It’s good to be reminded every once in a while that the sun doesn’t rise and set with our individual schedules, that the world won’t fall apart if we take a personal day, and that there are other people in the world who are experiencing much more difficult challenges than we are at any given time. On the contrary, it is also good to remember that each of our behaviours and actions affect those around us, in ways that we may be completely unaware. The second week in February has been unofficially designated “Random Act of Kindness Week”. Let’s all try to bring some awareness to our actions as we go through our lives this month, and remember it’s the little things that often make a huge impact.
“How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these.” (George Washington Carver)
Yours In Health,
Dr. Karen Baker
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Minimizing Sports Injuries
Sports related injuries can plague any athlete, from the most seasoned professional to a novice just testing the waters. The most common sports related injuries are often a result of either overuse (excessive wear & tear) or strain (a pull or tear in a muscle or tendon). One common factor in both of these is improper technique, which can set an athlete up with muscle and postural imbalances that alter the biomechanics of the body during any type of movement – increasing the chance of injury. Repetitive and high-impact sports such as running, aerobics or dance tend to lead to the most injuries. Other sports with high risk are those with overhead movements like tennis or baseball, and even swimming. It follows that the most injured joints tend to be the ankle, knee, shoulder and elbow.
To help avoid injuries and keep your body functioning at its peak, it is important to take preventative measures, such as regular stretching, warming up, cooling down, staying hydrated and allowing your body to rest and heal a day between training session. It’s also a good idea to meet with a coach or trainer who can tweak your technique. Speak to your health care provider for more advice on injury prevention, treatment and rehabilitation.
Sports related injuries can plague any athlete, from the most seasoned professional to a novice just testing the waters. The most common sports related injuries are often a result of either overuse (excessive wear & tear) or strain (a pull or tear in a muscle or tendon). One common factor in both of these is improper technique, which can set an athlete up with muscle and postural imbalances that alter the biomechanics of the body during any type of movement – increasing the chance of injury. Repetitive and high-impact sports such as running, aerobics or dance tend to lead to the most injuries. Other sports with high risk are those with overhead movements like tennis or baseball, and even swimming. It follows that the most injured joints tend to be the ankle, knee, shoulder and elbow.
To help avoid injuries and keep your body functioning at its peak, it is important to take preventative measures, such as regular stretching, warming up, cooling down, staying hydrated and allowing your body to rest and heal a day between training session. It’s also a good idea to meet with a coach or trainer who can tweak your technique. Speak to your health care provider for more advice on injury prevention, treatment and rehabilitation.
STEP BY STEP
In our grandparents’ day it was common for most people to walk a lot as they carried out their daily activities. Today we have become quite sedentary. We spend a lot more time sitting and standing and much less time moving. For the sake of our good health we must now make a conscious effort to keep moving. These days, the average person only takes 2,000 steps per day. We should be taking 10, 000 to 20,000 steps each and every day.
A pedometer is an inexpensive tool that lets us track how active we are. It clips onto your belt, pant or skirt top; and if we have worn it all day it will tell us how many steps we’ve taken. Why not set a goal this month to add 500 steps to our daily count? Once you have kept that up that on a regular basis, you can increase your goal by another 500 steps per day. Keep going in this fashion and you will soon reach the optimum level of at least 10,000 steps per day.
Some simple ways to add steps to your day: taking the stairs instead of the elevator; parking further away from work and walking that much further back to your car; walking around the block one more time, and so on...
In order to make the most of your walking, here are some tips for better form: To get your body into a better posture, try this: Shrug your shoulders once and then let them fall into a comfortable position. Walk tall: try not to lean forward, nor arch your back.
Start with your heel first, roll through the step, and end by giving a good push off with the back foot.
Keeping your arms bent at 90 degrees helps to create a pendulum motion as you speed up your walking. Arm speed determines leg speed.
Look about twenty feet in front of you to set your sight on where you are going, keeping your eyes forward. Further reduce the strain on your neck and back by keeping your chin parallel to the ground.
In our grandparents’ day it was common for most people to walk a lot as they carried out their daily activities. Today we have become quite sedentary. We spend a lot more time sitting and standing and much less time moving. For the sake of our good health we must now make a conscious effort to keep moving. These days, the average person only takes 2,000 steps per day. We should be taking 10, 000 to 20,000 steps each and every day.
A pedometer is an inexpensive tool that lets us track how active we are. It clips onto your belt, pant or skirt top; and if we have worn it all day it will tell us how many steps we’ve taken. Why not set a goal this month to add 500 steps to our daily count? Once you have kept that up that on a regular basis, you can increase your goal by another 500 steps per day. Keep going in this fashion and you will soon reach the optimum level of at least 10,000 steps per day.
Some simple ways to add steps to your day: taking the stairs instead of the elevator; parking further away from work and walking that much further back to your car; walking around the block one more time, and so on...
In order to make the most of your walking, here are some tips for better form: To get your body into a better posture, try this: Shrug your shoulders once and then let them fall into a comfortable position. Walk tall: try not to lean forward, nor arch your back.
Start with your heel first, roll through the step, and end by giving a good push off with the back foot.
Keeping your arms bent at 90 degrees helps to create a pendulum motion as you speed up your walking. Arm speed determines leg speed.
Look about twenty feet in front of you to set your sight on where you are going, keeping your eyes forward. Further reduce the strain on your neck and back by keeping your chin parallel to the ground.
PRACTICING RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS...
A random act of kindness is defined as “a selfless act performed by kind people to either help or cheer up a random stranger, for no reason other than to make people happier” (Wikipedia).
In 2000, Catherine Ryan Hyde wrote a book entitled Pay It Forward which was made into a successful movie starring Kevin Spacey, Haley Joel Osment and Helen Hunt. The premise of the story involves doing a favor for another person without expectation of being paid back. Recipients in turn "pay it forward," by doing a good deed for three people who in turn each do good deeds for three other people. In the real world, this concept (and practice) can and does work. Random acts of kindness are contagious, and by small gestures we can (little by little) make the world a kinder and healthier place to live.
By taking care of our own health and wellness we have the energy and capacity to make a difference in the lives of others - those we know and care about - and even in the lives of complete strangers. It is so easy for our days to become focussed on the demands of our job and on the needs of our families and our household. Small random acts of kindness or caring really do make a difference to others and in our communities. One of the nicest benefits will be in how good you feel about yourself. Others who benefit by your kind act are more likely to also do something nice for someone else.
So, challenge yourself this month to perform one good deed a day: Hold the door for someone who is rushing to catch it; pick up a discarded coffee cup and put it in the trash; thank the driver as you get off the bus; give to a food drive; tell your children why you love them; stop for a person waiting to cross the street; help a child in choosing out-grown toys to donate to a shelter; help someone who is struggling with heavy bags; take the time to really listen when someone is speaking to you; and so on. Often the opportunity to do a good deed will simply present itself.
PASS IT ON!
A random act of kindness is defined as “a selfless act performed by kind people to either help or cheer up a random stranger, for no reason other than to make people happier” (Wikipedia).
In 2000, Catherine Ryan Hyde wrote a book entitled Pay It Forward which was made into a successful movie starring Kevin Spacey, Haley Joel Osment and Helen Hunt. The premise of the story involves doing a favor for another person without expectation of being paid back. Recipients in turn "pay it forward," by doing a good deed for three people who in turn each do good deeds for three other people. In the real world, this concept (and practice) can and does work. Random acts of kindness are contagious, and by small gestures we can (little by little) make the world a kinder and healthier place to live.
By taking care of our own health and wellness we have the energy and capacity to make a difference in the lives of others - those we know and care about - and even in the lives of complete strangers. It is so easy for our days to become focussed on the demands of our job and on the needs of our families and our household. Small random acts of kindness or caring really do make a difference to others and in our communities. One of the nicest benefits will be in how good you feel about yourself. Others who benefit by your kind act are more likely to also do something nice for someone else.
So, challenge yourself this month to perform one good deed a day: Hold the door for someone who is rushing to catch it; pick up a discarded coffee cup and put it in the trash; thank the driver as you get off the bus; give to a food drive; tell your children why you love them; stop for a person waiting to cross the street; help a child in choosing out-grown toys to donate to a shelter; help someone who is struggling with heavy bags; take the time to really listen when someone is speaking to you; and so on. Often the opportunity to do a good deed will simply present itself.
PASS IT ON!
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