An important aspect of fitness that many people skip is recovery.

I work with athletes, and non-athletes everyday that push hard, train to exhaustion and do all of the right things, but many skip a step that is vital to their strength gains, fat loss, performance, and physical health…recovery.

Recovery is vital if you want to be healthy and reach your fitness goals.

Check out this quick video where I talk about recovery and some things you can do to boost your recovery and stay healthy.

http://tinyurl.com/4ob3bg

I always like to ask people that workout why they are working out, or why they are training. Sometimes I hear things like “To stay healthy”, or “To get into shape”, and I always follow it up with “why do you need to get into shape”?

That is a trick question for people. Many just stare at me blankly and don’t know what to say.

I like to offer up that people should be training for the most important event they will ever encounter…LIFE. “Train for life”.

Life is tough, and full of obstacles. Most people think in terms of emotional and mental hurdles when thinking of the trials of life. I believe that there are just as many physical obstacles in life as well, and if you are not ready for them, things can and will get very rough…Especially as you climb in age.

If you can continue to compete and play some sort of sport as you get older, that is great and yes, you should train for that, but life is a 24/7, 365 days a year contest. Are you ready?

Life has some basic physical hurdles that you need to be ready for each day. Below I have outlined what I think are the most important areas that should be trained as you go through life so you can not just keep up, but also excel and win!

• Squatting - You will have to squat in life. Sometimes a lot during the day. As you get older and your knees give you problems, squatting gets harder and most people try to avoid it. When training for life, have a component of squatting in your plan. This does not have to be Olympic weight lifting, or even using weights at all. Body weight or bands will work well too. But either way, make sure that you have some kind of squatting motion in your training plan.

• Pulling - You will have to pull things all day long whether you know it or not. Some things are so simple, we don’t even think about them, but others are much harder. Will you be able to keep up? Pulling a grocery bag or your child, grandchild and even pet off of the ground can be tough for people that don’t have the strength or body stability to do this. Pulling a cord on the lawn mower, or leaf blower can be tough for people as well. Include pulling in your plan. Again, weights are not necessary.

• Pushing or pressing - Whether you are putting something on a shelf above your head in a closet, or pushing a table against the wall, pushing is something we do everyday and all day. Make sure you have horizontal pushing and vertical pressing in your plan as well.

• Twisting or Rotation - Sitting at your desk and turning to answer the phone is a form of rotation. Picking up that baby, and twisting him/her straight so you can see them, is a combination movement, but is based on twisting. We twist and rotate a lot. It needs to be trained in life too.

• Combination movements - Putting it all together is essential in life training. Squatting down to grasp a bag, and then pulling the bag off of the floor, rotating as your press it over your head and push it to the back of the shelf, includes all of the motions that we talked about.

• Other movements - Grasping, gripping, stabilizing are motions that are just as important to train.

Take home message: In life movement happens and you need to be ready for it. As you get older, movement usually gets tougher…however it doesn’t have to. Remember, train for life, and you will excel at it and be able to take on anything it throws at you

This week Mike and I talked about my new Men’s Fitness article and more specifically about working on and building up your “core.” We addressed the importance of squatting (no matter how old you are or what problems you might have) and I shared what I think are the most necessary areas to work on when you start your fitness journey.

Make sure you check out this week’s episode and be sure to check out Naked Nutrition Radio for past interviews and future interviews as well. Mike does a great job at getting outstanding information on fitness and nutrition to everyone.

Check out this weeks interview here: http://nakednutritionnetwork.com/radio/

Remember, this is a basic list. There are plenty of other exercises that you can do too. Start with these and move up from there.

• Squats - Whole body exercise that should already be part of your program. Make sure to incorporate one-legged squats into your training.

2. Dead lifts -  This is another exercise that will work the entire body as well as focusing on the hip complex. Make certain to keep a straight, neutral back. Perform these with your knees bent slightly to about 20 degrees. Pitch your butt tight as you extend (up movement) your hips. This is one of the best exercises out there for many things, but essential for a healthy hip complex! If you are not certain you can do these next to perfect, find someone that can help you do the correctly.

3. Russian Hamstring Curls - Start on your knees with a partner holding onto your ankles from behind. While trying to keep the hip extended and the back in neutral, slowly lean forward from the knees, using the glutes to keep the hips straight. Lean forward as far as your hamstring strength will let you, ultimately aiming for at least a 45 degree angle. If possible,  pull yourself back upwards. If you cannot do this, then fall to the floor carefully and catch yourself in the push up position. This is an extremely tough exercise and may take a while to get it. Since you will be producing an eccentric load while doing these, limit this exercise to once a week.

4. Band Walks - Get a theraband or theratubing and tie the ends together. Place your feet into the newly made circle. Open your legs and make the band tight. Walk side ways across the floor very slowly and deliberately while fighting against the resistance of the band. Come back across the room working the other side. Do this with your knees bent and then perform with your knees straight.

Tight Hip Flexors : I would be willing to bet that most of the people reading this have tight hip flexors. How can I make this bet? In the 15 plus years I have been working with athletes and non-athletes, most of the people that walked through my door had tight hip flexors.

So you have tight hip flexors, now what?

• Box Lunge and stretch - This is a two in one exercise that will not only loosen up your tight hip flexors, but it will also stretch your glutes, and upper hamstrings as well. Find a box or platform that is above knee height, and place one of your feet on the top of the box. Your up knee should be bent more than 90 degrees. Slowly lean forward, placing more weight on the box. Keep the opposite, weight bearing leg in one place and fairly straight as you lean forward. You should start to feel a stretch in the front of the straight leg. You may also feel a stretch in your glute area and even a little in the mid to back thigh muscles (adductors, hamstrings.) If you are tight in the hips, this is a great stretch and will get more than you bargained for. Hold each stretch for 20 seconds and perform 5 reps. Switch sides and repeat.

An advanced tip for your hips flexors and groin area is to hold this same stretch but rotate slightly (and slowly) towards the bent knee.

Tip Hip Rotators - If you have found that your hip rotators are tight, you need some work to get the hips healthy. Try these exercises and watch your limitations go away in the next few weeks.

• While lying on your back bend one of you knees to 90 degrees and rotate your leg in (like you are going to cross that foot over your opposite knee.) Grab onto the bent knee with one hand and your ankle of the same leg, with the other hand. Pull your bent leg up towards your chest, being extra careful not to torque the knee (apply even pressure.) Pull your ankle and knee evenly until you feel a stretch deep in your glute area. Once you feel that stretch, hold it for 20 seconds. Repeat 5 times and switch legs.

This stretch will loosen up your external rotators in your hip very well and if you have back pain, may very well help get rid of it.

Sleeping glutes - If you found that your hamstrings are overactive and your glutes are sleeping at the wheel, you need to work on activating them for not only hip health, but for back, knee and overall body health.

•  Using the test that you performed to find out if your glutes were really asleep is one of the best ways to activate them. Here is a review
• Lie on your back with your knees bent to 90 degrees. While lying, with your back flat against the floor, drive your heels into the floor and elevate your hips. Perform this motion for about 20 straight reps. If you feel a burning and/or tightness in your hamstrings more than you do in your glutes (butt), this means your glutes are not working as they should. Even if you do feel it more in your glutes, chances are you need work. We all do.

Perform this exercise in the same way except hold each bridge for 5 seconds, making sure to consciously squeeze your butt each rep. You can also bring your heels in closer to your butt before you start. Over time, your glutes will kick in and take over. Do this exercise everyday until you notice a difference. By day three you should feel your glutes working more than your hamstrings.

•  Band Walks - Find an elastic band or tubing and tie it into a small circle. Place it around your ankles and spread your legs until the band is tight. Start to walk sideways spreading your lead leg as far as you can. Pick up your back leg (in other words, don’t drag it) and bring it close to your lead leg, while walking across the floor. Make sure you always have tension on the band. Walk across the floor at least 15 steps before simply changing lead legs and coming back to where you started. You should feel a burning in the sides of your hips. Perform 2 sets up and back. For the first set, keep your legs relatively straight. For the second set, slightly bend your knees while doing this.

This is a great way to fire up your smaller, but just as important glute muscles.

Prevent Exercises:

To ensure that you maintain mobile, flexible and fired up hips (in other words “Healthy Hips”) here are some exercises that I like to do with my clients to keep them healthy and at the top of their game.

• Deep Squat Holds - Spread your legs past shoulder width and work on slowly squatting as deep as you can while keeping your back fairly straight. Once you find a spot where you cannot squat any deeper without discomfort or pain, hold that position for 30 seconds. Repeat about 5 times.  To add some extra work, once you are in that position, push your knees out slightly with your elbows. This will put your adductors, and rotators on stretch, while forcing your other muscles to brace and fire. This is an excellent exercise to stretch and fire up your hips in a simple and safe manner. Each time out, try to go deeper and with your legs spread a little more.
• Mule Kicks - If you really want to fire up your glutes try this simple exercise. Bend over a table or bed, or even a bench face down. Brace yourself with your hands while you kick one of your legs up and back. Make sure to extend your hip while slightly bending your knee. Once you kick that leg up and back, hold it for a count of 3 seconds. Return and repeat about a total of 12 times. Switch legs. This exercise will surely fire up your glutes and get them firing the way they should.

**if you have low back problems, be careful doing these in the beginning.

Try these exercises and watch your limitations shake loose before your eyes. You will move better and feel better after the first few sessions.

Tight, and/or underdeveloped hips will cause knee problems along the way. Low back problems usually find their roots with bad hips. Most people have tight hip flexors, weak glutes, and under developed lateral hip muscles….not to mention horrible rotation in the hip joint. All of these issues will surely cause major imbalances in the rest of the body, especially the lower extremity.

Chronic hamstring pulls can be directly related to tight and under-trained hips. Just by correcting the hip area, you can solve many of these issues.

Three common hip problems that you probably have and how to assess your situation:

• Tight hip flexors - These are the muscles and tendons in the front of your hips. How do you know you have tight hip flexors? Lie down on your back, and pull one of your knees to your chest while keeping the other leg extended and flat against the floor. If that extended leg pops up as your bent knee approaches your chest, you have tight hip flexors. Test both legs.
• Tight hip rotators - Your rotators are found deep in your hip. These are very important muscles for health and performance. While sitting with your back straight, cross your right leg over your left knee (placing the outside of your right foot on your left knee/thigh.) If your right knee sticks up in the air and does not lie parallel to the floor (or close to parallel) then you probably have tight rotators. Make sure you test both sides.
• Glute muscles are “asleep.” - What this means is that your glutes are not firing as they should and your hamstring is doing all of the work. Most people that have sitting jobs or sit for the majority of the day have this problem. This will lead to tight and strained hamstrings, hip pain, low back pain, and a host of other problems, including minimal strength levels during training. One way to help tell for sure you have sleeping glutes is to lie on your back with your knees bent to 90 degrees. While lying, with your back flat against the floor, drive your heels into the floor and elevate your hips. Perform this motion for about 20 straight reps. If you feel a burning and/or tightness in your hamstrings more than you do in your glutes (butt), this means your glutes are not working as they should. Even if you do feel it more in your glutes, chances are you need work. We all do.