HAPPY BIRTHDAY BODY ELECTRIC!

Please join us in celebrating the 10^th Anniversary of Body Electric!  In 1997 Body Electric was founded by six women with a common goal of empowering women and girls to take control of their lives and break free of gender stereotypes – Lisa Braithwaite, Brenda Britsch, Kim Reese, Kira Anthofer, Jana Johnston and Ginny Benson. 

As we celebrate our tenth anniversary, we would like to extend our gratitude to our founders, and to the many people and organizations like you that have supported Body Electric and helped us to grow and make a difference over the years.  Body Electric is proud to support a high school senior female athlete with a $1,000 scholarship each year, to annually donate books about women and girls in sports to local junior high and high schools, and to help women and girls get active and stay active through programs like the Adventure Club.  

FITNESS FOR MOMS TO BE

By Dr. Nicole Olsen, DC

Getting and staying fit while you are pregnant is a must to ensure a healthy and happy pregnancy.  Mothers can attest that the muscle strains of pregnancy can be more than just a nuisance.  The average weight gain of 25 to 35 pounds, combined with the increased stress placed on the body by the baby, may result in severe discomfort.  Studies have found that about half of all expectant mothers will develop low back pain at some point during their pregnancies.  This is especially true late in the third trimester when the baby’s head presses down in the mother’s low back and pelvis.  And for those women that already suffer from low back pain, the problem may become even worse. 

Your Body Changes: During pregnancy, a woman’s center of gravity begins to shift forward, to the front of her pelvis.  Although a woman’s sacrum (the back portion of the pelvis) has enough depth to accommodate the growing baby, there is increased stress on her joints. With the growing baby, the mother’s weight is projected even further forward and eventually increases the curvature in the lower back, placing extra stress on the spinal joints and disks.  In compensation, the normal curvature of the upper spine increases. 

While the changes are dramatic, mother’s bodies are able to handle the stress, in part due to the release of the hormone Relaxin.  This hormone helps loosen the ligaments in the pelvis and makes it possible for the mother’s body to accommodate the growing baby.  These natural changes may be met with postural imbalances, making pregnant women prone to having awkward trips and falls.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

The great news is that women can manage these symptoms.

Exercise:

●          Safe exercise during pregnancy can help strengthen your muscles and prevent discomfort.  Try exercising at least three times per week, gently stretching before and after each session.  If you were not active before your pregnancy, check with your doctor before starting or continuing any exercise. 

●          Walking, swimming and stationary cycling are relatively safe cardio exercises for pregnant women because they do not require high impact or jerking motions, avoid high impact sports.  Jogging can be safe for women who were avid runners before becoming pregnant- if done carefully and under a doctor’s supervision.

●          Be sure to exercise in an area with secure footing to minimize the likelihood of falls (no beach/ trail running).  Your heart rate should not exceed 60%- 75% of maximum (about 140 beats per minute) during activity.  Strenuous activity should last no more than 15 minutes at a time. 

●          Strength training of the abdominals, low back muscles and leg muscles are important factors in reducing the likelihood of low back pain. 

Nutrition:

●          Eat small, healthy meals every four to five hours – rather than the usual large meals – to help keep nausea or extreme hunger at bay.  Snack on healthy crackers or bland food to ease morning sickness.  Maintaining a healthy balance of carbohydrate, fat and protein is essential to provide the proper nutrition for you and your baby. 

●          Taking pregnancy vitamins, especially those with at least 400 micrograms of folic acid will help decrease the risk of neural tube defects.  Check with your doctor before starting any supplements. 

Ergonomics:

●          Sleep posture: Sleeping on your side with a pillow between your legs is ideal to decrease the stress on your low back. 

●          If you have to sit at a computer for long hours, make sure that your work station is ergonomically correct.  Also take periodic breaks to walk around the office every 30 minutes. 

General Health and Safety:

●          Wear flat, sensible shoes.  High heels can exacerbate postural imbalances and make you less steady on your feet. 

●          When picking up items off the floor, bend with your knees.  This is crucial for pregnant women as the center of gravity is shifted forward.  Also get help with heavy items.

●          Rest and pamper yourself if you are tired.  Your body is going through rapid growth and change.  Lay on your back with your feet elevated to rest, if your low back is feeling tired.

GRASSROOTS BASKETBALL

By Vicki Wedmore

About five years ago, I was comfortably into middle age and had the waistline to show it.  While I professed to being surprised at the condition I had gotten myself into, I knew deep down that after two children, way too many dinners and BBQ’s with friends and family, and not enough exercise to compensate for all of the calories and wine consumed, too much of everything had taken its toll.  I had for a number of years followed a regular routine of taking noon walks with friends at work, but it just wasn’t enough.   

Right around this time, my youngest daughter gave birth to a first grandchild.  While I was thrilled with the newest addition to our family, I also started to think a lot about how my lifestyle and eating habits might play into whether or not I would be around or in good enough health over the next twenty years or more to enjoy Isabelle and the other grandchildren who promised to follow.   A quick review of my family history of heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis also served as a wake up call and it was around this time that I made a conscious decision to change my eating habits.  Choosing a diet to follow is another story for another day, but I was able to successfully drop those extra pounds.  

A few months later, I was encouraged by my success at losing pounds and inches, but I’d “been there, done that” before in the weight loss game, seeing my weight fluctuate over the years like a balloon being inflated and deflated (with more and more time on the inflated side!)  I knew the really challenging part would be keeping the weight off and sustaining the weight I was comfortable at being.  A quick reality check was all it took to recognize that I have to be one of the least self-motivated women I know when it comes to sustaining regular exercise!  What could I do that would provide me with motivation, encourage me to stick with a program, and that would be fun, to boot?  

The solution came when one of my friends at work invited me to participate in a Body Electric Basketball clinic taught by the UCSB Lady Gauchos. Now, I have to admit that my first reaction was fear and doubt.  I said “yes”, but I was already thinking of all the reasons why I shouldn’t try this sport: I’m short and there are no short women basketball players; I’m pushing 50 and everyone else there will be 20; I’m not a natural athlete and everyone else there will have played starting forward for their college basketball team; and I’d be the only one NOT picked for a team.  Fortunately, my friend was there to make sure I didn’t back out.   

Needless to say, I had great fun at the clinic, meeting women younger and more athletic, but also being inspired by a woman a few years my senior who had undergone a lung transplant and just wanted to stay active.  In addition, I met a whole range of women who, like me, just wanted to learn a fun new sport, or to participate as a way to improve skills that had gotten rusty over the years.  I had so much fun that it didn’t take long for me to recognize one serious disadvantage of clinics…they don’t provide an opportunity, nor a venue, to continue the sport.  After thinking about this, I decided to ask the Executive Director at Body Electric if I could get in touch with the women who had participated in the basketball clinic to see if there was interest in meeting to play on a regular basis. The ED agreed to send an email to all of the participants, sharing my email address, and asking them to call me if they were interested in playing.  In the interim, I did a little research and found that the City of Santa Barbara rented out their junior high sized gymnasium for a reasonable fee and that Tuesday nights could be available.  Then, I was surprised (and very happy!) to receive numerous responses from my fellow clinic participants. The rest is history.   

Now into our fourth year of playing b-ball every Tuesday night, our group has grown from ten players to twenty on our regular roster.  While some players have come and gone over the years based on relocation to other areas or conflicts in scheduling, the core group remains, and new players join each year to add to our fun.  And fun it is…we play for the sheer joy of the sport and for the option to exercise with a group of phenomenal and supportive women.  I believe we are unique in that our focus is more on keeping the games competitive, yet evenly matched as far as teams go.  We don’t even keep score, and if we’ve got a lopsided match-up, we’ll reassign players to make the playing field more level, if necessary.  During the summer, you’ll often find a group of us meeting to play on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon on the outdoor courts at Santa Barbara High School, and more recently we’ve traveled north on a weekend day to play the outdoor courts at River Park, at the request of our regular players who commute from Buellton on a daily basis.  Our response has been so good that we’ve considered finding a venue for a second night of play, just so that we can maximize our exercise and offer more opportunities to play on what has become a popular, but sometimes crowded court.

WHY WE RUN