www.profitness.net.nz May 2004

Many is the time that I have been trained up for a big competition and once it is over, there is a vacuum of intensity that leaves one a little lost for what to do next. Care needs to be taken at this stage to ensure that a good level of training continues.

Many athletes do have a period of active recovery actually written into their program as part of the overall picture as they carry on to the next big goal. Others who are not so dedicated, will often go through a period of aimless exercise that regularly leaves them in a state of significantly lowered ability.

Most of our members who are on a structured program will have a period of active rest following serious events and should be able to compete at a reasonable level when the next event comes up.

Because the recovery period after stress allows the body to recover and rebuild and improve, it is important to remember this significant factor. We refer to recovery days (the hard day/easy day system) and have a recovery week each 3 - 4 weeks, but we also need that period after a special build-up, to allow complete recovery and replenishment of resources.

The problem of not allowing enough active rest and recovery, was brought home quite graphically to me a few years back when I was diagnosed as having osteitis pubis. I had been competing and training at a high level for a few years without setting aside significant periods of active recovery and my pelvis was suffering from the rigours of this intensive period. The bone structure had become slightly porous and weakened, and was utilising the surrounding muscles to try and help to support the stability of the region.

Each time I trained up to the final stages of a program, about 5 -6 weeks out from a big event, I would suffer from muscle problems in the region extending from the lower abdomen to the upper leg muscles. This made peaking a problem and ensured that I was never able to produce the level of performance that I expected.

Once the problem was diagnosed and an adequate period of rest and a systematic training build-up instigated, things got back on track and training levels were higher than for some time prior to the diagnosis. So much better in fact, that performance levels were equal to those of about three years prior.

Having said all that, even if you are on a program of general fitness and don't aspire to compete at a high level, you need to remember to ensure that there are adequate recovery periods in your exercise schedule.

To forget to program your exercise, is to steer yourself towards a lacklustre performance and even injury. Take care!

CLEAR YOUR HEAD

For years, there has been much anecdotal evidence about exercise "clearing your head." Now there's proof. In a startling new study, researchers actually observed how aerobic exercise affects the brain itself -- and the news is all good.
The study took place at the Beckman Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with the goal of seeing how exercise affects the aging brain. For the study, 41 participants ages 58 to 78 began a walking program. Over a three-month period, they gradually increased their effort until it became 45 minutes of walking, three times a week. A control group of people similar in age and health did toning and stretching, but no aerobic activity. The researchers studied participants' brain activity by measuring it with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
When I spoke with the study's principal investigator, Arthur Kramer, PhD, professor of neuroscience at the University, he explained that his team has been studying exercise and the brain for more than 10 years and is now able to break down the results quite specifically regarding how it affects changes (in) the brain.
Kramer explained that participants who were part of the walking group showed increased activity and more intense blood flow in the frontal lobe, where the ability to multi-task and an array of memory functions reside. Furthermore, the "exercisers" accomplished attention-tasks faster than the other group. After three months, the active group had an 11% improvement on tasks that measured decision-making ability in a variety of everyday tasks. The control group's improvement was slight -- just 2% in performance -- and not statistically significant.
Kramer says that reaping the rewards of better thinking through fitness doesn't require marathon levels of exercise. Although the fit group walked further and faster as the months went along, their exercise level never went beyone "moderate." His team is now investigating if increasing the amount of exercise would improve mental fitness even more.
Kramer is particularly excited that this study shows that our brain can continue to change as we age. He acknowledges that genetics plays an increasing role in brain function as people age, but his study demonstrated that even participants nearing age 80 can improve their brain and so, he says, there is no reason to believe exercise wouldn't help those even much older.
Article source
Arthur Kramer, PhD, professor of neuroscience, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana.
(from Carole Jackson, Bottom Line's Daily Health News)

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SUCCESS QUOTES
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"Fixing your objective is like identifying the North Star - you sight your compass on it and then use it as the means of getting back on track when you tend to stray."
- Marshall Dimock

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"The ability to discipline yourself to delay gratification in the short term in order to enjoy greater rewards in the long term is the indispensable prerequisite for success."
- Brian Tracy

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"We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief
requirements of life, when all that we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about."

-- Charles Kingsley

Abstract:
For years, stretching has been an integral part of fitness, practice, and rehabilitation programs to decrease muscle stiffness and relieve pain associated with it. The increased joint range of motion (ROM), indicating the degree of muscle flexibility, has a benefit of stretching proven for healthy tissues.

Purpose: The objective of our study was the assessment of the effects of stretching in the rehabilitation of hamstring injuries.

Methods: We followed up 80 Greek athletes, of average age 20.5 yr, with "second-degree" strain of the hamstring muscles. The athletes were divided into two groups, A and B. For both groups, we estimated the time required for the rehabilitation of the decreased knee ROM and the total time before the athletes could return to a full training program.

Results: Group B, which carried out a more intensive stretching program, was found to have a statistically significant shorter time of regaining normal ROM (5.57 +/- 0.71 d) and rehabilitation period (13.27 +/- 0.71 d) in comparison with group A (7.32 +/- 0.525 d and 15.05 +/- 0.81 d, respectively).

Conclusion: Our results suggest that stretching is of great importance in treating muscle strain injuries in that it improves the effectiveness of the rest rehabilitation program.
From
Ross Dunton coachr880@bellsouth.net

Favorite Sports Quotes #1
If you cannot win, make the one ahead of you break the record.~ Jan McKeithen

Favorite Sports Quotes #2
For me, winning isn't something that happens suddenly on the field when the whistle blows and the crowds roar. Winning is something that builds physically and mentally every day that you train and every night that you dream.
~ Emmitt Smith, American Football Player

Lowering Your Cholesterol: the Foods
by Maia Appleby

If your doctor has told you to lose a few pounds because your cholesterol is high, you might feel like you'll never have the list of do's and don'ts memorized. That's okay. Just remember the basics. Avoid a lot of saturated fat and sugar, and gradually increase your fiber intake (I say "gradually" because an abrupt increase in fiber could make you sick). Here's a run-down of how someone with high cholesterol should handle the different types of food:
Eggs: Eat all the egg whites or egg substitutes you want, but have no more than two yolks per week.
Fruits: Eat three half-cup servings of fresh fruit every day. Citrus fruits are especially good. Avoid coconuts, which are full of saturated fat.
Meats: Lean meats only. Use shellfish (which is high in cholesterol) sparingly, and avoid fatty red meat, pork, duck and goose. Do not eat any skin, organ meats or anything packed in oil (tuna packed in water is fine).
No processed lunch meats, frankfurters or fast food burgers. All meats should be baked or broiled.
Vegetables: Most veggies are fine. Since fiber helps to reduce cholesterol, concentrate on broccoli, celery, cauliflower and potato skins. Eat a colourful (dark green or dark yellow) vegetable every day.
Dairy Products: Use skim or one percent milk only and low-fat or fat free cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, etc.
Breads: For the fiber, stick with whole-grain breads like whole wheat or oat. If you bake it yourself, use margarine instead of butter, and use an egg substitute. Avoid pastries and rolls that are high in sugar.
Nuts: All nuts should be used sparingly or not at all. Instead, you can substitute seeds such as sesame, sunflower or pumpkin seeds.
Beans: Avoid baked beans, especially if pork and/or sugar are added. Most other beans are okay, as well as dried peas.
Cereals: Avoid sugary cereals and opt for whole grain. As we all know, oatmeal is a wonderful cholesterol-lowering tool. Fats and oils: No butter; use soft margarine (not sticks) if necessary. Vegetable oils should be high in polyunsaturated fats (some good ones are sunflower, safflower, cottonseed, soybean and corn oil). No animal fats, meat drippings, gravies, palm oils or coconut oils.
Sweets: Nothing fried, chocolate or sugary. Yikes! Sherbet, Jell-O, pudding made with skim milk and egg white soufflés are okay, but no more than two servings a day.
Drinks: Fresh fruit juices (not sugary ones), black coffee or tea and sugarless soft drinks are fine. No whole milk or fatty coffee creamer.
Herbs, spices, vinegar, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and mustard can be used freely (but don't overdo the sodium!)
Copyright 2002 Ideal Fitness, Inc. Mighty Vitamins -
http://www.mightyvitamins.com -

Runner's Six-Pack

Practice these six running components, and you'll run faster and easier by spring.

Here's something we've all been waiting for: a six-pack that's calorie-free and leaves you feeling great (even the next day). It's the runner's six-pack: Six running components that, when practiced regularly, will help you run faster and easier. Just fit each component into your regular runs every week or two.

Endurance
Benefits: If you increase your endurance, you'll boost your performance. Added endurance will also raise your confidence level.
How to do it: Increase your long-run distance gradually. Add 1 to 2 miles to your long run every other week. As you increase your distance, reduce your speed to 2 minutes per mile slower than your race pace for that distance. You can insert 1-minute walk breaks about every 5 minutes to help you recover faster.

Cadence
Benefits: When you practice running with a lighter, quicker turnover, you become a faster, more efficient runner. An increased cadence also decreases your risk of injury, because your feet spend less time pounding the pavement.
How to do it: During an easy run, count the number of times your right (or left) foot hits the ground during a 30-second period. Jog for a minute or two and repeat the 30-second drill eight times, trying to increase your count by one or two footstrikes each time.

Form
Benefits: The better your running form, the easier running will feel. Proper form can also decrease injury risk.
How to do it: During the early part of an easy run, check these three main elements of good running form: your posture should be upright and relaxed; your feet should remain close to the ground; and your stride should be relatively short. Stay relaxed and keep your your head over your shoulders and your shoulders over your hips, all aligned with each foot as it hits the ground.

Awareness
Benefits: If your body awareness is high, you can make the adjustments necessary to increase running efficiency, improve performance, and decrease your risk of injury.
How to do it: Water running increases your body awareness because of the added resistance of the water. Once a week, use a flotation vest or belt to run in deep water where your feet can't touch the bottom. Deliberately move your legs through a smooth running motion, keeping your knee lift low. Run for up to 45 minutes. (It's fine to break up your workout into three sets of 15 minutes with some rest between each.)

Speed
Benefits: The benefits here are obvious: If you do speedwork, you'll run faster.
How to do it: To add variety to your weekly speed session, alternate between hill repeats, track intervals, or pace pickups of 1 to 3 minutes in length. Pick a pace the same as your current 5-K race pace or slightly faster. Rest between speedy segments by jogging or walking for half the time of each segment.

Fun
Benefits: The more fun you have when you run, the more consistent you'll be with your workouts. And consistent running leads to improved performance.
How to do it: Schedule one fun run every week. Keep the pace easy, with the emphasis on enjoyment. For example, drive to a beautiful park where you haven't run before.

Along with your weekly fun run, try injecting a little whimsy into every run. Before heading out, guess what time you'll pass a certain landmark on your course, then see how close you come. Or schedule a speedwork session when you know the friendly dog down the street will be out in his yard to race you along the fence.

Jeff Galloway
Runners World Publication

Achilles Tendonitis:

The Achilles tendon is the structure that connects the calf muscles (gastrocnemius and soleus) to the heel (calcaneus). Contraction of these muscles causes the foot to push off of the ground. Greater push-off is needed when running uphill. Running on your toes maintains continual contraction of the muscles. When performed to excess, pain in the calf muscles and/or Achilles tendon may develop. Excess is defined as more than your body can handle; training will increase the amount of stress that can be handled without causing a problem.

Treatment of Achilles tendonitis is based on the severity of the problem. Heel lifts in your shoes can help alleviate the pain. Be sure to place them in both shoes to avoid an imbalance. Gently stretch the tendon (leaning into a wall or hanging your heels off of a step); stretching should not cause pain. If these techniques cause pain, then a cord or towel may be placed under the toes, while you are seated on the floor with your legs out in front of you. Gently pull your foot back to stretch the tendon. Ice the tendon for 15 minutes 3 or 4 times per day, especially after running. As symptoms subside, you should strengthen your calf muscles. Raise up onto your toes (both feet) repeatedly. As you become stronger, perform the raises on one foot. You may hold weights as you become stronger. Performing these exercises with your heels hanging off of a step will enhance the strengthening.

Running should be decreased, depending on the severity of the tendonitis. Speed work and hill repeats should be discontinued as long as symptoms persist. If there is pain with walking, nonweight-bearing cross training should replace running (cycling, swimming, pool running).
If symptoms persist or the pain is severe, see a doctor. He or she may prescribe a night splint. This is very effective in the treatment of Achilles tendonitis.
Physical therapy is also helpful in decreasing symptoms. Anti-inflammatory medications, such as aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen are also helpful in relieving symptoms; these medications should not be taken if you are allergic to them or if you have a history of stomach ulcers, kidney disease or liver disease. Check with your physician if you are unsure.
[From Running Times]

THE NEW VIEW OF WATER AND DIET

Water can revitalize forgotten diets or become the mainstay of a new diet. Most diet books advocate drinking an adequate quantity of water each day. Water hydrates the body, maintains adequate flushing of the kidneys, provides fluid to maintain blood volume, and supports many diet programs. Yet most people do not drink adequate amounts of water each day. Although water is a necessity for good health it can also be used to help you lose weight. Many dieters find that water is their key to losing weight. How can such a claim be made? The case for elevating the use of water in all diets is clearly made in a new book The Five Keys to Weight Control by Marvin H. Berenson, M.D.

Filling the stomach with food or liquid causes stretch receptors to send a signal to the brain that you have satisfied your hunger. The first primary control technique for both losing weight and maintaining that loss is understanding that hunger is gradually reduced as the quantity of food and liquid that you put in your stomach increases. The more food and liquid in your stomach the less the hunger. This effect is independent of the caloric intake and has nothing to do with what constitutes a good diet. It has everything to do with the bulk content that fills the stomach.

The stomach of the average overweight person requires approximately one quart or four full glasses of fluid to fill it. That amount diminishes to three glasses in a person who is not overweight. Many very obese persons can drink six or more glasses of fluid before feeling filled. When water is drunk slowly without food it quickly leaves the stomach, which accounts for why some overweight individuals can seemingly drink without cessation. Fluid drunk with food may remain in the stomach up to three hours during the first digestive phase. Drinking just one glass of water before each meal and one glass of water during the meal will cut down on your calorie intake by helping fill the stomach. Add low calorie foods, such as vegetables, and you have an effective technique to reduce hunger and calories.

If you put one pound of high fat food into your stomach rather than one pound of mixed vegetables, you would have consumed as much as ten times the calories of the vegetable mix. From your stomach's viewpoint one pound is one pound and the degree of hunger satisfaction is essentially the same. But the calorie difference in that pound of food can be enormous. If you are dieting or just trying to maintain weight control, acting on this information may make the difference in whether or not you maintain weight control.

When dieting, the larger the quantity of food with the fewest calories the greater the weight loss and the more effective the control. Thus, if vegetables, fruits, and grains comprise a fairly large proportion of your diet this will tend to reduce the amount of fat-laden food that goes into your stomach. The greater the proportion of fruits and vegetables, the greater is the effect.
Knowing that adding bulk to your stomach contents as part of your diet will reduce hunger and thus reduce your food intake; you are now prepared to adapt water to your diet and weight control method. There's nothing particularly new about drinking water in a healthy diet. Most diets point out and even stress the value of water. However, how much and when you drink water is the critical element in weight control.

Upon awakening, drink one or two eight-ounce glasses of water. At breakfast drink an additional glass of water just before you begin to eat. During your meal drink another glass of water. This is in addition to any juice, coffee or milk you drink. Those who drink little water or who feel this is an excessive amount of water to start the day should start their increased water intake slowly.

The amounts noted above can be half as much initially. At each additional meal you eat, whether just lunch and dinner or multiple small meals each day, drink one glass of water before you begin eating and at least one glass during the meal. Throughout the day whenever you feel like having a snack, no matter how small, always precede it with at least half a glass of water.

Whenever you feel hungry or have an impulse to eat, try to limit the impulse to only drinking water and not eating the snack. Eventually you will be able to drink just water to satisfy your brief hunger pangs. This will enhance your control over the amount of food you eat. You can drink water freely in your diet without concern that it may not be healthy. There is no evidence that drinking fluids of any kind with food interferes with digestion or absorption of nutrients. Many foods are made up of as much as 90% water. Following these suggestions can truly facilitate weight loss and weight control.

The Five Keys to Permanent Weight Control by Dr. Marvin Berenson, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the USC School of Medicine