Tag Archives: sports injury

Should You Exercise with a Cold?

Should you exercise with a cold? If you work out regularly, you’re bound to run up against this question sooner or later.

On one hand, everyone knows that you’re supposed to rest when you’re sick. On the other hand, some colds drag out for a week or more. Refraining from exercise all that time can mean lost fitness. Or it could force you to miss an important competition.

Fortunately, scientists have an answer. Continue reading Should You Exercise with a Cold?

What to Eat Before and After a Workout

By Michelle Carlson

Here are some messages you might have heard about what to eat before and after a workout:

  • Eat oatmeal before you run.
  • Run on an empty stomach.
  • Never work out on an empty stomach.
  • You need carbohydrates before a workout for energy.
  • Drink a shake immediately following your workout.

Are you confused yet? Continue reading What to Eat Before and After a Workout

Which Supplements Actually Work

By Laird Harrison

Which supplements actually work? Bombarded by reports of new research along with marketing hype, even the best healthcare professionals struggle with that question.

Consider the offer I got through Twitter last month: a new supplement that could dramatically enhance my strength and energy. How could an aging athlete resist? Continue reading Which Supplements Actually Work

4 Ways the Pros Stay Fit During the Holidays

How fitness pros stay fit during the holidays
Nicole Crane celebrated Thanksgiving last year with beach yoga. All rights reserved.

Trying to stay fit during the holidays can feel like running an obstacle course. You neatly sidestep Aunt Jane’s artichoke dip, only to face Cousin Joe’s “special” eggnog. You summon the will power not to eat brie, then find yourself seated at a plate full of mashed potatoes and gravy. You’re away from your gym, your running buddies, your Saturday morning pickup basketball game.

Continue reading 4 Ways the Pros Stay Fit During the Holidays

Watch Your Waist

By Laird Harrison, CPT and Will Workman, MD

Which is worse: Thunder thighs, chicken wings, a bubble butt or a beer belly? If you guessed “beer belly” you’re on top of the latest research.

A study published this month by researchers at Harvard and the University of Michigan has highlighted the risk of too much visceral fat. Visceral fat pads your internal organs where you can’t see it. Subcutaneous fat hangs around just under your skin. It’s the jiggly stuff that you can grab between a forefinger and thumb. Continue reading Watch Your Waist

Sports Compression Garments May Help Recovery

sports compression garments
Compression shorts. Photo by Alan Jones. Some rights reserved.

Sports compression garments are popping up everywhere. You may have seen them at the gym or running trail: those sleeves, shorts and socks made of stretchy fabric, sometimes in bright primary colors.

And you may have wondered if they’re just the latest in stylish sports wear or whether they actually serve some purpose. Sports medicine researchers are wondering that, too. Continue reading Sports Compression Garments May Help Recovery

Do Sports Injury Genes Determine Your Fitness?

Sports injury genes could change your future.

Imagine this scenario. You try to register for your hockey team as you do every year. But the league has a new policy: All players must report to a health center to get their mouths swabbed. A couple of days later, you get a call. “You’re positive for ApoE4. We’re sorry, but because of liability rules, you can’t play in this league. In fact, you shouldn’t play hockey anywhere.” Continue reading Do Sports Injury Genes Determine Your Fitness?

Recognize Concussion Symptoms

Concussion symptoms
Concussion symptoms. Photo by Rugby Streaming. Some rights reserved.

Recognizing concussion symptoms may save your life.

For generations, athletes took blows to the head and kept right on playing. It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of the game. Coaches, teammates and fans may depend on you. But getting hit again and again can permanently damage your brain. It can even kill you. Continue reading Recognize Concussion Symptoms

Pitching Drills that Reduce Injury (Part II)

Exercises can prevent pitcing injury and improve velocity more than pitching drills.
Windy Klein pitches for the U.S. Army. Photo by Tim Hipps. Some rights reserved.

Lots of pitching drills can make the thrower faster and more accurate. Now researchers  have shown that the right sort of exercises can also reduce arm injuries.

For years, official baseball authorities have had one piece of advice for people concerned about injuring their arms through pitching: Don’t pitch so much. Continue reading Pitching Drills that Reduce Injury (Part II)

English Rugby Tightens Concussion Rules

Professional English rugby players will get concussion tests on the sidelines if they show signs of a head injury, under a new policy Premiership Rugby reports.

A joint venture between Premiership Rugby, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and the Rugby Players Association (RPA) has produced a new set of processes designed to optimise the treatment of concussion…

The Head Injury Assessment (HIA) process, formerly the Pitchside Suspected Concussion Assessment, will be used in all Aviva Premiership Rugby, LV= Cup and European matches this season, with cases of confirmed or suspected concussion resulting in the affected player being removed from the pitch.

Continue reading English Rugby Tightens Concussion Rules