Tag Archives: athletic preformance

Baseball and Pilates

I’m loving this season at the baseball field 
cheering on my son and his team.  Aren’t they cute???
  I love watching their hard work pay off as the kids improve in their skills.  They throw, bat and catch over and over and over to develop the muscle memory to perfect the form for each skill.  
Sport specific practice on the field is essential, but it’s not the only way to improve as an athlete.  I love that Coach Tim encourages our boys to take gymnastics.  He understands how important core strength, balance, agility and coordination is for these boys. 
 These skills will make them more efficient!

In addition to gymnastics, 
Pilates exercises should be at the foundation of a baseball players workout.
LIVESTRONG talks about how pilates is a great way to improve specific skills for baseball.  

  • Pilates exercises strengthen the hip flexors that assist in rounding bases and catching balls while off balance and on the move.
  • Pilates exercises increase flexibility that will greatly reduce the chance of injury on the field.
  • A specific example is the single straight leg stretch which can improve core endurance and flexibility of the hamstring.  This in-turn will generate torque in baseball specific movement.
Read more at LIVESTRONG.com



Aubrey Huff of the San Francisco Giants gives credit to Pilates for his great shape and how he felt in 2010 when he was one of the best hitters in the major leagues.


Huff’s wife is a Pilates instructor, and before the 2010 season he did it three times a week. His muscles felt better, his back didn’t hurt as much and his general sense of well-being was enhanced.  



Read more about Aubrey Huff’s Pilates testimony here. 



 “I want to be one of THOSE kind of baseball players… a major league player.”

Iver Benson, age 6                   

                                                                                   


WHAT IS HAPPENING WHILE WE SLEEP???

I want to start by saying “Thank you” to my dog- Apple– for modeling for us today.
When we sleep our body repairs!
    • Exercising:  during resistance training, the muscles actually tear.   While sleep, the muscle rebuilds stronger to adapt to the new load demanded of it.

 

  • Sickness: during sleep, extra protein molecules are produced that help the immune system to strengthen and mend after being compromised by pollutants and infectious bacteria.

 

 

  • Growth:  we can’t forget that kids do a lot of growing during those important hours of sleep.

 

New studys are suggesting that getting the right 
amount of sleep may…
  • improve memory the brain appears to restructure and reorganize memories- they become stronger
  • improve inflammation– research suggests that people who get fewer hours of sleep—six or less per night—have higher blood levels of inflammatory proteins
I look like I need sleep!

  • improve performance- A study conducted by Stanford University looked at college football players.  Those who got 10 hrs of sleep for 7-8 weeks had improved sprint time.  They also had less fatigue and stamina in the day.

  • improve grades- sleep deprivation impairs learning
  • improve attentionadults get sleepy with lack of zzzz’s, but kids get hyperactive, are inattentive and impulsive  (ADHD-like symptoms)
  • encourage a healthy weight when sleepy, hormones that increase appetite increase in the blood; studies also show that people who were well rested lost more body fat and those who were sleep deprived lost muscle mass

  • and decrease car accidentsin 2009, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that being tired accounted for the highest number of fatal single-car crashes where the driver ran off the road. A higher number than crashes caused by alcohol! Lack of sleep affects decision making and reaction time.
So how much sleep do we need to get these wonderful benefits?
 
according to Better-Sleep-Better-Life.com

Newborns (0-2 months old) 12-18 hours
Infants (3-11 months old) 14-15 Hours
Toddlers (1-3 years old)l 12-14 Hours
Pre-schoolers (3-5 years old) 11-13 Hours
School-aged Children (5-10 years old) 10-11 Hours
Teens (11-17 years old) 8-9 Hours
Adults 7-9 Hours
 So yes maybe I just want to show off my cute kids and my dog, but I also want us to look at our sleep time as HEALTHCARE!
 It’s necessary for us to be our best… to be on top of our game!
Apple seems to have sleep figured out.
 Let’s take our cues from her and get some!
Sweet Dreams