How to Prevent Running Injuries – Part 2

The function of sleep is to renew us and its gives us our vitality or give us energy to live our lives.  But while it may be ideal to have 7, 8 or 9 hours a sleep it’s not always possible with our 21^st century life styles.  For many people there is simply too much to do to sleep.  So given you can’t create time, what can you do.  First remember that sleep is only one way to recharge our energy battery. Energy How much energy you have right now isn’t purely based on how well you slept last night or how well you have been sleeping recently.  By “energy” I mean your personal ability to live life to its fullest capacity.  So where would you put yourself on an energy scale of 1 to 100% where 1 is very low energy and 100 is full of energy?  Below 30% we are de-motivated, low in self-esteem and feel out of control.  Just like jump-starting a car when the car battery has gone flat, if your energy falls below 30% then you need an energy boost from something like acupuncture, shiatsu or reiki.  Once your energy level is about 30% then it’s possible to help yourself boost your energy. Physical Energy Boosters This is what we do to care for ourselves physical and the things that give us our vitality and make us feel physically well and energised.

• Rest is not just the essential precursor to brilliant sleep; it is also a substitute for sleep as it allows us to recharge our batteries.
• A healthy diet provides the nutritional support your body needs to provide physical energy.
• Exercise including yoga, swimming, walking and tai chi help re-charge our batteries.

In Part 1 I introduced the concept of foam rolling and explained what it is.  In part 2 I want to give you my tips and techniques. How long should you foam roll? For general maintenance, each muscle should be focused on for up to 2 minutes at a time.  I know many of my readers are highly educated and now there are over 600 muscle in the body – don’t worry you don’t need to foam roll them all!  You focus on the ones that feel tight and in need of the foam rolling. How to use a foam roller if you hunch over your desk all day? To open up your chest you can lay on the foam roller so it is underneath your spine – for about 10 minutes and this will open up your back & chest. Any more tips? You can essentially foam roll any part of your body.  You just start and place with the movement, speed and pressure to see what works for you.  But don’t expect it to feel comfortable – those tender spots are the ones that need the help most.  I would suggest you start off slowly and build up time, speed and pressure slowly. The outside of the thighs (or IT bands) are an area of tightness for runners and cyclists and its highly accessible on a foam roller.  The larger muscles in the legs, quads (front of thighs), hamstrings (back of thighs), calf musles are very easy to foam roll.  

Here are some top tips on how to live to 100.  These tips are from Dr Claudia Kawas at the University of California, on of the world's leading scientific researchers into longevity and scientists at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago and the scientists working on the Blue Zone project. Scientists studying lonevity are tyring to answer the question why doesn one person live until they are 94 while another dies at 75.  Dr Claudia Kawas has spent 15 years studying "super-agers" - those who live until into their nineties and beyond while keeping their minds sharp.  By studying the lifestyles of these "super-agers" scientists have discovered some common lifestyle habits and traits including:

1. Drinking two cups of coffee a day
2. Don't over eat
3. Get out and socialise including talking to strangers
4. Drink two glases of wine a day
5. 15 mins of light exercise a day
6. Positive thinking or optimistic outlook in life
7. Resilience when bad things happen
8. Having a purpose/ belief in life
9. Put others including family first
10. Be with the "right" people for you
11. Healthy eating i.e. more plant based diets