In our over-stressed society, few want another item on the "to-do" list. However, regular exercise should be mandatory for the most stressed individuals per Dr. John Ratey of Harvard Medical School.
I just finished Dr. Ratey's book "Spark". Dr. Ratey discusses some of the physiological responses to stress. Many of the ideas are common knowledge (e.g., "fight or flight" response to stress) while some are recently discovered or recently re-examined by research.
Ratey's basic premise is the body is designed to move when stressed. Historically, since man was either a hunter-gather, farmer, or laborer, getting sufficient daily activity was not a problem. However, as jobs moved to desks and computers, movement usually disappeared from the daily work routine.
Ratey believes this failure to move can create chronic stress with accompanying immune function decline. As immune function declinces, the body becomes susceptible to numerous diseases.
Ratey's description of chronic stress raised memories of my Dad. My Dad was a guy who "played by the rules"-he studied hard, got married and had a family and worked hard. However, he experienced a heart attack in his early 40's which set off a series of health problems eventually leading to his death at 63.
I have always believed chronic stress was the major culprit for my Dad's health problems. I think things may have been different if he had been able to schedule 30 minutes of exercise per day into his hectic life of working and supporting five children.
Part of the challenge with the over-stressed is convincing them they need to exercise daily. The initial response is usually something such as "yeah, right, when?". My personal opinion is an examination of the overall lifestyle is demanded in these situations. Someone usually needs to tell them the lifestyle is physically and emotionally unsustainable. Yet, our society often glamorizes workaholism and sleeplessness.
These are often difficult cases, but I have seen people make changes once they experience the feelings of well-being that accompany regular exercise. Exercise psychology discusses how a person may start with an extrinsic motivation ("health") and move towards a more intrinsic motivation such as feeling better or a sense of self-efficacy. Ratey discusses this transformation in some detail. Once the person becomes more intrinsically motivated, the likelihood of continuing exercise becomes much better.
Very few intend to go a month without exercising. However, busy schedules just seem to self-perpetuate. This produces fatigue which further decreases the desire to exercise in many. Finally, a "what's the use" mentality sets in. Depression often appears at this point creating an additional barrier to exercise.
Obviously, the over-stressed non-exerciser is the classic vicious cycle. This is one of Ratey's primary points in "Spark". Ironically, ten years ago I was headed down a similar path before experiencing a dramatic lifestyle change.
While there are some additions and changes to the exercise prescription I would like to see, "Spark" certainly highlights the importance of consistent exercise in our society.
The subtitle could also be "The Exercise Professional's Ultimate Marketing Solution" since chapters discussing exercise's potential to treat depression, anxiety, attention deficit and other issues are included.
Showing posts with label Jeff Blair. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jeff Blair. Show all posts
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
When your "Achilles Heel" really is your Achilles Heel!
People frequently use the term "Achilles heel" to describe a personal weakness or vulnerability.
The phrase originates from the mythological Achilles being dipped into the river Styx by his mother Thetis. The river's waters could protect Achilles and provide immortality. Since Thetis held Achilles by the heel, his heel was not immersed and Achilles was vulnerable there. He eventually died after an arrow was shot through his heel ("Gee, Thanks Mom...").
For many runners, the "Achilles heel" carries a literal importance. Achilles tendonitis is a common problem and can cause a variety of performance and health problems.
An Achilles rupture is even worse-the running "death penalty"! A rupture requires surgical repair, a variety of progressive casts for up to 12 weeks, and many more months of rehabilitation. Complete rupture recovery may take up to one year!
Can you deal with that, runners??????
If no and you are experiencing Achilles pain, you need to take immediate steps to prevent this debilitating injury.
I personally experienced a serious Achilles tendon strain ten years ago. It took many months to resume a regular running schedule. If the tendon had ruptured, it would have been significantly worse.
A few important technical points about the Achilles tendon:
-The Achilles tendon is often called the Calcaneal tendon;
-The Achilles tendon joins the two heads of the gastroc and the soleus (muscles of the calf);
-The tendon inserts into the posterior calcaneus (heel bone) and is the longest tendon in the body;
-Blood supply is limited for the Achilles tendon.
How do you know you might be facing a potential Achilles tendon injury?
Most feel gradual Achilles tendon pain increase when running. Sometimes pain persists even when not running. Whatever you do, do not ignore the pain. If you do, you are probably going down like our old friend Achilles!
What can be done to treat Achilles problems?
Like most injuries, Achilles tendon problems are often multi-factorial and merit personal examination by an appropriate sports medicine professional. However, certain common issues often exist.
Most importantly, runners must modify training volume and intensity. Achilles issues are usually related to sudden increases in training intensity or training volume. Therefore, the old adage "cease the offending activity" is correct. The "offending activity" here is excessive running volume or intensity.
Runners should not necessarily cease running when facing Achilles pain. However, reducing volume and intensity greatly reduces Achilles rupture risk. Incorporating alternative exercise choices such as swimming or biking may also lessen serious injury risk. I re-discovered weight-lifting after my Achilles injury. Weight-lifting opened an entirely new world of fitness and athletic performance.
Standing on the ball of the foot and slowly lowering the heel to parallel with the step is the most common resistance exercise to treat Achilles heel problems. Do 2 sets of 15 twice per day. And keep doing it! You need to do this consistently for weeks to see good results.
As with any lower extremity injury, athletes should evaluate whether shoes are appropriate and well-fitting.
A slight heel lift may help alleviate Achilles injury risk.
Mild stretching of the calves is also recommended. Those experiencing Achilles pain should be not be overly aggressive with calf stretching as this may contribute to the problem. The calf wall stretch is a moderate calf stretch and is usually a good choice.
Runners experiencing Achilles pain should avoid speed work and excessive hill training as Achilles stress increases with these choices.
Sources:
Cosco DD, Navazio F, Common Problems in Endurance Athletes,
American Family Physician - Volume 76, Issue 2 (July 2007).
Dr. Stephen Pribut's Sport Pages, http://www.drpribut.com/sports/spachil.html, accessed June 22, 2009.
The phrase originates from the mythological Achilles being dipped into the river Styx by his mother Thetis. The river's waters could protect Achilles and provide immortality. Since Thetis held Achilles by the heel, his heel was not immersed and Achilles was vulnerable there. He eventually died after an arrow was shot through his heel ("Gee, Thanks Mom...").
For many runners, the "Achilles heel" carries a literal importance. Achilles tendonitis is a common problem and can cause a variety of performance and health problems.
An Achilles rupture is even worse-the running "death penalty"! A rupture requires surgical repair, a variety of progressive casts for up to 12 weeks, and many more months of rehabilitation. Complete rupture recovery may take up to one year!
Can you deal with that, runners??????
If no and you are experiencing Achilles pain, you need to take immediate steps to prevent this debilitating injury.
I personally experienced a serious Achilles tendon strain ten years ago. It took many months to resume a regular running schedule. If the tendon had ruptured, it would have been significantly worse.
A few important technical points about the Achilles tendon:
-The Achilles tendon is often called the Calcaneal tendon;
-The Achilles tendon joins the two heads of the gastroc and the soleus (muscles of the calf);
-The tendon inserts into the posterior calcaneus (heel bone) and is the longest tendon in the body;
-Blood supply is limited for the Achilles tendon.
How do you know you might be facing a potential Achilles tendon injury?
Most feel gradual Achilles tendon pain increase when running. Sometimes pain persists even when not running. Whatever you do, do not ignore the pain. If you do, you are probably going down like our old friend Achilles!
What can be done to treat Achilles problems?
Like most injuries, Achilles tendon problems are often multi-factorial and merit personal examination by an appropriate sports medicine professional. However, certain common issues often exist.
Most importantly, runners must modify training volume and intensity. Achilles issues are usually related to sudden increases in training intensity or training volume. Therefore, the old adage "cease the offending activity" is correct. The "offending activity" here is excessive running volume or intensity.
Runners should not necessarily cease running when facing Achilles pain. However, reducing volume and intensity greatly reduces Achilles rupture risk. Incorporating alternative exercise choices such as swimming or biking may also lessen serious injury risk. I re-discovered weight-lifting after my Achilles injury. Weight-lifting opened an entirely new world of fitness and athletic performance.
Standing on the ball of the foot and slowly lowering the heel to parallel with the step is the most common resistance exercise to treat Achilles heel problems. Do 2 sets of 15 twice per day. And keep doing it! You need to do this consistently for weeks to see good results.
As with any lower extremity injury, athletes should evaluate whether shoes are appropriate and well-fitting.
A slight heel lift may help alleviate Achilles injury risk.
Mild stretching of the calves is also recommended. Those experiencing Achilles pain should be not be overly aggressive with calf stretching as this may contribute to the problem. The calf wall stretch is a moderate calf stretch and is usually a good choice.
Runners experiencing Achilles pain should avoid speed work and excessive hill training as Achilles stress increases with these choices.
Sources:
Cosco DD, Navazio F, Common Problems in Endurance Athletes,
American Family Physician - Volume 76, Issue 2 (July 2007).
Dr. Stephen Pribut's Sport Pages, http://www.drpribut.com/sports/spachil.html, accessed June 22, 2009.
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