Are you fit for the sports season?

Whether rugby or hockey is your game or you are just trying to keep fit, here are a few of our top tips to get the most out of your body this season.

1. Keep hydrated

2. Keep yourself fit to exercise

3. Eat healthily

4. Treat knocks and niggles sensibly

5. Consider the use of massage therapy

1. Keep hydrated

'When in training your water bottle is just as important as your rugby boots.'

Research

Studies have shown that the amount we sweat during a workout has a direct effect on our blood volume. When our blood volume drops our heart has to work harder to pump our blood around our body, leading to muscle cramps, dizziness and fatigue. These symptoms can effect your overall performance and may also be a serious risk to your health.

Causes of Dehydration

o Inadequate fluid intake

- Training in dry, hot weather

- Drinking only when thirsty

- Excessive sweating

Maintaining Adequate Fluid Intake

It is important to drink small amounts of fluid frequently during an event, between 500-800mls per hour is generally sufficient. During long events (a half/full marathon) you will need a drink which contains carbohydrate (up to 10% solution) and dilute amounts of sodium and potassium, as the body will begin to use its natural stores of these when exercising for more than 90 minutes. Even when training for short periods it is worth making the effort to practice drinking small amounts of fluid so that it becomes a habit during competition.

2. Keep yourself fit for Exercise

We often go into exercise with the idea “the harder we work the healthier we will be”. Although this is not completely untrue, it is important to remember that we also need to keep fit so we can exercise. So here are some guidelines.

- Increase training gradually, don't try to do too much too soon.

- Warm up before you work out. This will increase the blood flow to muscles and other soft tissues, an important factor in avoiding damage to ligaments, muscles and tendons.

- Following your warm up, perform stretches to your arms, back and legs. Stretching should be gentle movements, do not try to force the stretch by bouncing or over reaching and it should not be painful. Each stretch should last between 20-30 seconds. Research has shown that this is a sufficient amount of time to lengthen the visco-elastic properties of the muscle.

- Cool down. This stage of a training regime is often over looked. This stage in your training should last between 5-10 minutes, gradually reducing your efforts until your heart rate returns to normal. It should also involve the stretches you did during your warm up. Doing this will reduce/prevent muscle stiffness post training.

3. Healthy Eating

What we take into our body directly effects how our bodies perform. Here are a few important tips to get you started.

1. Eat the right amount of calories for your activity levels. For example, men should consume around 2,500 calories per day and women 2,000 calories per day. Michael Phelps, an Olympic swimmer would consume around 12,000 calories per day! This is because he needs to balance the amount of energy he consumes with the amount of energy he uses.

2. Eat more fish. Fish is an excellent source of protein that contains many vitamins and minerals. Aim for at least two portions a week, with at least one portion of oily fish, such as salmon, fresh tuna, trout, mackerel and sardines. These fish are high in omega-3 fats which help to prevent heart disease.

3. Cut down on saturated fats and sugar. It is important to have some fat in our diet but it's also important to pay attention to the type of fats we're eating. There are two main types of fat: saturated and unsaturated. Too much saturated fat can increase our cholesterol which then increases our risk of developing heart disease. Sugary foods and drinks are often high in calories and contribute to our weight gain. Food labels can help us. As a general rule, when a food has more than 15g of sugar per 100g it is considered to be high in sugar, when it has less than 5g of sugar per 100g it is considered to be low in sugar.

4. Eat less salt. Even if you don't add salt to your food, you may still be eating too much. Eating too much salt can raise your blood pressure and this increases our risk of developing heart disease or having a stroke. Again looking at your food labels can help and as a general rule more than 1.5g of salt per 100g means the food is high in salt. Adults should eat no more than 6g of salt per day.

5. Eat your 5 a day. We all recognise the adage “5 a day” but have you ever tried it? It can be really hard. Try and get into habits such as slicing banana onto your cereal, having a piece of fruit for a snack and having a glass of fresh juice each day. Throwing together a smoothie now and then may seem tiresome but one smoothie can contain as many as 3 of our 5 a day, not to mention there extremely tasty.

4. How to deal with Knocks and Niggles

Many minor injuries are not severe but should be treated correctly from the outset. If you do have any immediate swelling or are unsure about the nature of your injury then please don't hesitate to contact us.

Self treatment advice

- Rest. First of all take a break from your training for up to 72 hours in order to allow the body’s natural healing process to take effect. Complete rest is unnecessary, just as long as you avoid activity that causes pain.

- Ice and elevate. Apply ice as soon as possible. Frozen vegetables can be very helpful as the bag can mould around the contours of the joint involved. Remember to protect your skin from getting burnt so always apply a damp towel between your skin and the ice. The general guidelines for applying ice are no longer than 10-15 minutes every two hours.

- If at any time you feel unsure or worried that something more severe has happened then please seek our advice. From our findings we will be able to tell you what is wrong and how we can get you back to your training as soon as possible.

5. Look after yourself with a Sports Massage

Whether you are training, getting ready for an event, just finished an event, trying to prevent an injury or recovering from an injury, a sports massage can help to optimise your performance.

The techniques used in a sports massage are designed to break down tension and lengthen soft tissue in order to optimise there ability to stretch and contract during your training regime. In addition to this, at a physiological level, the health of your soft tissues will improve as the lactic acid is drained and the circulation is increased.

All of these effects and more will boost your performance, reduce pain, increase relaxation, prevent injury and break down any scar tissue build up, allowing you to get the most out of your body.