How Far Do You 'Push' Yourself?

 As a test of upper body strength and endurance, the push-up is an ideal exercise.  It’s simple and there’s no equipment required.  

Want to see how fit you are in this area?  The Canadian Standardized Fitness Test in the table below gives you an idea.  This data was developed with men during the push-ups with their toes on the floor while women were tested with their knees on the ground.

Age

15-19

20-29

30-39

40-39

50-59

60-69

M

W

M

W

M

W

M

W

M

W

M

W

Excellent

>39

>33

>36

>30

>30

>27

>22

>24

>21

>21

>18

>17

Above Avg.

>29

>25

>29

>21

>22

>20

>17

>15

>13

>11

>11

>12

Average

>23

>18

>22

>15

>17

>13

>13

>11

>10

>7

>8

>5

Below Avg.

>18

>12

>17

>10

>12

>8

>10

>5

>7

>1

>4

>1

Poor

<18

<12

<17

<10

<12

<8

<10

<5

<7

<1

<4

<1

Want to test yourself against the Canadian Royal Military College standards – the minimum push-up standard is 28 for men and 14 for women.  How about the U.S. Navy SEALS?  

The minimum in 2 minutes is 52 while the average score is 100. 

http://www.cfpsa.com/en/psp/fitness/tasks_e.asp

Tale of The Tape

Kinesiology Tape... It's become as common a visual in athletics as wristbands and running shoes.

Whether you're watching cyclists compete around Squamish or an Olympic sprinter on TV, chances are, you'll see some athlete showing off their colourful 'tape art'.

But what are all these wild and outrageously coloured tape mosaics we see plastered all over our favourite athletes and what are they there for?

Well, with all the advances in sport medicine for addressing sports related injuries and strains in recent years, kinesiology tape has become a recognized practice at all levels of athletics, for providing extra relief and treatment of sore, tender areas of the body in need of repair.

But don't be fooled by the unusual application patterns. No, it's not a case of kinesiologists' inner Picassos gone wild. There's real, scientific method to the seemingly random madness of these unique and sometimes complex applications.

Applied correctly, stretchy kinesiology tape lifts the skin around an injury, allowing for greater blood circulation, speeding and improve healing.

Check out this video, featuring LifeMark Richmond Oval Clinic Director, Melina Kurtakis, demonstrating the application of Rock Tape kinesiology tape to treat an injured knee.

Pool Therapy Making Waves

There's no denying the fact that while sometimes gravity can be our friend, at other times, gravity can be an obstacle that limits our ability to function at optimum efficiency.

For example, after suffering an injury, rehabilitation can be tough enough without gravity getting in the way and making the road to recovery even harder.

Here at our LifeMark Highland Sport and Spine clinic, we treat all kinds of injuries and ailments. Guiding a patient through recovery requires an ongoing regimen of treatment, including exercise.

On dry land, exercises like a simple squat can be an almost overwhelming endeavour for a patient rehabbing from something like hip surgery. Even walking without the aid of a cane or other stabilizing device, can be a real challenge.

But there is a way to beat gravity and help patients recover more easily, without fear and with a lot less pain... pool therapy!

Without the same degree of gravity pulling on our body, a patient's ability to gradually extend range of motion and perform walking and other exercises is greatly increased. And without the same resistance, patients suffer less pain and no longer fear losing balance and falling.

Our partners at LifeMark Esquimalt have produced this short video, featuring LifeMark Kinesiologist Jen Spaans illustrating how pool therapy with a patient recovering from a serious hip injury.