For the Smart Money Cookie

You’re fired up, your adrenaline is pumping, engines are revved.
You can’t wait to get out there and perform. You’ve waited all
day, maybe a few days and are replaying in your mind the
challenges you will confront and how you will tackle them. Your
time to escape the day to day and become your true self, the
adventurer, the conquerer, the winner, the leader, the activist
or the dreamer has arrived. When your sport is your passion,
motivation is not a problem. Sometimes though, the passion can
create complications. Knowing how and when to stop, slow down,
change your ways, get educated, hire a pro. or just ‘take a
break’ is essential to survival and ongoing fulfillment from
your sports and fitness career. Your activities are precious and
you want to be sure to keep it that way. You’re certainly aware
of all the advantages your sports participation provides. It
keeps your spirits up, makes you feel and look young, gives you
lots of energy, allows you to cheat on your calorie counts, your
mind is sharper, helps maintain your figure, you’re passionate
and optimistic, you feel fulfilled…and this only to start the
list of benefits. If your not feeling these benefits you may
just want to stop, take a look and see if your missing something
in your routine. Sports and fitness adventurers are human too.
Whether your venturing into a new sport, progressing in your
same sport, or cross-training here are some problems to
consider, hopefully avoid or know what to do, should the
situation strike. Keeping it all in perspective. Let’s review
some basics:

PROBLEM: Too rushed to do a warm up and stretch before physical
activity? Remember: studies confirm that cold muscles are prone
to injury and it’s the times when you’re rushed that you are
most prone to injury. SOLUTION: Don’t give into temptation and
jump cold into your sport. Instead jump into jumping jacks, arm
swings, leg swings, step out lunges, stationary cycling,
running, or walking in place for three to five minutes. Then, a
few dynamic stretches (to wake up the muscles and prepare them
for effort), while reaching out with effortless breathing. Slow
static stretches (which put the muscles to sleep) have been
shown to dampen performance efforts, so stretch out and keep it
moving. Now your ready to jump in. PROBLEM: Succumbing to the
“weekend warrior” syndrome. Compressing all of your physical
activity into two days sets you up for trouble and doesn’t
increase your fitness level. You should try to get at least 30
minutes of physical activity every day. SOLUTION: If time is a
problem HIIT (20 min. cardio) may be your solution. High
Intensity Interval Training is really quite simple to do. You
pick your favorite cardio activity and build up to a challenge
pace by minute 5. Then take your pace up to a winded “sprint”
state for as long as tolerable, and bring it back down for
however long it takes you to recover enough to go into your next
“sprint” state again. These are your intervals, which you
eventually build up in numbers. At first you can only do a few
intervals and the entire workout will take 8 -12 minutes. So you
save time while getting tremendous benefits! You will eventually
build up the length, intensity and number of intervals to fill
up 20 minutes no more time is needed! Always include gradual
warm up (5 minutes) and cool down (3 minutes), add a few
stretches if you can at the end. Cautionary note: work within
your level as you are more prone to injury because of increased
intensity. For example, if you’re a beginner use a walk into a
jog. Joggers can break into a run for intervals. Runners go into
a sprint, sprinters zip into light plyometrics like jump roping
or track and field. It is believed that HIIT helps the body to
release HGH (Human Growth Hormone) which is a tremendous fat
burning hormone, as well, it has rejuvenating properties for
body tissues (including skin, organs and muscle). Less intense
cardio programs cause fat loss but also muscle loss, plus
there’s the time element. PROBLEM: Guessing at how to correctly
maintain your physical form or hold a piece of equipment is not
smart. Improper form increases the chance of developing
“overuse” injuries like tendonitis or stress fractures.
SOLUTION: Take lessons from a professional specializing in your
specific sport and invest in good equipment. Cross training with
a qualified fitness trainer can help you develop enhanced
coordination, balance, strength, flexibility, proper alignment
and breathing techniques plus teach you body awareness so you
don’t create bad habits and break the old ones. PROBLEM: Saving
time, hassle and money keeping the old shoes and equipment.
SOLUTION: Replace them when the treads start to look worn, or
when the shoes are no longer as supportive. Visit a qualified
orthotist or pedorthist to find if you need orthotics. They will
help resolve (foot, ankle, knee, hip, back, shoulder or neck)
pain and debilitation provoked by poor foot alignment. PROBLEM:
Not wearing the appropriate safety gear. SOLUTION: If you inline
skate, use a helmet, knee, wrist, and elbow pads. If you ski,
cycle or snowboard, get a helmet and wear suncreen. Safety gear
can save your life, broken bones, soft tissue injuries and keep
you away from the risk of cancer. PROBLEM: Ignoring what your
body says as you age. Losing flexibility and not modifying
activity you did years ago. Some sports put too much stress on
the body. The human body is not designed to perform many
activities, including traditional sports. Our bodies are very
good at repairing, but as we age, that changes and it takes
longer to recover. SOLUTION: You need to decrease the repetitive
impact particularly to your joints, to continue enjoying your
sports with less aches and pains. To modify try to switch from
singles tennis to doubles, from running to bicycling, or from
advanced ski hills to the more basic slopes. You may not be able
to play three times a week because that doesn’t give your body
time to repair. Meanwhile, work on your flexibility and
strength. By conditioning and increasing muscle mass, the body
is able to better absorb repetitive impacts. Using lighter
weights and 30 repetitions per exercise is safer and still
provides improved strength. Lifting weights damages muscle, but
when it is rebuilt, it is stronger than before. You may be able
to lift two to three times a week and still play sports and
allow your body a chance to heal. Some studies show that
exercise reduces pain in arthritis sufferers. Warming up,
stretching and anti-inflammatory treatments help relieve
symptoms but won’t slow down the natural progression of
arthritis. Nutritional supplements like glucosamine and
chondroitin may also reduce symptoms. They are not miracle cures
and we do not understand how they work yet. But some users swear
that they help. PROBLEM: Being impatient and wanting better
results or avoiding boredom. SOLUTION: Use the 10% rule. When
changing your activity level, increase it in increments of no
more than 10% per week. If you normally walk two miles a day and
want to increase your fitness level, don’t suddenly try to walk
four miles. Slowly build up to reach your goals. Develop a
balanced fitness program that incorporates cardiovascular
exercise, strength training, and flexibility. In addition to
providing a total body workout, a balanced program will keep you
from getting bored. If you have been sedentary or even if you
are in good physical shape, don’t try to take on too much at
once. It is best to add no more than one or two activities per
workout. Yours truly doubled everything and caught herself
another cold…not helpful. PROBLEM: Trying to silence an injury
such as tendonitis, arthritis, stress fracture, or low back
pain. SOLUTION: See a qualified specialist (these specialists
are ordered in seriousness of injury) such as an orthotist or
pedorthotist, medical exercise specialist, physical therapist,
physiatrist, or orthopaedic surgeon who can guide and advice you
along to a speedy recovery to your first love and passion.
Remember you want to keep that sports file filled with great
experiences. Your sports and fitness regime should provide a
lifetime of adventure, fulfillment and exhilaration, if your
passionate and smart!

Deborah Caruana RN, AAHRFP, NASM, ACE, www.vitalsignsfitness.com
email deb@vitalsignsfitness.com