Being in tune with the tune your body plays during workouts

Are you good at determining your exercise intensity?

 

 

How in tune with your body are you?  When you train hard, can you tell how far you have actually pushed yourself?  I came across a scale of exertion a few years back.  I thought that you might be interested in taking a look at it.  It’s called the Borg scale (1988).  It is linked to our heart rate.  So here is how it works. 

 

 

 

·    You familiarise yourself with the scale (numbers and terms for exertion levels)

 

·    You perform your work out

 

·    As your activity level peaks you choose which level you believe is relevant to your level of exertion (think how you feel all round – breathing, aching, burn…)

 

·    Then compare it to your actual heart rate

 

·    Times your Borg scale reading by 10 and check to see whether it matches your actual heart rate

 

·    Use it to get in tune with your body (note that 6 = no effort and 20 = maximal effort)

 

 

 

The Borg Scale of Perceived Rate of Exertion (PRE)

6 No exertion at all

7 Extremely light

8

9 Very light - (easy walking slowly at a comfortable pace)

10

11 Light

12

13 Somewhat hard (It is quite an effort; you feel tired but can continue)

14

15 Hard (heavy)

16

17 Very hard (very strenuous, and you are very fatigued)

18

19 Extremely hard (You can not continue for long at this pace)

20 Maximal exertion

 

 

 

 

 

My heart rate tends to be the same as my perceived rate of exertion, which I guess means that I am fairly in tune with what is happening to my body.  Sometimes my stubbornness intervenes though.  I had my VO2 max taken a couple of years ago.  I was sure I could continue to push myself even though my stats showed that I was at the point of collapse – so I couldn’t demonstrate awareness on this occasion!

 

 

VO2 max testing using a bike

I think the Borg scale can be useful for developing good intuition and helping you to adjust your input to get the results you want.  Have a play with it and see if how you think you feel is reflected by what is actually happening to your body.  As you get fitter, you'll need to work harder to raise your heart rate.  The Borg Scale PRC is often used in the NHS for those with cardiovascular conditions and patients on certain medications.

 

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Potions to facilitate Sports

I’m talking about natural potions made from pure plant extracts - and not from tubes of chemical-laden synthetic product that have been sitting in a hot shop for months on end.  I love essential oils and the benefits that they bring.  They are very complex, with up to 300 different chemicals per oil.  Essential oils are highly concentrated and must be administered carefully as certain oils are contraindicated through various medical conditions, or at certain times in our lives.  So seek professional advice when using them and refer to a reputable handbook.  Essential oils are our allies, the benefits that they bring are numerous and range from the physical to the emotional.

 

 

I have been developing a blend for a muscle rub.  I run and I regularly see runners in my Sports Massage clinic.  I am aware of the importance of keeping our muscles in good working order.  Post run, we need to make sure that we cool down effectively, stretch appropriately, re-fuel and provide our bodies with optimal conditions for post exertional recovery.  This is where the oils come in. 

I have been trialling the blend with a running coach and runners from the local running club.  The brief for the blend can be seen below:

·         Anti-inflammatory

 

·         Refreshing

 

·         Analgesic

 

·         To aid circulation

 

·         To stimulate lymph

Feedback from my clients has been very positive, with reports of recovery facilitation, inflammation reduction and an enhanced sensation of well-being.  The product comes in an aloe vera gel, or a sweet almond oil base.  The oil is good for self-massage and the gel feels extra refreshing.  Keep the product in the refrigerator to make it feel even more refreshing.

 

 

Here are some post exercise essential oil essentials:

 

 

Spike lavender, or Lavender – great for muscular aches and pains, strains and bruises.  Lavender will help you to ‘come down’ after great exertion.

 

 

Chamomile – pain relieving and anti-inflammatory.

 

 

Ginger – warming and pain relieving.

 

 

Clove oil – also warming and pain relieving.

 

 

Sweet marjoram – muscular aches, pains and stiffness.

 

 

 

Adding essential oils to soya milk to aid dispersion in the bath

 

Choose two or three different essential oils and add a total of 4 drops to 10ml of a non-scented lotion or some aloe gel.  Add a total of 6 drops to ¼ cup of milk, mix and then add to the bath.  Fellow vegans, you’ll be pleased to hear that soya milk can be used!  The fat in the milk helps to disperse the essential oils – this stops them floating on the top of the bath water!  If you are having a therapeutic bath, wash first and then refill the bath for your therapy soak.  Add cold water to a bowl and add 6 drops of essential oil, then float a muslin cloth over the top to soak up the oils prior to applying to sore areas.  I have used this technique to good effect with competing horses – using aromatherapy on horses is amazing!

 

Please contact me for more information.  Bespoke blends can be created to suit your individual needs.  Have a warming blend to condition the muscles prior to sport, a recovery blend to soothe and reduce inflammation post activity, a relaxation blend to help you rest the night before a competition, or a rocket blend to stimulate you for your race.

 

If you live close by and you would like to trial my new muscle rub blend, please get in touch  - I would be happy to see you!

 

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It's goodbye from me, your dedicated Sports Massage Therapist and qualified Aromatherapist

Prevention is better than cure! - Say no to Sports Injuries

This is written in the remit of a sports massage therapist and a runner.  The points are not in any order of relevance.  Most of the information is transferable to a number of disciplines.

Make sure that your training regime is not increased dramatically and beyond your capabilities.  Under these circumstances, muscles tend to get very fatigued, way too tight and micro tears can form impairing tissue function.  A longer recovery time is then necessary, which takes you away from your programme and sets you further back.  You are more likely to sustain injuries when you train, or attempt to compete, way in advance of your conditioning.

Is your warm up adequate?  What is your activity? Are you about to embark upon your long run of the week?  Are you about to do your sprints?  The latter would require at least 20 minutes of warming up.  Muscles tend to tear when they are moved with great force prior to them being made pliable.  I recommend getting your heart rate up, performing dynamic (moving) stretches that mimic the movements you shall be making, gently jogging and then building up the speed.  A slow longer run may be a little more forgiving to the un-primed body.

Is your cool down adequate?  Did you sprint and then grind to a complete halt?  Is your heart rate still elevated?  You need to allow your heart rate to come down and the fitter you are, the faster this shall happen.  You can then think about some static stretches – non-moving stretches.  These help the muscle fibres to move freely, ensuring that there is no stickiness between the fibres that would  hinder their contraction and lengthening.

Ensure you stretch appropriately.  That means not bouncing, not stretching beyond what feels comfortable, holding for 10-20 seconds, executing the correct technique and form for the relevant muscle group, and only stretching once warmed up.  Check out these stretching tips.

Train for your chosen activity appropriately.  Consult a running coach for advice on building up a programme suitable for your training needs.  Make sure that your programme helps you to develop the skills that you are going to need.  Your stamina, endurance, speed, muscle conditioning and your mental disposition need to be challenged adequately.

Have the right gear for the right activity.  Wear the correct clothes.  Be safe and be seen if you are running in poor light – fluorescents by day and luminous clothes by night, with a suitable strap on light.  Have lightweight windproof, breathable and waterproof jackets for wet/windy weather.  Insulating layers will be required for the cold.  Technical wicking moisture away fabrics will be required in milder weather.  Don’t over dress, unless you are conditioning your body to accept high temperatures.

Wear the right shoes the right way.  Are your laces done up properly?  Are your laces tied too loosely or too tight?  Are you wearing trail shoes for slippery and uneven surfaces?  Are your shoes suitable for your feet? Are your shoes the correct size?  Consult with a professional running coach.

How is your technique coming along?  Have you had some professional help for your running form?  Good technique reduces the chances of injury and reduces the amount of energy expenditure during activity.  More energy means better breathing, posture and longer runs.  

Are you overtraining?  It is important to perform quality training that prepares you adequately.  What is the point of excessive training that increases wear and tear, heightens the chances of injury and side-tracks you from your schedule because of excessive fatigue?

Watch those cambers, they can put pressure on your knees. 

Don’t slip up – watch the terrain, especially as you get fatigued.  Run with lights, or by good moonlight, just make sure you can see what’s underfoot.

Is the caffeine making you jittery?   Too much caffeine can make you uncoordinated and accident prone.  The effects can be similar to drinking too much alcohol.

Are you fuelled adequately?  Do your muscles have the energy required of them for the demands about to be placed on the body? Are you hydrated?

Eat within 30 minutes post activity.  This is the window of opportunity that many fail to take advantage of.  Your muscles will love you back and repair more effectively if you adhere to this tip.  You may suffer from fatigued and needlessly painful muscles post exercise otherwise.

Oh, and I nearly forgot, find yourself a good Sports Massage Therapist and keep those muscles in tip top sporting condition!  Eva Evangelou, your dedicated Sports Massage Therapist.

Happy safe running!  Liked what you saw?  Join us at LSM for updates and special offers.

Metaboreflex - want to improve your PB? Read on...

I recently watched a webinar about breathing in sport and it really struck a chord with me.  There are a variety of muscles utilised in the breathing process and they need to be trained to perform at their optimum – just as all muscles do.  As babies we all breathed effectively, but this can change over the years.  Those who performed cardiovascular activities as teenagers are at an advantage with respiratory muscle conditioning as adults.

By improving our breathing, we can improve our PBs and maximise our potential.  It is the muscles that draw breath in (inspiratory muscles) that need to be exercised.  The aero position in cycling and the pressure of water for swimmers compromises one’s ability to draw air.  When we exercise, our breathing muscles become fatigued and this affects our performance in many ways.  In runners, fatigue can impair running form and lead to excessive amounts of energy being lost.  There is also a safety mechanism that comes in to play when our breathing muscles become too fatigued – it is called the metaboreflex.  Have you ever felt as if you could continue to perform at your chosen sport, but just felt dead in the legs?  This metaboreflex cuts the blood supply to the legs when your breathing muscles get way too tired.  Now, that’s not going to facilitate anyone’s performance!

The good news is that the threshold for the metaboreflex can be changed, blood flow distribution can be optimised and one’s rate of perceived exertion can be lowered.  The even better news is that there are clinical trials to prove the effectiveness of strengthening our inspiratory muscles.  In fact, the time trials showed that cyclists in the aero position performed 4.6% faster.  There are two ways that we can achieve this kind of improvement – by working at our maximal (the trials needed 53 minutes two times per week, for 6 weeks, for a 4.9% improvement in speed), or by using a gadget called the POWER breathe POWER breathe.  This is my new toy!  The POWER breathe requires 5 minutes of use two times per day, for 6 weeks.  This means that training regimes don’t need to be interrupted and time/energy can be managed more effectively.

Ironmen and women even have a limited edition of this lung exercising gadget for their even more demanding needs.  Imagine increasing your speed by 4.6% over  a period of 6 weeks…

The person behind this wonderful research is Alison McConnell from Brunel University Alison McConnell. 

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I am off to do my evening set of 30 breaths...be back again soon!

Contrast Bathing - mixing the cold with the hot for competition recovery

Here’s the concluding part to the heat and cold therapy treatments that we have looked at in the last two blogs.  We are going to look at what happens when we use these two types of treatment side by side.

Uses?

Contrast bathing is commonly used in sports injuries and although I wouldn’t recommend it, it can be adapted for use in acute injuries.  An acute injury is a new injury and a chronic injury is an older injury.

What it does?

It produces a pumping action which stimulates the blood supply to the immersed part and subsequently accelerates metabolic processes, reduces pain, increases the elasticity of ligaments and stimulates the sensory nerves – which can be very relaxing.

How?

Use a paddling pool for large groups or teams of athletes.  Showers, basins, tubs and buckets can also be used according to which area of the body requires the treatment. 

1.      Fill a vessel with hot water and another with cold water.

2.      Starting with the cold, plunge affected part/s in for 1 minute

3.      Plunge affected part/s in to the hot water for 1 minute

4.      Repeat and finish with the cold water plunge

If it is an acute injury, start with the hot water and stay in the cold for longer.  Be aware that the cold part of the cycle can be uncomfortable. 

Did you know?

Scientists in Australia have reported that athletes who use contrast hydrotherapy post training/competition have lighter and less tight muscles.

Byeeee for now (interested in updates and special offers? Sign up for them at LSM)

Ice, Ice Baby – The cool down on Cryotherapy

Sprained ankles, bruises and post exercise swelling are but a few incidences where we may need to apply cold therapy to bring about relief.  We have all heard of rugby and football players who immerse themselves in ice baths post event to help reduce trauma to soft tissue and facilitate recovery.  Whilst this technique isn’t rocket science, there are a few things to be aware of.

Methods of application

The aforementioned ice bath – definitely not for the faint hearted! Cold water direct application via shower head or tap – obviously you would opt for the shower head for larger areas.  Specialist sports ice packs.  Ice sprays and gels – the jury is still out for the effectiveness, but they do feel rather good.  Frozen peas, or ice cubes, wrapped in a damp tea towel – for conduction and preventing ice burns!  Ice cups are good too – fill a plastic disposable cup ¾ of the way with water and freeze – the ice pops out a treat (run it in cool water prior to skin application to avoid ice burns).

Ice therapy

·         Reduces the inflammatory response

·         Causes the blood vessels to constrict

·         Slows down nerve conduction

·         Reduces local metabolic rate

·         Offers pain relief

·         Reduces swelling

·         Decreases pain

·         In acute injuries it helps stop bleeding

·          Assists with injury healing

The length of time, method of application and number of applications determines the level of effectiveness.

Precautions

You would never think ice therapy could come with a warning label…  Years back I was training for the Windsor Cross Country endurance course.  My horse developed mystery lameness with swelling.  I opted for an ice-bucket foot bath for obvious reasons.  The cold water was such a shock to the animal, that despite it only having three legs to stand on (the fourth was being held by me to prevent escaping), it sprung out of the ice bucket and landed squarely on my foot.  The irony of the story was that I now had to use the ice bucket…

Avoid using this type of therapy if you have circulation problems, reduced/absent skin sensation, near the site of superficial nerves, on areas of low body fat/low muscle mass and if paralysis is present.  Be careful not to get ice burn - cover ice with a damp tea towel.

Remember to

Ice small areas for about 10 minutes.  Ice large areas for about 20 minutes.  Not to ice the entire way around a limb.  Check for a nice blue hue to the skin – if redness appears the ice has been left on for too long and the positive effects will be reversed!

Happy safe icing everyone!  That’s all Ice got time for today – LOL! 

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Hot, hot, hot - heat therapy

Instinctively, we often grab for a heated wheat pack when aches and pains rear their ugly head, but what does thermotherapy actually do?

Thermotherapy explained

It is a technique where heat is applied to body tissues in order to reduce pain, increase circulation, facilitate soft-tissue extensibility and generally improve healing in the older, or 'not so new' injuries. 

Thermotherapy causes blood vessels to dilate and allow more blood to flow to an area.  This in turn decreases pain, or increases the pain threshold.  Other benefits include increasing local metabolic rate, helping to relax muscle tension/spasm, increasing soft tissue extensibility and pliability, increasing range of movement, increasing the healing rate of soft tissue injuries, improving neuromuscular responses, facilitating recovery from training and bringing about the feeling of well-being.

Heat packs

These come in varying forms, from the aforementioned microwaveable wheat pack and the boil in the bag type affair, to the electric blanket.  The moist heat methods help to open the pores and encourage more effective hyperaemia.  The electric blanket offers a dry heat and can therefore somewhat dehydrate the skin.

Wheat packs, compresses and hot water bottles make cheap heat therapy items

Pain relief

Hot compresses can help to offer pain relief by stimulating the sensory receptors in the skin.  This in turn means a reduction in the transmission of pain signals to the brain, and some discomfort relief.  Thermoreceptors (sensory receptors that respond to hot and cold) are stimulated and this is what helps to block the pain receptors.

Collagen fibres become more elastic

Heat application helps the stretching of soft tissues - the good news is that this includes muscles, connective tissues and adhesions - scar tissue.  So, stiffness decreases and flexibility/comfort increases.  When elasticity and reactivity of muscle is improved, collagen fibres become more extensible and able to benefit from rehab exercises.

What other types of heat therapy are there?

Radiation therapy in the form of infra lamps, short-wave and microwave diathermy, high frequency electromagnetic waves, interferential, TENS and ultrasound.  You will often find Physiotherapists employing these methods.

So, there you go - the low-down on heat therapy.  Please do not use it on new injuries and seek advice for correct implementation.  Quick alternatives to a hot compress are hot water bottles.  Be careful not to scald and not to apply for more than 10 to 15 minutes depending on how large the area to be treated is.  There is also a form of treatment for the older injury where heat and cold therapy are alternately applied - I'll cover this soon.

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