Because of unique issues confronting runners with plantar fasciitis many specialists are now recommending what has been termed “active rest.” This idea has arisen after careful consideration of most common causes of plantar fasciitis in runners:

•Sudden changes in activity level. For example, increasing mileage while training for a marathon •Wearing shoes that may appear to be in good shape, but have actually lost their shock absorbing abilities •Running on high impact surfaces such as concrete •Having tight hamstring and calf muscles •Having high or low arches

Many specialists now recommend that runners switch to running in a pool or traditional swimming to maintain fitness, while at same time reducing amount of stress put on plantar fascia. This active rest can also involve other activities such as biking, though it is recommended that runners first stop experiencing pain before switching to biking.

For those that just can’t stop running they can try reducing their mileage by 90% and slowly working back up over a period or weeks and months as long as condition is improving and there is no pain. If pain increases, pool is best option.

For more information, go to www.aafp.org, www.heelingsolutions.com, www.apma.org

Any competent fitness professional could design an individualized exercise program combining progressive resistance training, anaerobic intervals (when appropriate), aerobic exercise (for recovery purposes), flexibility training, and restoration/recovery methods that would deliver results that are far superior to results delivered by following Curves fitness program. An individualized exercise program that suits your specific exercise and health history, caters to your specific fitness goals (athletic or aesthetic), focuses on metabolism-boosting resistance training methods, and focuses on progressively overloading system in an intelligent manner with a variety of different loading parameters and exercises will far surpass any “one-size fits all” exercise program as found in all Curves centers.

Any current Curves members would be wise to pay attention to nagging pains that are developing (any joint pain or soft-tissue pain that does not diminish in 48 hours). They should also pay attention to any plateaus that are reached in their weight loss or fitness results.

The human body is an amazing adapting machine and eventually body will adapt to stresses (exercise is a stress after all) that you are asking it to perform. If your body has adapted to a specific exercise routine and you continue to subject your body to that routine, you not only run risk of developing overuse injuries but your fat-loss results will come to a screeching halt and you will see no further improvements by following that same program. Here-in lies major weakness of Curves program, it does not change!

There is a concept in exercise physiology known as Progressive Overload. Basically, it means that over time, you have to gradually and intelligently lift more weight, perform more repetitions, or change something about your workouts in a progressive manner in order to see results. Once your body has adapted to a given form of stress, it basically says, “Yeah. We have done this before quite a bit. This stress is nothing new and we don’t have to do anything differently and we don’t have to change.”

If you want to see your body change (i.e. lose fat, get lean) then you must expose your body to varying and progressive stress. I can’t stress this concept enough and any program that does not obey this law is doomed to fail! It has been said that definition of insanity is doing same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.

Understand that Curves is a great program for an absolute beginner but it is a vehicle that can only bring you so far!

WHAT DO I DO IF I AM A CURRENT CURVES MEMBER?

Curves has tapped into a huge market of women exercisers that find comfort in being surrounded by other people that are in same situation as they are. In that regard, Curves is important because it gets more people active and involved with a structured exercise routine. The program that is followed is hardly ideal and is deficient in many aspects. I doubt that franchise will alter parameters of exercise routine any time soon so current Curves member might take some of following advice into consideration.

1.Watch out for overuse injuries that might develop and seek appropriate medical assistance if problems do arise.

2.Pay attention to your body and keep tabs upon your progress. It is always a good idea to check your body fat percentage, body weight, strength levels, girth measurements, energy levels, and track your progress. When your body has adapted to routine provided by Curves, recognize when it is time to move on. Remember that it is a vehicle that will only take you so fat. Once you have adapted to program you will simply be spinning your wheels!

3.It has been said that insanity is doing same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Curves is simply a gateway program. After its full value has been maximized, a member would be wise to seek advice of a qualified fitness professional to determine an individualized plan of action that would lead to further results.

4.If this plan of action does not sound appealing, then budding exerciser should begin a journey into science and practice of shaping their body with tools of progressive resistance training, cardiovascular exercise, and supportive nutritional practices. The resources are out there such as e-mail list serves like “Supertraining,” fitness books, fellow gym members (although not always most accurate of sources), and fitness magazines.

5.The key is to find progress and escape restrictions of simplistic circuit training routine found in Curves. It can be an enjoyable process if approached in appropriate manner. Have fun, keep progressing, and enjoy adventure to discovering your best body!

I would be happy to assist you in any way that I can! Sincerely,

Kyle Battis CSCS, L/ATC, NSCA-CPT Professional Fitness Coaching http://www.profitnesscoaching.com http://www.fatlosskeys.com Concord, NH 03301 (603)-867-4934