent practice of engaging the mind through a variety of physical activities builds a strong foundation for lifelong fitness.

Sean McCawley, the founder and owner of Napa Tenacious Fitness in Napa, CA, welcomes questions and comments. Reach him at 707-287-2727, napatenacious@gmail.com, or visit the website napatenaciousfitness.com.

Jan 30

Safe and Effective Exercises on the Ground

Exercise journeys can be challenging, depending on a person’s circumstances and physical condition.  The demands of time spent at our jobs, household chores, and family obligations can make it difficult to find time for exercise.  Previous or current injuries and health conditions can create a daunting experience when starting or re-entering a fitness routine, as the risk of reinjury or accidentally performing an exercise incorrectly can be a concern.  Advancement of age, progression of degenerative bone conditions such as osteoporosis and arthritis, and the fear of falling create barriers to entry when the thought of starting an exercise routine arises.

Driving to a local gym, a small-group fitness class, or a Pilates or Yoga class, finding a parking spot, and checking in at the front counter can be a little much for some people.  Popular gyms such as Planet Fitness or InShape have a slew of cutting-edge exercise equipment that looks like the newest Alston Martin sports car to hit the market, which a rookie exercise participant might have no idea how to use. For a novice exerciser, entering a gym-like setting can be intimidating and deter them from interacting with this environment altogether.  Furthermore, individuals recovering from injury, managing a pre-existing medical condition, or have suboptimal balance, the thought of investing in exercise with the idea to remedy the conditions they’re dealing with can feel like walking through a gasoline factory with a backpack full of strike anywhere matches.

Exercise isnt’ required to be performed in an  “exercise only” environment, such as a gym or fitness class.  Additionally, getting into an exercise routine doesn’t need to be considered a hyper athletic activity in which someone has to step into a piece of equipment, attend a class, or perform a set of back flips.  A safe, effective exercise setting is attainable at most levels of health and fitness.  Sometimes a safe and effective place to start is the ground.

Performing exercises on the ground offers the benefits of safety, reduced compressive forces on the joints, and applicability to everyday activities.  Not only are exercises performed on the ground beneficial in taking stress off of joints throughout exercise, but getting up and down from the ground is an important asset that plays a role in the tasks we perform throughout our day.  Additionally, being comfortable with getting up and down from the ground assists in decreasing the likelihood of falling and preparing us in the unfortunate event if we do fall.  If we practice getting up and down from the ground in our exercise routines, we reinforce our abilities to bend down to pick something up, get on our hands and knees to work on the ground, and most importantly, get up from a position in which we have to get down on our hands and knees.

The body endures more compressive forces in a standing position when compared to a supine position.  When the body is standing, gravity exerts a downward force on the joints of the neck, shoulders, spine, hips, knees, ankles, and feet.  While these forces endured throughout standing aren’t necessarily harmful, the addition of conducting exercises such as stepping, lunging, or squatting movements adds far more compressive forces.  By lying on the ground and placing the body in a horizontal position, compressive forces on joints that are prone to overuse during exercise, such as the back, hips, and spine, are significantly reduced.

A supine position reduces joint compressive forces while still producing positive adaptations in muscles from exercise-induced stress.  The microscopic damage applied to muscle cells from a skillfully designed exercise routine encourages strength gains and reinforces the development of muscle architecture as the body recovers following a bout of exercise.  Conducting exercises on the ground reduces the risk of falling because the individual is already on the ground and has less chance of losing balance.  However, ensuring a safe setting when getting up and down from the ground is critically important.

Attending gyms and taking instructor-led fitness classes can create powerful changes in people’s lives when utilized regularly.   However, participating in activities that might be outside of someone’s comfort zone or the exercises present in gyms or fitness classes cause joint pain that introduces a fear of falling or injury, exploring alternate modes of exercise could be beneficial.  Learning to perform ground-based exercises can be a valuable way to strengthen the body, reduce joint pain, and improve productivity and functional capacity throughout a fitness journey.

Sean McCawley, the founder and owner of Napa Tenacious Fitness in Napa, CA, welcomes questions and comments. Reach him at 707-287-2727, napatenacious@gmail.com, or visit the website napatenaciousfitness.com.

Jan 23

Core Strength Assists in Everyday Function

Sometimes, the gold standard of “a strong core” can be visualized as a picture of Brad Pitt’s abs in his appearance in the classic movie Thelma and Louise.  After taking his shirt off in a display that swooned viewers who were observing a specimen with the muscular body, structure, and proportions of a Greek god, we could see a set of abdominal muscles beneath skin with sub-three percent body fat that looked like they could grate a block of Parmesan cheese.  This area of the core, as displayed by Mr. Pitt’s abs, is an important part of a healthy core.  However, let’s not forget the other core areas that help optimize everyday human function, such as the muscles surrounding the lateral and posterior aspects of the spine and hips.

Physical movements throughout our daily lives contribute to enjoyable interactions and a sense of fulfillment.  Without our ability to move our bodies, suboptimal experiences, including being unhappy due to pain and weakness, can occur in various aspects of our lives, including social interactions, our work life, and even something as simple as getting out of bed in the morning.  We depend on our bodies to get up from seated positions, bend down to pick things up off the ground, and interact with our environment from a standing position anywhere for multiple hours throughout the day.  If our bodies can’t withstand the stresses of prolonged standing, lifting, and manual labor, our everyday lives might not be as enjoyable due to the challenges of a deconditioned body.  The body’s physical, psychological, and emotional health thrives when it is in optimal condition to function in everyday life.  An important area that acts as a keystone in supporting a vast majority of everyday functional movements is the core muscles.

The rectus abdominus muscles that create the “six pack”, reside on the front portion of the abdomen.  They assist in keeping the torso upright, bending over, and rotating.  However, these “six-pack” muscles are surface muscles that act in unison with various other core muscles.  The deep intrinsic core muscles of the psoas and hip flexor muscles originate at the anterior portion of the spine, span down the front of the lumbar and sacral spinal regions, and attach to the top portion of the hip.  The muscles of the back and hips stabilize the spine and hips, helping prevent lower back strains and contributing to injury prevention in the spine and hips, such as pinched nerves, lower back spasms, or sciatica.  These muscles also act as primary movers to pull the torso upright from a bent-over position, to sit up out of bed, to maintain an upright and stable posture while sitting, and to aid forward and follow-through strides in walking and stepping.

A simple, effective exercise we conduct with our personal training clients at the beginning of every training session is the “leg kick stretch.”  This movement encourages the participant to practice bringing the hips forward, working the deep intrinsic core muscles and hip flexors, stretching the hamstrings and posterior chain muscles, as well as rehearsing upright posture by keeping the spine in alignment.  To perform the “leg kick” dynamic stretch:

From a standing position, reach your hand in front of you.  While keeping your supporting leg straight, actively bring one leg in front of you to touch your hand as if you are performing a kicking motion.  Ensure to keep the kicking leg as straight as possible. You should feel a slight stretch in your hamstring.  This movement requires balance and coordination.  Feel free to stand next to a stabilizing object, such as a wall or a post that is securely fastened to the ground, and place your hand on the stabilizer to assist with maintaining adequate balance.  Safety is the top priority during any exercise setting.  Perform this movement for five to ten repetitions on each leg.

For some of us, we may not understand how important a strong core is until an injury presents as a pinched nerve, a bulging disc, or a nasty case of sciatica.  We don’t need the washboard abs of Brad Pitt in his prime, which he worked to develop for one shoot in an award-winning Hollywood movie, to have strong core muscles.  Brad probably put in hours of aerobic exercise, a few thousand sit-ups a day, and ate nothing but lean proteins and salads for twelve weeks to prepare for a single shot.  However, adhering to a consistent exercise routine at least once per week that reinforces the infrastructure of our spine and hips is a key ingredient for helping us live in less pain and enjoy our everyday lives.

Sean McCawley, the founder and owner of Napa Tenacious Fitness in Napa, CA, welcomes questions and comments. Reach him at 707-287-2727, napatenacious@gmail.com, or visit the website napatenaciousfitness.com.

Jan 15

Resistance Training is Medicine for Osteoporosis

The skeletal framework of bones beneath skeletal muscle is an important component for everyday functionality.  The brain acts as the central command center, sending signals down the spinal cord to the extremities, instructing them to move in a specific manner.  Muscular strength and neuromuscular coordination are essential for this process to occur efficiently and safely. Staying fit and maintaining a regular exercise routine strengthens muscles, improves communication between the brain and muscles, and supports strong connective tissue throughout muscle fibers.  While muscles are undoubtedly an organ that benefits from regular exercise, it’s also worth noting that resistance training specifically supports bone health and plays a key role in managing conditions such as osteoporosis and arthritis.

Bones are comprised of living tissue.  Cells within bones respond to forces applied to them.  Similar to how muscle tissue experiences micro-damage from exercise-induced stress and adapts by rebuilding stronger tissue, bone remodels itself when optimal mechanical loads are applied, increasing bone mineral density.

Bone and joint health becomes increasingly important with age, across the stages of menopause, and when reduced physical activity is present.  As we age, the turnover of bone cells slows compared to that of a younger adult. During menopause, decreased estrogen levels can accelerate bone breakdown, leading to increased porosity, reduced bone mineral density, and a higher risk of injury following unexpected events such as falls.  If physical activity levels are low due to a sedentary lifestyle, bones and muscles won’t receive the stimulus to adapt to more physically demanding environments.

There are various management approaches that help mitigate the risks posed by osteoporosis, including diet and medication adjustments.  However, when we peel back the layers of which tactic is most effective for managing the acceleration of bone loss and promoting bone strengthening, exercise is the best medicine.

Performing safe, effective resistance training regularly provides a steady stream of connective tissue adaptation by regenerating bone cells that withstand the stress of exercise.  These changes don’t happen overnight.  For example, we can’t do a set of ten push-ups and expect to become superhuman.  Positive exercise-induced adaptation from resistance training takes anywhere from three months to a year to produce meaningful, long-term adaptations of bone strength and increased physical performance.

We recommend that our personal training clients focus on resistance training techniques that target the muscles of the upper and lower extremities and core.  This full-body approach to resistance training delivers exercise-induced muscular stress to as much of the body’s surface area as possible.  An example of a full-body resistance training routine might include push-ups, planks, and squats.  These resistance-training exercises rely solely on body weight and gravity for resistance.  Body weight exercises are safe, have a low learning curve, and help clients new to exercise build strength, endurance, and confidence in their performance relatively quickly.  Once people experience the benefits of a simple, safe, and effective exercise routine, they tend to return to it because it is attainable, helps reduce pain, builds confidence in everyday activities, and leaves them feeling fulfilled and happy for doing something good for their bodies.

The trick is to perform resistance training regularly, one, two, or three times per week.  Sticking to an exercise routine doesn’t compare to the simplicity of taking a handful of vitamins or pill supplements washed down with a glass of water.  However, when a skillfully designed resistance training routine is integrated into a weekly routine, it can have long-term benefits for bone health and help prevent bone injuries, particularly in cases of degenerative bone conditions.

Sean McCawley, the founder and owner of Napa Tenacious Fitness in Napa, CA, welcomes questions and comments. Reach him at 707-287-2727, napatenacious@gmail.com, or visit the website napatenaciousfitness.com.

Jan 08

New Years, Goals, Introspection, and Losing Fat

“Fat loss,” were the words that were ejected out of Ramona’s mouth faster than the explosive reaction of water being sprinkled on a pan of oil at the smoke point.

We ask our personal training clients open-ended questions at the conclusion of their four-week exercise prescriptions.   Each exercise prescription includes a full-body strength and conditioning routine that is repeated weekly for four weeks, increasing exercise-induced stress with each week.  This could take the form of performing a few additional repetitions of a specific movement, lifting a slightly heavier weight, or increasing the duration of an endurance-based exercise.  After four weeks of a customized exercise routine tailored to the participant, the coaches create a slightly more challenging routine, including exercises that elicit adaptations in strength, mobility, coordination, and, most importantly, confidence and mastery of exercise techniques.

To identify a positive direction for exercises to include when a client enters a new four-week routine, a few discovery questions help us determine which exercises are most appropriate for the next phase.  Examples of information-gathering questions might include: “What specific movements do you feel were helpful to your progress?”  Or, “What specific results have you experienced from this previous phase design?” A question that seems to attract considerable attention is: “What does success look like to you after we complete this next four-week exercise phase?”

In Ramona’s case, she had apparently been thinking about a topic that was a critical success factor she wanted to aggressively achieve, losing fat.  An additional motivation for Ramona’s ambitious plan to lose weight was turning the page to January 1st, 2026.  Empowered with a new year’s resolution and the potent tool of success of having a group of lifetime fitness coaches by Ramona’s side, she was ready for the battle against the accumulation of subcutaneous fat mass.

Ramona exercises about five times a week.  She never misses her two weekly personal training sessions, uses a fitness-based dance app once or twice a week, and walks with her friends at least once a week.  Telling Ramona to exercise more at this point wouldn’t seem to be overly helpful.  I would think she already understands that consistent exercise leads to positive changes in body composition, increasing lean muscle mass and reducing fat mass over time.  She has the exercise adherence portion of fat loss handled.  So how can she lose more fat mass with what she’s already doing?

An open-ended question we ask clients who sometimes find themselves at plateau points throughout their fitness journey, especially when the goal is to lose fat mass, is the “RARE” acronym, which stands for Reduce, Add, Replace, and Eliminate.

What could Ramona reduce in her daily routine?  A few examples might include having a low-fat latte at her coffee shop during her early-morning breaks, or switching to tea instead of a mocha or caramel latte.

What could she add to what she does throughout her day?  Perhaps she could increase water intake or add an additional meal of whole foods, rather than drinking soda, eating packaged pastas, or prepared foods.

What could be replaced in her daily routine?  Maybe she could replace that time with a fifteen-minute walk and leave her phone at home once or twice per week instead of sitting and scrolling through Instagram, TikTok, or Nextdoor.

Would could she eliminate from her routine?  Could she have limited herself to only one glass of her favorite wine per week, as opposed to having a full bottle of wine every night?

As sticking points arise in people’s fitness journeys, it’s valuable to recognize what has already produced beneficial outcomes.  In Ramona’s case, she has an efficient and effective fitness routine that she enjoys and has etched as a solid anchor in her lifestyle.  However, when certain aspects of progress stall, a potential tactic of introspection is to pose a few open-ended questions that explore which tactics have room for refinement.  Establishing goals is powerful. Let’s not forget that laying out a plan, establishing specific tactics, and taking action toward those goals are critical for success.  In a time of year when resolution and ambition are as exciting as ever throughout the New Year, it can never hurt to ask yourself open-ended questions to help you take action toward your health and fitness goals.

Sean McCawley, the founder and owner of Napa Tenacious Fitness in Napa, CA, welcomes questions and comments. Reach him at 707-287-2727, napatenacious@gmail.com, or visit the website napatenaciousfitness.com.

Jan 02

One More Step Every Day

“I took a spill the other day,” commented my friend Marion.  After a look of concern hovered over my face, Marion continued to say, “Not really sure what happened.  I was taking my usual morning walk after I read the newspaper and, the next thing you know, I’m on the ground.”  He pointed to his right eye and smiled, “I got a pretty good shiner to go along with it, too,” as if bragging about the courageous victory of a revolutionary boxing battle with Jack Dempsey.  I expressed my concern to Marion, “You should be more careful.  This event could have been way worse than just a black eye.”  After a brief roll of his eyes and a snicker as if I was stating the obvious, “Well, I have to keep taking one more step further than I did yesterday if I want to keep moving.”

Marion deals with symptoms of lower extremity neuropathy on a daily basis that affects his lower extremities, specifically his feet.  As a man in his late seventies who worked as a union ironworker, bending rebar and moving large loads of building materials for ten hours a day for thirty years, Marion put immense physical stress on his spine.  Pair that with waking up at three in the morning to commute two hours from his home to wherever his contracted work placed him, to lay foundations of rebar in worksite developments, Marion’s back endured the stress of two to three lifetimes of a normal human’s life expectancy.

This physically taxing method of making a living to support his family and lifestyle took a toll on Marion’s body years later.  In the case of his neuropathy, the architecture of his spine degenerated to the degree that the inner lining of the spine compressed his spinal cord, and the outer border of his lumbar vertebrae tilted out of alignment to the point that it caused a series of bulging and herniated discs.  This condition compresses the spinal root nerves that bud out of the lateral aspect of the spine and innervate the motor nerves of the lower extremities.  When I go for walks with him, he says he feels like he’s “walking on ball bearings” because he can’t sense the ground beneath him, due to a lack of neuromuscular signaling to his lower extremities.

Research supports that regular strength and conditioning and aerobic exercise improve overall quality of life and help humans live longer.  Refining the muscles of the upper and lower extremities and the core allows the body to move more efficiently.  Cardiovascular exercise, such as walking long distances, hiking, or jogging, helps build endurance and creates more energy to get through the day.  It shouldn’t be cutting-edge news that exercise is one of the keys to longevity.  However, a component that seems overlooked is the motivating force that energizes and encourages people to keep moving.  In Marion’s case, after a long career of manual labor, he’s always looking to take that “one more step” than yesterday.

Marion’s spinal neuropathy is debilitating to his life.  However, he doesn’t let that slow him down, because he’s motivated.  During our walks, he tells me he enjoys playing chess with his grandson, watching his granddaughter earn another stripe on her Taekwondo belt, troubleshooting his teenage grandson’s questions he has about his latest carpentry project, and taking road trips to the coast to walk along the dunes.  These are just a few reasons Marion wants to take a few more steps than he did yesterday on his walks.  He knows that the desire to get up and walk, even when his body isn’t cooperating, is what will let him engage in the activities he enjoys as he turns another chapter in his life.

Sometimes that “one step” could be an extra block on a morning walk after the newspaper.  For others, it could be making sure they get their Pilates or Yoga classes in each week.  Or perhaps it is holding a plank for 5 seconds longer than you did in your last workout.  Whatever that “step” is that keeps the body moving is an attribute that empowers a happy, healthy, and strong component of success as we venture into another year of life.

Sean McCawley, the founder and owner of Napa Tenacious Fitness in Napa, CA, welcomes questions and comments. Reach him at 707-287-2727, napatenacious@gmail.com, or visit the website napatenaciousfitness.com.

Dec 26

Consistent Daily Rituals to Enhance Balance

“Every morning after I feed the chickens, I get my hose and spray off the bottoms of my rubber boots,”  Alfonse shared while conducting a single-leg exercise during one of his training sessions.  “I  practice this daily to test my balance,” he said as he wobbled and corrected his balance throughout the coordination and balance exercise I was coaching him through.  As he corrected his movements while being on one leg to ensure he didn’t topple over, he continued to share his balance-based experience  he conducts every morning, “I lift my foot behind me, stand on one leg, then point the hose toward the bottom of my foot and spray off the debris that gets stuck on my foot from the bottom of the chicken coop.”

Alfonse does this every day as part of his morning routine.  Not only does he participate in a ritual to take care of his beloved flightless avian friends, but he is also making a ritual to conduct a form of balance training that he may not necessarily consider a form of exercise that keeps him coordinated, strong, and able to function optimally in situations that introduce presentations of imbalance.

Balance is among the top themes of human performance that support a happy, productive, and fulfilling life.  Conducting dynamic activities that require changes of direction, getting up and down from the ground or a seated position, or turning one’s head to prepare for a potential threat are abilities that help us live longer and function effectively in our everyday lives.  The list of benefits of optimal balance can fill the pages of books on library shelves and produce an innumerable number of pages in peer-reviewed journals.  It should go without saying that balance is critically important to our everyday lives.

Similar to the vast list of benefits supported by research comparing individuals with optimal balance versus those with poor balance, there is no shortage of resources to help people conduct balance-based exercises.  Pilates and Yoga classes, personal training services, and a slew of exercise-based videos are available on any streaming device and social media platform.  One would think that we should all be able to move like Mikhail Baryshnikov given the available knowledge.  So, why aren’t people practicing their balance more often if it’s no secret that possessing optimal balance helps us live longer?

A few obstacles impeding the general population’s adherence to exercise might include availability, discipline, and mental capacity.  The demands of our lives to be successful at our jobs, in our interpersonal relationships, and to engage in social interaction require a lot of time and usually take priority in our lives over exercise.  The order of operations in prioritizing professional and family interactions before exercise time can seem more desirable and fulfilling than setting aside time for a gym visit, attending a yoga or Pilates class, or reserving an appointment with your favorite personal trainer.  It’s easy to see how exercise can take a back seat after the need to make money, spend time with loved ones, and relax.  Therefore, exercise can seem like work, a chore, or a mind-numbing wait in line at the DMV.  A way to counteract this and develop small, steady “IV-like” drips of refining balance and fitness variables is to make a little game out of it.

Mini games of balance throughout the day can be engaging, entertaining, and rewarding.  If we look at Alphonze, he’s already facing a balance challenge during his chicken care routine.  He knows it’s a challenge to bend his knee, balance on one leg, turn his head and look behind, then spray off the soles of his feet.  This is a test for his balance, coordination, and multitasking ability.  Combining multiple actions while performing muscular contractions and balance on one lower extremity produces a tremendous amount of neuromuscular interactions, induces the proprioceptive cells to react to corrections of imbalances, and engages the mind to make immediate decisions to either stay upright or get out of an uncomfortable situation that might end in falling over.

Incorporating small challenges of balance throughout everyday life plays a pivotal role in refining strength, injury prevention, and coordination.  An example might include putting socks on your feet without sitting down, such as kneeling down to put on a sock or lifting one foot up from a standing position to pull a sock over the foot.  Another example might include taking the stairs a few times a day rather than using a wheelchair ramp, an escalator, or an elevator.  If these small tests of balance are considered mini games throughout the day and can be accomplished, we get little wins that only take a few seconds to complete.  These little wins play a significant role in improving everyday function, including balance and coordination.

It’s pretty much guaranteed that a thirty- to forty-five-minute exercise routine consisting of a full-body strength and conditioning plan refines fitness levels.  However, let’s not forget how much value daily habits and rituals of testing our balance can be to enhancing our overall quality of life.

Sean McCawley, the founder and owner of Napa Tenacious Fitness in Napa, CA, welcomes questions and comments. Reach him at 707-287-2727, napatenacious@gmail.com, or visit the website napatenaciousfitness.com.

Dec 18

Knee Strength for Everyday Life Activities

The knee joint is comprised of connections between the femur, patella, tibia, and fibula.  These bones have various muscle, tendon, and ligament attachments that create a hinge joint allowing for knee extension and flexion.  The thigh bone is commonly understood as the femur, and the shin bone consists of the tibia and its partner, the fibula.  The knee cap is the patella. Straightening out the knee joint and aligning the thigh and shin bones is knee extension.  Shortening the joint angle and moving the shin bone closer to the thigh bone is knee flexion.  This simple movement of bending and straightening the knee is an important component of daily functioning.  For those of us who don’t think twice about how our knees bend and extend, perhaps it would be helpful to put ourselves in the shoes of the people dealing with afflictions to their knees that don’t bend or extend without extra effort, preparation, muscle stiffness and weakness, or bone-on-bone pain.

Forward strides in walking, stair climbing, and standing up from a seated position require the spine, hips, knees, ankles, and feet to work in unison.  When a joint is impeded by muscle weakness, joint stiffness, or structural damage to the connective tissue of one of the joints, lower-extremity movement can be hindered.  A few examples might include advanced cases of arthritis causing bone-on-bone contact due to cartilage degradation, damage to the structurally supportive tissues such as tendons, ligaments, or menisci. Deconditioning of muscles during the recovery process after knee replacement surgery or a previous injury can also affect knee health.

The two large muscle groups that power knee flexion and extension are the quadriceps and the hamstrings. Originating at the anterior portion of the hip, tracing down the front of the thigh, and attaching onto the proximal portion of the shin just below the knee cap, the quadriceps acts as a pulley that brings the shin toward the front of the body and extends the leg to a straightened position.  The hamstring is located on the posterior aspect of the thigh, originating just below the gluteal fold, extending along the posterior thigh, and attaching to the posterior aspect of the tibia and fibula.  Similar to its neighbor, the quadriceps in the front of the body, the hamstring acts as a pulley, bringing the leg from an extended to a flexed position.

While numerous muscles act as vital knee movers and stabilizers, the quadriceps and hamstrings have large surface areas that cover much of the thigh and produce significant movements that support the hinge-joint properties of the knee, which are bending and straightening.  The knee joint is held together by various ligaments that cross the knee. These ligaments act as brackets to maintain the integrity of the joint.  The knee is also equipped with a cartilaginous pad between the thigh and shin bones, which provides cushioning during lower-extremity compressive forces while walking, stepping down, or standing up from a seated position.  These deep intrinsic connective tissues of the knee, such as the cruciate ligaments and meniscus, don’t heal the same way skeletal muscle does.  In fact, when ligaments and cartilage are damaged, the repercussions of injury can remain for a long time.

A productive strategy to support knee-stabilizing connective tissue is to reinforce the skeletal muscle surrounding the knee.  The hamstring and quadriceps don’t only act as primary motors for significant knee movement, but they also aid in fastening the joints together so they don’t slide too far out of joint alignment.  This means that with strong hamstrings and quadriceps, the integrity of knee ligaments and cartilage can be reinforced.

An exercise we conduct with our personal training clients to strengthen the quadriceps includes the seated knee extension:

To perform the seated knee extension, sit flat on the ground with optimal posture, with one knee extended where the heel is flat on the ground and the other flexed to a position where the entire foot is flat on the ground.  While keeping the toes flexed toward the body, extend one leg as if attempting to touch the back of the knee, and gently contact the ground until a slight muscular sensation is experienced in the quadriceps and kneecap region.  Repeat this movement for five to ten repetitions on each leg.

If we aren’t experiencing knee pain, it’s easy to bypass the need to strengthen them.  However, as life stresses accumulate and age advances, knee issues may become more prevalent.  Perhaps we can spend a little time strengthening the knee muscles before problems arise.

Sean McCawley, the founder and owner of Napa Tenacious Fitness in Napa, CA, welcomes questions and comments. Reach him at 707-287-2727, napatenacious@gmail.com, or visit the website napatenaciousfitness.com.