Member Spotlight - May 2017, Karli B.

Karli B. has been an ENRGi member since early 2016. Karli shows up ready to work and is continually making impressive progress. Way to rock those pull-ups!! 

What motivates you to workout?

It's exciting to see changes in my strength like lifting heavier weights or doing pull-ups without the band (which I NEVER thought I'd be able to do)!  

What are your favorite classes at ENRGi?

SWAT and Shredded but Hayden's Wednesday night Calorie is in the running now that the stairs are off limits.

How do you recover post workout?

Sleep! I usually take the last class of the day so dinner and bed is all there is time for.

What is your guilty pleasure? 

Craft beer and cheese.  

What is your favorite quote?

"That's all for today" -Any trainer at the end of class 

Overcoming Plantar Fasciitis

Many of us take recovery for granted... until we get injured! This month, our Assistant Manager and Instructor-In-Training, Amanda, tells her story about conquering plantar fasciitis. While many told her it would never go away, she proved them wrong! "My injury has taught me how important stretching is, given me great appreciation for yoga and taught me that recovery does not happen over night, so do not get discouraged." 

Amanda's Story:

In March of 2015, I was getting excited for spring and to go to New York to work the Tribeca Film Festival. I was running on the treadmill everyday, as I had done since I was 17, and suddenly started noticing a shooting pain in my right heel. I didn't think much of it however, and arrived in New York, very eager to run along the Hudson River, my favorite thing to do when I used to live there. I made it a couple minutes before I realized my form was out of whack and started feeling pain in my right hip, as well. I spent the next two months working long festival hours on my feet, and running around the streets of New York in sandals, with no idea it could be a chronic injury.     

I moved back to Chicago that summer and decided to Google it, diagnosing myself with plantar fasciitis. I made an appointment for a consultation at Athletico, and after seeing an orthopedic specializing in sports medicine, my diagnosis was confirmed and I was prescribed to physical therapy. I was instructed to start each session with about 10 minutes of foam rolling. I had to hold back tears as I foam rolled my IT band, because my plantar fasciitis was causing me to limp, causing pain to my hip and entire lower body. My physical therapist focused on gaining strength in my glutes and ankles, in order to release pressure from my heel when walking. 

I was very discouraged at times because most people I talked to told me that plantar fasciitis never goes away. I had signed up for the 2015 Chicago Triathlon, but couldn't do it as I was unable to run. I decided to try yoga, and after about a month I was starting to see the pain slowly slipping away. I did hot yoga almost everyday and that combined with physical therapy started to make me hopeful that I may run again.  

After a one year break from running, physical therapy and hot yoga, I ran along Lake Michigan in May of 2016, sending pictures to my family along the way, and was able to do the 2016 Chicago Triathlon. Looking back, I am very proud of myself for being so patient, and not allowing myself to return to running until I was pain free, and for dedicating at least an hour out of each day to do my physical therapy exercises. My injury has taught me how important stretching is, given me great appreciation for yoga and taught me that recovery does not happen over night, so do not get discouraged. 

If you'd like to contact Amanda about her story, email info@enrgifitness.com and we will connect you.  

Member Spotlight - April 2017, Michal K.

Michal K. has been an ENRGi member since early 2016. He's attended almost every format ENRGi has to offer and has even brought his fiance in on the fun!!!  

What motivates you to workout?

I like how I feel both physically and mentally after a good workout. Now, I feel guilty on days that I don't workout.  

What are your favorite classes at ENRGi?

I enjoy every class I take but my favorites are SWAT, Boxing, Bells & Bags, and Gravity Yoga.

How do you recover post workout?

I make sure to stretch, drink a lot of water, protein shake and 8 hours of sleep.

What is your guilty pleasure? 

Reese's peanut butter cups.  

What is your favorite quote?

"Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things." -Robert Brault 

Yoga Poses to De-Stress Before Bedtime

Before bed use your pillows as props for to create yoga poses to ease physical tension, help with sleeplessness and even release anxiety. These poses could be done on your bed, couch, or on something comfy on the floor. Our yoga instructor Natalie has you covered.  

Sleepy Side Stretch: sit up straight on your bed with your knees bent and tucked to one side, so your knees are pointing forward, your toes are pointing behind you, and your seat is on the ground. Place a pillow next to your hip so that it's pointing lengthwise away from you. Lie your chest flat on the pillow. For a lighter stretch keep your gaze forward in the direction your knees are bent, for a deeper stretch turn your head so you're looking backwards. Watch TV, read a book or just chill - around 5 minutes on each side, just make sure to keep the sides even. 

Sleepy Child's Pose: on your knees in bed, put your toes together and separate your knees so you can fit one or multiple pillows lengthwise between your knees. Rest forward onto the pillows, either facing ahead or to the side (if to the side just be sure to switch sides halfway). Also option to put a pillow between your heels and glutes widthwise if you're not comfortable resting hips to heels.

Half Pigeon Pose: from your hands and knees, bring one knee to your wrist on the same side and your ankle as close as you can to your other wrist - trying to make the calve parallel to the head of your bed (but it doesn't have to be completely parallel). Make this typical yoga pose more comfy by adding a pillow, maybe folded over for more leverage, below your seat on the leg you bring forward. This will help to square your hips, allowing you to safely recline forward with your upper body. Pile pillows below your upper body as high as is comfortable, rest your arms on the pillows and your chin or forehead on top of your hands. 

Release tension by using pillows as props while you sleep: If you sleep on your back, place a pillow lengthwise below your knees. If you sleep on your side, put a pillow lengthwise between your knees. This helps to even out your posture while you sleep so you awake feeling less tight and tense.  

If you'd like to contact Natalie to inquire about this article, email info@enrgifitness.com and we will connect you.  

Molly's 3 Ways to Recover Each Day

Stretch!  My hips and hamstrings are really tight, so I stretch these out every morning. It just takes 5 minutes. I do a quick figure 4 on both sides, a 30s pigeon on both sides, stretch out my quads, then stand up and just try to touch my toes. I have a pretty bad back injury, and if I stretch out every morning, I usually go pain free for the rest of the day! 

Water, Water, Water... I feel like any type of fitness list includes water, but there's a good reason for it. When I'm well hydrated, I feel really good, not sluggish. Shout out to Hydroflask for keeping my water cold all day! According to NASM, how much we actually need to drink is very individualized and depends on many factors. Generally, the recommended fluid intake for men is 125-130 oz/day (approx. 16 cups) and 91-95 oz/day (approx. 12 cups) for women. Fluids from all food and beverage sources count towards these amounts. Typically about 20% will come from foods (especially fruits and vegetables) and the other 80% from beverages.

Do Something You Enjoy... Recovery isn't just about recovering your body, but I think its also for your mind. If you go to work everyday, go to the gym, head home and make dinner before going to bed, you're going to burn out. Make sure you throw in something that you really, truly enjoy. For me, I love getting outside, even if its just a walk around the block after dinner or taking a book outside. 

Molly's Story:
My recovery story started in September of 2015. I was out training for my third marathon when I felt a slight twinge in my back. Thinking nothing of it, I finished my long run and went on with my day. The next day, I hopped on my bike, and could barely sit from the pain...but not knowing any better, I rode on my merry way. Later that day, I was doing a few box jumps, and stepping down from one, my foot hit the ground and the entire left side of my body lit up. I had never felt such pain before.

Thinking it would go away with a little bit of rest, I stayed away from the doctor and put my trust in heating pads and Advil. Fast forward a few days and the muscle spasms and pain had gotten worse. I finally caved, went to see my doctor, had a few tests run on me, and was told I had a bulging disc between my L4/L5 vertebrae. I went through the whole gamut of rest, PT and pain killers with nothing working. 

A few months later, I started teaching barre classes. I was doing barre almost every day, and slowly but surely, my pain started to fade. I was able to get off the pain meds and my sciatic pain almost completely disappeared. Amy, ENRGi's owner, had a similar injury, and we chatted about adding stretching into my daily routine, something that helped her.  A few months later, after daily stretching and strengthening my core through barre, I was able to head outside for a run (definitely thought my running days were over)! 

Throughout all of this, I've learned that recovery is a process. I used to go for long training runs and never stretch, leave classes before the cool downs were over, but I've learned what my body needs. Of course, there have been times when I've been feeling too good and I've re-injured myself (unfortunately jump lunges are not my friend), but I have a good grasp now on what I can and cannot do. As much as I would love to do a burpee or a box jump, I know those just aren't in the cards for me anymore...and I'm ok with that. To me, recovery is about learning to listen to my body, and it took me a while, but I think I finally understand what its saying.

If you'd like to contact Molly to inquire about her recovery journey, classes, and/or personal training, email info@enrgifitness.com and we will connect you.