Tag / sport

by susanmcrae75

Tunes

When I swam in college, we had an underwater speaker system.  It was awesome, especially for back then, and it was amazing how many yards you could plow through when you had a beat and/or were distracted.  Also, depending on the tempo, it could really have an effect on how fast you went as well!  Mental?  Maybe, but who cares!  It also was great for those 5:30 practices.  There is nothing cool in my mind about having to get out of bed only to listen to myself struggle, grunt, huff, etc while trying to complete my morning workout.  Add some tunes…and you get into a rhythm and it actually “gasp” becomes somewhat fun!

Now, pick your tunes wisely.  The Train lyric “She listens to Mozart while she does Tae Bo” does not apply to me…I will fall back into bed.  Our college coach was stuck on playing “What’s Going On?” every morning.  Every.  Morning.  He was in charge of the tunes initially, but we did get that privilege away from him thank goodness.  Talk about not wanting to warm up to that playing-again!  My friend replaced it with the Pulp Fiction soundtrack (much better!)  Yep just aged myself there but that is ok.  Pulp Fiction soundtrack is always cool.

For me, it has to be fun, something with a beat, something that makes me feel kick ass.  My playlist is quite a blend, but all those songs make me feel good.  Songs by those who inspire me to have abs like them (J Lo, Pink, Sheryl Crow) don’t hurt either.  Or, a few that make you feel like you are the sexy love interest in an 80s hairband (or country crop top short shorts) video.  Maybe that’s just me, lol, but like I said-fun!

Music definitely makes you feel a certain way.  So I challenge you to make a play list.  When you turn it on, you and your mind are ready to go!  Otherwise, enjoy your various noises 😉

by susanmcrae75

Whack a Mole

I bet this one confuses many and that makes me chuckle.  So let me explain!  I see many, many athletic injuries from overuse.  People do the same thing over, and over and you get the picture.  An even bigger problem?  Overuse of a bad technique.  A colleague of mine would tell his patients “practice doesn’t make perfect…perfect practice makes perfect.”  I love that.  So, a few ideas about this…

  1.  Get someone who IS an expert to watch you and advise you.  Therapist, coach, a really good player/swimmer/runner etc-and have them film you in slow motion if possible.  I’ve even advised some of my patients to film themselves, then go on that fabulous thing called Google and search the best in the sport.  Compare.  Practice perfectly.
  2.   The body gets used to things pretty quickly and likes to coast.  Weaker muscles may get lazy, weaker.  Hence my whack a mole reference.  Keep it guessing.  Many runners’ injuries I see are because they do not train side to side, up and down, inside out….they are just very linear.  Cross training does not take you away from your sport/activity-it may prolong the time you are able to do it as well as improve your form and power while doing it.  And, of course, it can reduce your possibility of injury.  The program I am doing right now for example is different everyday:  core, upper body, lower body, total body, cardio, stretching/yoga-results are less strain on all these parts that are getting older (and we all are) and better overall fitness (which is my own personal goal).
  3. Don’t be afraid to try new things.  Yes, I know you may “love” that one activity, but are you doing more harm than good?  Are you going to get bored and stop doing it, losing your progress towards your goals?  Would it be less boring if you had different options?

Keep the balance.  This is with all things: life, work, exercise, sport.  And have fun-like playing whack a mole!  😉