My Top 3 Health Articles of the Week - Feb 23rd
- Emma Fillmore
- Feb 23, 2018
- 3 min read
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I do a lot of reading throughout the week so I thought you would save you a little bit of the hard work and share 3 articles I have found useful this week. I'll be covering training, nutrition, lifestyle and women's health in these posts and providing handy bullet points and summaries of the main points for you. I hope you go to bed a little wiser for reading on š¦
This week we're covering pull-ups, cellulite and the number one recommendation for all new mums!
Article 1: 3 Best Exercises For A Stronger Pull-Up
https://www.girlsgonestrong.com/blog/strength-training/3-exercises-for-a-stronger-pull-up/
"Working on pull-ups needs to be approached with the mindset that this process will be a marathon, not a sprintāespecially once you start adding load to your pull-ups."
This article gives some great advice (including videos) on which exercises you should focus on in order to do a pull-up - great for if you're working towards your very first one or looking to increase your reps. In summary you'll need to:
Deadlift - go heavy. You're going to struggle to pull your bodyweight up over a bar if you can't pull a heavy barbell from the floor. I can vouch for this one as I could previously do 2 full pull-upsā¦until I injured my knee and stopped deadlifting!
Work your core - hollow holds to increase trunk tension and stability.
Hangout - work on your grip strength with some hangs - straight arms, flexed arms and even weighted hangs. Make sure lats are engaged and shoulders are retracted down your back.
Article 2: Estrogen - your key to leaner legs
http://m10life.com/content/estrogen-your-key-to-leaner-legs/
"Just like so many treatments nowadays, the external symptom (cellulite) is treated and not the actual underlying cause. So in this article I'm going to explore the causes and then give you some top tips to help you achieve the lean and cellulite free legs that you want."
Excess estrogen has been linked with difficulty shift fat, especially from the lower body where we are more prone to cellulite. Many products and toxins we are exposed to on a daily basis are endocrine disruptors, meaning they upset our natural hormone balance. The top things to avoid to reduce your exposure to estrogen and hormone disrupting toxins:
Plastic food wrapping
Xenoestrogens - chemicals found in processed foods and packaging
Pesticides and herbicides
Contraceptive pill
Cosmetics
HRT
Household cleaning equipment
Plastic bottles
Chemicals to especially watch out for are bisphenol A, phthalates and parabens.
What can you do?
Exercise
Avoid processed foods and pesticides and eat organic where possible
Fix your gut with a good probiotic
Take a multivitamin
Fish oil supplements - most of us are Omega 3 deficient
Support your liver with lean protein, folic acid, antioxidants such as zinc, vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium and copper
Check the chemicals in your cosmetic and household products - www.ewg.org
Consume lots of cruciferous vegetables
Article 3: Why Every New Mother Should See a Pelvic Health Physiotherapist
https://www.girlsgonestrong.com/blog/pregnancy/every-new-mother-see-physical-health-physiotherapist/
"A PHPT typically sees women wh o are dealing with:
Incontinence (urinary, fecal, and/or gas)
Pelvic organ prolapse (a condition where the pelvic organs have lost structural support)
Pelvic pain
Painful sex
Diastasis recti
Back, hip, sacrum or coccyx pain
Women who are not currently experiencing signs of dysfunction, but are looking to recover well from birth"
The last line here is key - even if you think you feel fine and have no symptoms of dysfunction a check-up is important to ensure you have the best recovery from birth possible and can return to exercise safely & with confidence.
If you have any burning health and fitness questions not covered here please get in touch!
Emma x
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