If a few brief hip flexor stretches is your idea of mobility work, you’re cutting yourself short. Make hip mobility a priority, and your reward could be a better squat and less back pain! The hip flexors are a group of five muscles that connect the femur (or thigh bone) to the pelvis. They move…
The key to running in the extreme cold is to protect yourself, wear the proper clothing, and have an exit strategy. 1. Dress in Layers You’ve heard this one before. Probably from your mother, who advised you take along your jacket — just in case. Well, you should listen to her. A good approach to…
The piriformis muscle is one of the most irritated spots on a human body. It attaches to the outside of each hip and to your sacrum, the spine’s lowest section. Its job is to turn your leg outward. The major issue for many people is that the sciatic nerve runs through or under the piriformis…
Notice that refreshingly cold smoothies don’t have the same appeal during wintry weather? Give your smoothies a winter makeover by serving them hot and toasty. (It’s not as strange as it sounds—promise!) These ice-free, warm smoothie recipes will warm you up after a chilly morning jog. Oats and Chocolate Hot Smoothie It only takes six…
Also referred to as an ankle fracture, a broken ankle involves damaged bones and ligaments in the ankle joint. Symptoms include severe pain, swelling, bruising and inability to carry weight on the foot. A broken ankle can take several weeks or months to heal. During recovery, you will need to stay off the ankle to…
It used to be that joint problems were something only older guys had to worry about. But today orthopedic surgeons are seeing people in their 40s or younger for joint replacements. In fact, data from the National Center for Health Statistics finds the number of hip replacements has more than doubled in a 10-year span,…
Stretch your IT band. Spending some time stretching and warming up your IT band before diving into a strenuous activity is a good way to keep your knees strong. It is the area of thicker tissue that runs from the outside of the pelvis to the outside of the knee. The IT band helps to stabilize…
What ice and heat are for: Ice is for injuries, and heat is for muscles. Roughly. Ice is for injuries — calming down damaged superficial tissues that are inflamed, red, hot and swollen. The inflammatory process is a healthy, normal, natural process that also happens to be incredibly painful and more biologically stubborn than it…
It’s not uncommon for cyclists to encounter nagging injuries. The good news is that most of the common cycling injuries are preventable. You’ll soon discover themes among preventing many of the injuries: Make sure your bike fits you. Train wisely. Increase your strength off the bike. Stretch. Not only will these things make you a…
The calves are one of the most overused and overlooked muscles in the body, and if you wear heels, run regularly, or both, stretching your calves is a must, since tight, shortened calves can lead to injury. These five calf stretches can be done almost anywhere, so click through to learn how to do them…
So it turns out, your mother was right after all: Good posture really matters ― even in your older years. Here are five reasons why good posture matters. 1. Bad posture can adversely impact your sex life. Research shows that slouching ― the opposite of “power posing,” meaning standing up tall and straight ― results in…
Build pain-proof knees Protect and pamper your knees now, and they’ll keep you striding strong and pain-free for life.Here are key stretching and strengthening moves that you can practice to help pain-proof your knees. Calf stretch Stand at arm’s length away from a wall. Place your right foot behind your left foot. With your hands…
One of the first places you gain weight is typically around your belly. It’s also one of the hardest places to lose fat. As you’ve probably heard, doing planks is a great way to keep your abdomen, back, and glutes tight and strong. But there are variations of this exercise that you should also incorporate…
This taping technique will limit movement in the joint between the thumb and the hand to help the soft tissues heal after a thumb sprain. You use loops of tape around the thumb that attach to the wrist and ‘rein in’ the thumb to prevent it from moving. Equipment Required 2.5cm Zinc Oxide Tape Scissors…
Booty, butt, derriere, backside, rump, fanny, keister, caboose, tush. So many different names for the one body part everyone wants to build, tighten and tone. By far the largest and strongest group of muscles in your body, the gluteals (gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and gluteus minimus) and the hamstrings (biceps femoris, semitendinosus and semimembranosus) work…
Q: Am I at greater risk of muscle or joint injury when I exercise in the cold? A: In general cold-weather workouts are almost always safe, as long as you bundle up (layers are key) and pay extra attention to slick, slippery surfaces. But what’s happening inside? Cold weather certainly can increase your risk of straining or tearing…
When you spend the majority of your time with your arms in front of you, it becomes habit for your body to round the shoulders. As a result, the muscles in the upper back and neck strain, overstretch and overwork. The chest muscles shorten, the small muscles between the shoulder blades weaken and the back…
Many people have desk jobs that require them to work on a computer all day long, for forty hours each week. This much repetition and overuse can cause wrist issues. Even those who use a computer recreationally and spend several hours per day typing on the keyboard can be at risk for a wrist injury….
While the showoff muscles get all the acclaim, they’d be nothing without the supporting cast of smaller stabilizers and assisting muscles. Ignore them, and you’ll eventually pay the price. The cost? Injury. Missed workouts. Painful runs. An unbalanced body. Wondering if your’e guilty? Here, experts discuss the most neglected muscles, why they’re important, and how…
Let’s face it. Too much of our time is spent sitting these days, and it’s not always easy to think about doing your stretches after you get home from a loooong day at the office. So why not incorporate some stretching into your work day? 1. Neck side stretch: hold on to your chair with…
The gluteal or buttocks muscles are a muscle group that can be neglected during daily life because we spend so much time sitting these days. This sometimes means that when we do go to complete a workout, the gluteal muscles are a bit lazy at first. The glutes are a super important group both during…