Of all the consequences of re-starting a sport or physical activity after a break, muscular aches are probably the least fun. How can we reduce them so they don’t spoil our next sports session? Treatment with cold or heat Using cold or heat to relieve pain is a very ancient technique. If you can’t give yourself a session of cryotherapy, you can always speed your recovery with a hot bath….
Fed up with cardio workouts on a treadmill? Try the Kangoo Power – a new concept which links aerobics or running with kangaroo bounds! In South America, where Brazilian women have given them the thumbs-up, through the USA and Quebec, Kangoo Girls are taking over the sports halls. Kangoo Power is an aerobics (or running) workout on Kangoo Jump boots. They’re like ski boots on springs, and they let you…
When the end-of-year partying is over, it’s time to start doing sport again, intensively or otherwise. But where’s the motivation going to come from? For sportspeople, professional or amateur, the winter season or the festive period is a time to have a break and recharge physically and psychologically. There may not be a physical or medical reason for stopping doing sport for a time, but the desire to go out…
We often think of a sprain as a trivial thing, and start doing sport again as soon as the pain stops. I’ve just been through this experience myself, and I’d like to pass on to you the results of my thoughts and research. Of course I’m not a doctor, but I can tell you what happened to me, and what I’ve found out. The RICE protocol So, I sprained my…
Getting back into a good fitness regime can seem daunting, especially if you’ve been out of one for a while. From taking small steps to thinking about ways to make fitness more fun, read on for some top motivation tips for heading back to the gym. Small Steps By setting yourself unachievable targets will almost certainly set you up for a fail. Getting your fitness levels back is never immediate….
We all need to stay active to maintain our health. Sport is a great way to do so, but if you need to boost your energy levels to join in, here are four important tips. Focus on your diet. Many people take the word ‘diet’ to mean starving yourself to attain a desired weight, but crash diets can lead to nutritional deficiencies. A far healthier alternative, and one that is…
“Citius, altius, fortius” (“Faster, Higher, Stronger”) – the famous words spoken in 1894 by Baron Pierre de Coubertin on the creation of the International Olympic Committee. Today they’re more relevant than ever, but their meaning has been subverted. The desire to improve athletic performance is still a noble quest, but too often it leads athletes at the highest levels to overdo things, to lose their way and commit excesses including…
Far reaching benefits of a healthy mind in a healthy body We’d all like to live longer, and enjoy good mental and physical health. There is no secret formula when it comes to health and longevity, but I believe that there is some basis in the old adage ‘a healthy mind equals a healthy body’. Taking care of the basics Ensuring that our bodies are fit and healthy and looked…