Moms In Motion : Connecting Moms Through Fitness

Overuse injuries are due to factors such as running on hard, non shock-absorbing surfaces, overstriding, downhill running, and improper shoe selection. Find out what you can do to help prevent injury!

Injury Prevention:

1.  Focus on flexibility and stretching - make sure you include dynamic stretching into your running program after your run is complete when your muscles are warm and supple.  Focus on your hip flexors, calf muscles, quads, and hamstrings.

2.  Hit the weights - strength training is essential to build muscle and increase bone density in women to prevent osteoporosis.  Make sure to work "opposing" muscles, for example; if you work your chest, do an exercise that works your back as well so that you do not create muscle imbalance.

3.  Core and more - make sure those core muscles (abdominals, obliques, erector spinae) are getting your attention!  Especially after having children our mid-sections can lose strength.  Include simple abdominal and back exercises to strengthen your core.

4.  Diet - Incorporate fresh, whole foods in your diet on a daily basis.  Sixty to 65% of your diet should come from complex carbohydrates, while proteins should be 15-20% and fats should be 20-25%.

5.  Rest - Allow your body adequate time to rest.  Athletes often believe that if they push harder and workout more that they will perform better.  This is not true.  Smart athletes include rest days of little to no activity or "active rest" into their training schedules.

6.  Equipment - Make sure your shoes and insoles work for you.  They may need some time to break in.  Plan to do this on low mileage days so that you do not walk away with injury or pain.  Also, if you run by yourself at night or early morning make sure you wear light colored reflective clothing or a vest/flashing light and have a plan of attack if you were to be confronted by a stranger.  Some ideas include carrying a personal pepper spray bottle (you can pick one up at SS Running for $10) having your cell phone on you, or wearing a road id tag. 

7.  Warm-up - it doesn't have to be long, just enough to get blood moving through your body.

8.  Follow a program - your mileage increases should be around 10% per week to avoid injury.

9.  Hydration - Consume liquids through soups, fruits and vegetables, water, juice, milk, and sports recovery drinks. 

*I am always available to demonstrate correct stretching techniques and strengthening exercises if you want to implement these suggestions into your fitness program.

Calcium:

Some studies suggest that calcium absorption from Kale is higher than that from milk.  Calcium rich vegetables include broccoli, collard greens, mustard greens, and turnip greens.  If you take a calcium supplement be sure to include vitamin D to help absorption. 

Adequate calcium intake is especially important for female athletes exercising seven or more hours a week. Exercise at this level can cause hormonal declines, which can lead to compromised bone formation and premature osteoporosis.  Hormones and lactation in nursing women can also lead to reduced bone density.

The recommended dose is 1,200 to 1,500 mg a day. (One cup of skim milk provides about 300 mg of calcium.)

Sources:

Complete Book of Running and Fitness, by Gloria Averbuch

British Journal of Sports Medicine, September 1996

Posted : Tuesday, February 9, 2010 by : Julie

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