Archives for March 2012
Four Ways to Keep Your Bones Strong
Four Ways to Keep Your Bones Strong
This is a Guest Post by Kimi James. – Bones
There’s a saying that goes, “Sticks and stones may break my bones” and isn’t that true? When an object that’s ten times greater than your body mass is thrown at you, your body probably would get bruised or worse broken. I think we take the bones that make up our body for granted not realizing that the very thing that makes us up is the same thing we need to take care of to keep us in shape, in form, and in health.
When you wake in the mornings and rise from the bed, it took your meta-tarsals, your phalanges, your tibia, your femur, your fibula, your gluteus maximus (muscle), and many other bones to work in order for you to do just that one action.
Before I get ahead of myself and recite an in-depth physiological motion involved with just getting up, I want to emphasize four points to help you stay on track when dealing with your bones.
- Stretch. After getting up in the morning, do stretching exercises for three minutes. It doesn’t take much of your time but stretching can increase your blood flow and gets your muscles in motion. Stretching will make you feel alive and ready to start the day. Your posture when you stand up might also improve.
- Calcium Intake. Thank your body by giving it the nutrients it needs. Drink milk or eat green and leafy vegetables (the greener, the better). These also help to prevent osteoporosis. Also this must be done with #4 -Lift Weights in order for Bones to absorb the Calcium.
- Be Active. Walk, jog, swim, play tennis, play basketball, climb the stairs…get the picture? The point is to move around. Your bones need to be strengthened, not weakened. Of course, when doing these activities, be consistent; don’t over-do them to a point where you hurt yourself. The key is to stay active in moderation.
- Lift Weights. Whether you do it at a gym or purchase your own equipment, weight lifting in moderation contributes to your body’s strength performance, improves your musculoskeletal system, and can decrease the chances of lower back pain.
Bones are necessary to get around in life and a part of daily living. How would you manage to do the tasks like picking up a fork or tie a shoe lace if your femur or your phalanges no longer worked? Sadly, some people face that situation yet amazingly and with resilience still go on. But you have your limbs, your bones in tact, so use them and use them well. Your bones deserve the loving care it does so it works to keep you around. Drive less, walk more.
Swimming Exercise and Pain Management of a Human Body
Swimming Exercise and Pain Management of a Human Body
This is a guest post by Felicia Baratz-Savage from Eat Breath Blog.
At first, it may seem counter-productive to hit the gym or pool when you experience pain, but science and anecdotal research have shown that exercise may actually help to alleviate pain. While some people are more likely to reach for a painkiller to deal with back pain and others may even go so far as to opt for surgery. Low impact exercise such as swimming is a healthy and enjoyable way to reduce musculoskeletal pain.
The idea that exercise can help to eliminate pain isn’t entirely uncommon. Many people are accustomed to “walking it off” and exercise is one of the main recommendations for a woman who is experiencing pain due to menstrual cramps. It should come as no surprise, then, that exercise can also help to relieve back pain. Because it’s exercise, it can also help strengthen a weak back and, potentially, reduce future pain.
Why is swimming the ideal type of exercise when it comes to pain management? Unlike jogging, weight lifting or other high-impact sports, swimming does not require any twisting or direct stress on your back. There are no hard concrete sidewalks or difficult equipment that can actually increase pain. Swimming relies on fluid motions with less resistance than other sports. Swimming can also help to strengthen muscles to make them less impervious to pain in the future.
Finding a place to swim isn’t difficult either. You can swim in a lake or pond, go to the beach or find a local gym. Some people have above ground pools in their backyards that they can swim in.
Experts especially recommend the front stroke or breaststroke methods for patients who are using swimming as a method of exercise to eliminate back pain and other aches. The common front crawl also offers a pain-free way to strengthen back muscles that can commonly cause pain. However, you can actually do more harm than good by swimming for too long or by using improper form. Consider the following suggestions to maximize pain relief from swimming:
- Keep your head straight to minimize strain on the neck and twisting the back. Many swimmers over-rotate when taking breaths. The head should remain along the axis of the body.
- Using wider strokes when performing the breaststroke ensues that the water serves as a cushion while strengthening back muscles in a therapeutic form.
- The body should remain flat when doing the front crawl. The best form involves strong leg kicks so that the lower body does not drag in the water.
- Strokes should always remain fluid. Jerky movements can further increase pain and lead to damage to the back or other parts of the body.
- The sidestroke is ideal for alleviating back pain because it doesn’t require excess amounts of pressure on any part of the body. However, you should always alternate sides to prevent exhausting of and muscle strain. Switching it up also helps swimmers to maintain the sidestroke for longer periods of time.
- The backstroke can quickly exhaust neck muscles if you don’t consistently practice it. You should take it easy when picking it up once more, or for the first time.
Physical therapists and chiropractors agree that swimming is one way to reduce both current and future pain, and can complement any current pain management program.