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Stretching and Warming Up Before Exercising
Over the years we have heard so many recommendations regarding the advantages of stretching our muscles and warming-up before exercising. Most of the advice is offered by friends, personal trainers, athletes and health care professionals, and most is well-intentioned. However, we also know that it could be conflicting and based on misinformation and misconceptions.
Stretching and range-of-motion movements of at least one or two minutes is usually what many of us might need; although it is also true that some may need more time to do it. Local heat or cold compresses applied to muscles also have been recommended, either one works, but only while stretching.
There are many stretching techniques and not all of them would benefit everyone. Recommendations by health care professionals should be offered only after a complete medical history and physical exam. Individualized advice is necessary, because we are all at different stages in our life and our physical condition may not allow for certain techniques, which, if improperly applied might lead to injuries.
Stretching has been a part of fitness and exercise programs for many years and although it could be beneficial, there is no scientific evidence that it avoids or decreases the risk of injuries, improves athletic and sports performance and also may relieve or decrease muscle soreness or pain.
Recent studies found that sustained stretching over time, as opposed to occasional stretching, would not decrease injuries, even doing it just immediately before exercising....
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For Related Topics Visit Our 'Sports Medicine' Page
Exercise and High Blood Pressure...
High blood pressure increases our chances of having a heart attack or a stroke. Of course, it does not mean that we will have them; however...
At this time, there are more than 50 million Americans with elevated blood pressure and after age 60, one out of every two people has high blood pressure.
Many of us do not even know that our blood pressure is elevated because, usually, it does not cause any symptoms, particularly in its early stages.
If we already know that our blood pressure is elevated, there are several ways to control it and reduce the chances of complications... Heart attacks and stroke in the US have decreased substantially, up to fifty percent since the 1980's, mainly because of better diagnoses, more effective medications and simple measures such as increasing physical activity and losing weight.
Treatments for high blood pressure that include increased physical activity must be tailored to its severity. If the upper value or 'systolic' is above 180 or the lower value or 'diastolic' is about 110 the initial treatment includes medications such as diuretics and later, maybe 'beta blockers.' When the blood pressure is under control and its values return to normal, increasing our physical activity will further improve our chances of better health.
Naturally, we should consult our family doctor for proper treatments and guidance regarding including exercise as part of them. If our blood pressure is found to be elevated, chances are that it is 'borderline' or only mildly increased and exercise could safely be added to our treatments, provided we do not have other health problems.
Unfortunately, overweight and obesity have reached epidemic status in the US; if we are overweight, losing the extra pounds must be the first step to bring our blood pressure down and, of course, improve our health.
Much has been said and written about losing weight and diets, but the reality is that we do lose weight by decreasing our intake of sugar and fat and by moving around more... It is in essence a learning process, the more we learn about what we eat daily, the better our choices will be. Reducing our salt intake will also benefit our blood pressure...
Consistent exercise, even walking, for about one month, decreases both the 'systolic' and 'diastolic' values by about eight to ten points. For many of us, ten points would not be much, but it is an excellent start. Increased physical activity will improve not only our blood pressure, but also reduce our stress, blood sugar and cholesterol, provided we make some changes in our diet.
If we have a family history of high blood pressure, exercise will also be of benefit by delaying, or even preventing, its appearance and complications.
When we hear about exercising and 'working out', many of us may believe that it could be complicated and expensive, that we should buy special clothes and shoes, sign up with a gym, drive to and from it, set aside a good amount of time for it, etc., but it does not have to be so!, we do not have to radically change our lives in order to improve our health.
A daily walk, using stairs more often, either at home or at the office, doing more work around the house, doing light aerobics, will all help to burn calories and improve our sense of well-being and health.
Just by increasing our physical activity for only twenty or thirty minutes every day we will notice a marked difference in a few weeks, and it does not have to be exhausting to be effective... but it should moderately increase our heart rate and breathing.
Injuries may happen when we start exercising, but they could be avoided by properly warming up, starting slowly and not trying to overdo it and 'speed up' things while trying to see good results right away... Good planning is essential, if we do it carefully, we will be amazed at how easy and effective it is.
Exercise should not be another chore to be added to our busy schedule; it should be planned in a way that we would look forward to by making it interesting and enjoyable. We should avoid routines by exercising at different times of the day, by varying activities every day, alternating walking with aerobics, swimming, etc.
Planning and consistency are paramount, because the beneficial effects of exercise will disappear once we discontinue it.
More intense activities such as jogging, weight lifting, etc., must not be undertaken unless recommended by our family physician.
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Walking, A Great Work-out...
Walking is one of the easiest ways to be physically active. We can do it almost anywhere and at any time; it is also inexpensive. All we need is a pair of shoes with sturdy heel support. Walking will give us more energy, make us feel relaxed while reducing stress, help us sleep better, tone our muscles, help control our appetite and increase the number of calories our body uses.
Before we begin a walking program, we should talk to our family physician and make sure that we do not have any heart problems, while engaged in physical activities do not experience chest pains, do not often feel faint or have dizzy spells or we are not seriously short of breadth.
We have to make sure that our blood pressure is not elevated, have bone or joint problems or arthritis, or have any other health problems -We must consult our family physician before starting any exercise program.
We should set aside enough time in our schedule to start an effective walking program. Planning is very important; we should choose a safe place to walk, find a partner or group of people to walk with us -motivation is important. Our walking partner should be able to walk at our speed...
We should wear shoes with thick flexible soles that will cushion our feet and absorb shocks, wear clothes that will keep us dry and comfortable and choose synthetic fabrics that absorb sweat and remove it from the skin.
During wintertime we should wear a knit cap; in the summer a cap or visor. Light, slow stretching before and after we walk helps -remember not to bounce.
How do we do it?... We should start walking slowly for about five to ten minutes, then slightly increase our speed for the next five to ten minutes. Finally, to cool down, we should walk slowly again for another five to ten minutes.
Walking at least three times per week would greatly benefit our health. Adding two to three minutes per week to the fast walk would improve our conditioning; If we walk less than three times per week, we should increase the fast walk more slowly.
To avoid stiff or sore muscles or joints, we should start gradually; over several weeks, we could start walking faster, going further, and walking for longer periods of time. The more we walk, the better we will feel... and use more calories.
Safety is very important when planning our route and the time of our walks; we should do it in the daytime or at night in well-lighted areas, with a partner or a group, at all times. We should not wear jewelry or headphones and be aware of our surroundings at all times in order to avoid joggers, cyclists or cars.
Stretching routines:
Side Reaches - Reach one arm over your head and to the side. Keep your hips steady and your shoulders straight to the side. Hold for about ten seconds and repeat on the other side.
Knee Pull - Lean your back against a wall. Keep your head, hips, and feet in a straight line. Pull one knee to your chest, hold for about ten seconds, then repeat with the other leg.
Wall Push - Lean your hands on a wall with your feet about three or four feet away from the wall. Bend one knee and point it toward the wall. Keep your back leg straight with your foot flat and your toes pointed straight ahead. Hold for about ten seconds and repeat with the other leg.
Leg Curl - Pull your right foot to your buttocks with your right hand. Keep your knee pointing straight to the ground. Hold for about ten seconds and repeat with your left foot and hand.
Walking right is very important; Walk with your chin up and your shoulders held slightly back. Walk so that the heel of your foot touches the ground first; roll your weight forward. Walk with your toes pointed forward. Swing your arms as you walk. If you walk less than three times per week, increase the fast walk time more slowly... Enjoy your walk!...
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