Archive for category: Endurance

Runners, Take Note: These 8 Exercises Could Help Prevent An Injury

Whether you run for 15 minutes to relieve stress or you’re training for your 100th marathon, you are considered a runner in my books. Unfortunately, runners are quite injury prone because of the redundant nature of the activity, the lack of stretching and the absence of cross training.

If you have ever been to a yoga class, you can easily spot the runners in the class because they tend to be the least flexible participants in the room. Additionally, when you are at the gym, it’s easy to spot the “cardio junkies” because they jump off the treadmill without following up their workout with any particular stretching or cross training.

After injuring myself while training for my first marathon, I quickly learned the importance of stretching and cross training to prevent injury. No matter where you are in your running journey, these stretches and exercises will benefit your overall fitness routine and can help ward off running-related injuries.

Favorite Stretches for Runners

My general rule of thumb for stretching: if you used that muscle during your workout, then you should stretch that muscle after your workout. Stretching is an important piece of injury prevention, and it really only takes a couple of minutes out of your day. The stretches below are some of my favorites that I like to incorporate with my patients who are runners.

Hip Flexor and Quad Stretch

In the half kneeling position, with your knee on a mat/cushion, tuck your tailbone and push your hips forward. You should feel a stretch in the front of your hip on the side that is in the kneeling position.

For an added quad stretch, reach behind you and grab your ankle to bring it close to your glutes. Perform 3 sets of 30 second holds on each side.

Hamstring Stretch

Lying on your back with your knees straight and legs resting on the floor, loop a belt or strap around the bottom of your foot. Use the belt or strap to perform a comfortable stretch behind the back of your leg and knee. Perform 3 sets of 30 second holds on each leg.

Figure Four Stretch

Lying on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, cross the leg you intend to stretch across your other leg keeping your ankle at your knee. Place both hands behind the thigh of your uncrossed leg and gently pull your knee towards your chest, feeling a stretch in the buttocks of your crossed leg. Perform 3 sets of 30 second holds on each leg.

Calf Stretch

Find a step or a wall to put your toes on, straighten out your knee, then push your heel down into the floor and lean into the wall. Do this with your knee straight and then a slight bend in the knee. Perform on each side for 3 sets of 30 second holds.

Favorite Exercises for Runners

Runners typically have poor single leg stability and lack strength in their glutes. Coincidentally, these weaknesses are directly related to one another. The exercises listed below will target many different muscles in the posterior chain that will ultimately build strength in the muscles that are often weak in runners.

Lateral Lunges

Start by standing with feet at shoulders width apart. Take a small step sideways toward the side to be exercised, shifting your weight onto that foot and allow the knee to bend. Perform 3 sets of 15 repetitions.

Single Leg Bridges

Begin by lying with knees bent and both feet flat on the floor with arms at your sides. Lift one foot off the floor towards the ceiling and straighten the knee. With one leg, squeeze your glutes and raise your hips off the surface trying to keep your hips level. Perform 3 sets of 15 repetitions.

Side Lying Hip Abduction

Lie on your side with the side you intend to exercise upwards. Keep your knee straight and lift your top leg up towards the ceiling. Avoid pointing your toes towards the ceiling by keeping the outside of your foot parallel with the floor, and make sure to stay lying directly on your side and avoid rolling backwards. Slowly lower your leg back to the starting position. Perform 3 sets of 15 repetitions.

Fire Hydrants

Starting Position: Begin in quadruped position with hands directly under shoulders and knees directly under hips. Engage your core by bringing the belly button towards the spine. While maintaining a tight core, activate your glutes and slowly lift one leg out to the side, keeping the knee bent. Only go as high as you can without letting the back arch. Slowly return leg to starting position. Repeat on opposite side. Tip: Do not let your back arch by keeping your core and glutes engaged throughout. Perform 3 sets of 15 repetitions on each side.

If you are feeling pain while running, that is non-emergent, NovaCare offers free injury screens that can easily be set up so that you can understand your injury and get a recommendation about where to go and what to do. There are so many injuries that can occur with runners so it is impossible to address them all in one article.

Additionally, Video Gait Analyses (VGA) are available at select NovaCare facilities. Video Gait Analyses utilize force plate technology combined with videography to identify discrete biomechanical faults that could be impacting your running form. VGAs can be done with or without a script to help meet your running needs. To find out more information, call your local NovaCare Rehabilitation.

Post written by FFC Contributor and NovaCare Lincoln Park Physical Therapist Claire Remec.

Claire Remec is a physical therapist at NovaCare Rehabilitation’s Lincoln Park center. She brings a soothing level of energy and outgoing personality to the patients she treats. Claire enjoys running and treating patients of all kinds, is experienced in Women’s Health therapy, and has a passion for promoting wellness for all.

Learn How To Lower Your Risk For Breast And Ovarian Cancer With Regular Exercise

FFC has partnered with Bright Pink for 8 years as the official training sponsor for Team Bright Pink. If you are interested in running the Chicago Marathon or a number of other endurance races, consider joining us on Team Bright Pink!

As many as 20% of women in the United States are at elevated risk for breast and ovarian cancer, but most don’t know it. Enter Bright Pink—a national non-profit on a mission to save lives from breast and ovarian cancer by empowering women to know their risk and manage their health proactively.

We all know that regular exercise is a great way to take care of your body and promote a healthy lifestyle, but how exactly does this translate to a lower risk of diseases like cancer? We asked Bright Pink’s Medical Advisory Committee Member Elizabeth Hibler, PhD, MPH to weigh in on the benefits of physical activity in lowering a woman’s risk for breast and ovarian cancer. Here’s what we learned:

How does physical activity impact breast and ovarian cancer risk?

First, let’s clarify what “physical activity” means. Physical activity includes all physical movement you make throughout the day. Often we think of physical activity as the “exercise” we get (eg that morning workout or evening spin class). “Exercise” is intentional, planned physical activity, but the walking you do throughout the day, maybe on your commute or during work, also counts as toward your physical activity.

Many studies have shown that being physically active is connected with having a lower risk of cancer – as well as a lower risk of heart disease! How does physical activity decrease your risk? We know that staying active can help you keep your body at a healthy weight. When you stay at a healthy weight, you limit the amount of fat you carry in your body. Having more fat can expose you to more estrogen, a hormone that can increase your risk of developing breast cancer. Body composition plays a role as well. The goal is to be lean, meaning you have a relatively low body fat percentage and a higher lean muscle mass without being underweight.

Ideally, adults try to maintain a healthy weight throughout their lives and avoid gaining extra weight. However, if you are overweight or obese, losing weight and improving your body composition can have health benefits and lower your risk for cancer.

Research shows that physical activity and exercise can impact biological mechanisms in the body. Studies support that being more physically active can decrease inflammation and oxidative stress, improve immune function and alter exposure to sex hormones (such as estrogen). However, understanding the “how” physical activity impacts health in terms of biology gets very complicated, very quickly. We are learning more every day, but overall, the evidence supports that physical activity is crucial to health through a variety of biological mechanisms.

How active do you need to be to lower your risk?

Guidelines suggest 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week. What does that mean? Here we’ll explain three levels of physical activity “intensity”: low, moderate and high intensity. The intensity of an activity is determined by how much energy is needed to complete that activity, or how many calories are burned completing that activity. Any time we move our bodies, we’re burning calories, and any movement is better than no movement.

Ideally, adults should aim to include both moderate and high intensity activity in their routines along with strengthening and stretching exercises. Low intensity activities (such as walking a dog or hatha yoga/stretching) should not be counted out, as this type of activity can have health benefits too, especially for older adults.

Moderate intensity activities will increase your heart rate (while improving cardiorespiratory fitness), but you won’t be so out of breath that you can’t still hold a conversation. Examples of moderate intensity aerobic activities:

brisk walking (at least 2.5 miles per hour)
water aerobics
gardening
tennis (doubles)
biking slower than 10 miles per hour
weight lifting (depending on your effort)

High intensity activities require more effort. These activities will increase your heart rate even higher and make it more challenging to talk without losing your breath. Examples of high intensity aerobic activities:

hiking uphill or with a heavy backpack
running
swimming laps
tennis (singles)
cycling 10 miles per hour or faster
jumping rope
weight lifting (depending on your effort)

Does the type of exercise matter?

The most important thing is to try to increase your amount of physical activity beyond your usual daily activity level. When it comes to specific activities, most of the research is focused on exercises that increase your heart rate as well as strength training.

According to the American Heart Association, two or three 20- or 30-minute strength training sessions every week can result in significant health benefits, such as:

Increased muscle mass: We know that muscle mass naturally decreases as we age, but strength training can help slow or even reverse the trend.
Stronger bones: We know that strength training can help increase bone density, which reduces the risk of breaks or fractures.
Joint flexibility and balance: We know that strength training also helps with joint flexibility and balance. This can help in the long-term to reduce the symptoms of arthritis and injuries from falls.
Weight control: As discussed above, a lean body composition is recommended for cancer prevention. When you gain muscle, your body becomes better at burning calories, which can help reduce your overall weight by reducing body fat.

What should women keep in mind when they exercise to reduce risk?

First and foremost, be safe. Consult your doctor before you start any exercise program. Next, remember that any physical activity is beneficial to your health. So, go walk the dog! Don’t forget, reducing your risk of cancer also includes eating a healthy diet and limiting alcohol intake.

Also, because research is ongoing, keep in mind that these recommended guidelines may change over time. However, it’s unlikely that further research will reveal that exercise is bad for you…We know it’s good for us! We’re just trying to learn more about the how and why.

Are there any specific recommendations for women who are at a higher risk for breast and ovarian cancer?

At this time, there are no specific recommendations for women who are at a higher risk above and beyond those described above. The guidelines discussed in this article are recommended for all to improve health and reduce risk of cancer. Make sure to talk to a doctor before starting a new workout program, especially if you are recovering from something like a surgery.

The most important thing is to try to increase your amount of physical activity beyond your usual daily activity level. When it comes to specific activities, most of the research is focused on exercises that increase your heart rate as well as strength training.
Elizabeth Hibler, PhD, MPH

What is research looking into next when it comes to exercise and cancer risk?

Research is ongoing to understand more about the biological mechanisms of physical activity in reducing cancer risk. For example, research is looking to address questions like: Is the same intensity and type of activity good for everyone, and, can we get to the point where we can identify and prescribe vigorous intensity for some people and moderate for others, based on their biology?

Join Team Bright Pink

If you are interested in reducing your breast and ovarian cancer risk, consider joining Team Bright Pink to run the Chicago Marathon! FFC is the official training partner for Team Bright Pink and has helped runners train to finish a marathon for the past 8 years. When you join Team Bright Pink, you have access to FFC’s trainers and fitness instructors who can help you get fit and reduce your risk at the same time. We talked to FFC Exclusive Group Fitness Instructor (and Team Bright Pink alum!), Austin Head, about his tips for marathon training.

For those interested in running for Team Bright Pink, or just running in general to reduce their risk, what kind of exercises do you recommend for runners? Specific moves?/activities?

Austin: There are a lot of great exercises that can benefits runners. When runners incorporate cross-training into their schedules, there are a few moves in particular that can help them prevent injuries over the course of their training: squats, deadlifts, planks, lunges and calf raises.

A lot of people are leading pretty busy lives. What if you can’t get to the gym? Do you have any tips for working out at home?

Austin: Absolutely. When you have a busy schedule, it’s even more important to make an action plan for your training. And, if you miss a day in your training, don’t sweat it and pick back up where you left off.

If you can’t get to the gym, no problem. You can always go for a run outside, or if you want a strength workout, FFC just launched our FFC On Demand fitness app. This app gives you access to strength workouts that you can do on your own time right from your phone. You can try this free for 14 days at ffcondemand.com.

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It’s great to get moving – but it’s easy to go too hard too soon. How can you stay injury-free as you exercise?

Austin: Take your recovery days. I can’t stress that enough. This is something I personally struggle with too, but having days to recover is not only great for your body but your mind as well. Rest days are crucial to make sure you don’t get injured during your marathon training.

For more information on Team Bright Pink, please visit the Bright Pink website.

For more information, please visit the following sources that were referenced in this article:

American Cancer Society Guidelines on Nutrition and Physical Activity

Cancer Prevention Recommendations from the American Institute of Cancer Research

American Heart Association Recommendations For Physical Activity In Kids and Adults

Epidemiology and biology of physical activity and cancer recurrence

Impact of a diet and activity health promotion intervention on regional patterns of DNA methylation

Physical activity and breast cancer risk: the effect of menopausal status

Content provided by Bright Pink Medical Advisory Committee member Elizabeth Hibler, PhD, MPH, in partnership with FFC’s Natalie Casper and Austin Head.