Health Tips
This Week’s Health Tips
Exercise
Concussions: Heading the ball too frequently in soccer may cause the same kind of brain damage seen in football. This was shown in data from Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Children are especially vulnerable. Most affected are areas of the brain responsible for executive functions like attention, memory, and planning, as well as visual and spatial reasoning. This may change the game, but it’s time to reconsider headers in children’s soccer.
Related Articles:
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine
- Report: Derek Boogaard had CTE (ESPN, December 2011)
- The Next Step for Researchers is not Finding Head Trauma by Alan Schwarz (Washington Post, May 2011)
- David Duerson’s Brain Trauma Diagnosed by Alan Schwarz (Washington Post, May 2011)
- Hockey Brawler Paid Price, with Brain Trauma (New York Times, March 2011)
- Junior Ice Hockey Study Uncovers Alarming Concussion Rates (Science Daily, November 2010)
Nutrition
Chewing: My Grandma told me, “Son, put your fork down between bites.” Chewing our food well may be the single best thing for our tummy. According to the NIH, a good portion of digestion occurs in the mouth, especially carbohydrates. So, chew pasta to a mush and athletes hold that sports goo in your mouth before swallowing. Your tummy will thank you with better digestion and less gas.
Related Articles
Past Health Tips
Destress
Diaphragmatic Breathing: Our Breathing is central to good health. Experts say that most of us are chest breathers. Belly breathing is the natural way to breathe. Only belly breathing allows full function of our lungs. Belly breathing promotes good posture, cardiovascular and digestive function, and good emotional health. To learn how, lie on your back. Place a book on your stomach and inhale so the book rises instead of your chest.
Related Articles:
- Breathing Lessons by Carol Krucoff (Washington Post, May 2000)
Exercise
Ice: Which is best for an injury? Ice or heat? It seems no one agrees. Ice is the most effective treatment for reducing pain and swelling. And reducing pain and swelling allows for earlier movement. The secret is this early movement. It improves circulation which leads to faster healing. Therefore, ice might be the be single best choice at all times, not just the first 24 hours.
Exercise Intensity: Increasing the intensity of your exercise adds multiple benefits to your workout. Long slow jogs may be your thing, but they’re not enough unless you include some intense sprints or hill training. A new Danish study shows that adults who cycle faster live longer and have better heart health. You can add bursts of exercise saving time and burning more calories.
Related Articles:
- Fit Tip: It’s Not About the Duration, It’s About the Intensity
- Cycling quickly (and other bursts of intense exercise) can add five years to your life.
Barefoot Running: Remember running barefoot as a kid in a field? Our feet were probably healthier then. The mechanics of barefoot running encourage a runner to land in the middle, or ball of the foot, and not on the heel. Heel striking is linked to repetitive stress injuries, knee, and hip pain. In fact, Harvard’s biomechanics lab tells us that one third of runners suffer an injury every year. So throw on some minimalist shoes every other run and check out how it feels.
Related Articles:
- The 8 Essentials of Barefoot Running
- A Primer on Barefoot Running Shoes
- Check Your Form
- Barefoot Running Training Plan
- Born to Run by Christopher McDougall
- Harvard University Skeletal Biology Lab