Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/254212
Musculoskeletal issues in the ankles, shins, knees and hips are very common among runners. As a matter of fact, I recently asked a running group at Nike: "If you currently have a run- ning-related injury, or if you have had one in the past, raise your hand." There were 25 people in the room, and all 25 raised their hand. If you think about it, this makes sense. Running is a high-impact activity, which makes it tough on your muscles, bones and joints. When you run, your body weight is multiplied by about three or four times with every foot strike. Over time, this can take a toll on your body, espe- cially if you're not running with good form or if you're not conditioning your mus- cles properly. Importance of strength and conditioning If you're a runner, it's important that you spend some time strength train- ing. Running is really a one-legged sport, meaning you only have one foot on the ground at any given time. For this reason you should strengthen each leg individually. This will allow you to develop strength, balance and sym- metry in each leg. The best way to train each leg individually is by doing simple body-weight exercises, such as one-leg squats, lunges and step- ups. When you do lunges and squats, make sure your chest is up, rear end out and your knee tracks in line with your toes. Don't let your knee jut out past your toes when you lower down. It's also important for runners to have a strong core – which helps take stress and strain off your joints. The best way to strengthen your core is with static (no movement) exercises such as planks, side planks and bird dogs. Types of shoes Our feet were actually designed to run barefoot on soil and grass – not in big, cushioned shoes. If this sounds a bit odd to you, just think about our primi- tive ancestors. They walked and ran on all sorts of ter- rain without fancy footwear. And the first marathon (which took place around 776 B.C.!) was run barefoot. The big difference between us and them is that we live in a concrete world, so shoes are important to protect us from injury. However, all that cushion- ing and padding might not be necessary. After years of wearing super-cushioned shoes, I now run in shoes that have no cushion or lateral sup- port. I like them because they actually let my foot do what it was made to do. The truth is, the less cush- ion your shoe has, the more stable your foot will be. Think about balancing on a flat, hard surface, com- pared to balancing on a squishy, unstable surface. Same rules apply here. Stride and Strike The traditional running strike that most people are used to requires that you land on your heel and then roll through your toe. Although this is the most widely used technique, it can actually cause you some problems. Landing on your heel is almost like slamming on the breaks in your car – it causes a jar- ring force to go through all the joints in your body. Mid-foot running is much less stressful on the joints. When you do this, you land on your forefoot near the ball of your foot. This forces you to put your body-weight over your foot rather than behind your foot, like you do in heel-to-toe running. When your center of gravity is over the foot, all the other muscles in your body are better able to help take some of the load off your joints. Mid-foot running decreases the amount of shin splints and other run- ning related injuries you suffer from. When you first try this running method, you may have to adjust the length of your stride. It will take you a bit of time to adjust, but once you do, you'll notice a big difference in how your body feels after your runs. Stretching, foam rolling and massage Stretching and foam rolling will help reduce the muscular tension and pain in your muscles. Contrary to popular belief, you should not stretch before your runs. Stretching can actually make you more prone to injury if it is done beforehand. Instead, grab a foam roller and roll your muscles out. Save the stretching for after your run. If you don't have a foam roller, I suggest you purchase one. They're only about $20, which is much cheaper than seeing a mas- sage therapist a few times per week. Once you try it, you'll see a huge decrease in muscular tension. One of the things that we mandated for the men's soccer team I coach is foam rolling before and after games. If your mus- cles are tense, you're going to be crying when you roll your IT bands and quads. The good news is the more you do it, the less tension and pain you will have before and after your runs. Joint and muscle pain are common complains in runners – but if you follow this advice, you'll be well on your way to running pain-free. Yuri Elkaim, BPHE, CK, RHN is a registered holistic nutritionist, fitness expert and highly sought- after high-performance health coach. 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Call anytime 888-628-1948 for a referral for varicose vein treatment options redbluff.mercy.org/veincare www.redbluff.mercy.org www.redbluff.mercy.org redbluff.mercy.org 2/3 Community Diabetic Support Group 6pm-8pm Columba 527-5290 2/4-5 Auxiliary Scrub Sale 10-4pm, 7-2pm, Ward McAuley Room 2/1 Community Basic Life Support 6pm-10pm Columba 888-628-1948 redbluff.mercy.org/classes_and_events 2/12 Waterbirth Class 6:30pm-8:30pm Warde/McAuley 888-628-1948 redbluff.mercy.org/classes_and_events 2/13 Auxiliary Valentine Bake Sale 10am-2pm, Main Hallway of Hospital 529.8037 Vitality health&fitness How to prevent shin splints US optimistic about aging As the global population of people 65 and older is pro- jected to triple to 1.5 billion by 2050, public concern about the graying of society varies widely across the world, with Americans much more optimistic than those in many other countries thanks to immigration, a new study finds. Fuse/Thinkstock As the global population of people 65 and older is pro- jected to triple to 1.5 billion by 2050, public concern about the graying of society varies widely across the world, with Americans much more optimistic than those in many other countries thanks to immigration, a new study finds. That optimism is not unfounded: While one in five U.S. residents is expected to be 65 or older by 2050, the country is aging at a slower rate than other nations. This is largely due to the high rate of immigration, according to the report, "Attitudes About Aging: A Global Perspective," released Thursday by the Pew Research Center. With fertility rates dropping and longevity increasing, nations across the world will see their ranks of older people swell, with about one-sixth of the global population expect- ed to be 65 or older by 2050. But perspectives about this diverge dramatically depending on a country's demograph- ic, economic and political context, according to the report. In surveys in 21 countries last spring, 22,425 people were asked whether aging posed a problem for their coun- try, whether they anticipated having an adequate standard of living in their old age, and whether governments or families and older people themselves should bear more responsibil- ity for the elderly. Americans ranked among the least worried, at 26 percent — a stark difference from residents of the United States' main economic and political partners in Europe and Asia, where more than half the respondents said aging was a major problem. The United States is projected to age more slowly, in large part because immigrants and their descendants are expected to shore up the ranks of young people of working age. Immigration is projected to increase the U.S. population by 89 million by 2050, the report said, while the popula- tions of Japan, China, South Korea, Germany, Russia, Italy and Spain are expected to stay the same or decrease. Concern about the issue correlated closely with a coun- try's rate of aging, said Rakesh Kochhar, a senior researcher at Pew and the report's lead author. "In countries that are aging the most, people are indeed the most concerned," he said. "Europeans are already old and continuing to get older. Younger countries tended to be more optimistic." The most worried respondents were in Japan, South Korea and China, where 87, 79 and 67 percent of people, respectively, said aging was a major problem for their country. Europeans also expressed a high level of concern. But even as attitudes in the United States have become more negative since the 2007 recession, Americans remain far more optimistic, perhaps because the country's demo- graphic trajectory is projected to remain relatively stable. "Unlike Europe, it's going to maintain its demographic status, where its share of the global population is unchanged," Kochhar said. As the United States increases in size relative to other countries whose populations are shrinking, he said, it is likely to see economic benefits. Africa is expected to see the greatest population growth by 2050, with an increase of 1.4 billion people. Europe is expected to shrink by more than 30 million. Confidence in one's standard of living in old age was related to both the country's rate of aging and its econom- ic vitality, the report said. Respondents who believed the government bears more responsibility for taking care of older people tended to be less optimistic about their old age. In the United States, the swelling ranks of older people are expected to be offset by the infusion of more younger people, putting the country in a better position than its many of its major economic and political partners, the report said.