What an amazing time it was at the Las Olas Triathlon. It was a pleasure helping out all of the great athletes that participated in the event.
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Las Olas Triathlon
The Importance of Rest and Recovery
The Importance of Rest and Recovery
You are an athlete and you train hard. You go 100% and don’t like to rest. Rest is for the weak they say. Training non stop and not allowing time to recover actually can weaken the strongest athlete. Between your training sessions, it is important to rest and recover. This is the time when your body has time to replenish energy and repair damage muscles. Not allowing your body to rest and recover can lead to overtraining symptoms which may lead too feeling tired, depressed and increase your risk of injury. Most people think that these mean the same thing but there is a huge difference between the two. Between the hours that you are training, this is your time to rest and recover. Unfortunately , most of the population gets the rest part down pretty well but forgets to recover. This is where you basically sleep and not train. The recovery portion is where people tend to forget about. Recovery includes proper nutrition, hydration, posture, heat, NormaTec compression boots, Marc Pro Stim Unit, Rock Tape , adjustments, stretching, myofascial release and anything else that can help the body recover. During the grueling training workouts that most athletes do, there are different systems that need to recover which include hormonal, neurological and structural (muscles, tendons and ligaments).
There are a few things about Rest and Recovery that should be applied to any training program.
- Sleep
With sleep, you get the rest and the recovery all in one. This is probably the most important factor if I had to choose. Sleep will help your hormonal balance and muscular recovery. This is the time for your body to remove chemicals that build up as a result of cell activity. Lack of sleep can lead to increased cortisol levels and decreased activity of human growth hormone.
- Hydration
Making sure that you are hydrated is very important to your energy, recovery and performance. Most people do not drink enough water and the best way to tell is to look at the color of your urine. If it is clear to pale yellow then you are doing a good job.
- Nutrition
Your body is like your car. Your nutrition is like your gas. If you put high quality gas into your car, it will perform better. The foods you eat can either help heal your body or poison it. Rich Omega 3 foods will act as a anti inflammatory where processed foods and bad fatty foods are harmful to the body. I myself practice the Paleo diet throughout the year and feel great. Consumption of protein right after exercise can help stimulate protein synthesis which is very important in muscle repair.
- Posture
Poor posture will inhibit your performance. In this generation, most people sit all day at work. Poor posture can lead to back and neck pain. Poor posture is also related with early death because people with poor posture tend to not exercise and sit longer.
- Stretching
Enough flexibility is needed to move well. It was once said, first move well, then move often. If you are very tight, your form may be off in many exercises and workouts that you do. If you do not have proper form, this may lead to injuries.
- Self-Myofascial Release
This is done to return tissue back to normal and healthy tissue.
- NormaTec
The NormaTec machines can be used both before and after working out to speed recovery by systematically pushing out inflammation, old blood, and lactic acid while providing a flushing massage. There is no time limit on the machine, but a range of 15 – 30 mins is typically recommended. Used by professional athletes around the world!
- Marc Pro
Marc Pro technology, on the other hand, works differently by activating a cascading series of physiological effects through a specific type of muscle contraction that leads to enhanced recovery and conditioning. Marc Pro’s unique waveform and long pulse duration creates a non-fatiguing muscle contraction, which is optimal for muscle recovery. Most muscle stimulators use technology that stems from devices used for muscle re-education, where the goal is to fatigue muscles that have atrophied. These devices have their purpose but when you are trying to recover, putting further stress on the muscles will reverse any recovery benefits. If strong enough, any electric signal can produce a muscle contraction, what’s important is the type of muscle contraction that is produced. In addition, the Marc Pro Plus can provide significant relief by actually shutting down pain, combined with recovery benefits to help problem areas actually recover and get better.
9.Rock Tape
Lymphatic Drainage/Swelling Reduction
Kinesiology tape is unique in its ability to create a lifting effect on the skin to allow for better lymphatic drainage in areas of swelling. This can have a dramatic effect on recovery time after a workout and healing of damaged tissue after injury.
Had a great time teaching all of the benefits and applications that Rocktape can be used for at Orange Theory. If you are interested on what RockTape can do for you give the office a call and schedule an appointment. 954-871-1411
Experiencing muscle tightness and cramps?
Almost everyone has experienced tight muscles at one time or another. They can be painful, lead to injury, limit movement and decrease performance. Preventing and managing tight muscles is the key to avoiding injuries. There are a few common reasons and times that muscles can tighten up. The most frequent times when muscle tightness can occur are during periods of prolonged inactivity, during exercise, and after exercise.
In this day of age, so many people sit all day at work and are inactive day after day week after week. These prolonged periods of inactivity can cause muscles to tighten up do to their restricted movement. We see this most commonly in the psoas or hip flexors. Since the hips are bent when seated, this puts your hip flexors in a shorted or tight position. In contrast, you gluts are now put in a lengthened position. If you are sitting down and working on a computer then most likely your chest muscles will be tight as well and in contrast now your back muscles are in a lengthened position.
Over the course of time, this most likely will result in muscle imbalances. Your muscles that are in the shorted position day in and day out will become “tight” and the muscles are are lengthened day in and day out will become weak. Overtime, this will give you poor posture. Forward rounded shoulders and underdeveloped glutes will be a result of this imbalance.
Do not worry though, There is a solution to everything that I mentioned above. It is important to maintain proper posture even while seated. You should also specifically strengthen the muscles that are weak and lengthened and then stretch out the muscles that are tight. We would be able to go over all of this at the office.
During exercise is another time that a muscle can tighten up which most people experience as a cramp. Cramps may occur for many reasons,. Some reasons would be muscle fatigue, low sodium or low potassium. Even if you are not exercising, you may still get muscle cramps. A cramps occurs when the muscle fibers remain shorten or are unable to lengthen due to fatigue or dehydration. If you experience a cramp, do not forcibly stretch the muscle. You are at risk of tearing the muscle or having an injury. Allow the cramp to go away before attempting to stretch. It is important to eat well and be hydrated before a prolonged exercise bout.
Another time that you may get tight muscles is following exercise. A lot of people will experience this tightness as muscle soreness sometimes called DOMS or delayed onset muscle soreness. This usually occurs 24-72 hours after exercise.
With proper exercise, stretching, and nutrition you can help prevent and correct muscle tightness. Doing proper strengthening exercises for the weak muscles and proper stretching for the tight muscles will prevent tightness due to decreased range of motion. To help avoid cramping, proper hydration and nutrition is recommended before exercising.
Helping out the fighters at American Top Team
Thanks to American Top Team – Coconut Creek for having sports chiropractic over for a sports recovery day. It feels great to be surrounded by so many world class fighters!
Tunnel To Towers 5K Run/Walk – Fort Lauderdale
Proud to work with these Athletes to get them ready for the Tunnel To Towers 5k Run/Walk race in Ft. Lauderdale.
Miami Surge vs. Phoenix Rise GRID League Match at BankUnited Center.
Honored to be selected to work the Miami Surge vs Phoenix Rise event of the NPGL today.
KinetiFix on location at CFHC Pompano Beach. We take a proactive approach to the sport of Fitness. Want to learn what injuries you’re prone to? How to manage your weaknesses? We can bring this show on the road. Contact us today – (954) 871-1411
Stretching out these awesome soccer players before the big game.
It does not matter if it is the World Cup or just an intramural soccer match. It is important to stretch and stay loose. Even though there are mixed opinions on the benefits of stretching, it is thought that stretching helps reduce injuries during activities, improve flexibility and improve range of motion for your joints. It is wise not to stretch cold muscles so make sure that you warm your body up a little bit before going into a stretching routine which allows increased blood flow to the muscles which in turn increases mobility. Warm muscles equals greater elasticity in the muscle. 
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UFC fighters need treatment as well!
Awesome opportunity to treat some of the best fighters and nicest guys around. At Sports Chiropractic and Natural Health Solutions, we work with all different types of athletes with their recovery and injuries.