ruin your

medal hopes

For the dedicated amateur athlete or club sportsperson, life is a juggling act between the demands of family/home, work and sporting ambition. And it’s easy to forget how much those other elements of life can impact upon sporting progress and the ability to excel.

In Sports Injury Bulletin, physio Sean Fyfe posts a reminder about the potential adverse consequences of the sedentary day job, whether it be long hours in traffic jams driving a delivery truck or long hours hunched over a lap-top researching legal precedent for a client.

Through two illustrative hypothetical cases – Jack the delivery man and marathon runner, and Denise the lawyer and triathlete – Sean looks at some typical problems of sitting, and how to correct them.

What’s wrong with sitting? Typically, Sean says, the sports therapist might expect to see:

• - tight hip flexors, hamstrings, calves
• - tightness through the external hip rotators, leading to restriction in hip joint range
• - limitation of lumbar spine extension
• - stiff thoracic spine
• - protracted and elevated scapulas with weak lower trapezius and serratus anterior
• - tight and weak posterior rotator cuff
• - poked chin posture with associated weak deep neck flexors and overactive upper trapezius, levator scapula and rhomboid muscles.

“Prolonged sitting has also been linked to acute muscle strains in dynamic sports, in particular hamstring strains,” Sean writes. “The lumbar spine stiffness associated with sitting leads to altered neural input into the posterior thigh, the theory goes. This can manifest as increased muscle tone of the hamstrings, which will alter the length-tension relationship and increase the risk of strain.”

Originally a training exercise in land navigation for military officers, orienteering has developed many variations. Among these, the oldest and the most popular is foot orienteering.

Foot orienteering serves as a point of departure for discussion of all other variations, but basically any sport that involves racing against a clock and requires navigation using a map is a type of orienteering.

Orienteering is included in the programs of world sporting events including the World Games (see Orienteering at the World Games) and World Police and Fire Games. 

Often you’ll be asked to do a home trial of an elimination diet, followed by reintroduction of the avoided foods one by one to see if any cause a reaction. This is the only reliable way of diagnosing food intolerances at present.’

So if it’s not an allergy, what’s wrong with you?

- Dairy

Real symptoms: An allergy to dairy can cause hives, chronic itching and projectile vomiting
ALLERGY SYMPTOMS: Hives, a red rash, lip/facial swelling, wheezing, chronic itching, projectile vomiting, diarrhoea and stomach cramps.
INTOLERANCE SYMPTOMS: diarrhoea, bloating.
COULD THE SYMPTOMS BE SOMETHING ELSE? The intolerance symptoms are similar to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a common gut disorder. Canadian researchers found IBS was the real problem in up to half of all diagnoses of dairy intolerance.
IBS has no known cause or cure, but symptoms can be eased in most cases by increasing the intake of soluble fibre (fruit, vegetables and wholegrains) and fluids.
Another possible cause is ‘ resistance’ starches, which are formed when you reheat carbohydrates such as potatoes or pasta, says Dr Venter. ‘The reheating process changes their composition, so they literally resist digestion in the small intestine.’
WHY YOU NEED A PROPER DIAGNOSIS: ‘Cutting out dairy makes it harder for children to get adequate amounts of protein and calcium,’ says Dr Venter. ‘You can get these nutrients from other foods, such as tinned salmon or sardines containing bones, or green leafy vegetables, but they’re often not child-friendly.’
Adults may increase their risk of osteoporosis, while low levels of calcium in the blood can result in muscle spasms.

- Wheat

ALLERGY SYMPTOMS: Hives, facial swelling, wheezing, chronic itching, vomiting, diarrhoea and stomach cramps.
INTOLERANCE SYMPTOMS: Aching joints, stomach ache, bloating, depression.
COULD THE SYMPTOMS BE SOMETHING ELSE? Much factory-baked bread contains additives such as soya, cakes are full of sugar and most bread contains yeast ? any of these can upset the digestive system, says Dr Venter. Opt for good-quality wholegrain breads from a local baker who can tell you exactly what’s in your loaf, or make your own.
WHY YOU NEED A PROPER DIAGNOSIS: ‘The main nutritional deficiency from cutting out wheat is the B vitamins, essential for energy production and a healthy nervous system,’ says Dr Venter. ‘Wheat is also a good source of iron – a deficiency can affect your concentration and make you more susceptible to infection.’

- Alcohol

ALLERGY SYMPTOMS: Heart palpitations, a sensation of intense heat and crushing headaches – usually caused by a deficiency of the enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase needed to metabolise alcohol (an estimated 50 per cent of Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans lack this enzyme).
INTOLERANCE SYMPTOMS: Facial flushing, sneezing and congestion.
COULD THE SYMPTOMS BE SOMETHING ELSE? Some people react to sulphites and salicylates in wine.
These are substances found naturally in grapes, but that are also added by wine makers to develop flavours. Symptoms of sulphite sensitivity include wheezing, rashes and nausea, whereas salicylates can cause symptoms similar to hay fever. Salicylates are also found in beers.
But you could also be reacting to the fish and dairy products often used for fining wines, a process that removes any insoluble material that may cause a wine to become, for instance, cloudy (these, along with sulphites, have to be flagged up on the wine’s label).

- Seafood

ALLERGY SYMPTOMS: Shock, tightened airways and loss of consciousness.
COULD THE SYMPTOMS BE SOMETHING ELSE? You might have just eaten fish that’s off (scromboid poisoning) – the British Nutrition Foundation says almost half of all food poisoning cases are caused by raw or out-of-date fish.
Dr Venter explains: ‘Scrombroid poisoning causes red flushing, hives and diarrhoea, as often seen in fish allergy – however, scrombroid poisoning does not cause anaphylaxis. There is no such thing as fish intolerance, as far as I know.
Sudden onset: King prawns pictured in sweet chilli sauce. Symptoms of seafood allergy include shock and loss of consciousness
‘Fish allergies tend to be severe, where people can react by merely inhaling fish, or touching a work surface where fish was prepared,’ she says. ‘Also, you can be allergic to freshly cooked tuna but not canned tuna, or cod but not salmon – it’s often a very precise allergy.’
WHY YOU NEED A PROPER DIAGNOSIS: Cutting all fish from your diet deprives you of a prime source of lowfat protein, not to mention the hearthealthy omega-3 oils in fatty fish such as mackerel or salmon (although there are plant sources of omega-3s).

- Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1249475/The-great-food-allergy-myth-Many-just-fantasies-wreck-way-eat-end-giving-REAL-illness.html#ixzz0fHBKmm9h

How to maximise your endurance training

Even though we have clearly discovered a number of things about how to increase strength, the last decade has seen an even more impressive increase in our understanding of how we can increase endurance. The fact that endurance training increases the number of mitochondria and fat burning enzymes in our cells has been known for over 40 years. But, in the last decade we have identified the genes that cause the increase and we are learning more every day about how to use nutrition and exercise to effectively turn these genes on and maximise our endurance.

Increased endurance

In 2003, Dr Ron Evans and his colleagues showed that mice with an active form of the transcription factor PPAR∂ had more enzymes to breakdown fat and to power their muscles.

As a result, they could run for longer on a treadmill.

In a follow-up study, the Evans group gave mice a drug that activates PPAR∂ and showed that increasing PPAR∂ activity during training doubles the increase in endurance compared with training alone. Most of this increase in endurance was due to an increase in enzymes that break down fat.

PPAR∂ is normally activated by fat but just eating more fat is not the best way to increase endurance.

What we need to do to increase PPAR∂ (and get more endurance) is to use more fat when we are exercising.

One way to increase how much fat we burn in our muscles during exercise is to exercise in a glycogen-depleted state. When we exercise with low muscle glycogen stores, we increase the amount of fat we use as a fuel and this results in an increase in our fat burning enzymes and endurance. Therefore, if endurance is important for your performance, adding in a few sessions in a glycogen depleted state will really give this a boost.

New mitochondria

In 2002, Dr Bruce Spiegelman and his colleagues showed that if there is more active PGC-1α in our muscles we get more mitochondria and endurance. We showed at the start of the decade that after endurance exercise there was an increase in PGC-1α and this was important for the training effect.

AMPK is an enzyme that measures the energy status in our cells. When lots of energy is being consumed (such as when we exercise) or when not enough energy is being produced (such as when we fast) AMPK is activated. When active, AMPK turns on processes that increase energy production (fat burning, glucose uptake, etc) and decrease energy use (protein synthesis, etc).

One of the things turned on by AMPK, either directly or indirectly, is PGC-1α. This may be how exercise increases our endurance. Therefore, activating AMPK and PGC-1α should be the goal of endurance athletes.

For endurance athletes and coaches, this translates into three practical points:

1. Train at a high intensity since higher intensity exercise increases AMPK more than low intensity exercise;

2. Do not use carbohydrate supplements when training since CHO supplements may decrease AMPK activation in response to exercise;

Consider adding one of the natural activators of AMPK to your training to maximise AMPK activation. Resveratrol (an extract from red wine) activates AMPK as does Berberine (an extract of the goldenseal plant). 

There are artifacts and structures that suggest that the Chinese engaged in sporting activities as early as 4000 BC. Gymnastics appears to have been a popular sport in China’s ancient past.

Monuments to the Pharaohs indicate that a number of sports, including swimming and fishing, were well-developed and regulated several thousands of years ago in ancient Egypt.

Other Egyptian sports included javelin throwing, high jump, and wrestling. Ancient Persian sports such as the traditional Iranian martial art of Zourkhaneh had a close connection to the warfare skills. Among other sports that originate in Persia are polo and jousting.

A wide range of sports were already established by the time of Ancient Greece and the military culture and the development of sports in Greece influenced one another considerably.

Sports became such a prominent part of their culture that the Greeks created the Olympic Games, which in ancient times were held every four years in a small village in the Peloponnesus called Olympia. Sports have been increasingly organized and regulated from the time of the Ancient Olympics up to the present century.

Industrialization has brought increased leisure time to the citizens of developed and developing countries, leading to more time for citizens to attend and follow spectator sports, greater participation in athletic activities, and increased accessibility.

These trends continued with the advent of mass media and global communication. Professionalism became prevalent, further adding to the increase in sport’s popularity, as sports fans began following the exploits of professional athletes through radio, television, and the internet—all while enjoying the exercise and competition associated with amateur participation in sports.

One who has nothing to do will be tempted to do many mischievous acts.

“Conlige suspectos semper habitos”

Round up the usual suspects

The picture shows the bike that has built an electric motor that helps the runner with exceptional power cues . And ‘ course, a bike banned from competitive sports . It also can not be used on the road because the law prevents the speed of over 25km / hour . Exceeding this limit the bike is considered a moped.

Posture

- Minimize maintaining the same body position (seated, standing, etc.) for an extended amount of time by taking microbreaks (every 15-30 minutes), shifting your weight around, and alternating tasks.

- Minimize awkward body postures.

- Avoid resting arms on sharp table edges. Pad the edges with foam or use a cushion.

Seating

- Adjust the chair properly before you start work.

- Your feet should rest comfortably on the floor or footrest.

- The chair should provide adequate back support. Sit all of the way back to provide back support.

- The front edge of the chair should not press against the back of the knees.

- Armrests should not hinder your work activities.

- Remove items from under the workstation to provide legroom.

Standing

- For prolonged standing, rest one foot on a step/stool. Alternate the feet.

- Wear low-heeled shoes with good cushioning. Floor mats with cushioning can also provide comfort.

Shoulders

- Relax your shoulders and keep your elbows by your sides. Place frequently used items close to your body to avoid excessive reaching.

- Avoid raising your elbows above your shoulders. Use ladders and stools to reach for items on high shelves.

Pipetting

- See posture, seating, and standing tips above.

- Take frequent microbreaks (1-2 minutes, every 15-30 minutes). Alternate activities to minimize continuous pipetting for long periods.

- Maintain straight wrists. Keep the elbows close to the body.

- Share the workload between the right and left hands. Rotate pipetting tasks with other qualified lab colleagues.

- Keep waste bins, beakers, and other frequently used items as close as possible.

- Relax your grip on the pipette.

- Use shorter pipettes and pipette tips.

- Choose pipettes that require minimal hand and finger effort.

- Utilize automated processes or multi-channel pipettes for highly repetitive jobs.

Test tube handling

- See posture, seating, and standing tips above.

- Take frequent microbreaks (1-2 minutes, every 15-30 minutes).

- Maintain straight wrists. Keep the elbows close to the body.

- Share the workload between the right and left hands.

- Arrange the tubes to minimize reaching and twisting.

- Use both hands to open test tubes.

- Use upside-down containers to raise test tube racks (when needed).

- Use a vortexer mixer rack instead of holding tubes by hand.

- Use cap removers to minimize pinch gripping.

Microscope Use

- See posture, seating, and standing tips above.

- Take frequent microbreaks to rest your eyes (momentarily close the eyes or focus on far away objects to vary focal length).

- Spread microscope work throughout the day or rotate the work among several colleagues.

- Maintain straight wrists. Keep the elbows close to the body.

- Avoid tilted head/neck postures. Raise and stand the microscope to allow a more upright, “neutral” posture. Move the microscope to the edge of the counter to avoid a tilted neck.

- Keep scopes clean and in good condition.

Laboratory hoods/safety cabinets

- See posture, seating, and standing tips above.

- Position materials/equipment in the hood/cabinet as close to the body as possible, but at least 6 inches into the hood for safety.

- Avoid resting arms on the sharp edges of lab hoods. Use padding (if possible) and take frequent microbreaks.

Other laboratory tasks

- Take frequent microbreaks (1-2 minutes, every 15-30 minutes).

- Avoid pinch gripping when possible. Learn to pinch between the index and middle finger.

- Share the workload between right and left hands.

- Choose the right equipment for the job. Learn how to properly use the equipment.

- Ensure tools are in proper working order.

- Increase the size of tool handles where possible to minimize the gripping effort.

- Use automated processes to reduce high repetition/force tasks.

For additional laboratory information, visit the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Health and Safety Guide to Laboratory Ergonomics.
Source: Stanford University

When an event is not decided on or planned earlier it will never take place.