Springtime marks the end of winter hibernation. Gone is the desire to curl up in front of the telly, or to curl up to read a good book. The desire to sleep loses its appeal. With the warm spring sunshine, you feel the need to get out of the house, to soak up sunshine, to get active. Bear in mind that you need to recondition your body for all that outdoor activity. Start the season right with these simple tips.
Start slowly and gradually
Whether it’s taking up a new sport, running, or gardening, you need to increase your activity levels gradually. Doing too much too quickly, is a recipe for injury!
Remember to warm up
Your body is a complex system – it needs to be “readied” for activity. Starting slowly and gradually really pays off. Do some gentle aerobic activity such as marching in place for five minutes or take a quick walk around the block. This gets your heart working, starts the blood circulating, wakes up the muscles and the nervous system. Having warmed up the body, gently stretch your neck, arms, and legs. This short routine gets the body ready to do more strenuous activity.
Work smarter, not harder
Whatever your activity, focus on using your body “smarter, not harder.” Pushing yourself too hard in one session, will make your muscles feel sore and tired the following day(s). ( If they ache for days, then you really have done too much. A massage can really help ease the pain.) Take regular rest breaks - it helps the body recover. Remember to stretch the muscles you’ve been using. Switching activities gives your muscles a rest as you are using different muscles. Pain tends to develop when you are using the same muscles for extended periods of time.
Following these tips - starting slowly, warming up, and working smarter will give your body time to adapt and adjust to your new level of activity. You can enjoy doing the things you want to do and feel good doing them!
Oh, I nearly forgot - another excellent tip is to schedule a maintenance massage session. This will get your body into tip top condition. A maintenance massage will release any tense, tight muscles that could limit your activity or lead to an injury. Go on, get outside, and enjoy yourself!
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I've just done another course on integrated myofascial release. The course was entitled "myfoascial release for the temporomandibular joint (TMJ)". This is basically the joint that allows your jaw to open and close.
When doing this type of bodywork, you don't just work on the joint in question. In myofascial work, you look at the body as being interconnected, a restriction in one area will affect another area, so you work on the supporting structures. Structures that affect the jaw include the neck and the shoulders as well as muscles in the face.
Release work was done on the neck and shoulders. Then work was done on the muscles that control the jaw in particular the pterygoids. (Sounds like a type of dinosaur!) This is where you have to open your mouth! This is also where you make the amazing discovery that the body holds secret tensions of its own. These tensions are only revealed when you put specific pressure on the muscles. Wow! Who would believe that small muscles in the face can be so tender!
Fantastic feeling once the work was done!
So what happened for me? I discovered that working on the jaw changed how I felt when walking. My body moved more easily! A wonderfully feeling of free movement. Who would have thought that working on the jaw would release the hips and legs!
The dangers of modern living
We have all heard of DVT but the media coverage has tended to link this with flying. DVT's aren't solely linked with flying. Our inactive lifestyles are a major contributing factor such as sitting for long periods of time, driving long distances, etc.
What are the signs of a possible problem?
- An ache or pain in the calf that does not change with activity (i.e. it is constantly present). If the pain was due to muscle exertion, it would ache when walking or other such activities.
- You don't remember doing anything such as straining the muscle to cause the pain.
- There may be associated swelling in the leg and the skin of the leg may feel warm to the touch.
If these signs fit, then you need to quickly see your GP to rule out a DVT.
Look at http://hcd2.bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/html/Deep_Vein_Thrombosis.html for further information and more details relating to DVT symptoms.
A recent study has suggested that women who are not very active are at more of a risk of DVT. Women who sat for more than 41 hours were at greater risk than women who sat for less than 10 hours/week. A short review is available here: http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2011/07/05/get-moving-more-health-risks-of-sitting-reported
Bascially, remember to try to put a bit more physical activity into your day. Your body will definitely thank you for it!
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