We all get poorly and become unwell at times and the body deals with these illness by elimination through the body's organs trying to get things moving to get you back to health, some signs of illnesses are fever, vomiting or diarrhoea, these are signs something is wrong, each one however causes your body to lose additional fluids.
In these cases your body is working harder and require greater resources and you should drink more fluids. Infection such as bladder and urinary tract infections also require increased water intake. Some illnesses make it difficult for the body to excrete fluid and you may need to balance/limit fluid intake.
Caffeinated drinks are diuretic and stimulating in nature so fluid loss and urination can increase because of them, such stimulant are simply not a good idea when you are unwell, give the body what it needs not another job to do. Caffeine is found in coffee, teas, and many soft drinks. Try to drink caffeinated beverages in moderation and focus on consuming more water.
Dehydration is often described as mild, moderate or severe and is usually proportional to your body weight loss through fluids.
Thirst is the first sign of dehydration, your bodies way of saying fluid is needed please drink, excessive thirst (polydipsia) can also be due to illness so if in doubt and there is no relief from your thirst upping your water intake speak to your doctor.
Other symptoms may include dizziness or light-headedness, headache, tiredness, dry mouth, lips and eyes, concentrated urine (dark yellow) passing only small amounts of urine infrequently (less than three or four times a day).
Moderate dehydration can causes you to lose strength and stamina, drink manufacturers spend a fortune and use it constanly as a marketing tool, ie quoting a 4% drop in hydration can give 20% drop in performance.
dehydration is the the primary cause of heat exhaustion, drinking more fluids you should be able to reverse mild to moderate dehydration without medical attention.
If dehydration is chronic and ongoing (chronic) its severe, it can affect your kidney function and also cause liver, joint and muscle damage, cholesterol problems, constipation.
If left untreated mild or moderate dehydration can lead to severe dehydration.
Severe dehydration is a medical emergency and requires immediate medical attention. You should seek medical attention if you or your child has any of the following symptoms: dry, wrinkled skin that sags slowly into position when pinched up, an inability to urinate, or not passing urine for eight hours, irritability, sunken eyes, low blood pressure, cold hands/feet, weak pulse, tired/lethargic, if your vomiting and have blood in it, blood in your stools, fits or seizures.
Severe dehydration is dangerous and can lead to complication, people can die from dehydration.
Hospitalisation may be necessary for this level of dehydration, put on a drip to restore the substantial loss of fluids. You should visit your GP if your symptoms continue, despite drinking plenty of fluids or if you suspect that your baby or toddler is dehydrated.
If your doctor suspects dehydration he will carry out a number of tests.
Contact your GP or out-of-hours service straight away if you are experiencing have any of the following symptoms:
Feeling tired/lethargic or confused, dry mouth and eyes that don't produce tears, not passing urine for eight hours, dry skin that sags slowly into position when pinched up, rapid heartbeat, blood in your stools (faeces) or vomit, low blood pressure.
If your child has persistent diarrhoea that lasts longer than five days, or vomiting that lasts more than 24 hours in adults or 12 hours in a child.
Remeber if in doubt talk to your doctor, just remember the simply act of drinking water is vital, often neglected and forgotten but still vital.
So drink, drink and drink water you’ll feel better for it!
Sunday, 8 January 2012
Saturday, 7 January 2012
Water - are you getting enough!
Most people don’t take into account the value and essential nature of water and often informed they are getting plenty with their tea and coffee, unfortunately anything which is a diuretic (encourages the body to lose water) and a stimulant is definitely not the source we need. If you have tea and coffee don’t have to much, enjoy it for what it is a nice drink, it should not be included in your daily quota.
Water is one of the most essential elements to good health it helps;
Digestion, your absorption of food
Proper muscle tone
Supplies oxygen and nutrients to the cells
Eliminates body waste
Water cushions joints and protects tissues and organs like the brain from shock and damage, on a MRI scan dehydration is regularly evident with dengerative changes.
There is not a practising doctor or health professional who doesn’t know or disagrees about the importance of it and generally recommends at least 8 glasses a day every day. It is something we all actually agree on and that speak volumes!.
What is Water – water is the common name for a compound of hydrogen and oxygen H2O. It’s odourless, tasteless, clear liquid, Essential and our survival depends on it.
Since water contains no calories and can serve as an appetite suppressant and helps the bodies metabolism, including fat metabolism therefore a factor in losing weight.
Water is a major and fundamental picture in our quality of our life. Today, people are concerned about the quality of the water they drink. Although water covers more than 70% of the Earth, only 1% of the Earth’s water is available as a source of drinking. Yet, our society continues to contaminate this precious resource. Before water reaches the tap it comes into contact with many different substances, including chemicals and other contaminants. Utility companies use various chemicals such as chlorine to destroy disease-producing contaminants that may be present in the water. Treatment of water is necessary and you have only to look at developing countries to see the desperation for clean water, unfortunately the taste and odour of chlorine is disliked. There are also questions and debates over by-products with possible health risks giving rise to a multitude of filter systems being installed into houses and filters in water containers to help further clean and purify the water.
Water freezes at 0° C (32° F), and its boiling point is 100° C (212° F). Water reaches its maximum density at 4° C (39° F) and expands upon freezing, that’s why in the building industry a lot of problems occur.
Water combines with salts to form hydrates and reacts with metal oxides to form acids (see Acids and Bases) resulting in corrosion in unwanted places.
Water makes up 50 to 90 percent of the weight of living things. Protoplasm is a solution of water and fats, carbohydrates, proteins, and salts. Water transports, combines, and chemically breaks down these substances. Water also aids the metabolic breakdown of proteins and carbohydrates.
A person can survive about two months without food, but only a few days without water.
Water helps maintain a healthy weight. It is hard to distinguish between hunger and thirst. If you feel hungry, drink some water first and then reassess your hunger status.
Water is an important part of your daily bodily functions, so it is important to continually replenish it. Each day, your body loses water through sweat, urination, excretion and breathing. The body loses even more water if you exercise, live in hot or dry climates, consume high fibre diets, and consume caffeine or alcohol.
The bottom line drink more water and make sure you getting enough!
Water is one of the most essential elements to good health it helps;
Digestion, your absorption of food
Proper muscle tone
Supplies oxygen and nutrients to the cells
Eliminates body waste
Water cushions joints and protects tissues and organs like the brain from shock and damage, on a MRI scan dehydration is regularly evident with dengerative changes.
There is not a practising doctor or health professional who doesn’t know or disagrees about the importance of it and generally recommends at least 8 glasses a day every day. It is something we all actually agree on and that speak volumes!.
What is Water – water is the common name for a compound of hydrogen and oxygen H2O. It’s odourless, tasteless, clear liquid, Essential and our survival depends on it.
Since water contains no calories and can serve as an appetite suppressant and helps the bodies metabolism, including fat metabolism therefore a factor in losing weight.
Water is a major and fundamental picture in our quality of our life. Today, people are concerned about the quality of the water they drink. Although water covers more than 70% of the Earth, only 1% of the Earth’s water is available as a source of drinking. Yet, our society continues to contaminate this precious resource. Before water reaches the tap it comes into contact with many different substances, including chemicals and other contaminants. Utility companies use various chemicals such as chlorine to destroy disease-producing contaminants that may be present in the water. Treatment of water is necessary and you have only to look at developing countries to see the desperation for clean water, unfortunately the taste and odour of chlorine is disliked. There are also questions and debates over by-products with possible health risks giving rise to a multitude of filter systems being installed into houses and filters in water containers to help further clean and purify the water.
Water freezes at 0° C (32° F), and its boiling point is 100° C (212° F). Water reaches its maximum density at 4° C (39° F) and expands upon freezing, that’s why in the building industry a lot of problems occur.
Water combines with salts to form hydrates and reacts with metal oxides to form acids (see Acids and Bases) resulting in corrosion in unwanted places.
Water makes up 50 to 90 percent of the weight of living things. Protoplasm is a solution of water and fats, carbohydrates, proteins, and salts. Water transports, combines, and chemically breaks down these substances. Water also aids the metabolic breakdown of proteins and carbohydrates.
A person can survive about two months without food, but only a few days without water.
Water helps maintain a healthy weight. It is hard to distinguish between hunger and thirst. If you feel hungry, drink some water first and then reassess your hunger status.
Water is an important part of your daily bodily functions, so it is important to continually replenish it. Each day, your body loses water through sweat, urination, excretion and breathing. The body loses even more water if you exercise, live in hot or dry climates, consume high fibre diets, and consume caffeine or alcohol.
The bottom line drink more water and make sure you getting enough!
Thursday, 5 January 2012
Food and RA (Rheumatoid Arthritis)
An interesting article I come across while researching inflammation.
Rheumatoid Arthritis Diet: RA and Food Allergies
A new study suggests that food allergies may be linked to RA, after all
By Denise Lynn Mann
If you’ve thought your joints felt achy after a meal, only to doubt yourself after hearing that no evidence links food allergies to rheumatoid arthritis (RA), you are not alone. Until now there has been little evidence of foods that cause inflammation. Evidence suggests it may be time to consider a rheumatoid arthritis diet.
Most studies have focused on antibodies (proteins that attack and destroy foreign substances) in the blood, but that focus may have been wrong. Food-related antibodies may show up in the gut – rather than the blood – of people with RA, and that’s just where researchers at the University of Oslo, Norway, looked.
They found that, in test tubes at least, the intestinal fluid of people with RA had higher levels of antibodies to proteins from cow’s milk, cereal, hen’s eggs, codfish and pork than that of people without RA.
“The gut is the first site of exposure to food, and the immune system in the gut is the first to recognize potential allergens,” says Jonathan Brostoff, DM, professor of allergy and environmental health at Kings College London.
Food allergies occur when your immune system mistakenly believes that something you ate is harmful. To protect you, the immune system produces immunoglobulin E – also called IgE antibodies – against that food. The antibodies set off a chain reaction that causes symptoms.
In some people, the antibodies and proteins bind together and form immune complexes in the intestine. These immune complexes then circulate and get into every nook and cranny of the body, including the joints, where they may contribute to inflammation, says Dr. Brostoff. Once antibodies are made against a particular food, the body instantly recognizes that food the next time it is consumed, and the cycle begins again.
So what should you do if you think certain foods make your RA worse? Keep in mind that this study is preliminary, and it looked at results only in test tubes. The researchers withdrew intestinal fluid from the participants and then added the proteins to the fluid in the lab; participants didn’t actually eat the suspect foods. So unknowns remain.
But if you think there are foods that cause inflammation for you, Dr. Brostoff suggests trying an elimination diet. “Try eating the standard Stone Age diet, which includes only fruit, vegetables, meat and fish, for one month,” he says. Studies have shown that if a person is food-sensitive, this type of diet can help reduce morning stiffness and pain, improve range of motion and lower inflammatory mediators in the blood.
In fact, Dr. Brostoff did an experiment and found that more than one-third of people with RA felt better and had less morning stiffness on this diet. “We had one or two patients who, after one or two months, were so much better they could go walking and do all the things they could do before,” he says.
The next step is to reintroduce foods, one at a time. “The only way of knowing if you are sensitive to a food is to eliminate it and then add it back,” Dr. Brostoff says.
Further information on arthritis can be found on http://www.arthritistoday.org
Any questions please email, thanks Francis Connor info@manchester-osteopaths.co.uk
Rheumatoid Arthritis Diet: RA and Food Allergies
A new study suggests that food allergies may be linked to RA, after all
By Denise Lynn Mann
If you’ve thought your joints felt achy after a meal, only to doubt yourself after hearing that no evidence links food allergies to rheumatoid arthritis (RA), you are not alone. Until now there has been little evidence of foods that cause inflammation. Evidence suggests it may be time to consider a rheumatoid arthritis diet.
Most studies have focused on antibodies (proteins that attack and destroy foreign substances) in the blood, but that focus may have been wrong. Food-related antibodies may show up in the gut – rather than the blood – of people with RA, and that’s just where researchers at the University of Oslo, Norway, looked.
They found that, in test tubes at least, the intestinal fluid of people with RA had higher levels of antibodies to proteins from cow’s milk, cereal, hen’s eggs, codfish and pork than that of people without RA.
“The gut is the first site of exposure to food, and the immune system in the gut is the first to recognize potential allergens,” says Jonathan Brostoff, DM, professor of allergy and environmental health at Kings College London.
Food allergies occur when your immune system mistakenly believes that something you ate is harmful. To protect you, the immune system produces immunoglobulin E – also called IgE antibodies – against that food. The antibodies set off a chain reaction that causes symptoms.
In some people, the antibodies and proteins bind together and form immune complexes in the intestine. These immune complexes then circulate and get into every nook and cranny of the body, including the joints, where they may contribute to inflammation, says Dr. Brostoff. Once antibodies are made against a particular food, the body instantly recognizes that food the next time it is consumed, and the cycle begins again.
So what should you do if you think certain foods make your RA worse? Keep in mind that this study is preliminary, and it looked at results only in test tubes. The researchers withdrew intestinal fluid from the participants and then added the proteins to the fluid in the lab; participants didn’t actually eat the suspect foods. So unknowns remain.
But if you think there are foods that cause inflammation for you, Dr. Brostoff suggests trying an elimination diet. “Try eating the standard Stone Age diet, which includes only fruit, vegetables, meat and fish, for one month,” he says. Studies have shown that if a person is food-sensitive, this type of diet can help reduce morning stiffness and pain, improve range of motion and lower inflammatory mediators in the blood.
In fact, Dr. Brostoff did an experiment and found that more than one-third of people with RA felt better and had less morning stiffness on this diet. “We had one or two patients who, after one or two months, were so much better they could go walking and do all the things they could do before,” he says.
The next step is to reintroduce foods, one at a time. “The only way of knowing if you are sensitive to a food is to eliminate it and then add it back,” Dr. Brostoff says.
Further information on arthritis can be found on http://www.arthritistoday.org
Any questions please email, thanks Francis Connor info@manchester-osteopaths.co.uk
Tuesday, 6 December 2011
Weight Loss
Is Weight Loss Easy
Think about it losing weight is the easy bit! You eat a varied and balanced diet, match your calories to your life and activities undertaken, and that’s it!
Balanced diet + exercise = weight loss, weight management
What an easy formula, why then is the internet so full of diets, scams, quick fixes and hocus pocus, there are times when a quick drop in weight is wanted or you want to get into the little black dress, the point this makes is the motivating factors, what’s the driving force, why do you want to lose weight, what’s the benefits.
Taking this into account we have a basic structure to help you understand where you are and what you need to do.
First:
Commit to the cause “Action = Results” only you can do it!
You need to focus on your objectives, you will be working on more than just food, you will be looking at your whole lifestyle , something’s you will need to plan for and something will need management such as families, partners.
So set a date write it in pen, draw the line and cross over it so to speak.
Second:
Motivation, what is the reason you really want to lose weight?
Little Black Dress
Holiday
Health Issues such as coronary disease, diabetes
Your self conscious when going out
Your ashamed of your size
You feel insecure
These are some of reasons and there are many more why you want to lose weight, rather than don’t do something because of them, do something because of them. Look at what they bring to the table so to speak, paint the picture in your mind, write it down, say it loud. Know and be sure what changing your life will achieve.
Talk to your friends or family or osteopath, some one who can help support you, keep you motivated and as you remind yourself why your doing it to stop yourself going to the shop for a chocolate bar, also avoid those people who are quick to ridicule or take the mickey which can totally destroy your motivation.
Commit to the cause “Action = Results” only you can do it!
Third
Goals, what do you want to actually achieve, is it realistic, have you the resources, are the classes for exercise at suitable times, you are changing your lifestyle as your present style isn’t working!!
So ultimately you need a plan when looking at goal, so make them SMART goal
S – specific (not I want to lose weight, but I want to lose 10kg, run 1 mile)
M- measurable ( can you measure it, 10 kg’,2 classes a week, 34 inch waist)
A –attainable, i.e. lose 30 kg in a month, run a marathon, 34 inch waist if your 50).
R –relevant, keep to your cause not your friends, families.
T –time, put a time to it, 3 months or 1 month.
Fourth
Food, your are what you eat! Enjoy it, try new foods, try different recipes.
Fifth
Active, your body is designed for movement and will feel better for it, use it, mobilise it, stretch it. Try new activities, but remember where you are and your capabilities don’t go for a 10 mile run when you have not done so for 10 years, it needs to be progressive and graded, working up to your goals. A good personal trainer can advance your improvements dramatically. you can also use home activities or at work take the stairs, reduce the use of your car, get of the bus a stop earlier, its your body get it moving.
Sixth
Perspective, doing a 2 week diet plan to kick start is great to get you on the way, however remember your looking to change your life and habits taking all of the above into consideration improving, managing or changing. There may be times you succumb that’s ok, admit it and move on, it will not change over night so don’t expect it! Be realistic.
Remember enjoy your food and action equals results
Francis
Manchester Osteopaths
Think about it losing weight is the easy bit! You eat a varied and balanced diet, match your calories to your life and activities undertaken, and that’s it!
Balanced diet + exercise = weight loss, weight management
What an easy formula, why then is the internet so full of diets, scams, quick fixes and hocus pocus, there are times when a quick drop in weight is wanted or you want to get into the little black dress, the point this makes is the motivating factors, what’s the driving force, why do you want to lose weight, what’s the benefits.
Taking this into account we have a basic structure to help you understand where you are and what you need to do.
First:
Commit to the cause “Action = Results” only you can do it!
You need to focus on your objectives, you will be working on more than just food, you will be looking at your whole lifestyle , something’s you will need to plan for and something will need management such as families, partners.
So set a date write it in pen, draw the line and cross over it so to speak.
Second:
Motivation, what is the reason you really want to lose weight?
Little Black Dress
Holiday
Health Issues such as coronary disease, diabetes
Your self conscious when going out
Your ashamed of your size
You feel insecure
These are some of reasons and there are many more why you want to lose weight, rather than don’t do something because of them, do something because of them. Look at what they bring to the table so to speak, paint the picture in your mind, write it down, say it loud. Know and be sure what changing your life will achieve.
Talk to your friends or family or osteopath, some one who can help support you, keep you motivated and as you remind yourself why your doing it to stop yourself going to the shop for a chocolate bar, also avoid those people who are quick to ridicule or take the mickey which can totally destroy your motivation.
Commit to the cause “Action = Results” only you can do it!
Third
Goals, what do you want to actually achieve, is it realistic, have you the resources, are the classes for exercise at suitable times, you are changing your lifestyle as your present style isn’t working!!
So ultimately you need a plan when looking at goal, so make them SMART goal
S – specific (not I want to lose weight, but I want to lose 10kg, run 1 mile)
M- measurable ( can you measure it, 10 kg’,2 classes a week, 34 inch waist)
A –attainable, i.e. lose 30 kg in a month, run a marathon, 34 inch waist if your 50).
R –relevant, keep to your cause not your friends, families.
T –time, put a time to it, 3 months or 1 month.
Fourth
Food, your are what you eat! Enjoy it, try new foods, try different recipes.
Fifth
Active, your body is designed for movement and will feel better for it, use it, mobilise it, stretch it. Try new activities, but remember where you are and your capabilities don’t go for a 10 mile run when you have not done so for 10 years, it needs to be progressive and graded, working up to your goals. A good personal trainer can advance your improvements dramatically. you can also use home activities or at work take the stairs, reduce the use of your car, get of the bus a stop earlier, its your body get it moving.
Sixth
Perspective, doing a 2 week diet plan to kick start is great to get you on the way, however remember your looking to change your life and habits taking all of the above into consideration improving, managing or changing. There may be times you succumb that’s ok, admit it and move on, it will not change over night so don’t expect it! Be realistic.
Remember enjoy your food and action equals results
Francis
Manchester Osteopaths
Saturday, 12 November 2011
warming up for exercise
Warming up
Before you undertake any exercise its necessary to warm up first, the purpose of warming up is:
~Increase your heart rate; increasing your heart rapidly is stressful on your body and heart.
~Increase your body temperature, cold joints and muscles are more resistive to movement.
~Warming up diverts blood from your internal organs to your muscles, this is why eating on the go can create digestive problems and eating while training is not effective, it goes against the grain so to speak.
~Warming up can mentally prepare for exercise, helping you focus and notice any ailments, injury niggles.
How do you warm up?
Firstly get your joints moving with general exercises, i.e. non specific, this can be walking, mat work, cycling with the process aimed at increasing your heart rate and joint movement, the amount you do gradually.
When you have started to feel the effects of your exercising then look to do sport specific exercises, movements that are similar to what you do in your sport, i.e. leg raises similar to the kicks in Karate, this is a good way to get the most from your training regime.
Please note if you have been given stretches to perform to assist the rehabilitation of back pain then it’s also wise to mobilise the joints involved this will increase efficiency and response.
If you have any questions or would like any topics covering please call or drop an email.
Regards
Francis Connor
Manchester Osteopaths
Tel:0161 835 2358
Before you undertake any exercise its necessary to warm up first, the purpose of warming up is:
~Increase your heart rate; increasing your heart rapidly is stressful on your body and heart.
~Increase your body temperature, cold joints and muscles are more resistive to movement.
~Warming up diverts blood from your internal organs to your muscles, this is why eating on the go can create digestive problems and eating while training is not effective, it goes against the grain so to speak.
~Warming up can mentally prepare for exercise, helping you focus and notice any ailments, injury niggles.
How do you warm up?
Firstly get your joints moving with general exercises, i.e. non specific, this can be walking, mat work, cycling with the process aimed at increasing your heart rate and joint movement, the amount you do gradually.
When you have started to feel the effects of your exercising then look to do sport specific exercises, movements that are similar to what you do in your sport, i.e. leg raises similar to the kicks in Karate, this is a good way to get the most from your training regime.
Please note if you have been given stretches to perform to assist the rehabilitation of back pain then it’s also wise to mobilise the joints involved this will increase efficiency and response.
If you have any questions or would like any topics covering please call or drop an email.
Regards
Francis Connor
Manchester Osteopaths
Tel:0161 835 2358
Wednesday, 9 November 2011
Overtraining, you don't need to ba an athlete
Over training
You don’t need to be an athlete to Over train
What ever your activity or sport, if you are training to compete or simply starting from scratch a new exercise there is a risk you may push your self too far, to help avoid this there are a few things to consider. Always ask yourself what is it you want to do with your body and are you in a position to start.
If you are given rehabilitation exercises to help you recover from a back strain it’s the same process, if the plan is to do them 3 times a day and you miss 2 opportunities, its not wise to do them all in one go as this may overwork your body, do the routine and carry on from that point.
When are you doing too much?
There is no clear definitive boundary to measuring when you are over training, mainly because we are different in so many ways such as sex, age, weight, lifestyle, interests, work influences and also what’s in our genes, and that’s not the back pocket of a pair of 501’s.
When training the most important aspect is to be aware of how your body feels and its response to any activity, some of the things you can consider as signs you maybe over training are;
Your improvement seems to have stopped
Your experiencing a higher number of niggles and injuries
Your performance such as speed, times and stamina have dropped
Your food pattern has changes with your appetite
Your sleep is disturbed
Your recovery from training is taking longer
Overtraining and how to avoid it!
Firstly have a plan with realistic goals, they need to be challenging, not impossible, and throwing yourself into lots of hard training without a plan can reduce the best chance of improving in any activity.
If your goal is too high you may push too hard increasing the likely hood of over training. Exercising out side of your ability can also increase the risk of injury. Give your self time to recover after any event, take it easier you’ll respond better when you do start.
Cross train, change your routine. This can give the body a break from the repetitive action of training and also exercise other aspects such as strength, you could try something with less intensity but valuable such as core stability as Pilates or work your flexibility with a yoga class, and remember these are not competitive and you haven’t got to do what anyone is doing.
Hydration and fluid intake, this is one of the most important aspects of not just training but your health, dehydration it is to be avoided, water shoulder be your main intake, some sports drinks can have energy components and a mineral content which may be useful though they should not replace a good meal plan.
Stimulants, generally best avoided if your exercising at your optimum taking stimulants such as caffeine drinks which stimulant the heart further is not a good idea especially after a race. Tea and coffee are both diuretic and a stimulant so if you’re a serious training or want to give your body the best, try something else such as mineral water, caffeine free or herbal teas.
Your are what you eat, some foods provide energy, these are carbohydrates which are distinguished into complex and simple, Some foods provide protein which are the building block for the body, with many foods providing a source of vitamins and minerals, your diet needs to reflect the demands of your body in consumption and quality, the better your diet, the better your performance.
Take your exercise and training seriously but remember your training should be enjoyable and not rule your life, if it becomes a hassle or pain maybe your overdoing it or not preparing yourself as good as you can.
If you have any questions let me know
Francis Connor
Manchester Osteopaths
You don’t need to be an athlete to Over train
What ever your activity or sport, if you are training to compete or simply starting from scratch a new exercise there is a risk you may push your self too far, to help avoid this there are a few things to consider. Always ask yourself what is it you want to do with your body and are you in a position to start.
If you are given rehabilitation exercises to help you recover from a back strain it’s the same process, if the plan is to do them 3 times a day and you miss 2 opportunities, its not wise to do them all in one go as this may overwork your body, do the routine and carry on from that point.
When are you doing too much?
There is no clear definitive boundary to measuring when you are over training, mainly because we are different in so many ways such as sex, age, weight, lifestyle, interests, work influences and also what’s in our genes, and that’s not the back pocket of a pair of 501’s.
When training the most important aspect is to be aware of how your body feels and its response to any activity, some of the things you can consider as signs you maybe over training are;
Your improvement seems to have stopped
Your experiencing a higher number of niggles and injuries
Your performance such as speed, times and stamina have dropped
Your food pattern has changes with your appetite
Your sleep is disturbed
Your recovery from training is taking longer
Overtraining and how to avoid it!
Firstly have a plan with realistic goals, they need to be challenging, not impossible, and throwing yourself into lots of hard training without a plan can reduce the best chance of improving in any activity.
If your goal is too high you may push too hard increasing the likely hood of over training. Exercising out side of your ability can also increase the risk of injury. Give your self time to recover after any event, take it easier you’ll respond better when you do start.
Cross train, change your routine. This can give the body a break from the repetitive action of training and also exercise other aspects such as strength, you could try something with less intensity but valuable such as core stability as Pilates or work your flexibility with a yoga class, and remember these are not competitive and you haven’t got to do what anyone is doing.
Hydration and fluid intake, this is one of the most important aspects of not just training but your health, dehydration it is to be avoided, water shoulder be your main intake, some sports drinks can have energy components and a mineral content which may be useful though they should not replace a good meal plan.
Stimulants, generally best avoided if your exercising at your optimum taking stimulants such as caffeine drinks which stimulant the heart further is not a good idea especially after a race. Tea and coffee are both diuretic and a stimulant so if you’re a serious training or want to give your body the best, try something else such as mineral water, caffeine free or herbal teas.
Your are what you eat, some foods provide energy, these are carbohydrates which are distinguished into complex and simple, Some foods provide protein which are the building block for the body, with many foods providing a source of vitamins and minerals, your diet needs to reflect the demands of your body in consumption and quality, the better your diet, the better your performance.
Take your exercise and training seriously but remember your training should be enjoyable and not rule your life, if it becomes a hassle or pain maybe your overdoing it or not preparing yourself as good as you can.
If you have any questions let me know
Francis Connor
Manchester Osteopaths
Monday, 17 October 2011
Back pain exercises
Back pain: the purpose of exercise prescription
First of all, do you know what’s causing your back pain? Muscles, disc, joint, nerve, spondylosis or even spondylolithesis, have you even heard of these, If not a diagnosis would help, so speak to your osteopath or physiotherapist.
If you know and understand what’s creating your pain, what tissues are involved then your exercises don’t have to be just guess work. Remember one size does not fit all!
When prescribing exercises for back pain or other problems I consider the treatment and progress made then as a way of recovery put in place a plan of action for the rehabilitation process.
I break down my rehabilitation exercises for back pain into three categories:
Mobility- improves how things move
Flexibility – improves your range of motion, reach etc.
Strength/Core stability – addresses imbalances and strength.
Each category works very differently, let’s look at a couple of examples:
1. If you have pulled your back lifting (assuming a consultation and treatment has taken place and we are at the rehabilitation stage) your muscles may be tight, the joints stiff and muscular imbalances due to the amount of time you spent living with it. We deal with what’s actually causing the pain, then look to improve and maintain how the body is actually working, keeping it moving so mobility exercises are given to get things going, once there is relief we can then improve flexibility and exercises for strength to help the imbalance adapted in the muscles.
2. If the injury is from a repetitive action and there is some excessive movement (hyper mobility) at the vertebral segment (a joint in the back) then stretches, particularly static ones such as yoga will initially be avoided; yoga is a favourite of mine but not always the best option, on occasions like this core stability and strength exercise will be included in the plan.
3. A semi-prolapse disc (disc bulge) may put pressure onto the sciatic or femoral nerve, both can give pain down in the leg, (note these very different nerve irritations are a sign not a diagnosis) to reduce the pain we need to take the pressure from the nerve at the joint level, we do this by mobilising the joint and relaxing the surrounding muscles, exercises given will be given to improve movement and restore the muscles surrounding the joint.
Hope this is useful, any questions drop us a line or
email: info@manchester-osteopaths.co.uk
Francis Connor
www.manchester-osteopaths.co.uk
First of all, do you know what’s causing your back pain? Muscles, disc, joint, nerve, spondylosis or even spondylolithesis, have you even heard of these, If not a diagnosis would help, so speak to your osteopath or physiotherapist.
If you know and understand what’s creating your pain, what tissues are involved then your exercises don’t have to be just guess work. Remember one size does not fit all!
When prescribing exercises for back pain or other problems I consider the treatment and progress made then as a way of recovery put in place a plan of action for the rehabilitation process.
I break down my rehabilitation exercises for back pain into three categories:
Mobility- improves how things move
Flexibility – improves your range of motion, reach etc.
Strength/Core stability – addresses imbalances and strength.
Each category works very differently, let’s look at a couple of examples:
1. If you have pulled your back lifting (assuming a consultation and treatment has taken place and we are at the rehabilitation stage) your muscles may be tight, the joints stiff and muscular imbalances due to the amount of time you spent living with it. We deal with what’s actually causing the pain, then look to improve and maintain how the body is actually working, keeping it moving so mobility exercises are given to get things going, once there is relief we can then improve flexibility and exercises for strength to help the imbalance adapted in the muscles.
2. If the injury is from a repetitive action and there is some excessive movement (hyper mobility) at the vertebral segment (a joint in the back) then stretches, particularly static ones such as yoga will initially be avoided; yoga is a favourite of mine but not always the best option, on occasions like this core stability and strength exercise will be included in the plan.
3. A semi-prolapse disc (disc bulge) may put pressure onto the sciatic or femoral nerve, both can give pain down in the leg, (note these very different nerve irritations are a sign not a diagnosis) to reduce the pain we need to take the pressure from the nerve at the joint level, we do this by mobilising the joint and relaxing the surrounding muscles, exercises given will be given to improve movement and restore the muscles surrounding the joint.
Hope this is useful, any questions drop us a line or
email: info@manchester-osteopaths.co.uk
Francis Connor
www.manchester-osteopaths.co.uk
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