Whether you love running, hate running, or love to hate running here are three simple tips to keep you moving.
Before I begin, let’s set the ground rules. Running for fitness, for sport or, for pleasure should not be painful. Running is a natural activity. Our bones, muscles, and joints have been designed for running. If running causes you pain, or if you stopped running because of pain, odds are there's something wrong. With a little guidance, almost everyone should be able to run without pain. So if running hurts don’t just roll out those ITB bands, calves, and hamstrings -- let’s discover what’s wrong and fix it!
1) Commit to Cross Train: Okay so this is counterintuitive..shouldn't you focus on one thing? The fact is, to become a better runner, don’t just run. Here’s why: When you use the same muscles, in the same way, without a variety of movements, tissue breaks down. This leads to pain, which leads to time away from running or from your sport. So for goodness sake, split up your workouts. Weight train some days, swim others, throw in some biking, and remember at least one day of rest each week. Whatever you do, don’t do the same thing every day of the week. You don’t work seven days a week, don’t ask your body to run seven.
2) Improve Single Leg Stability: Here’s a quick test. Stand in front of a mirror. Balance on one leg. Now slowly squat on that leg. Can you do this without your hip dropping or poking to the side? Can you do this without your knee wobbling (it should stay over your second toe)? If you can’t do this simple task, and many of us can’t, you could be setting yourself up for injury. Running is transitioning from balancing on one leg to another at a high rate of speed. If you cannot control a static single-leg squat, how can you control a quick one over varied terrain? If you have difficulty with a single leg squat then start practicing. If needed, use a little support from your hands on a wall or countertop. Have the goal of doing three sets of ten without hand support.
3) Get More Sleep to Help Avoid Injury: Rest is often overlooked in our busy lives. More and more, research reveals the link between decreased sleep and injury. In almost every professional sport you will find trainers encouraging their players to get a full night’s sleep. For most adults, 7-9 hours is recommended. Teenagers may need up to 10 hours of sleep. So don’t skimp on those zzz’s.
4) Boost Your Nutrition: For our bodies to function optimally we need a balance of proteins, vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, and water. Not only will a balanced diet help to stave off injury, it will also improve the way you feel and the way you perform. So stay away from sugar and processed foods. Seek out a nutritionist if you have questions.
If you find yourself, your child, or someone you know deficient in any of the areas above, make a change! You’d be surprised at the big impact little adjustments can make.
And please don’t run through pain. Pain is a warning sign that something is wrong or about to go wrong. If you can't shake that pain on your own, reach out to Olathe Holistic. We have many providers that can get you moving again. Counterstrain Physical Therapy can alleviate trapped inflammation, Movement-Based Massage can get you moving better, Traditional Massage can relax those muscles, Craniosacral Massage can ease upper body tightness, Rehabilitative Pilates can make you stronger, and Therapeutic Hypnosis can help with that mental fortitude.
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