Sports Spine Specialist Chiropractic Team: Athletes strive to achieve their body’s maximum performance by participating in numerous training regimens consisting of strenuous exercises and physical activity and ensuring they meet all of their body’s nutritional requirements. Through proper fitness and nutrition, many individuals can condition themselves to excel in their specific sport. Our training programs are designed for athletes that look to gain a competitive edge in their sport.
We provide sport-specific services to help increase an athlete’s performance through mobility, strength, and endurance. Occasionally, however, the excess workouts can lead many to suffer injuries or develop underlying conditions. Dr. Alex Jimenez’s chronicle of articles for athletes displays in detail the many forms of complications affecting these professionals while focusing on the possible solutions and treatments to follow to achieve overall well-being.
One of the most common tendons in the body that gets injured is the Achilles tendon, and this tendon tends to rupture when a person is doing recreational sports. Most people have opted for treatment for their Achilles tendon through surgery; however, low laser therapy can help the Achilles tendon recover a bit faster while providing beneficial properties during treatment. Low laser therapy has positive effects on the affected area where the pain resides and has helped progress the body’s natural healing process.
Achilles Tendon and Symptoms
The Achilles tendon is a strong fibrous cord connected at the back of the calf muscles to the heel bone. When a person does recreational sports, the Achilles tendon stretches during the activity. However, when the Achilles tendon is overly stretched during the exercise, it can rupture completely or partially depending on how strenuous the body is being put through.
Some of the symptoms of a ruptured Achilles include:
A feeling of being kicked in the calf
A popping or snapping sound where the injury occurred.
Pain and swelling near the heel.
The inability to bend the foot downwards
The inability to stand on the toes
When these symptoms occur in the Achilles tendon, it is due to the lack of blood flow that the body is not providing. Studies have found that when the Achilles tendon is ruptured, it is a severe injury due to the scarce blood supply, and it could take weeks or even months before it is completely healed.
Low Laser Treatments and Benefits
Patients with a ruptured Achilles heel can get low laser therapy to help relieve the pain from the ruptured tendon. Studies found that when patients are being treated with low laser therapy has shown beneficial results. The results showed how the application of low laser treatment is very effective. The therapy provides a consequent relief from the motor function pain to the heel while also providing anti-inflammatory properties to the affected area. What this does is that the low-intensity laser concentrates on the inflammatory markers of the affected area, thus providing an increased blood flow (angiogenesis) in the treated area and decreasing inflammation. Low laser therapy can even help accelerate and enhance the repair of the injured Achilles tendon with frequent treatment sessions.
Conclusion
Overall, the Achilles tendon is one of the most frequent tendons that gets ruptured when a person is doing recreational sports. The healing process can take to about a week to a month for the tendon to properly heal. But through low laser therapy, the Achilles tendon can be repaired while providing relief from inflammation and enhancing the injured tendon recovery process.
Jesus, Julio Fernandes de, et al. “Low-Level Laser Therapy on Tissue Repair of Partially Injured Achilles Tendon in Rats.” Photomedicine and Laser Surgery, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 15 May 2015, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24831690/.
Nogueira, Adelmário Cavalcanti, and Manoel de Jesus Moura Júnior. “The Effects of Laser Treatment in Tendinopathy: A Systematic Review.” Acta Ortopedica Brasileira, Sociedade Brasileira De Ortopedia e Traumatologia, 2015, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4544521/.
Reaching, twisting, walking, and driving are everyday activities that require upper and lower back strength. An aching back can easily affect daily activities, generate frustration, anger, and affect all-around health. The more back muscle strength an individual has, the more they can accomplish far more without injury. Immense power is not required to protect the body from a back injury. All that is needed is regular, consistent physical activity and exercise. A balance of body strength is vital for preventing injury. However, overdoing one fitness exercise or physical activity can imbalance musculature, leading to injury. Because the back/spine is the central part of the body, complete and proper care is necessary for optimal health and wellness. For individuals experiencing sore, aching, and tired muscles, here are some exercises that will help in the process.
Alternating Arm and Leg Extensions
Alternating extensions help build strength and coordination in the core areas. The back muscles increase their efficiency by creating muscle memory that supports the work shared by all the torso muscles. Upper and lower back muscles must work together to maintain a healthy balance and not overwork each other, causing strain and fatigue.
Start by placing hands and knees on the floor with the head directly between shoulders and facing toward the floor.
Feet are directly in line behind the buttocks and resting on the floor.
Hips and shoulders rest above the knees and hands.
Raise the right hand straight ahead with the arm at full length.
At the time same time, raise the left leg straight behind the body.
Try to keep the arm and leg as straight as possible.
Hold for 10 seconds.
Switch sides.
Repeat three to eight times, depending on strength level.
If it is difficult, a modified option is to raise the arm and leg separately.
Plank Hold
These can help build back muscles and strengthen the arms, legs, and the front torso area. Plank holds are a recommended starting point. Plank holds can be done on the elbows, palms of the hands, or closed fist hands. The key is to keep the shoulders, hips, and ankles straight like a wood plank parallel to the floor.
Place hands and feet directly on the floor like doing a push–up.
Toes should be on the floor.
Keep the abdominals tight and buttocks lifted to prevent straining the lower back.
Face straight down.
Hold for a count of 10.
Repeat three times.
For those with an aching back, keeping the hips level with the shoulders could be challenging at the beginning.
With practice, it will become easier; then, the individual is recommended to increase the length of time until 30 seconds is achieved.
Then increase the challenge to try more than three repetitions.
A modification for beginners is to start with the body resting on the floor, stomach down.
Then raise the body into the start position from the floor.
Hip Raises
Hip raises help to strengthen the lower back muscles to unite and support the lower half of the body. Training the body to work cooperatively is critical for reducing the aching and pain from muscle imbalance.
Rest the body flat on the floor, facing upward.
Place the hands flat at the body’s sides.
Knees should be about shoulder-width apart.
Keep the feet flat on the floor
Pull the feet toward the buttocks.
Look straight up.
Raise the hips as high as possible while pressing down with the hands.
Physical activity that keeps blood moving throughout the body. Examples include yoga, gardening, and dancing.
While the back is healing, go at a gentle even pace for any activity. Jerking and quickly stopping can be hard on joints and discs. When injured, the other muscles try to compensate to avoid causing a flare-up that could worsen the injury and/or create a new injury.
Aching Back Muscles
Strength-building exercises are great for preventing injury and avoiding re-injury. However, avoid overreaching or overstretching with any of the activities. Continuous aching or painful back muscles could indicate something else is occurring that could be:
The beginning of an arthritic condition causing inflammation.
Back muscle tear/s.
Pregnancy.
Body Composition
Sarcopenia – Loss of Skeletal Muscle Mass and Strenght Causes
Decreased Physical Activity
Physical inactivity is one of the primary contributors to sarcopenia.
Sedentariness can exacerbate the effects of sarcopenia.
Regular resistance exercise can help maintain muscle mass and build muscular strength.
Decrease in motor neurons
Aging is accompanied by a loss of motor neurons caused by cell death.
This can lead to a decrease in muscle fibers and size.
This decrease leads to:
Impaired performance
Reduced functional capacity
Decreased ability to perform everyday tasks.
Increase in Pro-inflammatory Cytokines
Poor diet and exercise also promote the storage of visceral fat.
This type of fat tissue produces pro-inflammatory cytokines.
This can accelerate muscle breakdown.
Obesity and muscle weakness are associated with high levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines.
References
Alfuth, M, and D Cornely. “Chronischer lumbaler Rückenschmerz : Vergleich zwischen Mobilisationstraining und Training der rumpfstabilisierenden Muskulatur” [Chronic low back pain : Comparison of mobilization and core stability exercises]. Der Orthopade vol. 45,7 (2016): 579-90. doi:10.1007/s00132-016-3233-1
Kim, Beomryong, and Jongeun Yim. “Core Stability and Hip Exercises Improve Physical Function and Activity in Patients with Non-Specific Low Back Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial.” The Tohoku journal of experimental medicine vol. 251,3 (2020): 193-206. doi:10.1620/tjem.251.193
Smith, Benjamin E et al. “An update of stabilization exercises for low back pain: a systematic review with meta-analysis.” BMC musculoskeletal disorders vol. 15 416. 9 Dec. 2014, doi:10.1186/1471-2474-15-416
Suh, Jee Hyun et al. “The effect of lumbar stabilization and walking exercises on chronic low back pain: A randomized controlled trial.” Medicine vol. 98,26 (2019): e16173. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000016173
When dealing with any kind of pain, many types of remedies can help alleviate the source of the pain. Whether muscle pain or cardiac tissue pain, the effects can be long-term if not appropriately treated. Doctors have discovered that low laser therapy can help repair injured muscles that patients have experienced. With low laser therapy, the beneficial effects can help repair injuries that the bodies’ skeletal and cardiac muscles have endured.
When the body gets injured, many people endure the pain later or during the accident. Sometimes the pain is short-termed or long-termed, depending on how severe the injury is. Short-term pain or “acute” pain can be simple, like a sprained joint; however, long-term pain or “chronic” pain, it’s more severe to the body and can have lasting effects. Chronic pain can hinder a person’s body from doing the most straightforward task. When people deal with chronic pain, it can drastically affect the body’s musculoskeletal system and even their cardiovascular system.
When the body’s musculoskeletal system is damaged, many complications can start affecting the joints in many different parts of the body. Chronic pain can cause inflammation throughout the body, causing a person not to have the energy to do any task they planned for the day. Sometimes the pain can be excruciating where the body just completely shuts down. When doctors see their patients, they ask them, “Where does it hurt?” meaning where the pain feels more excruciating on the person’s body. The patient will always tell their physicians that the pain is on their joints or back. So doctors would recommend low laser therapy.
Low Laser Therapy
With low laser therapy or phototherapy, the effects from the treatment can alleviate the pain from the body. Studies show that the application of low laser therapy in injured muscles can significantly enhance muscle regeneration in multiple and frequent applications. Low laser therapy does target the injured muscles because it uses irradiation, which targets the affected muscle while increasing the body’s natural antioxidants and cytoprotective heat shock proteins (HSP-70i). Phototherapy can even help reduce muscle fatigue in athletes when they are in a post-exercise routine.
Studies have found that physical therapists use phototherapy as another form of recovery treatment for athletes. What the laser does is that when it is placed on the affected muscle and joint pain, the infrared wavelength penetrates the skin and starts to affect the targeted area. The infrared wavelengths cause therapeutic effects by decreasing oxidative stress accumulated by the body while also reactivating oxygen species production, improving the body’s mitochondrial function, etc. Another study also shows that phototherapy can also repair cardiac tissue. The study shows that when doctors use phototherapy, it directly affects the intracellular mechanisms in the heart while also activating heat-independent tissues without causing tissue damage to the heart. The study also shows that phototherapy can be effective in various complications, such as lymphoedema and muscular trauma.
Conclusion
All in all, low laser therapy has beneficial properties in preventing muscle and cardiac muscle tissue damage. Its infrared radiation can help patients go about their day without the pain and suffering that their body endures. By reducing ventricular dilatation and preserving the body’s mitochondria while elevating the HSP-70i, the body can start on the road to recovery.
References:
Leal Junior, Ernesto Cesar Pinto, et al. “Effects of Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) in the Development of Exercise-Induced Skeletal Muscle Fatigue and Changes in Biochemical Markers Related to Postexercise Recovery.” Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, Aug. 2010, www.jospt.org/doi/10.2519/jospt.2010.3294.
Kazemi Khoo, Nooshafarin, et al. “Application of Low-Level Laser Therapy Following Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) Surgery.” Journal of Lasers in Medical Sciences, Laser Application in Medical Sciences Research Center, 2014, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4291821/.
Kettlebell training for the back muscles and back pain prevention can be part of a recommended treatment plan. When experiencing low back pain, many sports medicine experts recommend kettlebell exercise to strengthen the core and posterior chain. However, if not used correctly, kettlebell exercises can worsen back pain.
Kettlebell
They are made of cast iron or steel and are named for resembling a tea kettle with an oversized handle. They can be used in one and two-handed movements.
Exercises and Movements for Back Pain
For individuals that are not experiencing back pain, kettlebell training can be excellent for maintenance and injury prevention. They strengthen the core and back muscles.
The kettlebell swing is an essential exercise and is one of the most important exercises when dealing with back pain issues.
A kettlebell is placed on the floor about 12 inches in front while standing with the feet a little wider than hip-distance.
The hips become the hinge.
Extend the arms down to the bell and grip it.
Begin swinging it up and down through the legs and then upward and outward to chest level.
The shoulders are to stay relaxed.
The hips are used to thrust and create momentum to swing the kettlebell.
Keep the spine neutral throughout the exercise to prevent injury.
The arms are to hold the bell only.
Don’t swing with the arms or shoulders, but push through with the hips.
The exercise can be swung up over the head but is not recommended for those with back pain.
Benefits
They are portable and don’t require a lot of space.
With kettlebells, an individual can train more easily than with barbells.
Kettlebell workouts provide strength training and cardiovascular fitness.
Once the proper technique is learned, individuals can set up a regular regimen at home.
Proper Form and Mistakes
Proper form is crucial. The primary movement most individuals have difficulty with is getting the proper hinging motion at the hip. Most individuals flex at the lower back and place increased pressure on the discs. Proper hip hinge motion means:
Keeping the low back straight
Flexing at the hip
Pushing back out with the buttocks when performing the swing motion.
When done correctly, an individual should be able to stop at any stage and hold that position.
Posture Form Tips
Form issues with kettlebells include:
Hip Hinge
When picking up the kettlebell, remember to hip hinge instead of squatting to maintain the back in a neutral position.
Drive the hips back in the same way when sitting down on a low chair.
Arching the back
If the pelvis is tilted too far forward, the back arches a lot.
This can narrow where the nerves leave the spine in the low back.
Keep the abdominals tight to prevent the pelvis from tilting forward.
Using the incorrect weight can also cause problems; this could be going too heavy or too light.
Too heavy increases the risk of straining the body and back.
A kettlebell that is too light does not provide the correct resistance to strengthen the muscles.
Another common mistake is overtraining. Specifically, individuals over 50 whose bodies don’t recover as quickly.
Individuals over 50 are recommended to spread out the workout days with more than one rest day.
Common Injuries
Proper training before working with kettlebells is highly recommended, especially for those already dealing with back pain. Individuals are encouraged to work with a physical therapist, sports chiropractor, or personal trainer who can teach proper techniques and specific exercises, observe the individual’s process, and make corrections. Improper technique can lead to:
Muscle strains.
Muscle spasms.
Compressed or pinched nerves.
Added stress to pre-existing low back conditions.
Impact injuries to the wrist and forearm.
Body Composition
Exercise Ball Pikes
Exercise ball pikes are an advanced total body workout. Muscle groups worked out include:
Deep abdominals
Hip abductors
Quadriceps
Deltoids
Scapula stabilizers
Pectoralis major/minor
To do the exercise:
Start in a pushup position with the arms on the floor in front.
Lift the legs, so the tops of the feet rest on the exercise/stability ball.
Knees should be bent to start the movement.
Extend the legs out as straight as possible.
Hold the position for a few seconds.
Return to the starting position.
References
Common Injuries Associated with Kettlebells: ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal (March/April 2017) “Managing Risks of Training with Kettlebells to Achieve Optimum Benefits.” journals.lww.com/acsm healthfitness/Fulltext/2017/03000/MANAGING_RISKS_OF_TRAINING_WITH_KETTLEBELLS_TO.6.aspx
High school football takes a toll on the body. The sport can cause all kinds of injuries that can range from mild – severe. Areas that are commonly injured include:
Head
Neck
Shoulder
Arms
Hands
Spine
Legs
Knees
Ankles
Feet
Chiropractic has become a medically recommended form of treatment and rehabilitation for these injuries but also injury prevention. Today all NFL teams utilize a chiropractic team for players and staff. College teams are also discovering the benefits that chiropractic offers. There are significant benefits that high school football players can attain from chiropractic care.
Enhanced Mobility
A chiropractic adjustment, technically known as chiropractic manipulative treatment/CMT, is a primary therapy in sports medicine. It helps to increase flexibility and minimize or eliminate pain during motion/movement. Adjustments have been shown to improve athletic performance.
Injury Prevention
Athletes who regularly use chiropractic experience a decline in sports-related injuries.
Treatment increases flexibility and mobility, allowing for optimal agility that has been linked to preventing injuries. This is because the body is relaxed and stays loose, even when tackled, instead of tensing up, which is a major contributor to strains and injuries.
Enhanced Strength
Chiropractic adjustments also help increase muscular strength, making the body stronger, and more resistant to injury. It has been shown to promote strength in the muscles after a few sessions effectively. The strengthened muscles also help avoid injury by being able to withstand the hits and recover faster. The strengthened body also helps to increase endurance and stamina.
Pain Relief
Many high school players use chiropractic to ease the general pain that comes from general practice and games. Adjustments and massage are highly effective for pain management and alleviate headaches, especially those that come from constant impact to the head and neck. It helps to alleviate soreness, stiffness, and pain from the entire body.
Sports Hernia
Athletes often experience athletic pubalgia. This is one of the most common causes of injury-related groin pain. Chiropractic can relieve the discomfort within 8 weeks in combination with rehabilitative stretches and exercises. Chiropractic plays a critical role in whole-body care, pain relief and keeps the body operating and performing at the highest level.
Body Composition
Water Intoxication
When an individual overwhelms their body’s ability to excrete water and waste products consumed, water intoxication can develop. Water intoxication causes disturbances in the body’s electrolyte balance. This can cause a life-threatening condition known as hyponatremia. With a rapid decrease in the sodium levels in the blood, relative to the amount of water, symptoms can develop rapidly:
If left untreated, later symptoms can develop into:
Seizures
Coma
Death
References
Hession, E F, and G D Donald. “Treatment of multiple lumbar disk herniations in an adolescent athlete utilizing flexion distraction and rotational manipulation.” Journal of manipulative and physiological therapeutics vol. 16,3 (1993): 185-92.
Pritchett, J W. “A statistical study of physician care patterns in high school football injuries.” The American journal of sports medicine vol. 10,2 (1982): 96-9. doi:10.1177/036354658201000206
Shane, Eric R et al. “Sports chiropractic management of concussions using the Sports Concussion Assessment Tool 2 symptom scoring, serial examinations, and graded return to play protocol: a retrospective case series.” Journal of chiropractic medicine vol. 12,4 (2013): 252-9. doi:10.1016/j.jcm.2013.08.001
Triathlon training involves running, biking, and swimming. This much fitness training takes a toll on the body. Pulled hamstrings, twisted ankles, and sore heels are common, but triathlon training can also cause or worsen back pain. Because the back muscles are connected to many other muscles, certain types of movement after a tough training session can present with back pain. There was an Ironman triathlete study that found that 90% of the athletes suffered some form of soft-tissue injury during training, with 70% reporting low back pain and/or sciatica. A 2020 study in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders found that 14% of recreational half-marathon runners presented with low-back pain.
Triathlon Training Hard on the Back
High-impact activities/exercises, constant repetitive motion, places a heavy pounding on the body that impacts the joints and spine. Using improper techniques will aggravate any issues. The stresses applied from repetitive motions, and poor form can lead to the joints breaking down. If new to intense training the muscles might not be strong enough yet, which could also cause back pain and injury. The back stabilizer muscles tend to get neglected in the training, but these muscles support the structures in the midline, spine, and joints. Strengthening the:
Ensures stability of the spine and joints from all the wear and tear.
Training and Overtraining Errors
Even veteran athletes can make mistakes during their training that can lead to sore backs. The biggest mistake individuals make during triathlon training is that they only swim, bike, and run. Training for the specific sport/s is important; but weight lifting, core strengthening, and flexibility training are just as important. Proper rest can become neglected as the individual wants to get in as much training as possible that often gets overlooked, leading to overuse injuries. However, rest is a vital part of training to allow the body to fully recover and operate at full and optimal potential.
Preventing and Avoiding Back Pain When Training
How to sidestep back pain altogether during training includes:
Sleep
A healthy lifestyle includes proper sleep cycles and is even more important during training. The mental aspects a triathlon competition can create require proper rest. Fatigue can also lead to poor technique/form, placing excess stress on the joints and the spine, leading to injury.
Flexibility
Muscles need to maintain flexibility to preserve function and recovery ability. After a training session stretching and working on flexibility will help with overall performance. Stretching should be done after activity when the muscles are warm, and the fibers can be stretched/elongated for optimal recovery.
Proper nutrition
The body needs high-performance fuel to support high-calorie deficits that are associated with intense training and competition.
Strengthening the body
Having a solid body foundation is the objective. Everything is balanced with strong muscles supporting healthy bones. Specific exercises that target the multifidus muscles. These are the body’s back brace. Strengthening these muscles will help prevent spinal injury/s. Back-strengthening exercises include:
Plan rest days no matter what. Pushing through will not make the body stronger or able to perform better, and could cause performance to decrease leading to injury. This does not mean sleeping all day, but engaging in active recovery where the body gets the rest it needs while still maintaining fitness. Active recovery includes:
Allows for a thorough recovery and enhances training.
Technique Improvement
Proper form and technique can really make the difference between staying injury-free and injury/s. Using the right form promotes healthy function. It could help to have gait, swim stroke, and bike techniques evaluated by a professional to ensure that proper form is being utilized.
Body awareness
Stop if the body signals one to stop. This is why the body feels pain. It is the internal mechanism that tells the individual something is wrong. It is not recommended to follow the phrases train through the pain, and no pain, no gain. Individuals are recommended to:
Always pay attention if pain presents and does not go away after exercising or warming up.
Pain that limits function.
Pain that interferes with daily activities.
These could significantly exacerbate a spinal injury and should be checked by a doctor.
Body Composition
Rest and Recovery
During rest and recovery, the body goes back to normal or homeostasis. This is the body’s resting rate or normal phase. The body is always trying to go back to homeostasis. This is done by:
Maintaining core temperature
Blood pressure stable
Muscles refreshed
When exercising/training, the homeostasis phase is disturbed, meaning the body needs a period of rest to return to normal. The process of homeostasis uses a lot of energy, which results in an abundant amount of calories burned. After exercise, there is an increase in excess post-exercise oxygen consumption or EPOC. The body uses up more oxygen during recovery than it does before or during exercise. This increase results in burned calories and strong muscles. The most important part of recovery is the rebuilding of muscle. When working out, especially resistance training, tiny tears are made in the muscle fibers. For the tiny tears to turn into growing muscles, they need to repair themselves. This happens during rest. Apart from the physiological benefits, rest helps prevent injury caused by overuse and assists in healing when injuries do occur. Time off helps with mental health as well to refocus, reassess, and apply what has been learned. What rest and recovery can do for the body includes:
Finding the right physical activity that elevates heart rate and maintains it for 30 minutes a day increases the amount of oxygen delivered to the heart, brain, and muscles. Some form of aerobic activity will keep individuals moving in a healthy direction. This benefits the:
Heart
Muscles
Mood
Self-esteem
Amount of energy
It helps to lower:
Blood pressure
Cholesterol
Blood sugar
Body fat
Anxiety
Depression
Fatigue
Finding What Works For You
Doctors and health experts agree that individuals need to perform normal/moderate activity balanced with vigorous/intense activity. Some ideas for both types include:
Sports – soccer, field hockey, tennis, basketball, flag football, volleyball
Hiking
Cycling
Mountain biking
Skating and skateboarding
Horseback riding
House and Yard Work/Chores
Moderate house and yard work exercises:
Sweeping
Vacuuming
Mopping
Washing the car by hand
Sweeping the garage, walkways, sidewalk, or patio
Mowing the lawn
Raking the lawn
Labor intense gardening
Vigorous house and yard work exercises:
Shoveling dirt, rocks, etc
Carrying groceries upstairs
Carrying boxes
Moving furniture
Cleaning and organizing the house
Mix it up
Finding the activities that work for you are important. But mix them up, so you don’t get bored and tired of them. For example, if getting bored with walking, try a light aerobics class, dancing, or something similar.
Try new routes for walking and biking.
Change the room for exercising or stretching.
Exercise at different times, so it doesn’t just become a chore.
Mix up the amount of time exercising. Do a full 30 minute or longer workout one day, then break the workout into smaller 15, 10, 5-minute workouts other days.
Having options allows you to pick and choose what suits your mood and schedule.
Job Physical Activity
If job occupation includes sitting for long periods, try adding short bursts of activity throughout the day:
If the commute permits, walk, jog, or bicycle to work.
Park several blocks away or the furthest in the parking lot to get some walking in.
Use the stairs instead of the elevator for a few floors.
Get coffee or use the bathroom on another floor using the stairs the farthest from the office.
Need to talk to a coworker, take a walk to their office or station instead of e-mail or phone.
Finding breaks to take quick walks and stretch out.
Get Involved In Competition
Competition can motivate individuals as it:
Requires specific and measurable goals to work toward. An example could be training to walk or run a race.
Learning the details of an event and preparing/training can generate or restore the excitement and challenge of the activity.
Instead of entering a competition, an individual can help with organizing and planning. This can provide friendship with other individuals interested in the same activity that can lead to working out together and staying motivated.
CrossFit Training
CrossFit training is a combination of various exercises to work out various muscle groups. CrossFit can be beneficial because:
It prevents boredom by providing a variety of workouts.
It helps maintain balance among various muscle groups.
For example, runners that have powerful leg muscles cross-train to strengthen the upper body.
It reduces the risk of injuries because the combination of exercises allows muscles to recover while working out a different set of muscles.
Whatever the case, it’s all about finding what works for you. But the objective is to keep the body moving to maintain overall health.
Body Composition
Why the brain needs sugar?
The brain needs half of the body’s energy supply because of its complex system. The brain needs glucose for brain cell energy. As neurons cannot store energy, they need a constant fuel supply to function properly. The ability to think, learn and recall information is connected with the body’s glucose levels. When blood glucose levels are low, the ability to think clearly is slowed down as the production of neurotransmitters is reduced, leading to communication disruption. Natural sugars can increase brain health for optimal functioning. When consuming naturally occurring sugar like apples and bananas, sugar is released incrementally into the bloodstream. This maintains energy levels at a steady pace, and the body does not crave more sugar.
References
Berg JM, Tymoczko JL, Stryer L. Biochemistry. 5th edition. New York: W H Freeman; 2002. Section 30.2, Each Organ Has a Unique Metabolic Profile. Available from: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK22436/
Ainsworth BE, et al. (2011). Compendium of Physical Activities Tracking Guide. Columbia, SC: Prevention Research Center, Norman J. Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina. Available online: prevention.sph.sc.edu/tools/compendium.htm.
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