FitSugar

You Asked: One Leg Is Less Flexible, Is This Normal?

FitSugar — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 05:50:05 PDT

Dear Fit,
I warm up and then stretch before the full workout. The problem is, one leg, my right, is always stiffer and won't stretch or move as far as the other one. This lack of mobility has appeared over a couple of years, and is now annoying. The thing is, I have never had an injury, so I am hard pressed to understand what is wrong with it and how to fix it, any ideas? Thanks.
-One Stiff Legged Lady

This is a great question and do not be alarmed - you're not abnormal. Most of my Pilates clients have flexibility and range of motion (ROM) differences between the sides of their bodies. I do too. Problem is, this can set you up for an injury in the future. To learn how you can even yourself out keep on reading

Cell Phone Elbow - Seriously?

FitSugar — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 12:00:00 PDT

The injuries known as tennis elbow and golf elbow I have heard of, but cell phone elbow? It sounds like a joke, but it's actually a condition filed under the category of overuse injuries.

This isn't the first time technology has led to health issues. There's carpal tunnel syndrome caused by typing; Nintendinitis, the thumb pain brought on by hours of uninterrupted Nintendo play; Wii-itis, the elbow pain from hours of Wii Tennis; and BlackBerry Thumb caused by extended amounts of texting.

Add to the list of reasons to hang up your cell phone the injury health practitioners refer to as cubital tunnel syndrome. When the ulnar nerve, which runs through elbow joint, is compressed, it loses sufficient blood supply, causing numbness and pain in the ring finger and pinky. Not limited to chronic cell phone users, cell phone elbow can strike anyone who leans on her elbow a lot to type or talk on land lines. Since about half the people on the planet have cell phones, it's recommended to switch often between which hand holds your phone, and using one of those hands-free Bluetooth headsets can prevent your elbow form bending in the first place. Do any of you think you have cell phone elbow?

Source

Renée Zellweger on Her Running Addiction

FitSugar — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 03:30:00 PST

I don't know if you were able to catch Renée Zellweger on The Late Show last week, but Dave's first comment was about how fit she looks and his follow up question was how does she do it? The answer was running, of course!

Renee runs three miles on the treadmill almost everyday and to keep herself entertained while logging the miles she watches TV, mostly CNN. However, she does admit that she has a tendency to over do it and is running even though her physician "forbid" her to. Renée has fluid on her hip joint from inflammation, but somehow, with the help of copious amounts of Advil, she manages to walk in her beautifully high Louboutin pumps as well as run. She can't give up running, claiming it's her therapy. But she might be needing some physical therapy soon because unfortunately, Renée is no stranger to injury; she suffered from plantar fasciitis, a painful foot injury, for two years.

To see how she feels about spinning, just

read more. Renée does not like Spinning, the "woo" factor of group classes turns her off. We know that she seems a bit worried about turning 40, but FitSugar reader laellavita works out at the same gym as Renée and says that the movie star works hard and "seriously sprints on the treadmill." Along with her daily dose of cardio, she works with weights too. While I understand needing to run, I hope she monitors her hip inflammation because over use injuries can seriously interfere with ~~therapy~~ running. Source

Cross-Training Injury Prevention

FitSugar — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 03:00:00 PDT

Active people and athletes are all about cross-training because the variety helps burn extra calories, it keeps workouts from getting boring, and it helps to strengthen your entire body. More important, it's recommended to help prevent injuries caused by repetitive movements or over-use of muscles. Ironically though, injuries can happen when switching up your routine, either because you're new to the activity, you're not paying attention, or because your competitive edge kicks in and you push yourself too hard. So keep these in mind:

You don't have to work hard all the time. When cross-training, make sure you balance hard workouts with more relaxing, low-impact ones. It'll save you energy and give your body a chance to rest.
Don't push yourself beyond your limit. You might be able to run a mile in less than six minutes, but flexibility, is just not your thing. If you experiment with yoga and the class is all about intense hamstring stretches, don't force your body to do what it's not trained to do. You could end up tearing a muscle that prevents you from exercising at all.

To hear the other tips

Injury Prevention: Strong Hips = Strong Knees

FitSugar — Fri, 09 May 2008 05:30:00 PDT

We all know that men and women are different, even in how we exercise. Add to those differences the fact that women are more likely to suffer knee injuries. The difference is structural; the width of our child bearing hips angles the thigh bone (femur) in such a way that it creates some laxity and instability in the knee joint. Not to mention the ebb and flow of hormones women experience monthly can affect knee stability too.

One way to protect your knees is to strengthen your hips, or anatomically speaking your glute med – the muscle that fills in the side of your pelvis (see an image of the muscle here). Having strong glute meds helps to control the thigh bone, which then helps to stabilize the knee joint. Sounds like a win/win situation to me.

To see how to strengthen your hips, just

read more. Side Squats with Theraband

Tie a resistance band around your ankles. Start with red/medium band and work your way up to green/heavy.
Begin standing with feet directly underneath your hips.
Squat halfway down and side step to the right as far as you can manage.
Bring left leg toward right, returning to your starting position.
Step to the right 10 times, then reverse stepping to the left 10 times. Repeat for 3 sets.

Fit's Tips: This is a great exercise for runners and can help prevent patellofemoral pain, aka pain on the outside of the knee. Couple this with rolling out your IT band and you will be good to go. Preventing injuries means you log more miles and stay on the road! Source

5 Ways to Prevent a Running Overuse Injury

FitSugar — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 04:00:00 PDT

For many of us, running is our exercise method of choice, especially during the summer months. Whether you are just running to exercise or if you're running to train for an event, be sure to practice caution in order to prevent overuse injuries to your bones and joints.

Here are five suggestions from The American Academy of Family Physicians on how to prevent an overuse injury while running:

Never increase your running distance more than 10 percent per week.
Run on flat, even ground with some give to it. Asphalt is much more forgiving than concrete.
If you feel pain, stop running and ice the area. Don't resume running until the pain has subsided.
When you run particularly hard or a long distance, follow up with a lighter day of running.
Replace running shoes often -- every 500 miles -- for maximum shock absorption. Not sure if your shoes are warn out? Try the Twist Test.

Listen to Your Running

Susi May — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 14:30:50 PDT

Now that the weather is taking a slow turn toward lovely, I am all about running outside. But before you leave the treadmill behind for good this Spring, I suggest you listen to your running. Ditching the headphones for your indoor workout and using your ears to learn about your running gait could save you from developing overuse injuries. On your self-diagnostic run, you want to listen for two things: an uneven gait and heavy impact. It's much easier to hear these things on a treadmill (think of the machine as your running laboratory) than outdoors, and it's safer, too.

The sounds of your footfalls on the treadmill belt can indicate if you have an asymmetrical running pattern and are landing harder on one foot. While none of us are perfectly even, a marked difference can lead to injuries from your low back to your feet. Pay attention to the sounds of each foot striking the belt, and if you hear (and feel) one side coming down louder, then chances are high you're working one leg significantly more than the other. Altering your running gait is difficult and can lead to other injuries, so instead of tweaking your feet, I suggest your play with your pelvis. Focus on your core moving evenly through space as you run. If you imagine your pelvis being pushed from behind to propel you forward your legs will follow and hopefully they will follow more evenly.

Aside from listening to the rhythm of your feet, check the volume of your foot strikes - the lighter the better. If you're pounding into the belt, the solution to your problem is once again your core. Support your torso, lifting through your low abs, and see if you can run with stealth. Work these five core exercises into your strength-training regimen; they are great for runners and will help you decrease both the volume and impact of your foot strike.

So experiment with running sans music next time you're on the 'mill and let us know how it goes.

RX For Shin Splints: Ice Massage

Susi May — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:39:21 PST

Shin splints are the bane of many new runners. The tight calves that accompany mileage increases can spell pain for the lower leg. If running causes any discomfort, take time off to allow your shin splints to heal. But you need not sit idle on the sidelines while you recuperate: ice massages help, too. A serious runner, my Equinox trainer reminded me of the healing combo of ice and massage to decrease the inflammation around the tibia (anatomy speak for shin), caused by this overuse injury. The technique is simple, but first you need to make the ultimate tool: the icing cup!

Make Your Own Icing Cup
Used in gyms and physical therapy clinics, an icing cup protects your fingers from freezing and provides a perfectly sized contact point for massaging troubled spots. Take six Dixie cups, fill them with water, and freeze. When it comes time to ice, peel back the paper and begin the massage.

The Massage
Starting by your foot, place your icing cup on the outside of your shin, on the tibialis anterior muscle. Making long strokes toward your knee, massage the muscle with an amount of pressure that feels good. Mix up your massage strokes and try small circular patterns, once again starting at the ankle and working up toward the knee. After five minutes of massaging, finish your 20-minute icing cycle with 15 minutes of static icing by placing an ice pack (or frozen peas or corn) on your shin. Aim to massage and ice twice a day.

If you're not up for an ice massage, you can always show your shins some foam roller love. Do keep stretching your calf muscles, and once the pain diminishes try these easy exercises to strengthen the tibialis anterior.

The Consequences of Overtraining, and How to Prevent Them

Leta Shy — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 13:20:20 PST

We may want to push ourselves to meet new goals, but there can be a fine line between pushing ourselves to the limit and overtraining. And research has shown that more and more of us are actually pushing ourselves past what is healthy for our bodies when we train.

Serious athletes are trained to exert their bodies to their max point, and many recreational exercisers, from the grunting guy straining to lift too much at your gym to your friend who always complains she feels dizzy after a workout, may think they should do the same, all the time. The problem is that recreational athletes may lack the knowledge to know when their bodies are telling them to rest, which makes them perform worse - and, as a consequence, just want to train even more to start seeing results. That can lead to a vicious, painful, and exhausting never-ending cycle of overuse injuries, constant fatigue, and worsening athletic performance.

When it comes to your own workout, don't be that person. Read on for some important tips for preventing those unpleasant consequences of overtraining

From Beginner to Expert: 4 Ways to Become a Better Runner

Leta Shy — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 17:42:26 PST

Have you got the running bug? If you've recently committed to a running program, it may seem like there's not much prep involved, except downloading your favorite playlist. Running is a popular pastime because it doesn't require much know-how to start - just pick out your shoes and go. But that doesn't mean that there isn't technique. Whether you're starting out or never thought twice about your regular runs, read on for tips on how to become a better runner.

Learn the basics: The barriers to entry may be low, but that doesn't mean running isn't a skill. If you are a beginner runner, pay attention to how you run. Listen to your gait - you shouldn't be running unevenly or hitting the ground hard. Read more tips on analyzing your running style here. And remember that mid- or forefoot-striking is best (as opposed to heel striking) for helping prevent injuries.

Read more tips on proper running after the break.