Self Care: мая 2010

вторник, 25 мая 2010 г.

6 Post-Workout Stretches to Combat Knee Pain

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Feeling weak in the knees is only a good thing when it’s over your latest Tinder date. Experiencing joint pain is an entirely different sensation—and one that’s not quite so magical.

Joint pain affects one in five Americans and is one of the leading causes of disability in the U.S. Along with leg, neck, and back pain, knee pain tops the list of problem areas, according to James Rippe, M.D., a cardiologist and joint pain specialist. And we’re not getting better: A 2013 study reported a 162 percent increase in knee replacements over the last 20 years in people 65 and older.

So how do you know if you’re at risk? Factors like inactivity, carrying too much bodyweight, poor posture, improperly treated injuries, and insufficient nourishment can all contribute to knee pain, Rippe says. Luckily, by taking better care of your knees throughout your life, starting as early as your thirties, you can strengthen joints and potentially save yourself from years of daily pain and discomfort.

What You Can Do Now

One of the best things you can do for knee health is simply maintaining an active lifestyle. “Your joints thrive on movement,” Rippe says. “Always try to remember that some activity is better than no activity.” Rippe recommends low-impact activities, like swimming, brisk walking, or cycling, and considering taking health supplements that provide glucosamine and chondroitin to strengthen and lubricate knees.

On the flip side, too much movement can be hard on your joints. So if you’re one of those people who just can’t quit their HIIT habit or long-distance runs, there are some simple moves and stretches you can try that will help alleviate pain.

Since multiple muscles overlap the knee joint—including your calf, thigh, hamstrings, quadriceps, gastrocnemius, and soleus—and work together to flex, extend, and stabilize the knee, the exact source of pain isn’t always obvious. “This means you want to think about stretching all the tissues around the knees,” says Lauren Williams, a certified personal trainer and head coach at New York City’s athletic-based training studio Tone House.

Here, Williams shares six of the best (and simplest) moves that target all those muscle groups. Try to do these stretches after every workout to keep your knees healthy now and in the future.

1. Wall Calf Stretch

Calf muscles often get neglected during our stretching efforts. However, for those who run, do high-impact workouts, or spend a lot of time on their feet, calf stretches are very necessary, Williams says. Calves can get extremely tight from impact and need to be stretched to relieve any pain that might travel up the knee.

Find a wall you can lean against. Facing the wall, flex your right foot and position your heel right where the floor meets the vertical surface. Your toes should be elevated, while your heel remains on the floor. Keeping your heel on the ground and your leg as straight as possible, lean toward your front leg, holding the stretch at its deepest point. Lean in for five seconds at a time before releasing, working to deepen the stretch. Repeat the same stretch with your left leg. Aim for 10 to 15 reps on each leg—or more, if you’re still experiencing tightness.

2. Calf Smash With Lacrosse Ball

This move allows you to work out tension in both your calf and your hamstring, Williams says.

Sit on the ground and pull your right foot close to your butt so your knee is bent. Wedge a lacrosse ball (or yoga/massage ball) below your right knee, sandwiching it between your calf and hamstring. Create a “compression force” by pulling your shin toward you, then rotate your foot in alternating circular movements to help create space in your knee joint. Continue until you feel tightness in these areas being relieved, then switch legs.

3. Half-Kneel Hip and Quad Stretch

This stretch not only feels amazing, but it also works double-duty for your hip and quad muscles, Williams explains.

Kneel on one knee (feel free to put down a towel or mat) with your other foot planted flat on the ground in front of you. Make close to a 90-degree angle with both of your legs. Lean forward toward your front leg, stretching the front of your hip downward. Next, grab the ankle of your leg planted on the ground, and pull it toward your rear for a deep hamstring and hip stretch down the front leg, all the way to your knee. Move in and out of this stretch for 10 to 15 reps or more, depending on your level of tightness.

4. Quad Foam Roller Stretch

Stretching your quads is vital, as they get adaptively short from all the sitting most of us do every day and are often under constant tension. To get this large muscle group back to functioning at its best, Williams suggests using a foam roller.

Lie facedown and with a foam roller under your right leg, right under your quad. Put the majority of your bodyweight on your leg, and roll slowly. Instead of simply rolling up and down, roll your leg from side to side too, focusing pressure on the tighter spots of your muscles. Switch legs. Continue rolling until this feeling is no longer painful. If that’s impossible (as it might be for some runners!), do it for at least five minutes.

5. Wall Hamstring Stretch

Our hamstring muscles affect the knee more than we think and can be the source of discomfort or pain.

Lie faceup with your left leg flat on the ground, foot flexed. Take your right leg and prop it up on a wall or table, or use a resistance band. This stretch should radiate down the back of your leg, beginning in your knee. Once you find the deepest point of the stretch, alternate in five-second sequences between contracting and relaxing the foot of your right leg. If you have greater flexibility, hold the ankle of your right leg and pull it toward you. Aim for 10 to 15 rounds of five-second holds, and continue if you still feel tight. Repeat with your left leg.

6. Straight-Leg Raise

Easy strengthening exercises, like leg raises, put little to no strain on your knee but also activate and strengthen quadriceps.

Lie faceup with one knee bent and the other leg the ground in front of you. Lift your straight leg up approximately one foot, rotating your leg outward (the entire leg rotates outward, so toes point on a diagonal instead of straight up to the ceiling). Do 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps, alternating legs. As you get stronger, add ankle weights up to 10 pounds.

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среда, 19 мая 2010 г.

6 Golden Rules for Post Workout Meals

According to counsel professional and competitive athletes in numerous sports, as well as fitness enthusiasts, different sports person definitely have different nutrition needs, but they do have one thing in common: In order to get the most out of being active, everyone needs to eat properly to help their bodies recover from the wear and tear of exercise.

Here are six rules to follow, and how to prevent overdoing it, which can cancel out the weight-loss benefits of breaking a sweat.

1. Eat within 30 to 60 minutes post exercise

Post-exercise foods are about putting back what’s lost, and focus on getting what you need for repair and healing so if you’ve had a particularly tough workout, grab a “recovery” meal as soon as possible. Exercise puts stress on muscles, joints, and bones, and your body “uses up” nutrients during workouts. In fact, it’s the recovery from exercise that really allows you to see results in terms of building strength, endurance, and lean muscle tissue. Not recovering properly can leave you weaker as you go into your next workout, and increase the injury risk.

2. Consider other foods beyond protein

An ideal recovery meal should also include good fat needed for healing muscles and joints, other than protein which is a building block of muscle, it could also help when you add plenty of nutrient-rich produce, and a healthy source of starch like quinoa, sweet potato, or beans. All these foods will replenish nutrients that have been depleted, and provide energy to fuel your post-exercise metabolism. Some great food post workout include:

1. Smoothie made with either pea protein powder or grass-fed organic whey protein, whipped with fruit, leafy greens, almond butter or coconut oil,

2. Oats or quinoa

3. Omelet made with one whole organic egg and three whites, paired with veggies, avocado, and black beans.

3. Get the real deal

Choose wisely and learn to love healthy. Nutrients from the foods you eat are the foundation of the structure, function, and integrity of every one of your cells. Your body is continuously repairing, healing, and rebuilding itself, and how healthy your new cells are is directly determined by how well you’ve been eating. So even if you’re lean and you burn a lot of calories, avoiding highly processed food and eating a clean, nutrient rich, whole foods diet can help you get the most out of all of your hard work, including cells that function better, and are less susceptible to premature aging, injury, and disease.

4. Don’t overcompensate

If weight loss is your goal, it’s important that you watch you eat post workout – most of the time we tend heat more than what we need because of the fact we’re tired. In fact, it’s incredibly easy to “eat back” all of what you’ve burned. For example, in a one-hour elliptical session, an average woman burns about 490 calories. A venti frappucino contains more than 500 calories. Even if you don’t splurge on treats like these, you may be tempted to sneak a little extra almond butter, or whip cream or be less mindful of your oatmeal or fruit portions, and those extras can add up. And if you’re going to be eating a meal within an hour of finishing up a workout, you don’t also need a post-exercise bar or snack. In short, it is also important to prepare the healthiest portions after your workout.

5. Rehydrate

You probably need a sports drink rather than plain water during exercise if you think you’re opt for a longer exercise – more than an hour. These beverages are designed to keep you well hydrated, but they also provide electrolytes to replace those lost in your sweat (like sodium, which makes sweat salty; and potassium, which helps regulate heart rhythm), as well as fuel to keep you going. If your workouts are less strenuous, shorter, climate controlled, or not so sweaty, plain H2O is totally fine. The general rule of thumb is to drink at least two cups of fluid two hours before exercise, another two cups 15 minutes prior, and a half-cup every 15 minutes during. Post exercise, aim for two cups of water (16 ounces) for every pound of body weight lost, and monitor the color of your urine—if you’re well hydrated it should be pale.

6. Watch your alcohol intake

Key is moderation. Some athletes and active people enjoy imbibing a bit after working out. Alcohol in moderation is fine, but make sure to eat first to start the recovery process. Also, it’s important to know that alcohol has been shown to accelerate post-exercise muscle loss and the loss of muscle strength by as much as 40%. It can also interfere with replenishing glycogen, the storage form of carbohydrates you stock away in your muscles to serve as energy “piggy banks.” Less glycogen can translate into a lack of power or endurance during your next workout, so aim for moderation.

Original article and pictures take www.healthdigezt.com site

пятница, 7 мая 2010 г.

6 essential cool-down stretches

Source: Best Health MAgazine, March/April 2010

Take time to stretch at the end of every strenuous workout. ‘Don’t underestimate the cool-down at the end of your workout,’ says award-winning personal trainer Geoff Bagshaw. ‘You’ve worked hard to get to this point, so you should enjoy it. Take a few minutes to relax and stretch out all of the major muscles you used. The stretches will keep you limber and prevent tightness, helping you avoid injury.’ Hold these stretches static (without moving) for 10 to 15 seconds, making sure to do both sides.

1. Quadriceps

Lying on your right side, pull left heel into left glute, feeling the stretch in the front of the thigh. Repeat with the right leg.

2. Hamstrings

Lying on your back, lift and straighten one leg directly above hips. Holding the calf or thigh, press heel toward ceiling as you pull leg back toward chest. Switch legs.

3. Glutes

Lying on your back, cross right leg over bent left knee. Then bring left knee to chest, holding onto the back of your thigh, gently pressing right knee wide. Switch legs.

4. Chest

Standing straight, interlace fingers behind your back as you straighten out your arms and lift chin to ceiling.

5. Triceps/shoulders

Take one arm overhead, bend at elbow joint, and extend palm down centre of your back, gently pulling elbow with opposite hand. Take same arm across the chest, gently pulling at the elbow joint, to extend through the shoulder. Switch arms.

6. Core/back

On all fours, round out your back (like an angry cat), and then invert it, making a C-shape with your spine, Repeat three times. Then sit back between your heels, forehead on the mat, arms extended in front of you, as you lengthen your back. Now, pat yourself on the back’and go have a big glass of water!

This article is adapted from an article titled "Ultimate at-home boot camp," in the March/April 2010 issue of Best Health. Subscribe today to get the full Best Health experience’and never miss an issue!’and make sure to check out what’s new in the latest issue of Best Health.

Original article and pictures take www.besthealthmag.ca site

вторник, 25 мая 2010 г.