Feed Your Body and Your Brain with Essentrics Pliés

I​​t’s that time of the year again: everyone is running madly off in all directions; burning the candle at both ends. Work and family commitments both double during the holiday season. Sometimes it’s tough to maintain your energy and remember everything on your to-do list when you have so much more on your plate. Speaking of plates…before you reach for another snack or caffeinated drink to “boost your energy”, take a moment to learn about your body.

What if I told you that an Essentrics Plié sequence could increase your energy at the same time it promotes your brain health? Interested? Intrigued? Then please read on and I’ll explain. First, though, we’ll back up to the microscopic level and have a little biology refresher.

Our Cells

Our bodies are composed of cells, lots of cells. Tens of trillions of cells, in fact. We have nerve cells, skin cells, brain cells, muscle cells, blood cells - well, you get the idea. Lots and lots of cells. And cells are made of organelles. Take a moment to watch this fun video to learn more about your cells.

Cells, cells...they're made of organelles.

Mitochondria - no, it’s not an infectious virus! - are one of these organelles. So what do mitochondria do? I’m glad you asked. Mitochondria are often called the powerhouses or power plants of the cells. They convert fuel, the carbs and fat from the food we eat, into energy for the cells. Every cell in your body contains mitochondria, but the exact number varies by cell type. (2) Your muscle cells contain 95% of the mitochondria in your body. It makes sense when you consider that the role of your muscles is to move your body. Our muscles were created to be strong and our bodies want to move. The only difference between a strong person and a weaker person is what they demand of their muscles. (3)
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​Exercise: The Fountain of Youth

When we exercise, it not only activates the existing mitochondria in our muscle cells, it also creates new mitochondria. This is called mitochondrial biogenesis. Research has shown that “the greater mitochondrial density in a cell, the greater its vitality.” (4)  Vitality - aka youthfulness, or the fountain of youth - isn’t that what most people are craving? Having youthful muscles means lots of mitochondria and a mixture of slow-twitch and fast twitch muscle fibres. (5) 

Fast-twitch muscle fibres are for speed & power; slow-twitch muscle fibres are for endurance.

And not only in your muscle cells. Exercise can help create new mitochondria in other cell types, including your brain cells. (4 & 6) The twin study reported on in the Globe and Mail article revealed that “on average, a muscularly powerful twin…performed about 18% better on memory and other cognitive tests than her weaker sister.” (6) More energy, more brain cells, better memory, more youthful muscles - exercise sounds like a win, win - wouldn’t you agree?
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​Energy Source & Brain Health: More Mitochondria

“The more we exercise, the more mitochondria we create and the more energy we have. When people don’t exercise regularly, any strenuous effort rapidly drains their few available mitochondria, zapping their energy and leaving their muscles sore and depleted.” (3)

“Muscular power, especially in the legs - which hold the largest muscles in the body - is widely accepted as a marker of healthy aging” (6)

So, let’s talk about Essentrics Pliés and how they can help you with your energy levels as well as boost brain activity. Think about your waist-to-knee region: it holds the largest muscles in your body. Your gluteus maximus (aka, your butt) is the largest muscle. The sartorius is the longest muscle - it starts on the outside of the hip, runs across your thigh and wraps around the inside of your knee (aka, the ‘turnout’ muscle). Your hip flexors and extensors are considered “prime movers” because the have the greatest influence on locomotion/ambulation. Essentrics Pliés works the agonist/antagonist muscle groups around the hips. And they give you tons of energy. They feel tough but they work - they will increase energy, strengthen knees and hips, reduce hip and knee pain, increase speed in movement, unlock tight hips, train correct knee alignment, tone the butt/hamstrings/quads, and increase flexibility in the hips. Not to mention create mitochondria in those precious brain cells.
Watch this video to learn more about mitochondria and how to do Essentrics Pliés correctly.

Here are some guidelines for maximum benefit:

• pull up in your body as you slowly lower into the plié - imagine you’re on a medieval torture rack, being pulled in opposite directions
• don’t lean in for a kiss - focus on the eccentric contraction in your quad muscles as your lower into the pliés and keep yourself from leaning back
• keep your knees aligned with your feet - you want a 90 degree angle between your knee and the floor to protect the delicate knee ligaments
• fight gravity - contract your muscles to slowly lower into the plié, don’t drop
• move in and out of the position, don’t hold yourself in the deep plié for an extended period
• add an Essentrics arm sequence to make it a full-body sequence and to distract from the discomfort in your legs

The muscles you are working include: glutes (max, med, & min), quadriceps, sartorius, gracilis, iliopsoas, hamstrings, and adductor magnus.
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Now, go enjoy yourself during this incredibly busy time of year. And don't forget, if you need a quick boost of energy or you've forgotten where you put your car keys - do a quick Essentrics Plié sequence and all will be good. Happy holidays and Happy New Year!

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​References

1.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zafJKbMPA8 - Parts of the Cell Rap
2. http://www.britannica.com/science/mitochondrion 
3. Miranda Esmonde-White (2014). Aging Backwards: 10 Years Younger and 10 Years Lighter in 30 Minutes a Day. Random House Canada
4. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/28/how-exercise-can-strengthen-the-brain/?smid=fb-nytimes&WT.mc_id=TE-SM-E-FB-SM-LIN-LBA-092611-NYT-NA&WT.mc_ev=click&_r=4
5. http://www.prevention.com/health/health-concerns/are-aging-muscles-why-youre-tired-all-time-and-gaining-weight?cid=soc_Prevention+Magazine+-+preventionmagazine_FBPAGE_Prevention__
6. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/health/stronger-legs-linked-to-better-brain-power-study/article27633067/
7. https://youtu.be/yWGnjokZDsQ : Essentrics with Amanda on Rogers TV’s Daytime Ottawa, Dec 9, 2015 - Essentrics Pliés for Energy