Cristina Galafate
Updated Tuesday, February 6, 2024-02:08
Contractures, lumbar strains, sciatica... Surely it sounds familiar to you. "The
body
is designed to be in
motion
, but we spend the day sitting," cries
Aleix Gusart Trujillo
(Manresa, December 19, 1991),
a physiotherapist
with a master's degree in
therapeutic personal training
and the title of certified trainer in strength training. functional, in addition to being specialized in the approach of patients with chronic pain.
See this post on Instagram
The mission of this health professional known on networks as
@tufisiotemueve
, where he accumulates followers in the thousands, is evident in the title of his new book:
More movement, less suffering
(Lunwerg Editores), where he describes in a very visual way the power of
physiotherapy
to take care of health and heal injuries or, at least, have a good quality of life without pain.
To what extent does a sedentary lifestyle make us sick?
Sedentary lifestyle is the great pandemic of the 21st century
. Many metabolic diseases happen as a result of not moving. And not to mention lower back pain, which affects a large population. Physical activity watches or bracelets are programmed to alert every hour that we have not moved. Should we schedule these breaks if we don't have one? Without a doubt, it is ideal, but not everyone can. It is complicated if we have a very sedentary job. But even in these cases, if we can ask the boss for a
lift-up desk
, which is very popular now, it will help us work for a few hours standing up. I do it like this myself. In addition to this change, with which you already have a lot of gains, you can take breaks every hour, climbing stairs or going to get water. Is postural hygiene a problem in the population? The
lack of strength exercise
is an even bigger problem important than the correction of our posture. We are increasingly weaker due to the lack of muscles, which support our weight, and this means that we cannot stand up straight and, therefore, we have a less optimal position. And if strength training is so important, What most health professionals insist on, why does it have so much mythology? Luckily, there are fewer and fewer myths because people see the benefits and there is a lot of scientific evidence. I specialize precisely in osteoporosis [causes the bones to weaken and become brittle] and osteopenia [condition in which bone mass is lower] and I just closed a seminar with 19 women in my group program.
We all want to take care of ourselves a little more
, and we are more aware of the benefits of training, but it is true that before women were guided more to exercise to lose weight. Now there is much more information available to everyone thanks to social networks, disseminators, media... Is three hours of training a week worth anything if we are sitting the rest of the time? Is it worth it? Three days is better than nothing, and even with just two days of strength that are well planned and following a progression you already have many benefits. Afterwards, it is important that you try, as much as possible, to walk or cycle
a little
, at least on the weekend to be a little more active. But walking alone is not enough, right? No, of course,
training of strength is essential if we want to age well
. It is vital in women, especially after the age of 40-45, more or less, when the hormonal decline begins with premenopause, menopause and postmenopause. At this stage it will help maintain and prevent the female hormones
estrogen and progesterone from decreasing as much as possible.
and to preserve bone and muscle so that they do not degrade. That's why I put a lot of emphasis on my social networks. What injuries are most common in your practice?
Back pain is widespread in the population, both cervical and lumbar
, affecting 60% of people. There are also many shoulder ailments. Do you relate it to working on computers? The more the sedentary lifestyle increases, the more lumbar pain is observed. It is top one, one of the main causes of disability around the world. You have to think that when we are sitting, great pressure is exerted on the lumbar vertebrae.
Human beings are not made to sit for eight hours.
And what tips do you have to reverse it if there is no other option? Vary your posture and opt for
movement
snacks
. They are small
exercise pills
, like heel raises, a plank, some push-ups... Even if it's just five minutes, move more like the book says. When there is an injury, some professionals, perhaps outdated, say 'don't move further'. Always depending on the case, of course, but moving in an adapted way with a trainer who correctly guides the movements, is it better than remaining prostrate on a sofa? Look, unless you break a bone, you have to immobilize the area completely and it is common sense because you cannot support it, in the rest of the injuries you have to move. Exercising a load little by little after an injury will
stimulate the regeneration of ligaments, muscles...
That is why it is essential and in the book I include numerous meta-analyses of the importance of recovery after a hernia, for example, which in many cases is reabsorbed alone or there are people in whom there is no correlation with pain. And this message is not against doctors, because there are many outdated ones, but physiotherapists too. They are myths from years ago that persist. There is a great consensus on the convenience of warming up before training, but it does not exist in the case of stretching. Many trainers are not in favor of stretching after a workout. What is your point of view? I don't recommend them because people have very little time and want to exercise effectively, so they have no place. It depends on the person, if it suits them, they can dedicate a session just to it, but not after training. Why is mobility confused with flexibility?
As the years go by, mobility is lost
, but it is not necessary to work on it specifically, because it is already exercised with strength training. All my patients gain mobility only by handling loads. A person can be stiff in one joint but move well and there are people with very good mobility who should perhaps emphasize strength. The book incorporates exercises with a ball,
foam roller
...Is it necessary to invest in these utensils? Are there any more useful or basic routines? They are simply tools that help but there is no reason to invest in them out of obligation. If there is pain, self-massage with a tennis ball or
foam
can provide a lot of relief. A
fitball
can be interesting for some back exercises as well. What are your best tips to avoid injuries?
The first, avoid working for eight hours sitting down. The second, strength training.
It saves you headaches, above all. And the third, as I said, movement
snacks
or changing positions every hour. And what would you say to someone who is bored with the gym? You have to find a way. On the street there are bars to train outdoors and at home you can do push-ups. There is no excuse. But does adding loads have more benefits than working only functionally with your own body weight? Both routines are complementary. Pull-ups are an excellent strength exercise, but an externally loaded deadlift or squat has a ton of potential to increase performance. If you only work with your weight, your body adapts to the circumstances.
You have to give different stimuli to the body
to obtain the maximum benefits from a workout. Whether with a barbell adding discs, with dumbbells,
kettlebell
... Is diet also important, understood as nutrition, not as restriction? Of course, because the more overweight we are, the more our joints are loaded. As a healthcare professional, I have the ethical duty to promote health, which begins with movement, but continues with
proper nutrition and rest
. Everything is important for our well-being.
Available here:
More movement, less suffering. The power of physiotherapy to take care of your health
(Lunwerg Editores)