shoes

Footwear For Aerobics

Aerobics, especially high impact, is a tough form of exercise to the lower extremity. To avoid injuries to the feet, knees and hips you should be in shape enough to workout at a high level, use proper equipment, have a suitable floor surface and carefully choosen shoes.
The forces generated during aerobic movements can be up to six times that of gravity directed at each bone of the foot. Aerobic shoes must first and foremust have good shock absorption and be well cushioned.
Aerobic moves often involve side to side or lateral movements for an extended period of time. If your foot has the tendency to supinate or pronate (turn outside or inside) it’s important to see a podiatrist who may recommend controlling the side to side movement by using special inserts.

Because of the lateral movements, shoes must have a well formed arch that corrects for these forces and a thick upper leather to provide stability to the front of the foot. Shoes should also have a firm toe box that is high enough to prevent pain in the toe and nail areas.
Simple sneakers or tennis shoes you may have hanging around your closet probably will not be sufficient. The major shoe companies have developed both aerobic and cross training shoes that will meet the necessary safety enhancing criteria. These shoes provide the needed arch support, cushioning and side to side support which will allow safer turning and twisting.
Running shoes are also not a good candidate for aerobic footwear. Runners primarily move straight ahead so their shoes aren’t made for lateral support. They also often have an outside flair that puts you at a greater risk for injury.
The best time to try on aerobics shoes is in the afternoon when you feet have had time to swell a bit. They should fit snug but not tight. Wear the same socks (athletic socks of acrylic blend) you are going to exercise in. Once you’ve found the right shoe, tie them doubly and securely. This helps prevent tripping accidents.
The pair of shoes you choose for aerobic classes is a very important determinate in how many and what kind of injuries you could sustain. It is imperative duting those high impact or interval classes to have properly supported shoes. Low impact also does a lot of side to side movements so don’t think you can get by with your old closet sneakers in these classes either.

Fit For Life

You?ve been using the same workout for 20 years. The result? Two arthritic shoulders and a sacroiliac joint that threatens to immobilize you every time you get out the car. But it?s not too late for you.

Tips for Enhancing Performance

Running

Pounding the pavements erodes your body?s natural shock absorbers ? cartilage, tendons, muscles and ligaments. Each step exerts a force of up to five times your weight and encourages these body parts to protest through inflammation, pain and even rupture.

Walk as well as run. Varying intensity within a workout is a tactic runners use to get faster or go longer. Walking burns the same number of kilojoules as running and reduces common overuse injuries, such as shin splints. Use a one-to-one ratio if you?re getting into shape after a layoff, then gradually ratchet up the run portion. Walk one kilometer for every six kilometers you run.

Triathlons

These events are filled with former distance runners looking for a new rush and a way to take some strain off their battered bones. Triathlon training also allows a marathoner to use health benefits gained from years of long distance training; increased lung capacity and an abundance of slow twitch muscle fibers, which enhance aerobic endurance.

Rugby/Soccer

The sudden starts and stops involved in touch rugby place tremendous lateral force on your ankles and knees, and the diving (actually landing) sends injury causing shock waves throughout your body.

Break a sweat before you start playing. One guy we know hits the hot showers for 10 minutes before playing to make sure he?s warm. No showers? This simple 10 minute warm up will drastically reduce your chances of getting hurt. Do each of these the length of the field up to the half way line and back while wind milling your arms, then stretch as usual; jog, skip, shuffle (continually slide one leg to meet the other without crossing them; don?t forget to bend your knees), karaoke (run sideways, continually crossing one leg in front of and then behind the other), run backwards and skip as high as you can.

Volleyball

This activity incorporates the same lateral movement and quick jumping ability you?ve developed, but it doesn?t require you to cover as much ground.

Cricket

Playing cricket does little to improve your overall fitness so you have to put in time away from the pitch if you want to avoid rotator cuff tears and elbow or shoulder tendonosis.

Lift weights. It will strengthen your rotator cuff and surrounding muscles to protect you from suffering a tear. The best moves are; lateral raise, lat pull downs and lat rows. Stretch your shoulders before the first over by raising your throwing arm straight above your head, bending it at the elbow, then gently pushing it down and toward your spine with your other hand. Repeat with the opposite arm.

Golf

Golf is easier on your body because you don?t have the sudden starts and stops, and the swing aren?t as violent. Since the ball isn?t moving, you don?t have to reach at odd angles to hit it, which can cause muscle strains. Golf is also better for your heart and gobbles up plenty of kilojoules.

Swimming

Because swimming is non weight bearing, injuries are few. When swimmers do get hurt, they tend to suffer from overuse injuries in their shoulders and knees. Have a coach analyze your stroke each year for glitches so you don?t fall into injury inducing bad habits. Mix breaststroke, backstroke or butterfly in with your freestyle every fourth lap to reduce your risk of hurting a shoulder joint. Strength training is important for swimmers to help balance their musculature and to strengthen bones and tendons that don?t get trained in the pool. The most important lifts; bench press for balance and squats for push off and kicking.

Single Scull Rowing

Single scull rowing will capitalize on the endurance and pain tolerance you?ve built while still allowing you to compete mano-a-mano on the water using your arms and legs to pull you through.

Cycling

Crashes cause most injuries ? damn drivers ? but repeating the same motion again and again and again while sitting hunched over the handlebar also puts stress on the vertebrae in your lower back, which causes pain.

Simply changing the angle of your bike seat could save your back. Back pain in cyclists is caused when the angle between the pelvis and the lower end of the spinal column is overextended. Tilting the seat forward 10 to 15 degrees reduces the strain on the muscles and realigns the bones. Most important; spin, don?t strain, by using higher gears. Lower gears can make you feel like you?re working much harder, but a faster cadence is easier on your body and more efficient.

Soccer

You?ve spent years building endurance and Lance-like quads. Now use them on the field, where both qualities will give you a leg up on the competition, and the wide variety of movements you?ll deploy will round out your fitness. You?ll also play on grass, which is heaven for joints and muscles.

Tennis

Nearly half of all tennis players suffer from ?tennis elbow? (medial epicondylitis). Lower back strains and shoulder and ankle injuries are common. Playing a lot of tennis weakens your shoulder blade muscles by repeatedly stretching and fatiguing the tissues.

Tennis is a terrific lifelong sport ? if you keep your strength and flexibility by doing strength training and stretching. To get the great workout without the elbow or shoulder problems, do military presses. While sitting on a bench or chair, raise a pair of dumbbells to shoulder height. Press the weights overhead. Do 10 to 12 repetitions. Repeat.

Martial Arts

Martial arts, such as tae kwon do or kickboxing, enhance the abilities you?ve developed in tennis, while adding the missing factor of flexibility. You can also take out your aggression on a real person while eliminating the repetitive motion that causes injuries in tennis.

5 Common Running Injuries – What They Are and How You Can Prevent Them

The risk of you sustaining an injury related to running are higher than what most people think. You can suffer from a little blister to a full blown out knee caps if you’re not careful while running.Here are the 5 most common injuries most individuals suffer from when running, and how you can prevent them from happening.1. BlistersBlisters are caused by the constant rubbing of your shoe against your skin. They can be on the toes, side of the feet, or the heel, and anywhere in between. If left untreated, they can become infected and cause some major discomfort as well as pain.How to prevent blisters: Always wear shoes that fit your feet. Wearing shoes that’s one-size too big or small will result in you suffering from occasional blisters.Another thing to note here is that, when you run, your feet will sweat. Hence you’ll have wear a pair of socks that’s long enough to go past the top of your shoes, so as to avoid having blisters at your ankles.If you start to get a blister, use a Band-Aid to cover the area until it recovers.

Let the blister heal by itself. Do not pop it, as the fluid underneath serves to keep the blister protected until the skin underneath heals.2. Runner’s KneeRunner’s knee comes as a result of you overworking your knees (from running long distances consistently) over a period of time, coupled with the fact that you do not allow the surrounding sore muscles enough time to fully recover.How to prevent runner’s knee: Stretching is the best way to prevent any physical injuries related to running. Be sure you stretch all the muscles and tendons before you start running. Your muscles should be well warmed up before you do any running.Also, do some squats and lunges to build up your hamstrings, shins, and calves of your legs, because the stronger they are, the less likely you’ll suffer from runner’s knee.3. Sore MusclesWhen you over-do your running activities, you could end up with sore muscles. Sore muscles are caused as a result of tiny tears in the muscle fibers.How to prevent sore muscles: Make sure you properly warm up your muscles before you take off on a run.

Start your run slowly, and gradually increase your pace. Another thing you can do is to have a hot bath or a massage after your run to help relieve your sore muscles for a faster recovery.4. ChafingChafing is caused when your clothes constantly rub against your skin, causing rashes to form around the area. You can also get chafing when you run in the rain.Some of the common places where chafing occurs is under the bra line (for women), in the underarms, as well as around the inner thigh area.How to prevent chafing: Wear sportswear that is specially made for running. They have flat seams, not round seams, which can help prevent chafing. Also, they fit better and don’t shift around while you’re running.5. Heel FissuresCracks in your feet are called heel fissures. They are caused by dry feet, coupled with constant running, which over time, breaking open the skin, resulting in bleeding and subsequently, an infection around the area (for more severe cases).How to prevent heel fissures: If you find that your feet is dry, apply moisturizer on it. Also, try not to wear sandals or open shoes (even when not running) so as to avoid drying out your feet.