Fuel Your Muscles

Before tying your shoes for a run or buckling your helmet to bike, make sure to fuel muscles with nutritional foods at least 30 minutes prior to your workout.  A few suggestions of pre-workout foods would include:  bowl of yogurt with granola, couple of eggs, meal replacement shake, and piece of fruit or have some toast with peanut butter.  Picking any of these things depending on your taste buds will help fill and fuel your muscles prior to activity.

   

During your workout water and sports drinks become your friend and play a vital role in muscle replenishment.  Water is important to hydrating your body and keeping your muscles filled with plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration.  Sports drinks assist in replacing the sugars or glucose that your muscles burn throughout a workout.  This sugar feeds your muscles throughout your workout to prevent fatigue. 

You’re probably thinking that you should stay away from sugar because in the health world the ‘S’ word is a sign of increased calories and fats.  Think again.  Sports drinks contain the right amount of particular good sugars that muscles need to perform.  Here is a suggestion, fill half of a water bottle with a sports drink and the remaining half with water.  This mixture gets the muscles the amount of sugar and water they need to prevent the feel of fatigue and will help you get thru that last mile or two.  So, as you can see sugar IS good for the muscles (in moderation)!

Finally your workout is complete and the feeling of fatigue and hunger may be settling in within the next 30 minutes.  At this time a healthy nutritious meal and loads of water will replenish your muscles to make your muscles happy and full and be ready for the next day's workout.    

By Kara Nichols, ATC, Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan

Strength Training for Seniors

Strength training is a key component of all exercise programs, but as we age sometimes we shy away from it for different reasons including fear of injury. Strength training offers many benefits and few risks if done correctly.  First, always make sure you get a doctor’s clearance before beginning any exercise program. Secondly, make sure that you begin with a general basic set of exercises with low resistance and low repetitions, only two or three times a week until you know how your body is going to react to the change in activity. A good no cost way to start a program in the comfort of your own home is to do body weight resistance exercises such as wall push ups, wall squats, and heel raises. A low cost way to strength train is to purchase resistance bands which are very versatile and offer progressive levels of resistance to accommodate people of all fitness levels. Weight machines, such as those available at a gym, offer a wide variety of exercises and strength gains are more objectively apparent.

            If you’re still on the fence about whether a strength training program is really for you, consider some of these benefits; strength training not only increases muscle strength but it will increase your physical capacity making you feel like you have more energy, and increase your metabolic rate which will help you burn more calories and decrease fat. Strength training can also increase bone density, improve gastrointestinal transit, and improve self confidence!

            Special patient populations can also benefit from a modified strength training program. Diabetics need to monitor their sugar levels closely and keep fruit juice handy, but over time strength training can promote glucose utilization. Individuals with cardiovascular disease should begin their strength training program at a low resistance level and avoid overhead activities. People suffering from osteoporosis should avoid forward bending and only do exercises that provide hip and back support.

            Again, always make sure that you have a doctor’s clearance before beginning any exercise program.

Written by: Amanda McCombs, ATC, Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan 

150 Athletes with Disabilities to Play in Wheelchair Basketball Tournament

Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan (RIM) and Athletes Unlimited will host their 2nd Annual Wheelchair Basketball Tournament January 22-23, 2011 at Berkley High School (2325 Catalpa Dr., Berkley, MI, 48072). Ten teams and nearly 150 athletes with disabilities will be competing.

The tournament will feature RIM’s wheelchair basketball team, the Detroit Diehards. Also participating in the tournament are teams from Kentwood, MI, Pittsburgh, PA, Moraine, OH, and Kitchener, Ontario.

The tournament has also been expanded this year to include a junior division comprised of local teams from Sterling Heights, Southfield, Canton, as well as, Grand Rapids and Cleveland.

The tournament features several Hall of Fame and Paralympic Athletes from Michigan. The player to watch on RIM’s Detroit Diehard team is Mo Philips. Philips is an amputee who has been playing and coaching both nationally and internationally for over 25 years. Over his playing career, Philips has won 3 National Championships and was inducted into the National Wheelchair Basketball Association Hall of Fame in 1998.

Games on Saturday, January 22 will be played from 11 am - 6 p.m. Games on Sunday are from 9 am - 4 pm. Admission if FREE.

Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan Opens New Physical Therapy Clinic in Livonia

Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan (RIM) recently opened a new Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine Clinic at the Livonia Community Recreation Center, located at

15100 Hubbard Dr

.

The site is staffed by experienced physical therapists and athletic trainers who provide a one-on-one, customized treatment plan. Services include physical therapy, sports medicine, orthopedic therapy and aquatic therapy. In addition, RIM will be working with the Livonia Community Recreation Center to develop health and wellness programs. 

Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan is a proud member of the Detroit Medical Center, the Official Healthcare Services Provider of the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Red Wings, and Detroit Pistons. RIM operates 31 outpatient therapy sites throughout southeast Michigan.

The clinic is open to anyone, and works with most insurance carriers. A prescription from a physician for physical therapy is required. To make an appointment, call 313-745-9741.

 



Spice Up Your Treadmill Workout

Treadmills have been around forever and are the cornerstone of fitness centers everywhere.  They can be found in every gym and were one of the first pieces of major equipment to be sold for home use.  For the past ten years or so, they have been surpassed by elliptical machines, steppers and combination units.  Using the treadmill seems “old school” now.  I’m here to change that perception.

Learning to work the incline and speed settings on the treadmill adds variety, feedback and improved performance.  Although nothing beats the great outdoors for challenges of wind resistance, terrain changes and site seeing, the treadmill can be used as an additional training tool. It can enhance your training or get you ready for the outdoors if you are, like me, a fair weather runner. The treadmill can be used in the winter months and then you can head outside when the weather turns nice.  I get more out of those outside runs because I have trained all winter and can go for a good long run on that first nice spring day.

If you are a beginner, the treadmill is a great place to start and track your progress.  Once you learn the easy operation of most machines, you can start at a nice pace on a level surface and walk for a certain distance or for a certain time.  Whether you want to progress by walking longer or faster, you can easily track your time and speed.  For those who are extra busy, why not increase your speed over the same period of time to get more out of the short time you might have to workout?

For those who are already runners, or training for a race, the treadmill can be a great addition to your routine.  The treadmill allows you to add a series of hills, even though you live in the ‘flats’, or to challenge your pace for short periods of time for speed workouts.  Interval training is all the buzz and the treadmill is the perfect vehicle for this type of workout.  Change it up!  Mix speed and hills into one workout.  Take the incline up progressively at a steady speed and then back down.  After a recovery lap, keep the elevation at one percent, but increase the speed by a few tenths each minute for five minutes and then back down.  You’ll be surprised how fast the time goes and takes out the boredom factor!

One golden rule to keep in mind for everybody is to avoid the temptation of holding on to the rails – that defeats the whole purpose!  Start at a pace where you feel comfortable walking with normal strides and with your arms swinging by your side.  Be sure you are comfortable here and then gradually increase speed or incline.  If you feel the need to hang on, try to resist it for a short duration or slow down until you are comfortable.  Of course, the rails are always there should you need to regain balance or get distracted.

So, the next time you go to the gym, go retro and try the treadmill.  You just might find it spruces up your workout and you learn to love it…again.

Written by Amy Krzyzaniak, PT, CSCS, Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan