You can safely wash the balls with dish-washing detergent or soap as this will get rid of the oil that seeps to the surface. It may take a couple of washes.  Avoid using strong solvents as they may permanently damage your AOK ball – mediBall, Duraball, Max Ball and Classic Ball. It also applies to our medicine balls, massage balls, Cyclone Balls, Pilates Ball and Duradisc.

We use lemon and citronella oils as they are accepted by hospitals for their natural anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. We recommend cleaning the balls regularly with an emulsion of lemon (you can use pine or eucalyptus) oil and water in the ratio 1 part oil to 30 parts water.

This oil blend has not changed for 15 years although in production the last balls in a batch tend to have a slightly higher oil content. This leads to slight variations in the strength of the scent.

In cooler climates where your ball is inflated in an enclosed space with central heating you will accelerate the oil moving to the ball surface and the scent will be quite strong.  This is particularly apparent in the northern hemisphere (North America and Northern Europe) where ambient room temperatures are high and fresh air circulation low.  If the scent bothers you simply give the ball a good wash and allow as much fresh air ventilation as possible over the first few days.

Wikipedia Definitions

Citronella oil is one of the essential oils obtained from the leaves and stems of different species of Cymbopogon. The oil is used extensively as a source of perfumery chemicals and flavouring industries throughout the world.

Citronella oil is also a renowned plant-based insect repellent, and has been registered for this use in the United States since 1948. The United States Environmental Protection Agency‎ considers oil of citronella as a biopesticide with a non-toxic mode of action. Research also shows that citronella oil has strong antifungal properties.

Lemon oil is commonly used to deodorize, remove grease, bleach stain, and disinfect.  Its antibacterial uses because it has a low pH.  Researchers at Ohio State University reveals that lemon oil aroma may enhance your mood, and relax you.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Barefoot Running by Dr Craig Richards and Thomas Hollowell was released in March 2011. It covers:

• An overview of what barefoot running is all about, including a closer look at running shoes – and why you don’t need them.
• A thorough transitioning program designed to slowly strengthen and stretch your feet as they acclimate to going barefoot.
• Tips for running on all kinds of surfaces and in all types of weather, along with advice on determining if “barefoot running shoes” are for you.
• Training pointers to help you successfully increase your barefoot running distance and speed.
• Guidance on taking care of your feet, legs, and body to prevent injury and keep you on the shoeless path.

I have personally followed his advice and have found it extremely useful for reconditioning my feet and greatly improving my plantar fasciitis. I also use Newton Trainers to give my feet and legs some variety depending on my training schedule.

Two essential tools to help nurture your feet are the AOK Massage Ball and the Small Hard Thera-Roll

Indian Club Rotational Exercise from the British Army Training Manual

Indian clubs derive their name from the much larger and heavier objects of similar shape traditionally used by martial artists (eg the Okinawan Chi-Shi)

Chi-Shi Training for Karate

and pehlwani wrestlers in India to train for strength. The practice of swinging such clubs to develop physical fitness was first recorded in ancient Egypt and the Middle East. It was introduced to England by British soldiers who were stationed in India during the 19th century.

While torches and other sticklike objects have been used in juggling for centuries, the modern juggling club was inspired by the Indian club, which was first repurposed for juggling by DeWitt Cook in the 1800s.

There are current physical fitness enthusiasts who have revived the popularity of Indian clubs in the modern day, citing the aerobic exercise and safety advantages over traditional free weight regimens. Scott Sonnon,

Scott Sonnon

an American martial artist and fitness educator has developed a great DVD on Circular Strength Training with Clubbells.

This is a revolutionary patented design and manufacturing technique that finally gives an optimal and safe tool for balance training.  This is the ideal tool for gyms and professionals as it includes comprehensive product liability insurance by Axxa – a first for this type of product and reflects the high build quality. The Turtle is latex free and non-toxic and meets all European Union safety standards.

Wide Range of Colours

The durable high weight dome is great for high impact plyometric exercises and can be used barefooted – we do recommend training in Five Fingers to avoid sweat lubricating the dome surface. Here is a PDF showing the differences between the Turtle and the BOSU.

A balance dome is a multi-purpose piece of exercise equipment. It consists of half of an exercise ball with a solid plastic plate attached to the bottom. Balance boards combine features of several different types of equipment such as the balance board and exercise ball and hence are useful for a range of different training techniques. These include balance and stability training as well as strength exercises such as push ups.

The standard size for a balance dome is around 26 inches (65 centimeters). The ball part of the dome can be inflated or deflated which makes it easy to transport. Pumping up an exercise dome requires a pump although this is usually included in the package.

Many exercise domes also include tubing that can be attached to the base. This is commonly used for stability exercises — especially if the person is yet to master all the exercises or has poor balance. Tubing and handles are also useful for people using the exercise dome for injury rehabilitation. If elasticized tubing is provided with the dome then this can also be used to provide resistance in certain exercises.

Exercise domes are sometimes used for rehabilitation of ankle and other lower leg injuries. When an injury is sustained this can often weaken muscles that provide stability. Stability training equipment such as the balance dome is used to mimic an unstable situation which helps to build up the muscles to the desired level. Sometimes these types of exercises are referred to as proprioception exercises. Proprioception is the body’s ability to sense where it is relative to other objects and is vital for stability and balance.

One of the most basic stability exercises using a balance dome is to turn it onto its ball side, stand on the flat part of the dome and hold the tubing for support. The ball will start to wobble creating an instability that must be countered by the person performing the exercise. This may be difficult to begin with but after a period of time, the person’s balance and stability will start to increase. When the exercise becomes straightforward the tubing can be dropped in order to increase the difficulty.

Earn Additional Income

What can you do with supplemental income? Plenty! Just take your pick: place the extra money into your savings account, buy stuff you’ve always wanted to have, invest the extra cash, maybe pay off a few bills or build more capital. These and more are reason enough why people seek ways to earn extra money. But how can you truly generate supplemental income and attain more financial freedom? With a little imagination and creativity, you can harness what you know and what’s available to help you attain this goal. Here are two choices for you:

Sell Products Directly

Retail is always a good way to generate supplemental income – and you have a powerful advantage because people will follow recommendations by their healthcare or fitness practitioners.

But concerns over perceived conflicts of interest, managing inventory and other issues still hinder practitioner involvement in many instances.

How much you could earn: that depends on the product you’ll be selling, your market and the demand. AOK has many of its customers earning an additional $300-$500 per month selling appropriate products to their clientele. You can buy on-line and earn bonus dollars as you increase your turnover.

Sell Products via Affiliate Marketing

Another excellent way to generate supplemental income is by joining an established business as an affiliate. All you have to do is promote a business or a brand, encourage a customer to buy, click or perform a specific action and you’ll earn as a result.

Your earning potential with this method is unlimited, since it will be determined by how successful you are at promoting the business and getting people to participate. AOK has a a great affiliate program that can link our web shop seamlessly to your website giving you full dashboard control.

Affilate Sales Grow Quickly

When asked to list the factors that most contribute to the growth of the exercise equipment industry; suppliers, marketers and manufacturers often put one thing at or near the top of the list: recommendations by healthcare practitioners. Receiving the nod of approval from doctors, physios, chiropractors, personal trainers and other practitioners is viewed as so important that numerous companies have built businesses around solely selling through these individuals. “I believe the healthcare and fitness practitioner channel is going to be one of the most vibrant and fastest-growing sales channels in the nutrition industry over the next 10 years,” said Bradley Wilson, Managing Director of AOK Health, which sells a number of its products only through practitioners.

Although selling via this channel can be quite lucrative — Wilson said his company had one of its best years ever in 2009 — it also can be very challenging. Numerous barriers — including a lack of quality exercise education and trust in exercise therapies — continue to prevent more practitioners (particularly classically trained MDs) from embracing exercise products. Even when physicians and other practitioners understand the benefits of exercise and lifestyle modification activities and programs, they still are often wary of actually selling the products to their patients or clients.

The push for barefoot running is gaining more and more emphasis for todays athletes.  And there appears little that can be argued against the concept – afterall running shoes are a recent concept that has been monopolised by some of the biggest brand names in the world.

A new book “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Barefoot Running” by Dr Craig Richards rates Vibram Five Fingers as 10/10 when it comes to minimalist footwear.

5 Fingers - Gloves for Your Feet

A recent study at the University of Newcastle in Australia concluded there is no scientific evidence to support claims that running shoes with elevated heel crash pads and elaborate anti-pronation systems prevent injuries in runners. The findings have been published in the March 2009 edition of the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

“Since the 1980s, distance running shoes with thick, heavily cushioned heels and features to control how much the heel rolls in, have been consistently recommended to runners who want to avoid injury,” Dr. Craig Richards, one of the researchers, said in a press release announcing the results of the study. “We did not identify a single study that has attempted to measure the effect of this shoe type on either injury rates or performance. This means there is no scientific evidence that [those shoes] provide any benefit to distance runners.”

Caleb Wegner writing in “Run For your Life Magazine“  in 2006 and Michael Warburton, a Queensland Physiotherapist, wrote in Sportscience 2001 about the benefits of barefoot running. Now there is a growing body of eveidence to support this concept.

Testimonials from practitioners across Australia reveal widespread anecdotal evidence of the benefits of protected barefoot activities using 5 Fingers – “Running in FiveFingers improves agility, strength and equilibrium, plus it delivers sensory feedback that allows runners to make immediate corrections in their form. This greatly improves running efficiency.” Dr. Ivo Waerlop (chiropractor & expert in gait biomechanics in sports)

5 Fingers are versatile and are effective for running & exercise

]]> http://blog.aokhealth.com/barefoot-running-vibram-fingers/feed/ 2 http://blog.aokhealth.com/weighted-vests-technology-proven-product/ http://blog.aokhealth.com/weighted-vests-technology-proven-product/#comments Wed, 11 Aug 2010 23:01:07 +0000 BradleyW http://blog.aokhealth.com/?p=403 The AOK Weighted Vest is an effective exercise tool

By: Brian Jones, Exercise Physiologist & Personal Trainer

As an Exercise Physiologist and Certified Personal Trainer, I am continuously looking for new ways to challenge and to intensify to my client’s training sessions. The most versatile piece of exercise equipment I have been using is the AOK Weighted Vest which has provided my clients with great results! Before I started using the AOK Weighted Vest, it was important to find sources that were knowledgeable fitness professionals that understand the importance of having safe and effective fitness exercise equipment. Personal trainers, coaches, athletic trainers, occupational and physical therapist can implement the AOK Weighted Vest in their training sessions with their clients.

Its unique flexible GEL Fit Body Contour design fits clients from small to large, and because it is a comfortable snug fit, it does not hinder any of our exercise drills. It keeps the weight close to your body for maximum benefit.

The AOK Weighted offers trainers and users many benefits!

• Improves strength, power, and endurance
• Increase core strength
• Great for improving your vertical jumps
• Increase power and muscle activation
• It can improve bone density
• Can help the elderly to strengthen bones
• Can be used during resistance training exercises
• Can be used for cardio or walking

I use the AOK Weighted Vest with clients who want to get results with weight loss. When wearing the AOK Weighted Vest, it will help raise your metabolic rate, which in turn will burn up to 70% more calories. If you train regularly the AOK Weighted Vest can improve blood pressure, decrease cholesterol, increase muscle tissue and reduce stress. All of these benefits will help your body burn more fat and improve your overall health!

Use the AOK Weighted Vest for a variety of exercises, including:

• Walking
• Climbing stairs
• Push-ups, planks, hovers, reverse planks, supine bridge, and side planks
• Yoga and posture drills
• Indoor and outdoor cycling
• Pilates
• Pull ups
• … the list is endless!

In the American Fitness article Resistance to the Core (2005), the authors give examples of how exercise routines would benefit from wearing a weighted vest. The following guidelines would be a great way to use the AOK Weighted Vest.

Exercise Recommendations: Individuals exercise to increase cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility and skill related to an activity of interest as well as improving body composition.

Cardiovascular Fitness Guidelines: the following are published exercise guidelines to improve cardiorespiratory fitness (ACSM, 2002; AFAA 2002)

• 3 to 5 times per week
• Intensity of 55/65 percent to 90 percent of HRmax or 40/50 percent to 85 percent HRR
• 20 to 60 minutes in duration

Exercise progression will vary with the participant’s goals, i.e., athletes will progress differently than those who are exercising for general fitness. Training recommendations also depend on a client’s physical abilities, health status, age and preferences.

Resistance Training Guidelines: the following are published exercise guidelines for resistance training (ASCM, 2002; AFAA 2002)

• 2 to 3 days per week
• 1 set of 8 to 10 exercises that condition the major muscle groups (multiple-set-regimens may provide greater benefits if time allow)
• 8 to 12 repetitions of each exercise – for older, more frail persons (approximately 50 to 60 years and above), 10 to 15 repetitions may be more appropriate

To ensure training effect occurs, fitness professionals must educate the client regarding the principle of overload. Depending on the client, incremental changes can be made to the frequency, intensity, duration or mode to assist the client in achieving a training effect from overload. Optimal strength occurs by using weights that promote maximal muscle tension, while endurance gains occur by using lighter weights and more repetitions. Depending on a client’s goals, fitness professionals may elect to use a variety of resistance training systems.

A final note about the AOK Weighted Vest

The great thing about the AOK Weighted Vest is almost anyone can benefit from it. If you are a serious athlete you can use the Vest to challenge yourself to new levels. If you are an intermediate athlete you can use the Vest to develop a stronger core, which will give you strength for all physical activities. If you want to lose weight and burn fat faster than this is the fitness equipment tool for you. It will help you build endurance, power and improve your overall quality of life!

Medicine ball training is one of the oldest forms of strength and conditioning training – the first reference to wrestlers training with sand filled bladders appears in Persia nearly 3000 years ago. In ancient Greece the physician Hippocrates had them sewn out of animal skins and stuffed with sand. His patients threw them back and forth for injury prevention and rehabilitation. Their association with physical therapy gave them their name.

Since that time technology has allowed us to expand this important concept in power training. AOK has been manufacturing medicine balls for the past 14 years using the same technological innovations that we developed for the manufacture of mediBall PRO. Modern balls are way ahead of the old leather ones.  Medicine balls fill a void that traditional weights can’t because they allow you to successfully train using dynamic and random movements. Today’s medicine balls also bounce – remember you can’t safely bounce, catch or toss dumbbells.

Rather than filling a bladder we have thickened the skin of our balls and weighted the plastic to achieve the desired training weight. Our rotary moulding method of ball production lets us include an inflation valve in the ball. This allows the user to change the skin tension by adjusting the amount air in the ball. This allows the balls to rebound and provide a very dynamic training environment. And much safer than throwing dumb-bells around the gym.

Supine Russian Twist

In today’s competitive sports environment, strength and power have become extremely important for high level performance. But what is power. Power is the rate of doing work; that is, it takes into account the time required to do a given amount of work. The definition of work is force times distance, hence, power is composed of three components: (1) Force; (2) Distance; and (3) Time.

Incorporating medicine ball drills into a training program is an excellent method for increasing both general and specific power. Specific medicine ball drills are those drills which simulate the movement pattern used by the athlete during a particular skill. General medicine ball drills are those drills which stress posture, balance, flexibility, and stability, but may not stimulate the movement patterns used by the athlete. These general medicine ball drills develop strength and power throughout the torso, laying the foundation for the future use of specific medicine ball drills. Drills with medicine balls such as those shown in Paul Chek’s DVD series “Dynamic Medicine Ball Training & Workout” will allow the athlete to work on many components of athletic ability simultaneously.  These drills can be modified to follow the Principal of Specificity of Training (optimal carryover will occur when you overload the muscles in the exact pattern of movement). Since the drills require movement along various planes, agility, speed and power systems are challenged. Paul Chek says that medicine ball training provides a much-needed stimulus for the high threshold motor units and wakes up those fast twitch muscle fibers as part of pre-event training.

In addition, the usual type of trunk training is done in the sagittal plane only. However, sport happens in three planes. Rotational training is one of the most neglected areas in many programs. Most traditional ab training is often done while lying down. Training for sport needs to take place in both prone and standing positions, with the emphasis on standing.

“Medicine balls fill a void that traditional weights can’t because they allow you to successfully train using dynamic and random movements.” That’s because today’s medicine balls also bounce. “Obviously,” says Strong, “you can’t safely bounce or toss dumbbells.”

These medicine ball exercises will add a new dimension to your training program in addition to improving your rotational power. Medicine ball exercises tend to be more ballistic than most traditional gym exercises and therefore should be performed with caution and only by advanced trainees. Make sure you are thoroughly warmed up before attempting these exercises. I recommend performing at least 2 sets of each exercise at 60% intensity prior to your work sets.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Training the body outward from the center, this oscillating, rapidly contracting device (about 270 contractions per minute) works the smaller, dynamic stabilizing muscles to build strength, endurance, muscle tone and coordination for ultimate conditioning in a quick yet sometimes grueling workout you’ll come to love and appreciate. And because of the Bodyblade’s compact size and the need for reps of only 60 seconds (if you can survive the burn and last that long), it can be used virtually anywhere — in the gym, in the back yard, or even while you’re watching television in the living room.

And it’s quite easy to use. Take it, shake it (by pushing and pulling front to back or side to side) and match the rhythm of the blade as it oscillates back and forth. There’s no swinging; rather, it’s the rapid movement that works on your body as you work on keeping the Bodyblade in constant motion. But the Bodyblade is about more than today’s “core stabilization” buzzword. Hymanson wants to train movement, not muscle.

“Nobody stands in one spot and develops the ability to contract their core muscles. What are you going to do when you have to move? What are you going to do when you have to move through a range of motion with high velocity. There are so many factors involved, and that’s where our Bodyblade training comes into effect, with the rapid contraction, the constant balance that needs to take place in the body anytime you’re moving.”

And how does that apply to your golf game? Not only does the helpful wall chart offer a range of movements, but the Bodyblade also has been a regular fixture for years in the HealthSouth Player Fitness Centers on the PGA and Champions tours, with guys like Jay Haas, Brad Faxon and Scott McCarron giving the ’Blade a shake.

“Golfers end up with two major problems — low back problems and shoulder problems,” Hymanson says. “And not by any accident, it’s because of loss of flexibility and timing, and the connection between upper and lower trunk.”

Focusing on those golf-specific muscles, you can put yourself into positions of the swing — address, backswing, follow-through — as you oscillate. The goal, as with all golf training, is to build greater clubhead speed and greater control of the club while strengthening your back, shoulders and inner core to work together as one healthy, coordinated body.

“I want to train your body how to move,” Hymanson says. “And in the process of training you how to move functionally and appropriately, I’m going to be training groups of muscles to work together to provide an efficient movement to get a job done, such as swinging a golf club.”

With approximately three-quarters of a million Bodyblades sold in the past 15 years, the proof is in the progress people are making every day, from mini golfers to fine-tuned athletes to disabled folks rebuilding their bodies. Of all the sticks golfers dream of swinging, this just might be the best one you could ever put in the bag. —Darin Bunch

5 models, Each includes DVD and wall chart are available at our AOK Health website.

Purpose of the Push Up:

Strengthen shoulders, abdominals and activate muscles around the lower spine and pelvis.

mediBall Push Up

Instruction:

1. From Prone Feet on Ball base position, lower body toward the
   floor keeping back straight.
2. Return to base position and repeat.

Body Check

• Tongue on roof of mouth
• Head, neck & shoulder deactivation
• Chin tucked slightly
• Activate TVA (pull umbilicus towards spine)
• Activate multifidus (confirm with tape or by pressing fingers against multifidus the back muscles mirroring the belly button)
• Pelvic Floor Activation
• Maintain Neutral Spine

Postural Alignment Check

• Ear, shoulder & hips in alignment
• Knees & ankles in alignment

NB. Fatigue is always the guide to repetition i.e stop, rest & then try a few more reps.

Disclaimer: This is a basic guide to improving balance, muscle tone and flexibility. All exercises should be performed with care and caution, if unsure about an exercise please seek professional assistance, we take no responsibility for injuries caused by stretches performed incorrectly. Reproduction of any material without written permission from the publishers is strictly prohibited.