FitSugar

Sprain vs. Strain

FitSugar — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 11:00:00 PDT

Injuries suck! But it does help to know the name of your enemy and the difference between a strain and a sprain.

Strain: A strain involves injury to a muscle or a tendon, which attach muscles to bones. Strains, aka "pulled" muscles, are caused by over stretching or tearing a muscle or a tendon.
Common strains: hamstring and back injuries.
Sprains: A sprain occurs at a joint and is the tearing of ligaments, which connect bones to bones. Ligaments are tough and fibrous bands, and can gradually stretch over time decreasing the structural integrity of a joint.
Common sprains: Ankle and knee.

Fit's tip: To avoid both of the above injuries you should stretch after working out to ensure flexible, responsive muscles so your ligaments and tendons have less chance of being pushed beyond their natural limits and tear.

Source

Trail or Sidewalk? The Pros and Cons of Running on Different Surfaces

Leta Shy — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:28:56 PST

Body-wise, running can be a high-impact sport, which can mean achy joints, irritated tendons, and other running-related injuries. Many runners use various methods to try to lessen the impact of constantly striking the ground.

For many runners, that means choosing a soft surface. But while you may think that running on soft surfaces may help lower the strain on your body, this may not always be the case. An article from The New York Times says that runners who preferred softer surfaces don't necessarily have fewer injuries than those who ran on asphalt or concrete (and may have more, since softer surfaces can lead to accident-related injuries). In fact, some studies have shown that our bodies actually adapt to different surfaces no matter how hard they are, so the type of surface that we run on may not matter as much.

While the best running surface may be a personal preference, there are still benefits and drawbacks to each type. Whether you love to run on the street or on trails, check out the pros and cons of running on these surfaces after the break.

A Rehab Workout to Strengthen Bad Ankles

Michele Foley — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 02:05:08 PDT

When I first started seeing my trainer, he immediately knew I had sprained my ankle a month or two before meeting with him: my balance was off and the left side of my body had become stronger. As my trainer put it, my left side was overcompensating for the sprain in my right ankle. Instead of spending so much time off of my ankle, he wanted me to start exercising on it as a way to make it strong again.

Besides a ton of balancing exercises, my trainer also put me on the following five-week treadmill plan. An interval workout, the plan combines short bursts of walking with running at a reasonable pace. The intervals ensure that the injured ankle is eased back into all the pressures that come from exercising. The cooldown is also helpful - walking backwards helps with balance and engages underused muscles in the feet and legs. Once I got through his five-week plan, I was able to run continuously at a comfortable pace; and with the help of balancing exercises, I am happy to report that my sprained ankle is no longer weak. This is also an excellent workout if you're new to running and want to build up endurance and speed.

See the five-week rehab treadmill workout after the break!

Don't Let These Minor Annoyances Ruin Your Workout

Leta Shy — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:43:46 PST

Some days you're just feeling out of sorts. And while you may not be super sick or nursing a serious injury, that feeling can be the perfect excuse when you want to skip your workout in favor of something less strenuous - like, say, a DVR session on the couch. Before you use those excuses, here are some ways to keep those minor daily annoyances from affecting your routine.

You're constantly tired: Fatigue can get the best of you, especially when it's time to exercise. It can be a lot easier to think that resting your body is a better option - and sometimes, taking a day to rest can be the best option. Most of the time, however, exercise is just what you need to feel both energized and to have a good night's sleep afterward. And if you find yourself staying up too late or battling with insomnia, here are more ways to help you destress and go to sleep.

Your back aches: It can be easy to think that you should just live with minor aches and pains, but what seem minor can be preventing you from wanting to be active. Instead of powering through those minor pains throughout the day, incorporate some preventative and relieving exercises to help your back feel its best. Yoga has been proven to relieve back pain; here are yoga poses for lower back pain, and some back and shoulder strengthening exercises that will prevent imbalances that lead to aches.

Read on for more remedies for antiworkout annoyances.

3 Injury-Prone Workouts and Tips on Avoiding Harm

Anna Monette Roberts — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 12:47:05 PDT

You might avoid certain workouts because you are fearful of injury. Or if you are like me, you might migrate toward certain classes or equipment because you are trying to maintain some fitness level while recovering from an injury. I'm currently working through back and leg injuries, so when it comes to protecting my body from further damage, I've learned that proper alignment is absolutely key for prevention. If you're also dealing with an injury (or worried about getting one), keep reading to see which workouts you should be aware of and follow these simple tips to avoid injuries while doing them.

Spin: Cycling can easily lead to hip, back, wrist, and knee injuries if your bike is not properly aligned. In addition, since biking consists of a lot of repetitive motion, taking several spin classes a week can lead to a muscular imbalance. You can overexert certain muscles, especially the tops of your thighs, while deconditioning other areas like the inner and outer thighs. To avoid these problems, always ask the instructor to help you properly set up your bike and cross train with other types of workout classes that target your core and thigh muscles.
High-intensity cardio: Fast-moving, intense classes like boot camp can lead to a variety of injuries, including sprained ankles, muscle pulls, low-back pain, dehydration, and overheating. If you are new to the class or technique, it's important to trust your body and modify moves or weights depending on your level of expertise. If you don't know a particular move, try it out at a slower pace to get the feel of it. Focus on proper alignment and your strength level rather than keeping up with the pace of the class. Remember, slow and steady win the race, and with gradual training your muscles and endurance will become stronger.
Weight lifting: Lifting heavy weights can cause a plethora of injuries, including stress fractures, sprains, strains, overexertion, and muscle pulls in wrists, shoulders, knees, and backs. However, proper weight lifting does have several benefits like helping weight management and improving strength. Sign up for a personal trainer to walk you through the weight room or see if your gym offers a group training session. By using correct alignment, you will target and strengthen the right muscles as well as save your tendons, muscles, and bones from some serious, unpleasant damage.

Still worried about injury? See three alternative low-impact workouts after the break!

Before Trail Running Alone, Read This

Jenny Sugar — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 01:19:28 PDT

Running in the woods by yourself sounds a little dangerous - especially to your mom - but depending on where you live, your running ability, and your personalty, a solo run in the woods is the perfect idea. Here are some ways to ensure your safety when hitting the trails on your own.

Bring your dog: OK, so technically you're not alone if you bring your pooch, but if you're nervous about hitting the trails by yourself, a furry friend will offer you company and protection. Put a bell on the collar so the noisy jingle can help scare away critters.
Tell someone where you're going: If you saw the movie 127 hours, you know that the whole ordeal might have been prevented if he just told one person where he went. Pick up the phone on your way out the door and tell a close friend or relative where you're running and what time you should be back. Make a deal that you'll call, text, or email them once you return, and if you don't and they can't get in touch with you, they should seek out help. If you're heading out before anyone is up, leave a note with your route and ETA.

Keep reading for more solo trail running safety tips.

10 Things to Do in 10 Minutes (to Improve Your Finances)

LearnVest — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 00:15:10 PDT

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy!

You’re busy. We’re busy. And we’ve all got stuff to do.

It’s that feeling that gets to us: The longer we put something off, the more we continue to put it off. And those small tasks that will help our financial lives can sometimes be the ones that we put off the most.

The key is to keep moving, and pick the low-hanging fruit. To that end, we bring you a few quick wins to get you started.

If you have a spare ten minutes and wonder what you can accomplish in them, stop wondering–here are ten things you can get done.

Clean Out Your Wallet

A clean wallet leads to a clean mind . . . in a manner of speaking. Spend a few minutes emptying your wallet of old receipts and other junk. Here’s what you should keep in your wallet. And here’s what you shouldn’t.

Set Up a $5 Jar

We actually got this idea from one of our readers: From now on, stop spending $5 bills. Instead, store all of the fivers you receive as change, and let them accumulate. After a few months or a year, you could easily have hundreds of extra dollars. (You could do this with spare change, too, but the sums will be smaller and the coins will be a pain to count out.)

For now, pull out a jar or other container, put it on the counter, paste a photo of your dream goal on it (house, family, vacation) and start saving.

Read on for more things to do to improve your finances.

The Difference Between a Good and Bad Burn

Anna Monette Roberts — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 11:52:12 PDT

In Something Borrowed, Rachel (Ginnifer Goodwin) is constantly competing with her best friend, Darcy (Kate Hudson). Remember the embarrassing club scene when Rachel tries to do a sensual dance move that she knows she isn't trained to do and pulls her adductor muscle (aka the inner thigh muscle near her hooha)?

A similar lesson applies when you attend group classes - it's a fine line between pushing yourself to work harder and unintentionally injuring yourself. It can be intimidating when an instructor calls you out for slacking, and you feel obligated to work as hard and as fast as the rest of the class. If might be difficult for you to distinguish what type of pain is good to build strength versus pain that will lead to debilitating injuries. Protect your body during group classes with these tips.

How to Be Safe When Exercising Solo

Jenny Sugar — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 02:37:35 PDT

I went trail running yesterday and on my way back, I got a call from my mom. She was furious that I went by myself saying, "Do you know what kind of weirdos hang out in the woods?!" I assured her that I wouldn't have gone if I felt at risk, but I saw her point. There are perks to exercising alone, like time to be in silence and think and the ability to push yourself as hard or as easy as you choose, but it's not always the safest idea. If you prefer exercising outside on your own, here are some ways to keep you protected from danger.

Always tell someone where and when you're going. I recently saw the movie 127 Hours, and if Aron just mentioned to someone that he was going out hiking alone in a crevice in Utah, he probably could have prevented hours of agony and the loss of his arm.
Choose a safe location. Now is not the time to explore that new waterfall cliff your friend told you about. Exercise in an area you are familiar with, preferably one that's close to home, which you've visited before. You're more likely to avoid dangerous critters, poisonous vegetation, weird dudes with bad intentions, getting hurt, or getting lost.
Even though you're solo, don't exercise alone. Choose a populated hiking trail or bike path so that even if you're on your own, help is just a yell away.
Choose safe forms of exercise. Walking, hiking, running, or biking are usually harmless when you're alone, but if you get into more extreme sports like rock climbing or mountain biking, the risks for getting hurt are greater. Go easy when you're on your own and bring a friend when you want to kick it up a notch.

Keep reading for more life-saving tips.

Reese and Jim Relax Prior to Her Wild Night at the MTV Movie Awards

Katie Henry — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 09:49:00 PDT

Reese Witherspoon was honored last night at the MTV Movie Awards with the show's Generation Award, a distinction she geared up for by spending quality time with her husband, Jim Toth. The pair ventured out Saturday to Los Feliz for a relaxed lunch at Little Doms, then continued their holding yesterday at church. Reese was free of the soft cast she'd been wearing on her sprained ankle and even slipped on a pair of sexy nude heels to complement the Zac Posen dress she wore to the MTV Movie Awards. Reese stepped out solo for the show but was joined on stage by former costars and friends Patrick Dempsey, Robert Pattinson, and Chelsea Handler. Robert accidentally dropped an F-bomb during his tribute to Reese, and her speech also made waves for calling out reality starlets and actresses who take nude photos. Congrats to Reese on her well-deserved award!