Lymphoedema Clinic Sports Injury Clinic Personal Training In addition to delivering exercise advice and programmes to individuals who have already suffered heart related problems, Lighterlimbs would like to hear from anyone who considers themselves at risk of coronary heart disease. High blood pressure, obesity, smoking, diabetes, raised cholesterol levels are but a few of the risk factors for coronary heart disease. Exercise may help to manage the risk factors and often eliminate them so making the probability of cardiac event much smaller. Cardiac Rehabilitation is of benefit to all age groups. The elderly will benefit from simply improving their ability to perform activities of daily living whilst younger age groups can discover a whole new world of fitness and possibly realize ambitions they thought were unachievable. Injury Rehabilitation  With any injury it is important to firstly diagnose the problem and then to treat the acute symptoms and facilitate healing of damaged tissues. Injuries may be acute and sustained on the sports field or during activity or may be more insidious with symptoms of pain and discomfort occurring without a defined event or trauma. Whatever the cause of an injury, it is important to rehabilitate the damaged joint or soft tissues in order to restore normal function. In addition joint position, posture and biomechanics must be assessed in order to treat underlying causes rather than simply treating the symptoms of injury. Where the injury is a sporting injury, technique and form must be considered if recurrent problems are to be avoided. Injury rehabilitation therefore involves an initial phase of exercises that may include stretching, static muscle contraction and joint mobility. It then must progress through several stages until the rehabilitation exercises become functional and relate to the specific sport or activity the individual wishes to return to. Making exercise rehabilitation functional and sport/activity specific, encourages compliance. An effective training programme prepares the individual for the stresses placed on the injured area once the programme is complete. Given that soft tissue and bone will heal according to the stresses put upon them, it is important to stress tissues for optimal healing. Without a thorough rehabilitation training regime that is patient and sport specific, injury is likely to reoccur. The majority of gym training programmes include a cardio-vascular section, a resistance section for upper and lower body and some floor exercises that may include sit ups and some stretching. Core stability work is often ignored, often because many of the exercises are floor based and perceived as boring. Core stability is however of vital importance in order to optimize performance and reduce the risk of injury. The core isn’t simply about the abdominals and low back – it includes the pelvis, spine and shoulder complex. It is the central area upon which our arms and legs articulate and if the core is strong our limbs will function more effectively and efficiently. Sporting performance along with daily activities will improve and become easier once the core muscles are firstly recognized and then trained and recruited appropriately. In order to make core stability training more interesting and challenging, many of the exercises [once the basics have been learnt] are designed to be functional and specific to an individuals needs. Some of the work is done utilizing the Swiss Ball and can become extremely challenging and addictive! Once the inner core is strong, exercises are progressed to involve both inner and outer core and rather than keeping exercises in one plane of motion, flexion and rotation of the trunk is added to further challenge and replicate daily activity and sporting practice. Personal Training Fitness Training and Weight Loss Whether you want to climb the stairs without getting out of breath, fit into a new outfit or have ambitions to run a marathon, Lighterlimbs can build personalized fitness training programmes that will help you realize ambitions and goals. Ann has a wealth of experience in the fitness industry and can offer one to one personal training, group exercise classes or simply advice and encouragement throughout a training plan. Learning to enjoy exercise and to make exercise a lifestyle choice is paramount. Exercising out of a sense of duty or obligation usually leads to failure. It is therefore a key goal of all training and exercise regimes that they are enjoyable with defined and achievable targets and goals. Cardiac Rehabilitation Ann Le Bek is a qualified cardiac rehabilitation instructor and is able to deliver exercise to individuals or groups who may have: • Coronary Heart Disease • Stable Heart Conditions • Recovering from Cardiac Event • Have undergone cardiac surgery Cardiac Rehabilitation exercise programmes aim to: • Improve existing conditions • Reduce the likelihood of recurrence • Encourage independent exercise and build confidence Core Stability Training Core Stability Training aims to: • Improve posture • Improve balance and co-ordination • Reduce the risk of injury • Lower back pain • Increase ‘core’ strength by working the deep underlying muscles of the stomach and back • Increase muscle power and strength in the rest of the body • Improve activities in normal daily life • Improve dynamic changes of direction • Improve symmetry of the body’s muscles by strengthening your weak side Personal Aesthetics  Fitness Training and Weight Loss Cardiac Rehabilitation Injury Rehabilitation Core Stability Training Media and Research  Appointments Tel: 01529 469278 Mob: 07899 964163 E-mail: ann@lighterlimbs.co.uk