Kingston Massage Therapy - Hilary Insall

26/04/2024

V̇O2 max is the maximum rate of oxygen consumption attainable during physical exertion.

Even if you are not an athlete, improving your Vo2 max can potentially improve your overall health.
Increasing your overall levels of cardiovascular fitness and vo2 max is associated with benefits such as:

increased lifespan
better quality of life
reduced stroke risk
reduced risk of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer
improved mood
better sleep

Elite athletes, such as competitive distance runners, racing cyclists or Olympic cross-country skiers, may do specific training to increase their vo2 max.

Ways to increase vo2 max:

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT): This involves alternating short bursts of intense exercise with periods of rest or recovery. Examples include sprinting intervals or hill repeats. HIIT forces your body to adapt quickly, improving VO2 max.

Tempo Runs: Maintain a comfortably hard pace for a sustained period, typically 20-30 minutes. This challenges your aerobic system and builds endurance, a key component of VO2 max.

Threshold Training: This pushes your lactate threshold, the point where your body starts producing more lactate than it can clear. Running slightly below this pace for extended periods improves VO2 max and race pace.

Strength Training: Don't neglect strength training. Strong muscles improve running form and efficiency, minimizing energy expenditure and allowing you to push harder.

Monitor Progress: Track your VO2 max using a metabolic cart test at a lab or estimate it with fitness trackers. Monitor improvements over time to gauge the effectiveness of your training.

Listen to Your Body: VO2 max training is demanding. Ensure adequate recovery between sessions and prioritize sleep. Don't hesitate to consult a healthcare professional before starting a new program, especially if you have any pre-existing health conditions.

The measurement of V̇O2 max in the lab can provide a
value of endurance fitness for comparison of individual training effects and between people in endurance training.
oxygen consumption reflects cardiorespiratory fitness and endurance capacity in exercise performance.

Iron & beta alanine may be beneficial supplementation for this purpose.

By incorporating VO2 max training into your routine, you'll not only see improvements in your athletic performance but also experience a range of health benefits that contribute to a longer, more fulfilling life. Remember, consistency is key. So lace up your shoes, push your limits, and breathe easy knowing you're investing in your overall well-being.

20/06/2023

Looking after IT band

The IT band is a thick fibrous band of fascia that runs along the outside of the leg. It attaches to the side of the knee and runs up to the hip. It is mostly made up of collagen fibres. The Fascia of the ITB has only a small blood supply, and these collagen fibres do not stretch or contract whereas muscle fibres contract .

The IT band has no active control over how tight it feels. The muscles that attach onto the IT band cause it to become tight.

The muscles to target when you want to reduce the strain on the IT band are the ones that attach onto it either side of it. These include gluteus maximus gluteus medius, tensor fascia latae (TFL), and Bastia lateral is in the quadriceps.

Longitudinal strokes along the muscle belly can be applied and the amount of pressure applied can be adapted by placing the other foot on the floor with bent leg. spend about 1 minute per leg initially if this is tolerable , and work up to 90 seconds.

Point pressure is when you sustain pressure on a painful point. This can be extremely painful when done with a foam roller and a massage gun may be far more effective for this job.

The pressure applied should be bearable and not painful. Too much pressure and pain will cause the muscles surrounding the area to guard and contract. So has the opposite effect than is desired.

ITB syndrome

Foam rolling can help to reduce pain and tightness when you have IT band syndrome, but this relief is transient. To get rid of it permanently and prevent it from coming back, you have to address the underlying cause of the issue. This may mean strengthening or releasing tightness and stretching the Tensor fascia latae / gluteus maximus.

Rolling the painful area to the side of the knee is not a good idea as it may become damaged and become more painful. Aggressive foam rolling may make ITB syndrome worse by causing a compression injury.

IN my experience stretching the muscles around the ITB may help to release the area but stretching the ITB itself rarely helps although you will find these stretches online.
Foam rolling the surrounding muscles may be effective Gently working along the ITB with a massage gun can be very effective. Dry
Cupping and Dry Needling the area along with massage can be extremely effective along with massage and treatment with G5 machine. And this is the way I will generally treat the area at Kingston Massage Therapy.

Check out the brilliant ‘Bob & Brad’ YouTube clip also.

How to Fix Iliotibial Band Syndrome for GoodBob and Brad discuss how to treat IT band, or iliotibial band, syndrome for good. They describe the location and ...

20/06/2023

Functions of Leptin

Leptin is a peptide hormone produced by the fat cells in the human body, ( mammary gland, o***y, skeletal muscle, stomach, pituitary gland and lymphoid tissue may also produce leptin.

Its main role is to regulate fat storage and appetite but it also has other functions (see chart).

People who have obesity and high levels of fat with fat / muscle ratio have high levels of leptin as the amount of leptin produced relies on fat levels.

In this case the leptin signal isn’t working due to a condition known as leptin resistance. Leptin resistance can cause excwssive hunger signals & causes the body to reduce fat burning.

18/06/2023

Low levels of magnesium are linked to numerous adverse effects, including depression, heart disease, and diabetes. Taking a magnesium supplement may have several health benefits.

Magnesium glycinate

Formed of elemental magnesium and glycine – a type of amino acid, Glycine is believed to be the most important nonessential amino acid in humans.
It acts as a neurotransmitter in the central nervous system, and as a result, magnesium glycinate is often used to support sleep issues, stress issues and help with relaxation.
But it is also used to treat symptoms of PMS, memory function, muscle cramps and headaches.

Magnesium malate

This specific type of magnesium is formed by combining magnesium with malic acid.
Like magnesium citrate, magnesium malate may also be used as a laxative if you experience irregular bowel movements. Magnesium malate is occasionally recommended to treat fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms also.

Magnesium taurate

Magnesium taurate contains the amino acid taurine Research suggests that adequate intakes of taurine and magnesium play a role in regulating blood sugar. And may help with issues of insulin resis

Magnesium and taurine together also support healthy blood pressure

Magnesium L-threonate

Magnesium L-threonate is the salt formed from mixing magnesium and threonic acid, a substance derived from the metabolic breakdown of vitamin C. This form is bio available and easily absorbed by the body. Research notes it may be the most effective type for increasing magnesium concentrations in brain cells

Magnesium L-threonate is often used for its potential benefits for the brain and may help manage certain brain disorders, such as depression, Alzheimer’s disease, and age-related memory loss.

Magnesium orotate

Magnesium orotate includes orotic acid, a substance used by the body to construct genetic material, including DNA.

It’s easily absorbed and does not have the strong laxative effects characteristic of other forms or magnesium

research suggests it may promote heart health due to orotic acid’s unique role in the energy production pathways in your heart and blood vessel tissue. So it is popular among athletes and fitness enthusiasts, but it may also aid people with heart disease.

04/05/2023

26/03/2023

Hip Adductor / Groin Stretch

18/02/2023

www.kingstonmassagetherapy.co.uk

Offering :

Sports massage

Deep tissue massage

Manual lymphatic drainage

Dry cupping

Dry needling

Kinesio taping

Joint mobilisations

Electro therapy