Can I Exercise Around An Injury?

Q

"Hello!

I have a sports injury that I have been trying to work around. Do you have any advice for how to get a good workout, but without interfering with the healing process?"

- George C.

A

Hello George!

I noticed you didn't mention what type of sports injury you have, so I have provided advice below for the two most common injuries. If your injury isn't for knee or shoulder please let me know and I shall add more Do's and Don'ts for your kind of injury.

Knee Injury Do's and Don'ts

Do

-Focus on upper body in seated and standing exercises.

-Work out the lower body on the floor (glute kickbacks, inner/outer thigh raises)

-Focus on core and stretching

-Cardio only within limitations. Running is bound to be aggravating to a knee injury but perhaps the elliptical is fine. Listen to your body.

-Depending on the injury shallow squats (preferably with a stability ball) can help to strengthen the muscles, tendons and ligaments.

-Air punches for cardio can even be practiced seated.

Don't!

-Do lunges

-Do step-ups

-Run

Shoulder Injury Do's and Don'ts

Do

-Focus on lower body

-Add more core and low back exercises

-Try new cardio exercises (cycling, running)

-Stretch

Don't

-Use the arm handles on the elliptical

-Many upper body exercises use the shoulders. Listen to your body. You may be able to do bicep curls but not a triceps push down.

-Do bench press (too much weight and shoulders assist the chest and triceps and secondary working muscles)

-Do shoulder exercises unless prescribed by a physiotherapist.

Workout Ideas for Overweight Teenagers

In North America the people who are most effected by skyrocketing obesity rates is teenagers and young adults. In contrast many older people, who are already set in their somewhat healthy eating patterns, are less at risk.

Thus it is increasingly more important to find ways to get teenagers and young adults involved in exercises and healthy eating patterns before... Yawn, this so boring! Get to the exercises already!

Great Workouts For Teens

#1. Weight Lifting Exercises

You need your muscles to be strong to maintain a good posture and have significantly less chance of
getting injured. For this type of exercise, you need to apply some resistance against the muscles. The
various ways you can strengthen your muscles are by push-ups, crunches and if done under supervision,
free weights and weight machines.

The easiest thing which can be done just about anywhere is push-ups.

a) Get on all fours with your hands stretched out more than your shoulders.
b) While bending your elbows, push your body downwards trying to keep your knees and back straight until the elbows make an angle of 90 degree.
c) Get back into your original position.
d) Repeat a,b and c 10-30 times taking a 2 minute break in between if you must.

#2. Take up Archery or Swimming

Archery, Swimming and similar resistance based sports work a bit like weightlifting exercises. Example: Rowing / Sculling. Anything where you are exerting your muscles to accomplish a task is essentially weightlifting. Including going hiking with a heavy backpack.

#3. Cardio / Aerobic Exercises

Cardio is not only the best way to lose weight but it also helps your heart to function efficiently.

While performing aerobic exercises, endorphins are released due to an increase in your heart rate which is proven to lighten up your mood - they're basically painkillers, so its a bit like you are getting high without drugs. The best thing about aerobic exercises is that you can choose to do whatever you want. Biking, Swimming, jogging, walking on the treadmill, tennis, basketball and just about
any other activity which increases your heart rate. So you're not only enjoying but also staying fit and healthy!

eg. Boxing is a cardio activity. So get yourself a punching bag or join a local boxing gym!

#4. Skipping

Skipping is one of the easiest exercise for just about anyone. From basic skipping to advanced techniques like crossovers and pretzels, this is recommended by doctors the world over. It keeps both your mind and heart fit, helps in gaining height and is known to prevent osteoporosis. It is much more efficient than walking or jogging and keeps your whole body engaged. Doing this for just 10 minutes a day can help teenagers stay fit.

For extra challenge wear a backpack with some books in it while skipping. The extra weight will make this cardio activity more like a weightlifting exercise for your legs.

#5. Yoga

Already a trend worldwide, Yoga can also be incorporated by teens to stay fit. The best thing about yoga is that it not only keeps your body healthy, but also your mind healthy. It helps you to be calm and decreases stress - and less stress means less binging on junk food. More than workouts, yoga is about poses. One of the most basic pose is Sukhasana where :

You sit cross-legged, back straight, heel inwards towards groin, hands resting on your legs and you breathe in and out.

There are over 80 poses which you can do, some of which are basic while others a bit more intimidating. Doing yoga 30 minutes a day is enough to feel healthier and more relaxed.

#6. Take up a Sport or Martial art

It is easier for teens to take up a sport or martial art of their choice because they have a lot more free time than adults do. The sport, whether it is competitive or just for fun, will help them to stay in shape and lose weight. Regularly practicing, exercising and playing is not only fun but also rewarding.

Examples of Fun Sports / Martial Arts

Aikido
Archery
Boxing
Capoeira (Brazilian martial art that combines dancing)
Competitive Cycling
Competitive Dancing
Fencing
Figure Skating
Football
Hockey
Jiu Jitsu
Judo
Karate
Kendo
Krav Maga
Kung Fu (eg. Jun Fan Gung Fu)
Muay Thai
Olympic Wrestling
Parkour / Freerunning
Rollerblading
Soccer
Tae Kwon Do

If you do take up a sport or martial art try to get a good instructor. Having an instructor will mean learning the proper (and safe) way to do various activities within the sport.

Health Benefits of Dates

Although popular in baked sweets, Dates are excellent in salads, stews, on their own, and soaked overnight in milk and yogurt. Dates can also be ground into a paste and used as a delicious and healthy substitution for many ingredients.

 

They also have a long list of health benefits.

Health Benefits of Dates

-Good source of fiber

-Contains calcium, phosphorous, potassium, manganese, copper and magnesium

-Aids digestion, prevents constipation
-Can prevent abdominal cancer

-Prevents and treats intestinal disorders

-Great for quick energy

-Due to their fiber, sweetness and filling nature, they're a great "in-between meal" snack for a weight loss program. They're approximately 20 calories each!

-Heart healthy

-It is said that dates are great for sexual stamina, fertility and overall improved sexual health

-Low inn sodium

Gently wash dates before eating. Even organic dates need to be washed because organic food is not completely pesticide free (technically organic food is no better for you, because its genetically modified to contain pesticides). Plus dates are sticky and a trap for impurities.

 

Soaking in milk or water, or eating them straight from the package are both tasty ways to enjoy dates. 

 

Refrigeration will help keep them fresh for longer.

 

And if they're good enough for Indiana Jones, they're good enough for the rest of us!

Do Fitness Games like Wii Fit really work?

Q

"Hello!

Do Fitness Games like Wii Fit really work? I've heard a lot of positive and negative reviews about them and I am curious as to whether its worth trying."

- Jake G.

A

Hello Jake!

Fitness games are a big trend right now both in the fitness industry and in the video game industry, so there is going to be a lot of confusing reviews / testimonials out there aimed at selling Wii Fit and video game workouts.

 

There are some benefits to using such gaming equipment to improve your fitness levels, especially if you try the yoga and lower body strength exercises, but some of the exercises use very little motion and thus barely count as an exercise.

Some games like Dance Dance Revolution will get you sweating, and games like Just Dance 2 (JD2) are fun and fast paced, and some people swear by Wii Tennis as a good cardio exercise, but overall such games are pretty hit and miss.

 

Wii Archery for example has no exercise component at all, whereas real archery is more like weightlifting because it uses resistance training, balance and you need stamina to hold the bow steady.

For beginners, you will definitely get a good workout if you really get into the more active exercises available on such game consoles. For intermediates and advanced exercise enthusiasts, playing for 30 minutes a week could be a great supplement to an already existing exercise regimen. 

 

Such games have been proven to keep seniors more active and many homes for the elderly have invested in such game consoles. Don't expect to "lose 100 lbs playing Wii Fit" like some of the reviews you will find online. To get that kind of results you would need to be playing it 10 to 15 hours per week for a year and be doing the really active exercises.

 

Thus if you're lazy about your approach to these games and you play the games which require less movement, then you won't really see much benefit. So it really does depend on how often you play it and which exercises you choose to do.

Another fitness trend you will be seeing more of is the iPhone and iPad is fitness applications, podcast workouts and health/diet organizers. Examples include: Fitness Pro, Lose It, Fitness Builder, iTreadmill and GYM Goal ABC. Downloading podcasts with full workouts or informational seminars is free and easy. Plus you can also pick out any number of fitness/diet journals, calorie counters, grocery list creators and recipe apps.

Normally advancements in technology would make us lazy. Devices that do the exact opposite is proving to be unexpectedly cool.

Two Plank Variations

The beauty of Plank exercises is that they take no equipment to do and they're super frugal.

The sad part is that many people hate doing doing plank exercises because they are, admittedly, very difficult for some people to do.

Take these two exercises below as examples. They're extra hard, despite looking deceivingly simple. Its a whole love-hate paradox. Plank exercises do wonders for your abs, back, arms and even your legs... but many people hate them with a passion.

The Knee Drop Plank

In the standard front plank position from the forearms and elbows, just bend only from the knees until they tap the floor. Perform reps for one minute using slow and controlled movements. This can also be done in a side plank position.

The Twisting Plank

From the same starting position in front plank, focus on swiveling your hips from side to side. You are aiming your hip toward the floor (but not touching) and focusing the movement in obliques.