Friday, November 12, 2010
COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS
BALANCE of POWER in your LEGS
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
POUNDING OUT THE PAVEMENT
The SOLE of your FOOT & HEELS are tender and tight
This is why: Overuse. The connective tissue that runs the length of your sole can become inflamed or suffer microscopic tears. Commonly known as Plantar Fasciitis. Usually it feels worse early in the morning, gets better during exercise and painful once you stop.
TREATMENT: Sit in a chair and place a cold bottle of frozen water on its side on the floor in front of you. Put your foot on top of the bottle and, applying medium pressure, roll it back and forth. The cold will reduce swelling while the massage eases the pain.
TIP: Buy shoes with arch support, women with high arches are especially prone to this injury. Cut down the mileage until your foot feels better. Try cardio activity like swimming instead
WHAT HURTS???
Your SHIN area is SORE:
This is why: You have SHIN SPLINTS, caused by doing too much too soon. When you run, your legs absorb a force three or four times YOUR WEIGHT. Piling on miles too quickly can cause the tissue surrounding your shins to become inflamed.
TREATMENT: Wrap an ice cube in a thin rag & firmly rub it up & down your leg, on either side of your shinbone, for 15 minutes at a time
TIP: Hard surfaces exacerbate the pain, so in addition to curtailing mileage, swap in a few runs on the treadmill or a dirt path. Buy shoes with extra cushioning, and replace them every 300 to 500 miles.
WHAT HURTS???
You feel a sudden TWINGE in the BACK of your UPPER LEG, followed by tightness
This is why: The muscles that run down the back of your leg are delicate. Hamstring pulls happen when you add a burst of speed or quickly change direction, especially if the muscles aren't warmed up.
TREATMENT: For severe pain, see your doctor. Mild to medium pain Sit on the floor with your injured leg bent and your other leg straight for support. Using the fingers of both hands, reach behind your leg and apply pressure while stroking upward from your knee toward your glutes for several minutes.
TIP: Strengthen your hamstrings by adding one minute of jogging backward to the end of your regular run.
Maintenance Treatment: RICE Refresher
REST: Or active rest...Just because you strained an ankle doesn't mean you can't use your other three limbs! For some injuries, low impact exercise, like yoga or the elliptical trainer, is ideal.
ICE: For acute injuries, like a sprain or a fall, ice for 10 to 15 minutes to reduce swelling and limit internal bleeding. Continue for 24 hours, allowing skin temperature to return to normal between treatments.
COMPRESSION: Wrap the injured area in an elastic bandage to reduce swelling. Wrap from lower to higher on the body. Start at your toes and end at your calf.
ELEVATION: Rest in a position that allows blood to flow toward your heart lying down with two pillows under your legs, for instance.
WHAT HURTS???
As you pass your arm overhead during your pool session, you feel a SHARP PINCH in your UPPER BACK.
This is why: Repetitive motion can irritate the nerves in your neck and back as your muscles contract.
TREATMENT: Place your opposite hand on the sore side of your neck, on the fleshy portion between the base and your shoulder. Press until you feel the tender spot. Turn your head away from the tight area while applying pressure. Relax, then repeat, until the pain eases.
TIP: Looser muscles equals fewer injuries. Face a closed door and grab the knob with both hands. Lean back from your hips, keeping legs straight. Don't lock knees. Let your head hang; feel the stretch in your upper body as you twist your head from side to side to work out neck stiffness
WHAT HURTS???
Mid-kick, your calf or foot, quad or hamstring gets a NASTY CRAMP
This is why: Dehydration, electrolyte imbalance or weak kicking muscles can trigger calf cramps
TREATMENT: Flip onto your back and propel yourself back toward land with your arms and unaffected leg. If the pain is too great for you to swim, try floating on your back while gently kneading the cramp with one hand.
TIP: Out of the water, slowly stretch the calf muscles by lunging forward with the uninjured leg while keeping the cramped back leg straight. Drink lots of fluids. Help ward off future cramps by eating a banana. High in potassium and having a sports drink pre & post-swim.
WHAT HURTS???
You have pain on the outside of the ELBOW that radiates down your ARM when you swing
This is why: Over time, repeated use of the muscles in the forearm can lead to tennis elbow, which is caused by small tendon tears.
TREATMENT: Stay off the courts for a week and ice your elbow for 15 minutes at a time to reduce inflammation. The best self massage for this injury is called the deep longitudinal stripping method. Start by pressing the thumb of your opposite hand firmly on top of your forearm; begin at the wrist and slide your thumb along your forearm toward the elbow. Use a lubricant, such as oil or lotion, to prevent friction.
TIP: Strong forearms and wrists help stabilize elbow. Using light weights, hold your arms straight in front of you, palms down. Flex and bend wrists up and down 10 times; then rotate wrists from palm up to palm down 10 times. Work up to three sets.
WHAT HURTS???
Yesterday, you were queen of the gym lifting, pressing and flexing. Today you can barely stand up straight.
This is why: Working new muscles, using too much weight and having weak obliques are all prime causes of back pain. Your spine is a column of bones surrounded by tiny muscles holding it in place. Your core is a giant sheath of muscles that stabilize the spine from the front. If your core is weak, strength training can stress the smaller muscles around the spine.
TREATMENT: PATIENCE! With a few days of "ACTIVE REST," the aches should disappear. This means you shouldn't strain your back but stretching, icing and gentle core work are okay. Cross-train by walking and swimming.
TIP: The best moves for strengthening your abdominal muscles are Standard PLANKS and SIDE PLANKS. Hold each for 30 seconds and work up to two minutes
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
REST ALREADY PT. 2
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Healthy muscles will recover from workouts on their own, with no special prompting other than a proper diet and adequate amount of REST. Generally it takes three to five days for a body part to RECUPERATE and GROW after an intense weight-training session.
Averaging this to four days means a muscle trained on Monday should be ready for another session on Friday and then again on the following Tuesday.
Let soreness be your guide. Mild muscle soreness the day after a workout is a good thing. It highlights you had a productive session. Muscle cells have been depleted, and they'll need time to recover and grow back stronger.
Don't train that body part again until the soreness has all but disappeared. If a muscle trained on Monday is still sore on Friday, skip a day or two until the soreness abates. If soreness is extreme, or located anywhere but your muscles or if it persists without diminishing for a week, it is something other than a precursor to muscle growth and you should consult a doctor.
SOMETIMES the best thing you can do for your body is skip going to the gym. But please inform your INSTRUCTOR via email your current issues, perhaps there maybe some helpful advise given to hasten your recovery. If you continually stress a body part before it can recover, it will merely get weaker and smaller. If you allow it to RECUPERATE after such stress, it will grow stronger.
Always guard against over training. THE HARDER YOU TRAIN, THE MORE REST YOU NEED
SLEEP
As an adult, it's important that you get approximately eight hours per night of continuous or nearly continuous deep sleep to experience enough body and mind to properly be refreshed. Nearly everyone suffers from occasional insomnia, especially during periods of increased stress. More than 75% of all insomnia is caused by ANXIETY.
If you have trouble sleeping, avoid CAFFEINE and other stimulants in the evening and develop a pattern of going to bed and waking at the same time each day. MILK, which contains the sleep assisting amino acid TRYPTOPHAN, may be of some help, as may natural supplements and over-the-counter medication. Please be cautious using such drugs on a regular basis so you don't become dependent on them....If sleep disorder persists...Pray about it, then consult your doctor.
STRESS
Stress depletes your energy reserves and slows down your body's RECUPERATION. Stress can come in the form of anxiety or it can be caused by physical hindrances, such as drugs, alcohol, illness or an improper diet. The physical hindrances are the easiest to combat. You must simply eliminate or minimize such problems.
A healthy lifestyle void of drugs or alcohol and with plenty of WATER, PROTEIN, NATURAL FOODS, VITAMINS & MINERALS will allow your muscles to quickly recover from workouts.
Working out when sick even if you're suffering only from the common cold, is often counterproductive, because illness saps your ability to recover from workouts.
ENHANCING RECUPERATION
There are things you can do to aid RECUPERATION beyond getting enough sleep and nutrients and keeping stress in check.
STRETCHING...not only keeps your muscles and joints pliable, but it can also increase blood flow, assisting RECUPERATION. If you wake up sore, STRETCH the ACHING MUSCLES. Massage helps loosen tight and sore muscles and increase blood flow. Heat can also aid RECUPERATION whether it's applied in the form of a whirlpool, a sauna, heating pads or a warm bath. Whirlpools are often the best method, because they provide both heat and a water massage. Warmer than average temperatures bring blood to the skin and the muscles, thus keeping your body loose and RECUPERATING. Warmth can also help to alleviate minor joint pain.
RELAXATION TECHNIQUES...such as meditation, yoga aid muscle RECUPERATION. These techniques help alleviate stress, and stress may be impeding the speed at which you recover from workouts.
REST & GROW
Just as you can't grow without enough exercise and nutrients, you also can't grow without enough rest. Pay close attention to how your body is RECUPERATING from workouts and how you can improve this crucial element of your regimen. Don't think of the time you spend out of the gym as resting. Think of it as GROWING!!!
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
REST ALREADY PT. 1
Here is a recap of the importance of adequate REST
Don't sabotage your gym and diet efforts by underestimating the importance of RECUPERATION.
Exercise, diet and rest form the triangle of physical growth. If you're lacking in any one of these three sides, your triangle will effectively collapse into a flat line. It's safe to assume, all of you realize the importance of weight training and nutrition yet you probably spend little time focusing on RECUPERATION.
Don't take recuperation for granted. You must give it some of the same analytical thought and effort you put into working out and eating. How well you plan your recuperation will have a direct effect on how well you work out and how well you eat.
Training, nutrition and rest are interdependent. It's only when you're resting that you are truly growing. During weight training, you essentially deplete your muscles. When you eat and drink, you replenish them. When you rest, they grow, hopefully stronger and larger than before if that is your goal. If you don't get enough rest and the right kind of rest your physique will never reach its true potential.
SHORT - TERM NEEDS
Most RECUPERATION takes place immediately after completing a set of exercises. You gain back more than 90% of your strength within one minute.
Thirty seconds to a minute is a normal rest period. Wait even longer between especially heavy sets of basic exercises. The clock is much less important than the signals your body gives you. Perform another set only when your breathing has returned to normal and you feel most of your strength has returned. There are times when you want to train quickly, and there are techniques that depend on little if any rest between sets. However, in most circumstances, you should allow yourself to almost completely recover from one set before beginning another.
Immediately after a workout, endeavor to stay warm. Warmth maintains your muscle pump longer, and a pump will keep your muscles loose and keep necessary nutrients coursing toward the depleted cells, thus fostering RECUPERATION.
Cold can diminish a muscle pump and stiffen muscles and joints. In addition, a hot shower after a workout can also help to keep muscles warm and recovering.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
WHEY PROTEIN VERSES SOY PROTEIN
Which one is really better?
Soy protein comes from soybeans. Soybeans, endemic to Asia, came to America around 1879 and were used primarily in animal products. Soy has been proven to lower triglyceride levels, LDL cholesterol, and improve kidney function.
Whey protein has been considered the higher quality protein source for a long time, but that may not hold true anymore. New studies suggest both are on the same level, yet they're not equal.
Recent studies show that soy protein has a significant effect on testosterone and muscle building. Soy protein powder concentrates twenty years ago as a food supplement. Bit it was high in sodium and carbohydrates with a low amino acid composition, making it a low quality muscle builder.
Some nutritional experts believe that soy produces low energy levels, poor digestion, infertility, and hypothyrodism. On the other hand, there are those who believe soy to be harmless and even beneficial.
Soy protein has come a long way since they learned how to extract the protein from the bean then condense it. This is called soy protein isolate with ninety percent protein and no carbs or fats. Soy protein is the only plant protein with high-quality, which has all of the necessary amino acids needed for growth and evolution.
Soy-protein isolate, whey, egg white, and cassein proteins have been deemed the highest quality proteins and actually compliment each other. Soy protein is available in three different forms.
Texture soy protein comes from soy protein concentrates, which is found in foods such as imitation pork, chicken and burgers. Sou protein concentrate, basically, is what's left after extracting the fat. Soy protein isolate is the highest quality soy available. Composed of mostly de-fatted beans, soy protein isolate is the purest protein source.
Soy far exceeds whey is its glutamine content, which is particularly interesting to the bodybuilder. Soy isolates' high concentration of glutamine, amino acids and arginine are essential to the immune system, and the release of growth hormones.
Soy protein was once thought to raise estrogen and decrease testosterone, but the latest study disproves that theory. Soy is a practical workout beverage. A daily supplement of a soy and whey combination produced lean body mass with no effect on estrogen or testosterone levels.
Therefore, soy is the better protein and when used in combination with whey, it can pack a monster of a wallop.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
SHIN SPLINTS OUCH
What in the world is this crazy pain in the front of my leg when I put my foot down?
This is a condition called Shin Splints. It's an injury to the front of the outer leg that results from inflammation in an injury to the tendon (posterior peroneal tendon) and adjacent tissues in the front of the outer leg called overuse injuries.
SYMPTOMS: Pain in the front of the outer leg below the knee next to shin bone (tibia)
Pain often occurs early in the workout and toward the end of the session.
CAUSES: Sudden increased distance in running or intensity of a workout schedule.
Tight Achilles tendon or weak ankle muscles often implicate the development of shin splints.
TREATMENT: Relative rest is successfully utilized to restore pain free level of exercise again.
The approach includes:
1. A change in workout (cycling or pool)
2. Ice
3. Rest
4. Antinflammation medications (Advil or Motrin)
5. Stretching Exercises
6. Change in footwear & a gradual approach to running activities
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
CELEBRATING THROUGH ADVERSITY
Have you ever found it hard to be happy regarding your weight loss efforts because the scale displayed an unappealing number?
In my mad pursuit to get the weight off, I hit a Plato a week before I was scheduled to run a 5k. My goal was to be under 150lbs so my Achilles wouldn't sideline me due to the amount of pounding & weight.
I worked pretty hard doing bleachers, lunges & squats. I kept my eating intact and put in extra time running fourteen laps to build endurance & burn more fat...at the end of the week I was satisfied with the amount of energy & effort I put forth. My brief moment of satisfaction was damper the instant the number popped up on the scale..."No Improvement" How could that be. I'm in a smaller dress size...I look leaner in the face....I have more energy and more spring in my step.....But how can I celebrate when I didn't loss any weight? Let me tell you how....
You take a step back and journey to when you first got started....do you remember how you felt, how you looked and all the bad habits that caused the weight gain.....Haven't you changed your habits, put time and attention into what you eat? Haven't you make working out a priority where at first it wasn't....Haven't you seen your energy level improve, aren't your clothes getting loose too. Haven't others said they see a change in you....you don't even think the same....You have a right to celebrate regardless of what the scale has to say.........
You've come a long way and NO you're not where you started, so celebrate your success on the way to where you are striving to be....Celebrate through adversity, because the wall is going to come down the more you pound against it....Plato's happen, it's a momentary setback....Yet nothing can erase the fact of how far you come from week number 1.
Give yourself permission to smile and go on run your race....I did it at 150 pounds with a strained Achilles heel and I finished with a smile of my face.....Did I cross the line first, most certainly not. However, I became a winner the instant I took my first step. Pain & fatigue quickly became my companions after the first mile was done....I wasn't gonna let them deter me from finishing my race....I had to fight all the adversity to obtain the prize....Somewhere within me came the strength to encourage an elementary school runner who was ready to give up eight hundred meters from the tape....I grabbed her hand and said now is the time to take a deep breath and finish what you've started..look how far you've come..the finish line is just around the corner, cross it and then you're done.....Run on ahead and I'll see ya when I get there....you've got to finish it & I've got to finish mine.
It's not how you start, It's how you finish....Plato's aren't meant to discourage, but to PUSH into purposeful MOMENTUM....Celebrate your achievements along the way, meditate on the good in your day & let the negative news go some place else today.
