In "Preventive Self-Massage for Healthy Tissues and Enhanced Mobility," I discussed how to use a foam roller and massage stick as part of your regular body maintenance routine. Here, I review two foam rollers--the Trigger Point Grid foam roller and the GoFit Extreme Massage Roller--and two massage sticks--the Tiger Tail Rolling Muscle Massager and the GoFit Extreme Massage … [Read more...]
Today’s Prescribed Workout: A Nap
If you’re like most endurance athletes, the idea of a nap for a workout not only sounds oxymoronic but downright blasphemous. After all, the definition of a workout is “a session of vigorous physical exercise.” And a period of slumber is anything but a session of vigorous physical exercise. But, then again, that is the entire point. As we know from Exercise Physiology 101, … [Read more...]
How to Deal with Low Back Pain
By Brad A. Roy, Ph.D., FACSM, FACHE and Greg Vanichkachorn, M.D. Low back pain is one of the most prevalent medical complaints, affecting nearly every American at some point in his or her lifetime. At any given time, it is estimated that up to one third of the population is experiencing some form of back discomfort that impacts quality of life by interfering with … [Read more...]
Preventive Self-Massage for Healthy Tissues and Enhanced Mobility
One of the easiest and most effective means to ensure the healthy rebuilding of the body in between workouts is to use self-massage techniques. All you need is a few minutes each day along with some useful tools that include a foam roller, rolling stick, lacrosse ball, and golf ball. Why Tissue Maintenance is Important Collagen is a protein found in connective tissues in the … [Read more...]
Nutrition and Hydration Tips for Training and Recovery
Just as sleep is a vital component of effective recovery, so is a healthy diet. When it comes to eating well, it may be worth emphasizing in today’s world of fast food and highly processed comestibles that the best sources of nutrition are whole foods with minimal processing rather than pre-packaged meals and snack items. Eating a wide variety of whole foods, and satisfying … [Read more...]
Are You Sleeping Enough?
The recommended amount of sleep for healthy adults is 7-9 hours per day. According to a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 30 percent of American adults are “sleep deprived,” meaning they sleep less than 6 hours each day—leaving them vulnerable to adverse health and safety effects. As any athlete in training knows, skipping on sleep is not conducive to … [Read more...]
Tips for a Speedier Recovery
How to Rebound from Hard Training Days Everyone knows that improving athletic performance requires putting in the requisite amount of work during training sessions. Yet given the propensity for type-A athletes to pile on as much training as possible in the quest for greater performance gains, the flip side of the training equation can easily be neglected. In short, it is … [Read more...]
