The latest Podcast from The Gait Guys I’ve not had a chance to listen to it yet but I’m sure it will be of interest to any runners out there.
Mind control
Quite an interesting piece on how the your brain can play tricks on you. Whilst it is about running it applies to all training situations. It reminded me of a lecture I attended where Prof. Andy Jones, Paula Radcliffe’s exercise physiologist, talked about how they had tested Paula before all her best times. In each case the time predicted in the tests was within a few percent, less than 5%, possibly within 1-2%, if I remember correctly. I can’t help but think that being told she was capable of time X increased her confidence and belief in her training and ability to achieve the goals she had set.
Hip extension for better movement
Good movement in the hips, or in any of the body’s many joints, is important for us to simple carry out the activities we either need or want to do whether that be participating in a sport or simply getting about your life. Continue reading “Hip extension for better movement”
Better running
With the London Marathon coming up this month and Edinburgh next month we can see that many people run as a means of keeping fit. Whist many choose to run as a means of keeping fit many do not run well and little thought is given to improving running technique but lots of thought is given to which shoe to buy. In a lot of the chat about running a large portion often seems to be given over to which shoes to choose, minimalist/light weight vs motion control or somewhere inbetween. Much less seems to be given over to the improvement of ones running technique or the need to be strong enough to withstand the rigors of running. Continue reading “Better running”
Running and eating; ways to live longer
In a story on the BBC yesterday talked about how cardiovascular fitness can aid in maintaining brain function. 3,000 people, average age 25, in Minnesota were tested on a treadmill then again 20 years later. Those who had the smallest differences in the treadmill tests were found to score higher in the memory and thinking tests, even after being adjusted for factors such as smoking, diabetes and high cholesterol. Continue reading “Running and eating; ways to live longer”
HIIT to LSD the real deal on endurance training
There has been something of an ongoing debate online about the benefits of interval training over steady state training when it comes to endurance or cardiovscular training. The perceived wisdom over the last few years pushing things towards the idea that all you need to do is some form of interval training and that steady state low intensity work has no value. As with most things the answer is no where near as clear cut as this and both types of training have their merits and the evidence, as we can see in this excellent paper, rather than the internet chatter, does suggest that both should be part of a well rounded program. Continue reading “HIIT to LSD the real deal on endurance training”
Back pain, core stability and education
Over at The Sports Physio Adam had a great post reviewing the research out there on the use of core stability exercises in dealing with chronic back pain. The review comes to the conclusion that there is little to be gained from the use of core stability exercises specifically over a more general approach to exercise and other forms of physiotherapy treatment. Continue reading “Back pain, core stability and education”
How well do you breathe?
Breathing is something that I work on a lot with clients and try to help them realise how big an impact simply improving how you breathe can have on their energy levels and sense of well being. This is before we consider the impact that poor breathing habits can have with regards to headaches, neck pain and other problems in the upper body. Continue reading “How well do you breathe?”
Are you getting enough sleep?
A recent article in the Scientific American discusses the fact that we all seem to be routinely getting insufficient sleep. I then decided to have a trawl through some of the articles relating to sleep. Continue reading “Are you getting enough sleep?”
Massage therapy for fibromyalgia
I came across a link to a short post by Ezard Ernst of Exeter University via Lars Avemarie’s facebook page describing a paper on the possible benefits of massage for fibromyalgia sufferers. The paper is a systematic review of the evidence of massage for fybromyalgia sufferers and the results were generally positive where the study ran for at least 5 weeks with reductions in levels of anxiety, depression and levels of perceived pain.