Medical Exercise Trainers

Children should be active for at least an hour daily.

Sports, dance, swimming, or biking are great options.

How do you keep your child active?

Share your favorite activities!

Healthy eating habits are crucial for children. Ensure balanced meals with plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins.

Include them in the process of cooking and choosing what to eat.

What’s your child’s favorite healthy meal? Let’s exchange ideas!

Children need 10-12 hours of sleep each night.

A quiet, dark, and cool room helps improve sleep quality.

What’s your bedtime routine?

Do you read your kid(s) a book?

Share your tips!

Most children between the ages of 2-4 years have lots of energy to use up. Here are some helpful tips on how to best harness that energy:

Encourage Active Play
Aim for at least 3 hours of physical activity spread throughout the day. This can include light activity and more energetic play.
Promote active play using climbing frames, riding bikes, playing in water, and engaging in chasing games. These activities are perfect for this age group.

Focus on Fun and Variety
Keep activities enjoyable: Children are more likely to stay active if they're having fun.
Introduce a wide range of activities: This helps develop various skills and prevents boredom.

Develop Basic Skills
Encourage activities that improve fundamental skills: By age 2-3, toddlers should be able to walk, run, kick a ball, and jump in place.
Practice throwing and catching: These skills typically develop between ages 2-4.

Utilize Age-Appropriate Equipment
Provide balls, push-and-pull toys, and riding vehicles. These can help refine motor skills.
Use climbing frames and playground equipment to improve strength and coordination.

Incorporate Movement into Daily Routine
Make physical activity a part of everyday life: Encourage walking, dancing, or active games throughout the day.
Limit sedentary time: Reduce periods of inactivity, especially screen time.
Consider Structured Activities
Explore "mommy-and-me" or "daddy-and-me" programs: These can introduce toddlers to tumbling, dance, and general movement.
Look into swim safety classes: The American Red Cross recommends introducing water safety between 6 months and 3 years old.

Lead by Example
Be active yourself: Children often mimic their parents' behaviors, so staying active yourself can encourage them to do the same.
Engage in physical activities together: This not only promotes exercise but also strengthens your bond.

Which of these will you do? Which have you already started doing? Let me know in the comments below.

For children aged 2-4 you may find that they begin to refuse to eat foods they ate previously. Here are some tips to encourage them to eat a healthy, balanced diet.

🍏 Establish a Positive Food Environment
Be a role model: Children often mimic their parents' eating habits. Demonstrate healthy eating behaviors yourself

🥕 Create a pleasant mealtime atmosphere: Eat meals together as a family whenever possible, without distractions like TV or phones.

🍉 Offer a Variety of Nutritious Foods
Introduce a wide range of healthy foods: Expose children to various fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins.

🥑 Be patient with new foods: It may take up to 10 or more exposures before a child accepts a new food.

Young children aged 2-4 years need between 11-14 hours of total sleep in a 24-hour period, including naps (if they're still napping). This is crucial for their healthy development and overall well-being.

Establish a Consistent Bedtime Routine.
- This helps regulate the child's internal body clock.

Create a calming pre-sleep routine, which may include:
- A warm bath
- Reading a bedtime story
- Quiet chat time with parents

Create a Sleep-Friendly Environment
- Keep the bedroom cool, quiet, and dark.
- Use a nightlight if needed to provide comfort.

Toddlers need about 3 hours of physical activity daily.

Activities like running, climbing, and playing ball help develop their motor skills.

How do you keep your toddler active? Share your tips!

Transitioning to solid foods? 🍐
Offer a variety of fruits, veggies, whole grains, and lean proteins. What are your toddler’s favorite healthy snacks? Let’s swap recipes!

Toddlers thrive with 11-14 hours of sleep. 😴
Consistent nap times and a bedtime routine, like reading a favorite book, can help.
What bedtime stories do your toddlers love? 📚

Share with us!

👶 Newborn Movement Magic! 👶

Exercise for newborns isn't about workouts; it’s about gentle movements. Encourage your baby to move freely under your supervision—this helps in developing motor skills and muscle strength.

Simple activities like tummy time are perfect, just a few minutes a day can make a big difference!

🍼 Newborn Nutrition 101 🍼

For newborns, nutrition means breastfeeding or formula feeding. Breast milk offers the perfect mix of vitamins, protein, and fat, and is easily digested. Formula-fed babies can also thrive with the right balance. It's essential to feed on demand—usually every 2-3 hours.

Remember, your pediatrician is a great resource for feeding advice tailored to your baby’s needs.

💤 Understanding Sleep for Newborns 💤

Did you know that newborns need about 14-17 hours of sleep per day? This sleep is vital for their rapid mental and physical development. Establishing a soothing bedtime routine can significantly benefit your baby’s sleep quality and overall health.

Tips like keeping the room at a comfortable temperature and using white noise can also help.

Remember, every baby is different, and it's okay to adapt based on what works best for your family!

When you think of exercise, what comes to mind?

Do you imagine a 60-minute intense workout? Do you think about a walk in the park? Do visions of elevated heart rate and sweat haunt your dreams?

Exercise is important, but it doesn't have to fill you with fear. It can start with gentle movement, working your way up to more intensity as time goes on (and your health allows).

As part of my SEE Method here at MMM Theory, exercise is the last part of the puzzle. You'll find out more over the coming weeks.

When we think about our health, what we eat is extremely important - more important even than the exercise we do. Do you agree?

The food we use to nourish our bodies has to be a balanced mix of proteins, carbohydrates, fats and more.

Sometimes I find that people don't eat enough of the right type of foods to support their body, especially while recovering from surgery, illness etc.

I'll be taking us through what foods to eat more of, what foods to eat less of and what foods to avoid in this new series. I hope you'll join me and share it with others.

Are you getting enough sleep?

We all know that sleep is important but do you know just how important it is for our health?

As part of this new series, I'll be diving into sleep truths and myths, the benefits of sleep for each age and stage of our lives and more.

Take time to appreciate the landscape of life! Make sure to focus on your M.O.M. s ( Moments of Magic) and P.O.P. s ( Points of Practice) two concepts we practice daily at Medex with our clients! Appreciate the simple complexity of life. When face with an obstacle , Get on it Like you OWN IT. !

THANK YOU for an AWESOME, well-rounded, engaging, and educational in-house workshop all about the HIPS!
✅ Hip Mobility
✅ Hip Flexibility
✅ Hip Stability
✅ Hip Strength
❌ Hip pain 😣
(Double tap if you’d like to see a Momentous v. MedEx dance-off in the future to really find out whose ) 🤣

MedEx Monthly ; Hip Anatomy - https://mailchi.mp/b258d18076bb/medex-monthly-cervical-spine-issue-5172184

MedEx Monthly ; Hip Anatomy The hip is a highly stable, ball-and-socket joint that is made up of 4 bones: the ilium, ischium, p***s (collectively known as the os coxae), and femur (thigh bone). Important muscles of the hip include the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, quadriceps femoris (vastus lateralis, vastu...

THE HIP:
The hip is a highly stable, ball-and-socket joint that is made up of 4 bones: the ilium, ischium, p***s (collectively known as the os coxae), and femur (thigh bone). Important muscles of the hip include the gluteus maximus, medius and minimus, quadriceps femoris, hamstrings, iliopsoas, and others. The relatively highly stable nature of the hip means that it is less mobile than other joints, such as the shoulder, but it’s complex nature still lends itself to a variety of dysfunctions and pathologies. Common conditions of the hip include:
🔸femoroacetabular impingement ➡️ the bones of the hip come too close together and pinch the tissue within the joint; this causes friction, pain, and limited mobility.
🔸Osteoarthritis ➡️ a wearing away of the joint cartilage leads to bone rubbing against bone and the formation of bone spurs on the joint surfaces. This causes inflammation, pain, and decreased range of motion.
🔸Osteoporosis ➡️ an imbalance between bone formation and bone removal leads to weakened and brittle bones.
🔸Hip fracture ➡️ a break in the upper portion of the femur (thigh bone). Most hip fractures occur in individuals 65 and older due to a fall.

If you are experiencing hip pain or dysfunction be sure to consult a qualified medical professional.

MedEx Monthly ; Lumbar Spine

THE LUMBAR SPINE:

The lumbar spine (lower back) has 5 large vertebrae and is located in between the thoracic spine and the sacrum. The lumbar spine has the important job of supporting and stabilizing the upper body, as well as transferring forces down from the upper body to the lower extremities. The lumbar spine also facilitates anterior/posterior, lateral, and rotational movements of the trunk.
Pathologies of the lumbar spine are similar to those of the cervical and thoracic spine. The most common condition associated with the lumbar spine is low back pain (LBP). LBP can be caused by several conditions, muscle imbalances, tissue degeneration, or can be nondescriptive (unknown cause).
Below are some common conditions that affect the lumbar spine/lower back and may cause LBP.
🔹Lumbar stenosis ➡️ a narrowing of the spinal canal; can compress spinal nerves and cause pain/numbness/tingling.
🔹Spondylolisthesis ➡️ anterior translation of one vertebra over another; can be caused by a spinal fracture or can be a degenerative condition.
🔹Disc herniation ➡️ the soft interior gel-like portion of a spinal disc pushes through the fibrous exterior; the herniated disc can press on a spinal nerve and cause pain.
🔹Degenerative disc disease (osteoarthritis) ➡️ damage/degradation of the intervertebral discs.
⚠️ A common symptoms as a result of dysfunction in the lumbar region is sciatica. Sciatica can be caused by any of the above conditions, and is characterized by numbness, tingling, and radiating pain down the leg. ⚠️
If you are experiencing LBP, be sure to consult a qualified medical professional.

April's Class Schedule ; NEW Class Wednesday! - https://mailchi.mp/39af9586befc/telesessions-virtual-classes-are-here-5158444

April's Class Schedule ; Introducing Movement & Mobility on Wednesday's! - https://mailchi.mp/6f907b2f978d/telesessions-virtual-classes-are-here-5156892

THE THORACIC SPINE:
🔹The thoracic spine (upper- and mid-back) is the longest region of the spine and is made up of 12 vertebrae. The thoracic spine lies in between the cervical and lumbar regions, serving the unique function of anchoring the rib cage.
🔹Though the T-spine is the least mobile, because of its attachment to the rib cage, the T-spine is the most stable of the three vertebral regions.
🔹A very common dysfunction associated with the T-spine is
⚠️thoracic hyperkyphosis ⚠️, which is an excessive antero-posterior curvature of the spine. This results in a significant decrease in thoracic mobility. Causes include aging, poor posture, reduced muscular strength, or a combination of these. The most common cause of thoracic hyperkyphosis in adults is from vertebral fracture due to osteoporosis. Degenerative disc disease (osteoarthritis) can also be a cause.
🔘Thoracic mobility exercises and manual spinal mobilization are common techniques used to address thoracic dysfunction. If you are experiencing pain or dysfunction related to the thoracic spine, be sure to consult a qualified medical professional.

Tips for Healthy Shoulders!

1. Posture: Sit nice and tall. Don’t slump. Try not to reach too far forward for the mouse while you are sitting at your desk.

2. Sleeping on your back eliminates pressure on the shoulders.

3. Do your rows, reverse flyes and lat pulldowns. And Check out Don’s exercises!

4. Check out Ben’s stretches!

5. Avoid carrying heavy purses on one shoulder that drag you down and pull the shoulder forward.

MedEx Monthly ; Shoulder Edition - https://mailchi.mp/70fd8765e3f5/medex-monthly-cervical-spine-issue-5144944

MedEx Monthly ; Shoulder Edition As we transition into March, the team at MedEx welcomes the warmer air and with each day, we hold on to the hope that we are another month closer to seeing you again. 

This Month's Class Schedule! - https://mailchi.mp/e822541fa40e/telesessions-virtual-classes-are-here-5144928