Innholdsfortegnelse for July - August 2021 i Muscle & Fitness Hers South Africa

Committing yourself to an active lifestyle has many positive effects on both your body and mind and a vital key to that success is finding the right balance between work, leisure, and fitness. Now, HERS is on a mission to find that balance and we've got just the right person to get us started, meet Olivia Valdmets, who's not only adept at finding balance in the busiest of lifestyle situations, but also using her unique talent for time management to achieve great things. Here, Liv shares her personal life experiences and gives us advice on how finding your own balance can change your life for the better! It's great to have you Liv, could you give our readers a short introduction about yourself, where you're from, what you're doing at…

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS If you experience severe hip pain during and after running, or tend to shift the majority of your weight to one hip, you may suffer from gluteus medius tendinosis, aka “dead butt syndrome”. Your three gluteal muscles are all attached to the pelvis. If the larger gluteus maximus becomes weak, the smaller gluteus medius muscle takes on a workload it can’t handle, causing inflammation, damage, and pain. HOW DO YOU FIX IT? Left untreated, your knees, Achilles tendons, calves, and feet may be affected as they try to compensate for the pain and inflammation, so see a sports therapist for treatment. The syndrome can be reversed by consistently exercising the glute muscles on all planes (front-back, side-to-side, and rotationally).…

The glute-hamstring tie-in is an area that should not be overlooked. “This is actually one of the most important joinings in your body because most posture problems begin here”, explains IFBB figure pro and trainer Gennifer Strobo. “Strong glutes help support the lower back. If the glutes are weak, other muscles in the area will take over. When they get overworked, they can cause pain in the lower spine and even the knees. The glutes and hamstrings also need to be strong to stabilise the hips, which, when unstable, will make you more prone to shin splints, sprains, and knee pain.”…

AS AN AVID gymnast, boxer, weightlifter, and CrossFitter, I’m accustomed to the occasional ache or minor injury. But after years of overuse, I found the nagging pain in my shoulder muscles was getting to be a daily hassle. Endless prehab and rehab resistance and dumbbell drills targeting my rotator cuff muscles and labrum (the soft fibrous tissue that surrounds the shoulder socket, helping stabilise the joint) did little to no good. Then I discovered hanging. Hanging from a bar - also known as brachiating - is a common practice among gymnasts; more recently, functional fitness enthusiasts say it’s something we should all be doing a lot more of. “By design, the shoulder is the most mobile joint in the entire body”, explains Johnny Cooke, an exercise physiologist and co-owner of…

1. In the mirror - In front of a mirror, check for any changes in the normal look and feel of your breasts, such as dimpling, size difference or nipple discharge. Inspect four ways: arms at sides; arms overhead; firmly pressing hands on hips and bending forward. 2. Lying down - Lie on your back with a pillow under your right shoulders and your right hand under your head. With the three middle fingers of your left hand make small circular motions, follows an up and down pattern over the entire breast area, under the arms and up to the shoulder bone, pressing firmly. Repeat using right hand on left breast. 3. While bathing - With your right arm raised, check your right breast with a soapy left hand and…

It’s a pretty common scenario: You, on the couch, clutching a pillow, cursing your cramps. In fact, dysmenorrhea (the scientific term for pain associated with menstruation) affects about half of all women who get their period for at least one or two days each month. But discomfort doesn’t have to be a regular occurrence. Follow these strategies to keep you feeling strong and healthy all month long. 1 GET AHEAD “Most period cramps are caused by an overproduction or oversensitivity to the hormone prostaglandin", explains Mary Jane Minkin, MD, a clinical professor of obstetrics, gynaecology, and reproductive sciences at Yale School of Medicine in the US. “Prostaglandins help the uterine muscles contract, but they can also cause other muscles like those in the gut to contract, causing pain as well…

So, let’s start at the beginning, your GYM BAG. Look for a gym bag that has convenient compartments and is suitable for dry and wet storage. One of our favourite gym bags is the Nike Radiate which sports a separate shoe compartment that is ventilated and durable. The ventilated zip pocket in the front can store your wet and dry essentials and the coated bottom panel will help to keep your gear dry. The main compartments open wide for easy access and there is also an internal pocket that will protect your valuables. R750, nike.com A GYM TOWEL is a no brainer. HERS loves the Microfibre Gym Towel from Bobums. It’s very compact, lightweight and features zip storage for the things you just have to have with you when you're…

Carrie Goforth is not a newbie when it comes to the discipline of being an athlete. Starting gymnastics at just five years of age, she just grew her sporting career from there to earning her IFBB Pro status in the bikini division this year. But it wasn’t always easy. Carrie was born with a congenital heart defect and kidney disease and this is a daily battle for her, then add everything else that life has to throw at you. But nothing has stopped her in her pursuit to reach her goals and live a fulfilled life. We know that our HERS readers will be motivated and inspired by Carrie’s story. IN A FEW WORDS COULD YOU PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO OUR READERS? I come from a mixed-race family. My mother’s…

NUTRITION USN TRUST CRUNCH BAR UK The ideal light meal or snack replacement bar. Trust Crunch bars contain 20g of protein. Available in White Choc Cookie Dough, Cookies and Cream as well as Fudge Brownie flavours. R419.00 for 12, usn.co.za NUTRITION OPTIMUM NUTRITION NATURALLY FLAVOURED OATS AND WHEY Oats and whey are foundational elements of any athlete’s diet. Oats are a complex carbohydrate providing energy to support strength and endurance training. Whey is a rapidly digested complete protein with all the essential amino acids to help support muscle recovery. By combining whole oat flour with whey isolate and whey concentrate, we’ve created an easy-to-mix nutritional powerhouse that frees you from the hassle of making this stack in an electric blender. We think you‘ll agree that our Naturally Flavoured Oats and…

MAXIMUS The maximus is one of the strongest muscles in your body. It’s responsible for the movement of your thigh and hip and is used when doing activities like rising from a sitting position, bent-leg deadlifting, and sprinting. B. GLUTEUS MEDIUS The medius runs from the top of the femur to your pelvic bone and is partially covered by the gluteus maximus. The medius helps enable a steady walking gait, is involved in lateral movements, and plays a key role in stabilising the hips and pelvis when running. C. GLUTEUS MINIMUS The minimus helps with the rotation of the thigh at your hip. It works with the gluteus medius to stabilise the hip and pelvis when your opposite leg is raised from the ground.…

1 Grasp a bar or sturdy tree branch with palms forward, as if you were going to perform a pull-up. 2 Start with a partial hang: With your feet on the floor or a bench, allow your body to hang down from the bar with shoulders completely relaxed. If your grip gets tired, come off the bar and repeat. Hang for about two minutes, working up to five. 3 Move into a full hang: Hang from the bar with your feet off the floor. Keep your body as still as possible and your shoulders completely relaxed. Work up to five minutes in the full hang. 4 Progress to a two-armed swing: Once you ace the full hang, add gentle two-armed swings for progression. Simply rock your body back and forth…

Mint Cucumber Citrus Water Cucumbers are not only incredibly refreshing, they are also packed with antioxidants and antiinflammatories. “I love to snack on the fruit after it’s been sitting in the water — it gets really plump and delicious!” says Lakatos. INGREDIENTS ¼ cucumber, thinly sliced ¼ lemon, sliced 1 lime, quartered ¼ cup mint * 250ml DIRECTIONS 1. Place cucumber, lemon, lime, and mint into a glass and add water. 2. Allow ingredients to sit for 15 to 30 minutes before drinking. (The longer they sit, the more intense the flavour.) PER SERVING (INCLUDING CUCUMBER) Calories: 11, Fat: 0g, Carbs: 3g, Fibre: 0.4g, Protein: 0.5g Pineapple Lemon Ginger Water Pineapple gives sweetness while adding only 13 calories and providing the digestion-improving enzyme bromelain, along with vitamin C. Lemon boosts…

Cat/Cow WHY IT HELPS Relieves lower back pain HOW TO Begin on all fours, back flat and abs engaged. Inhale; on the exhale, round spine toward ceiling, dropping head toward floor (“cat”). Inhale, arching your back and lifting head and tailbone (“cow”). Continue moving from cat to cow for 10 to 12 smooth breaths. Pigeon WHY IT HELPS Opens hips HOW TO Begin in downward dog, hands and feet on floor, hips lifted. Place right knee under right shoulder, keeping shin as parallel as possible to front of mat. Place palms or forearms on floor, feeling the stretch along right hip. Stay four to six breaths; switch legs. Extended Child’s Pose WHY IT HELPS Stretches lower back HOW TO Kneel on floor with toes and knees together. Lower arms toward…

WHAT’S THE KEY TO GETTING A CURVED, firm, and totally tight backside? A full-scale attack on the muscles. “Your glutes respond best when they are targeted from different angles and movement patterns,” says Hers technical adviser Gino Caccavale. This multiangled approach goes far beyond traditional squats to target your abductors (outer hips) as well as your glutes, so you’re lifting and toning all the lower posterior muscles for a rounded, more symmetrical look. IFBB bikini pro Ana Delia De Iturrondo shows us how she helps keep her enviable lower half in top shape! WIDE UP AND BACK BOUNDING WORKS: GLUTES, THIGHS; BUILDS EXPLOSIVE STRENGTH › Stand in an open area, feet hip-distance apart. Squat down, bringing fists in front of chin and keeping weight over heels. › Explosively make two…

1 LYING STRETCH Lie on back with legs straight and hands by sides. Bend left leg, holding leg behind knee. Gently pull knee into chest. Try to keep your head and shoulders on the floor during the stretch. 2 FIGURE-FOUR STRETCH Lie on back with feet flat on the floor. Cross left ankle over right knee. Place hands behind right thigh and pull right leg toward you, keeping head and shoulders on the floor. Release the stretch; switch sides. 3 PRIMAL SQUAT STRETCH Stand barefoot with feet hip-width apart. Slowly squat down until thighs are resting against calves and shoulders are between knees. Keep heels flat on the floor and head up. Hold in that position for 30 seconds. If you are new to this stretch, try holding a door…

In 2015, you lost 50 pounds while touring. What prompted that lifestyle change? I’m 31 years old. I’ve been touring since the age of 15, and it causes so much wear and tear on your body. Around age 28, I made a switch because I realized my body wasn’t recovering the way that it had. If you don’t take care of your body, your body will break down fast. I also think a big part of the weight loss was coming off alcohol. What was the first step you took to living a healthier life on the road? I switched my going out to the bar after the show to getting up early for the gym. Getting healthy meal delivery was also a huge catalyst. I’ve been eating Trifecta foods…

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