MyAchyBack Potential Pain Solution: Fitness
Fitness Feature Article
Getting Ready for Summer

Paying Attention to Your Body
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We all want to have fun. We want to work hard and play hard, and we want to go all out.
It's
important, though, when playing sports or exercising, to pay attention
to the feedback our body is giving us. If we ignore these friendly
messages, some not-so-pleasant things might happen. And, when things go
wrong physically, there might be significant recovery time involved.
Paying attention can save a lot of downtime.
Important
warning signs include feeling faint, experiencing shortness of breath,
and even intense muscle pain and soreness. Any of these signals mean
you're doing too much, working too hard, or working beyond your current
physical capacity.
Back off a little. Slow down. Say that's enough for the day and be able to go out there again tomorrow.
Your
chiropractor can help you design fun and challenging exercise routines.
He or she is able to recommend sports, stretches, and activities that
match-up with your interests and plans. The goal, as always, is to be
healthy, active, and well. |
Here
comes summer! Fun in the sun. Barbecues, fireworks, and cool drinks.
And outdoor activities - hiking, biking, running, swimming, skating,
blading, and even canoeing.
Getting back into shape seems like a very good idea
right about now. We want to look good in our shorts and tee shirts, and
more importantly, we don't want to be huffing and puffing. We want to
be able to do what we want to do without having to think about
limitations or restrictions.
How to return to fitness? There are three main areas on
which to focus - losing some weight, doing aerobic exercise, and doing
some weight-training.
1,2
Whether you want to
lose five, ten, or twenty pounds, the easy-to-follow principles are the
same. First, eat several (five or six) small meals each day. Each small
meal contains about 300 calories and your total daily intake is between
1800 and 1900 calories per day. This might be a significant reduction
for many people, so be sure to check with your doctor and get his or
her OK to begin such a food plan.
Each small meal contains both protein and carbohydrate.
This food-combining principle retrains your body's metabolism and helps
you become a lean machine. Food combining optimizes energy utilization
and evens out insulin levels throughout the day. This is particularly
important for people who are hypoglycemic or pre-diabetic. Again, check
with you doctor to be sure such a plan will work well for you.
Returning to aerobic fitness is very important for
summer activities. Get out of your house and begin a walking program.
Start with ten or fifteen minutes of easy walking. Add a minute each
day, building up to thirty-minute walks over the course of three or
four weeks. When you can walk for thirty minutes easily, increase your
pace. Again, increase your pace gradually over several weeks.
Treadmills, stationary bikes, stair machines, and
elliptical machines all provide excellent aerobic workouts. The key, as
with walking, is to build up gradually to a high level. Interval
training methods are also valuable and improve cardiovascular
efficiency. Interval training involves alternating intense and slow
periods of activity.
Weight-training tones muscles, trains your body to do
physical work, and causes your metabolism to burn fat while you're
resting, so there are a wide variety of benefits here. Many excellent
books and magazines are available to help you begin a weight-training
program. Workout with a knowledgeable friend. Hire a personal trainer
for four weeks and learn enough to be able to workout on your own. The
physical and psychological benefits are well worth the time and effort.
3
Now
you're fit and well-prepared to enjoy all that summer has to offer. The
final tip is to be sure to stay hydrated all day long. Drinking water
is the most important nutritional advice anyone could give to anyone.
1Simkini-Silverman LR, et al. Lifestyle intervention can prevent weight gain during menopause. Ann Behav Med 26(3):212-220, 2003
2Knuttgen HG. Strength training and aerobic exercise: comparison and contrast. J Strength Cond Res 21(3):973-978, 2007
3Kraemer
WJ, et al. American College of Sports Medicine position stand.
Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Med Sci
Sports Exerc 34(2):364-380, 2002
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