by Lovena Suson | Apr 11, 2021 | Exercise Tips
Top 7 Tactics to Avoid Overuse Exercise Injuries
If you鈥檝e hurt yourself while exercising, then you know that overuse injuries are a serious issue. However, using these techniques will help you avoid them, so you can exercise without worrying about getting hurt.聽
馃憠馃憠馃憠SAUNA or ICE BATH? Which One is Better
YOU DON’T HAVE TO END UP IN PAIN
1.聽聽聽聽聽 Stretch first. Do a series of simple and effective stretches before you exercise. This will warm up your muscles and get them ready for a more intense workout.
2.聽聽聽聽聽 Pay attention to your body. One of the biggest reasons why overuse injuries occur is because you don鈥檛 listen to your body and push yourself too far.
路聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Pay attention to both your body and mind as you exercise.
路聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Notice the initial signs of pain, soreness, and fatigue. Avoid pushing yourself to the point of injury.
路聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 A small strain or sprain can quickly become a bigger issue if you continue to exercise. It鈥檚 important to relax and give your body the chance to recover.
3.聽聽聽聽聽 Do strengthening exercises. Strengthening exercises such as lifting weights can do more than give you bigger muscles.
路聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Strengthening exercises can help you prevent overuse injuries by giving you stronger muscles and joints that don鈥檛 injure as easily. Include them in your regular routines.
4.聽聽聽聽聽 Do cross-train. It鈥檚 dangerous to only do one type of exercise. Cross-training allows you to do several different types of exercises on the same day, so your body gets a more effective workout.
路 Cross-training聽also helps you avoid overuse injuries because you鈥檙e putting less stress on one part of your body. For example, you can spend time running on the treadmill to g
et a good leg workout and later lift weights for your arms. This will help you prevent injuries.聽
5.聽聽聽聽聽 Be careful with pain medications. Pain medications can help you relieve the symptoms after you get an overuse injury. However, they鈥檙e also dangerous if used too often. 聽
路聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Pain medications can mask the severity of your injuries and put you at risk of getting even more injured. They can encourage you to keep exercising because you鈥檝e lessened the pain and feel like you can continue.
路聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 It鈥檚 important to discuss your pain medication use with your doctor and trainer.
路聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Avoid using the medication as an excuse to keep exercising and hurting yourself.聽
6.聽聽聽聽聽 Be mindful of a healthy diet. Your injuries need the right nutrition to heal. Your body supplies the nutrients to your cells, so they can recover.
路聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Ensure your diet includes the vitamins, minerals, and other components necessary to heal. Avoid junk food such as sugary or salty snacks and focus on vegetables, fruits, grains, and nuts.聽
7.聽聽聽聽聽 Seek help from professionals. If you notice a minor strain or sprain that won鈥檛 go away, it may be time to get help. Speak to your trainer, doctor, or physical therapist about the pain you feel.
路聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 You don鈥檛 want to hide the pain and pretend you鈥檙e fine because this can lead to more injuries.
Exercise shouldn鈥檛 leave you in pain and unable to walk for weeks. You can avoid overuse injuries by following these tips.
馃憠馃憠馃憠Do This to Relieve Joint Stiffness
by Lovena Suson | Apr 1, 2021 | Uncategorized
Did you know that you could look skinnier without losing any weight? While you’re waiting to see results from diet and exercise, there are ways to slim down instantly. Try these tips for your wardrobe, hair, face, body, and mind.
馃憠馃憠馃憠13 Essential Tips for the Busy Worker
聽Wardrobe Tips for Looking Thinner:
1.聽聽聽聽聽 Wear one color at a time. Wearing a single color or similar shades for your whole outfit will help you to look thinner and taller. Black is a practical choice, but other colors can achieve the same effect. Solids are usually more slimming than prints.
2.聽聽聽聽聽 Ensure that your clothes fit properly. Wearing clothes that are too small makes you look bigger. Seek a comfortable fit and professional alterations if necessary. Get a personalized bra fitting at any department store periodically to keep up with any changes due to aging or weight fluctuations.
3.聽聽聽聽聽 Use undergarments with comfortable shaping. Body shapers and other compression garments are more comfortable than ever before. Invest in some strategic undergarments that will make all your clothes look better.
4.聽聽聽聽聽 Choose slimming pants. Look for pants with a flat front and minimal detail. Skip the pants with hidden zippers and no pockets. Pant legs with a slight flare can also help you to look trimmer.
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5.聽聽聽聽聽 Select flattering tops. Pay attention to the length of your tops. A top that ends below the waist will deflect attention from a thick middle. Similarly, a wide collar will help balance broad hips.聽
馃憠馃憠馃憠Remote Workers: Balancing Home & Work
6.聽聽聽聽聽 Wear the right shoes. Chunky shoes can make your legs look thicker. Look for narrow pumps with a slightly pointed toe rather than square or rounded toes. Nude shoes are especially good because they make your legs look longer.
7.聽聽聽聽聽 Liberate yourself from the fear of swimwear. Many women shrink from shopping for swimwear but there are bathing suits designed for every body type. High-cut legs can make you look thinner. Lightweight compression can keep you feeling comfortable and sleek.
Other Tips for Looking Thinner:
1.聽聽聽聽聽 Use makeup to make your face more angular. The iridescent聽powder can make your face look slimmer and create contours. Brush it along your brow bones and the top of your cheekbones to bring out your bone structure.
2.聽聽聽聽聽 Make your eyes stand out. If your eyes look bigger, the rest of your face will appear smaller. Curl your upper lashes and apply extra mascara to your top outer lashes. Keep your eyebrows slightly arched and well-groomed.
3.聽聽聽聽聽 Get a flattering haircut. If you want your face to look less full, try cutting your hair shorter. Instead of bangs, pull your hair away from your face to make your face look longer. Choose a hairstyle that adds a little height and fullness to the crown.
4.聽聽聽聽聽 Practice good posture. Develop strong abdominal muscles and hold your stomach flat at all times. Pull your shoulders back. It’s good for your health and makes you look leaner.
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5.聽聽聽聽聽 Get a safe tan. If you think that tanning makes you look thinner, do it safely. Sunless tanning products have come a long way in recent years. Daily tanning moisturizers are one easy option to get a little color gradually without any increased risk of skin cancer or premature aging.
6.聽聽聽聽聽 Project a positive attitude. No matter what your dress or pants size is, you’ll feel more attractive when you cultivate a healthy sense of self-esteem and genuine affection for others. Focus on your most attractive features and qualities. People can sense your self-confidence. Confidence and self-worth are attractive. You are uniquely you.
Looking thinner can help you feel more confident and give you the encouragement you need to stick with your fitness program.聽
Simple adjustments to your wardrobe and beauty routine can have a huge impact on your appearance and your state of mind.
by Lovena Suson | Nov 5, 2019 | Exercise Tips
Learning how to walk better can make a difference for your health. It improves your posture and聽 prevents aches and pains. It can also strengthen your legs, as you are using the right muscles. It also helps the joints function better during walking. There are many components that comprise walking.
BAD WALKING PATTERN IS VERY COMMON
Sitting at the mall, at a park we can watch people walk around browsing, shopping, and just strolling leisurely. One can’t help but notice that people have individual walking patterns. You would be surprised how many people are not aware of how to walk properly.聽
Some slouched, some straight-backed, some shuffle, and some use assistive devices such as a cane or walker. Gait deviations can be readily observed mostly in the older adult population.
Changes in the walking pattern can be the result of surgical procedures. This can include聽 聽hip or knee replacements, fractures, or simple arthroscopic procedures. It is also common that pain from arthritis or degenerative joint diseases can cause compensatory movements that result in gait abnormality.
聽SOME CAUSES OF A BAD WALKING PATTERN
Neurological conditions such as a stroke causing paralysis or weakness on one side of the body can significantly alter one’s gait symmetry.聽
Neuropathy聽from diabetes resulting in reduced or loss of sensation in the lower extremities can also impact gait. Nerve injuries to the leg can also cause conditions such as drop foot losing the foot’s ability to lift when the heel strikes the ground to walk. Impaired coordination, as in the case of Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis,聽ALS聽(Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis),聽Cerebral Palsy聽are just a few examples of movement altering conditions.
Walking seems to be an effortless and insignificant movement for us, bipedal beings. However, it is incredible to realize that we are superbly designed聽to meet the demands of this simplest mode of ambulation.
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THE VARIOUS STAGES OR PHASES OF WALKING
Events occur every moment we walk.聽There are various stages of walking. These are:
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1. Stance Phase聽– This is that period where the foot is rooted to the ground.
2. Swing聽Phase聽– This is that phase of the leg where it gets off the ground, swings forward, and passes the stance leg.
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Walking seems to be an effortless and insignificant movement for us, bipedal beings. However, it is impressive to realize that we are superbly designed聽to meet the demands of this simplest mode of ambulation.
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聽FRONT FOOT: Heel Strike
FRONT FOOT: Early Foot flat
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BACK聽FOOT: Late Footflat聽
聽BACK FOOT: Heel Raise
BACK FOOT: Toe Off
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Swing聽Phase聽occurs once that same foot leaves the ground alternately for the other foot to be in a stance, and the swing leg ready to get back to the Heel Strike position again. This is the gait cycle, the process with which we bring our body to a specific direction at a certain speed.
Swing Phase聽
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Deviations from this typical walking pattern can cause abnormalities in a movement聽that, if left uncorrected, can result in pain syndromes聽from muscular imbalance and abnormal loading on specific joints. Problems could arise, including back pain, hip, knee pain, and foot pain. In the weaker older adults, it can cause severe falls from poor balance.
A considerable amount of information is available about the complexities of walking. In this topic, however, I just want to share tips on how to walk effectively聽with less energy expenditure by efficiently utilizing the muscles of the legs.
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Also relevant is injury prevention by ensuring the proper body and joint alignment towards our center of gravity to avoid unnecessary loading and stress to these structures.
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1. Heel-Toe Walking.
Try this exercise: In standing, consciously step forward with the heel first, making sure the knee is entirely straight, before lowering the forefoot in contact with the ground surface. Do so with the other foot. If unsteady on your feet, hold on to the kitchen counter or wall to steady yourself.
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聽Doing this will make your quads muscles contract to stabilize the knee joint, while the anterior tibialis muscle聽(muscle on the front of the lower leg)聽pulls the foot up towards the shin. This pattern ensures stability and prevents knee buckling.
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2. Reverse this pattern when walking backward. It then becomes聽Toe – Heel walking.聽That is, the toes touch the floor first upon stepping back, followed by the heel. This helps with effective weight transference and less up and down motion making the gait pattern smooth and level and less tiring.
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3. Sideways Walking.
Walking sideways in a Toe – Heel pattern with about shoulder-width distance between each foot helps with lateral stability. It activates muscles of the hips, the buttocks, and inner thighs, as well as the usual muscles of the legs during walking. You can hold on to again, a wall or counter, for stability if unstable on your feet.
聽(Image credited to Hep2Go.com, an exercise prescription program for Rehab Professionals)
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OTHER HELPFUL EXERCISES THAT HELP WITH WALKING BETTER:
聽
1. Heel and Toe Raise聽
– Holding onto a counter, table, or wall for support, go up on your toes (tiptoe) and hold this for 5 seconds. Holding this position for at least 5 seconds, ensure more muscle recruitment necessary for strength and stability. Repeat for about 10- 20 times as many times as able during the day.
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In reverse, rock back on your heels, lifting the toes up, holding it again for 5 seconds, holding on for support to prevent falling backward. Again, repeat this about 10 – 20 times as able.
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Stronger muscles on the legs provide ankle stability and rigidity that help with shock absorption as each foot hits the ground. This is important as the foot is subjected to the load of the bodyweight itself up to threefold as it is the first structure that hits the ground during bipedal ambulation.
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2. Mini Squats / Wall Slides
聽A simple exercise that strengthens the legs, promotes the recruitment of all muscles necessary for bearing body weight and joint stabilization.
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With your back against a wall, feet planted at about shoulder-width apart, bend knees slowly as tolerated, only halfway down聽for better tolerance. Hold this position for 5 seconds, and straighten up, go back to the initial position. Repeat this about 10 times or as able.
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These simple聽tips are especially helpful聽for older adults who are weaker and unsteady on their feet. It is a good start towards improving the walking patterns, promoting ease of ambulation, and even fall prevention.
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One can always consult with a doctor or a physical therapist for an evaluation and assessment of any gait or walking difficulties.
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