Sports Then and Now

There are many different methods for treating your sports injury from over-the-counter pills to physical therapy. Discovering regular treatment options can be especially helpful, such as anti-inflammatory medications, and alternative treatments, such as water spas. Below are a few treatments to improve your health.

Hot/Cold Packs

A hot or cold pack is the easiest, safest method used to reduce an injury’s pain and inflammation. Contrast therapy is the process of alternating heat with cold every few moments to improve the recovery process. The heat expands the blood vessels and increases circulation to the injured site while the coldness reduces the pain and swelling.

Massages

Sports massaging is recommended to relieve stress and tension in damaged muscles and joints. This is a treatment of physical therapy that is common for people with neck, back, and shoulder pain. Many injuries can cause inflammation, so it’s important to be delicate when treating muscle pain. Massaging relieves pain, reduces tension, and increases the range of motion. As a result, the injury heals faster and reduces scar tissue.

Thanks to Google, we can find all sorts of workout routines across countless disciplines. You could try your hand at pilates, martial arts, Peloton, or Sweating to the Oldies if you love Richard Simmons’ energy. But, when it comes to training on the same level as Olympic skier Mikaela Shiffrin (a member of the HomeLight-sponsored US Olympic team who’s earned 47 wins in 11 years), it’s going to take dedication and adopting particular habits.

To start your path toward training like an Olympian, here are five training habits that Shiffrin swears by. Although training habits are intense, you have to remember that she’s been doing this for years! Don’t feel like you have to dive in with the same level of intensity – you can dial things up slowly over time.

Stretching and light cardio

We all know that if we’re doing a tough workout, we need to warm up. To begin her workouts, Shiffrin takes a 10 minute ride on a stationary bike. She’ll also spend some time stretching her muscles so she’s good and limber for what’s to come.

Striving to stay fit is one of the most important decisions in life. However, the decision requires discipline and commitment to achieve the set goals. Consequently, healthy eating habits and exercise are the two of the top ways to achieve mental and physical fitness. The two ways do not work like magic; they demand effort. Since many people find exercise exacting, you can begin with eating habits. However, incorporate exercise into your fitness schedule later.

Healthy eating has many benefits. It helps in reducing body fat, invigorating the mental faculties, and reducing the risk of lifestyle diseases. Consequently, it is the primary focus for all people who are pursuing fitness. Therefore, do everything to support the decision, even if it is changing your kitchen cabinets to make more room for healthful foods. Besides, it is prudent to adopt the eating habits below.

1. Cook for Yourself

Cooking at home has many benefits. Apart from helping you in your fitness endeavors, cooking at home will save you money and make more time for your family. Making your meals allow you the flexibility of choosing the best ingredients and portions, thus ensuring wholesome and nutritious meals. Interestingly, it is likely that what you cook will exceed the processed foods in terms of nutrition.

Avoid fast foods at all costs. In case you are going on a trip or during long office days, you can make your food at home and pack it for your lunch. Consequently, this will help you stay more healthy and fit.

2. Have a Working Plan

A realistic vision must have a plan. The plan must have the foods you have chosen, the eating schedule, and the portions.

Healthy Foods

A good eating plan must have healthy and nutritious foods. For instance, you should include whole grains, fruits, nuts, and vegetables. You can add low-fat dairy products and small quantities of lean meat. It is paramount to avoid junk and processed foods because they have high amounts of fat and calories. Natural and unprocessed foods have high fiber that will make you feel full for a long time. Consequently, you will not snack unnecessarily.

For instance, oats are preferred by fitness coaches because they have superior carbohydrates and fiber alongside other nutrients. Fiber is the ultimate target for fitness because it improves satiety. In addition, you can consider fish like salmon, which have omega-3 fatty acids that have high satiety potential.

In case you do exercise, eggs will be of benefit to you. They are loaded with proteins, minerals, and vitamins that aid in muscle recovery. Remember, fitness cannot be achieved without vegetables. The nutrients, especially antioxidants, in vegetables such as spinach and broccoli are needed for boosting your immunity and shaping your body.

What do your favorite athletes do when they get injured on the field? They head to the trainer, who applies sports medicine principles to help them get back into play.

What is this discipline all about? Learn more about the fascinating history of sports medicine and how it can potentially help you.

What Is Sports Medicine?

Sports medicine is a relatively new discipline, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t draw from long-standing, science-based techniques. It takes place under the guidance of specialized professionals and physicians. Please don’t confuse your average personal trainer with an athletic trainer — the latter has far more formal health care training under state rules.

Sports medicine serves four primary goals:

• Injury recovery: You probably think of this aspect of sports medicine most often. It’s what you’ll see initiating on the field on game day.
• Preventing future injury: Injuries can leave you on the disabled list.
• Improving athletic performance: Sports medicine occupies itself with how to improve your performance on the field.
• Increase mobility and function: Even when you hang up your game jersey for good, you want to keep playing for fun — sports medicine can help.

Even if you don’t play professional sports or join recreational leagues, you can benefit from sports medicine. How did this discipline arise?

A Brief History of Sports Medicine

As previously mentioned, sports medicine has a relatively short history in modern times, although healers have helped those injured in play or battle for far longer. It probably began with Imhotep, the world’s first recorded physician back in ancient Egypt.

There’s no doubt we all love an excellent game of our favorite sport. However, when it’s over, not too many of us wonder about the preparation for handling emergencies regarding athletes playing the game.  Most schools or colleges strive to keep their teams safe from unexpected harm during practice or the game.  Here are some things a coach can do to prepare for emergencies with their athletes.

Extra staff

It never hurts to hire more staff with the right skills when dealing with emergencies. These people are pros when facing an emergency and acting fast.  Consider their background and their talents that add value to your team.  Not everyone needs to know about the game, but they do need to know how to approach an emergency with the right protocols.  They don’t have to ask what is a medical crash cart. This type of equipment allows them to have defibrillators, bandages, heart monitors, and wound care supplies on hand.

Emergency numbers

No parent wants an emergency call. Any coach should have all family member’s phone numbers in case of an emergency.  This helps provide good communication on what’s occurring behind the scenes while parents worry about their kids playing a tough sport. Take the time to collect all numbers from the entire team and keep them in the office for access. This keeps everything organized and helps with stressful situations that any emergency can bring to any game.

A 2002 government survey revealed that older adults exercise less than those aged 18 through 64. This statistic should startle you if you’re approaching your golden years. You can’t overstate the value of regular fitness.

Aging isn’t for wimps, but a regular fitness routine smoothes the process. Here are five reasons maintaining your exercise regimen in your later years is vital and tips for keeping yourself healthy as you get older.

1. Lower Your Disease Risk

There’s a reason why those who wait to invest in life insurance pay a prettier penny as they get older. Insurers use actuarial tables to determine your chances of dying before your next birthday, and your age is one principal factor. However, if you want to save money when you buy a new policy, get moving — exercise lowers your risk of diseases that can also increase your rates.

Researchers investigated seniors and discovered that exercise provided a 33% reduction in all-cause mortality when participants stuck with the program over 36 months. You probably enjoy hearing that news even more than your life insurance agent — who doesn’t want to add a few more years?