According to Dr. Kevin Plancher, 50,000 gym exercisers are treated each year. Some are accidents such as falling off treadmills/exercise balls, dropping heavy weights on toes and so on. These types of accidents are sometimes difficult to avoid, however others such as back pain are easily avoidable. For example, bench pressing too much weight can put enormous strain on the lower back, leading to back ache. Also, hunching over a stepper machine can cause muscle aches and discomfort in the shoulders and back.

No matter how fit you are, an injury can occur to anyone so it is important to take caution when exercising. Follow our tips and stay injury free.

1. Warm up! Don’t exercise without warming up. Running gently for a few minutes increases the heart and blood flow rates and loosens muscles, ligaments, tendons and joints. This can decrease the chance of injuries.
2. Stretch! Now that the muscles are flexible, you can begin stretching them. Holding a stretch for around 15 seconds, slowly releasing it and exhaling at the same time is a great way of ensuring your muscles are ready for exercising. Make sure you don’t stretch to the point of pain and never bounce on a fully stretched muscle.
3. Accept your limitations! As we age, our musculoskeletal system ages and bones lose density and strength. Also, ligaments and tendons become stiff, lose circulation and as a result, become more vulnerable to injury. It is best to carry out high repetitions of exercises with low weights to prevent the muscles becoming over exerted.
4. Best foot forward! Correct footwear is essential if you participate in an activity more than three times a week. Running shoes are designed to propel you forward, however if you are carrying out a lot of side-to-side movements, the ankle can roll to the side. This stretches the ligaments and causes you to sprain or even break your ankle. Wearing cross-training shoes for these types of exercises is more suitable.
5. Watch your back! Looking after your back when exercising is as important as when relaxing. Whether you’re watching TV, working in an office or driving a taxi, your back should be given the support it needs. Too many of us slouch in our chairs or in the incorrect posture. This can lead to back pain and more specifically, muscle aches, nerve pains and tension in the spine or shoulders. These can become aggravated the more time we spend in these positions.

The Dynaspine Back Support was designed specifically to counter these problems. Dynaspine is unique, it moves as you sit in different positions and provides consistent support. The two back support plates are built on a special spring mechanism that allows the plates to conform to the shape of your back and offer optimal support.

Other features of Dynaspine include central vents that promote optimal airflow to prevent the back from becoming hot and uncomfortable, height adjustable to allow for the perfect fit for all body shapes and sizes and lightweight so it can be taken almost anywhere.

The Dynaspine back support can be purchased for only £79.99 from Dynaspine International. (http://www.dynaspineinternational.com/shopping/portable-back-supports/dynaspine-portable-back-support.aspx)

Dynaspine is recommended by Personal Trainer and iTS Master Biomechanics Coach, Rachel France; “As a personal trainer I recommend the Dynaspine to clients suffering with low back pain. If I loan them mine for a week they always want one of their own!”

Back pain can affect some people more than others due to their occupation. For example, working in an office and spending an endless amount of hours hunched over a computer desk will put added pressure on the spinal joints and discs. This can lead to muscle ache or even acute piercing or stabbing pains in the back.

Back pain can last anything from a few days to a lifetime. For those who have back pain for more than 6 weeks, in 90% of cases the pain is likely to return within a year. Therefore it is essential that we look after our backs!

Studies have shown that sitting in an ergonomically sound seated position and allowing for the correct movement of the spine, reduces pressure on the spinal joints and discs. It is also shown to decrease muscle fatigue and reduces back pain. The Dynaspine Team used studies like these as the foundations for the Dynaspine design.

Dynaspine is the only back support of its kind as its 2 back support plates move as you sit in different seating positions, to provide you with optimal, constant support. The unique design of the Dynaspine Lower Back Support allows it to conform to the shape of your back and promote a healthy posture, which in turn relieves back pain and tension in the spine and shoulders.

Dynaspine is recommended by UK Leading Physiotherapist, Martin Haines DipRGRT, MCSP, SRP, “it is clear to me that a dynamic support system like Dynaspine provides people with all the best ergonomic, clinical and biomechanical benefits…..I recommend it to all my patients from Olympic Athletes and Premiership Footballers to Office Workers and Taxi Drivers.”

From now until Tuesday 4th January 2011 you can save 25% on Dynaspine. Simply enter the Voucher Code: XMAS10 at the checkout to receive your discount.

http://www.dynaspineinternational.com/shopping/portable-back-supports/dynaspine-portable-back-support.aspx

If you’ve been planning to start up at your local gym but just haven’t had the motivation then consider using promotional codes. Saving money might just be the push you need. If the idea of having wash board abs isn’t enough to lure you into the gym then cheaper gym membership will make it easier to get your money’s worth thanks to promotional codes. Working up a sweat to gain fitness is stress enough without having to fork out large amounts just to do so, but with promotional codes you will be able to take a large chunk out of gym membership and cost rather than it taking a
large chunk out of you!

Get a free pass to Esporta which can be used at any Esporta gym across the UK. Click the link below to get your completely free gym pass.

The rugby union preseason takes place during the summer and during this time there is a massive push for physical gains. Now most fitness coaches will vary on their approach but this is an outline of what is common during the summer period for pro rugby players.
Weights usually consist of three or more sessions a week with three sets of ten as a starting point for most players. As the season gets closer the sets and reps come down with more placed upon explosive movements, like Olympic lifts such as Power Cleans and Clean Pulls. The weights are also tailored with a plymetric program which will help ensure that speed ability is successfully transferred from the gym to the pitch.

With regards to running fitness I think it’s fair to say the days of running around fields for thirty minutes or even doing a 3k run are long gone. These have been replaced with fitness games played to incorporate the ball and running fitness. This is teamed with running intervals and speed endurance work trying to improve players’ ability to repeat efforts and recover quickly. In all sports the training has become very specific and rugby is no different. The idea is to run faster for longer, be as strong and as powerful as possible, while managing your weight and being at a size which will help you play your game how you’d like to. With rugby you really have to be competent with all aspects of fitness and after the summer when most physical gains are made the trick is to hold on to your fitness levels as the games start coming up.

http://koogarugbykit.co.uk/

Planning meals in advance helps take some of the stress away and enables you to visit the shops less frequently and buy in bulk – helping to save both time and money. But more often than not it is the pressure of what to serve up that causes the most concern. The combination of mums’ watching their weight, dads’ wanting a hearty helping, teenage girls’ experimenting with vegetarianism and growing boys’ with hollow legs is enough to send even the most talented chef into a state of disarray.

But fear not, there is a diet plan that caters for all these varying needs. The low GI diet, which is actually more of a lifestyle than diet, promotes overall health and well being as opposed to dramatic weight loss and is ideal for all the family.

The principles of the low GI diet is based on the slow release of energy which means that you stay fuller for longer (so you don’t need to snack) and the ways in which foods are cooked are healthier ideal if you’re watching the waistline, the food is (or can be as) hearty and wholesome as you wish, pulses and nuts are all key low gi foods so it’s perfect for vegetarians and as energy levels from low gi foods are released more slowly it means you’re energy levels are sky high!!
Other benefits of following a low gi diet include:

*Better concentration
*Helps regulate mood swings
*Weight control
*Helps maintain consistent blood sugar levels

For more information on the low gi diet or low gi recipe inspiration visit www.lowgidiet.org.uk

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