3 Tips to Prevent Achilles Tendonitis

Although runners experience tendonitis more commonly than those of us who use other equipment to get our cardio workouts in, you might have felt pain in your Achilles tendon.  Achilles tendonitis is one of the most common running injuries.  

Here are a few tips to help protect you from injury:

Replace your running shoes before they lose the ability to protect your tendon.  Many runners suffering from tendonitis are 'heel strikers'.  The sole located at the back outside margin of the shoe wears compressing the mid-sole.  The result to the body, is overstretching of the tendon during this 'heel strike'.  Look for this wear and tear before it is too late.

Maintain proper form.  Foot strike is a small part of your running form.  The role your upper body plays in balance and posture is more important.  Avoid stress on your tendon by keeping an upright posture looking forward; however, don't lean forward- you don't want your head in front of your feet.

Get the right running shoes.  Get shoes that can absorb the shock and force of heel strikes.  A shoe with a low profile around the heel provides more support and shock absorption to the heel and Achilles tendon.

Here are a few stretches to help protect you from injury:

In Health, 

Zeke Samples - IFA, - IDEA

Surrealbody@gmail.com

Thera-Cane: Possibly the Last Massage Device You Will Ever Use

Best Massage Device

Product At-A-Glance

TREAT YOURSELF TO DEEP RELIEF FROM PAINFUL, KNOTTED, SPASMED MUSCLES - EVEN IN THE MIDDLE OF YOUR BACK!
This amazingly simple, yet effective self-massager makes it easy to apply pain-relieving deep compression directly to hard, knotted "trigger points" anywhere they occur - breaking up tension even in the hardest-to-reach muscles between your shoulder blades! If you have limited strength or mobility, Thera Cane's patented design gives you all the reach and leverage you need! Thera Cane is a self massager used to apply pressure to sore muscles. The unique design of the Thera Cane lets you apply deep pressure massage to hard to reach areas of your body on your own.

HOW DOES IT WORK?THE LEVEL OF PRESSURE WILL DEPEND upon the application. For example, back muscles need more pressure than forearm muscles. A level of pressure midway between painful and pleasurable ("hurts so good") is suggested after the breaking in period. Apply pressure gradually increasing it as you work the ball into the muscle. If the tenderness decreases while pressing, press harder or move the ball slightly to relocate the most sensitive part of the trigger point. If a muscle is extra tender, work on the surrounding area before zeroing in on the more sensitive spot.

• While applying adequate pressure slowly move the ball back and forth across the trigger point. A gentle wiggle helps to burrow into the muscle.
• Press directly on the trigger point and hold for five to ten seconds, release and repeat a few times. It is advisable to avoid this technique for the front and side of the neck muscles since this area is very easy to overdue (use your fingers for these areas). This method is more suited for areas of thick muscle mass and only after becoming familiar with your own pressure limits.
• A systematic approach regardless of the technique used will heighten your awareness and give you the best results.

Product Up Close

THE THERA CANE WAS DEVELOPED by a chronic pain patient to help relieve his own discomfort resulting from neck surgery and a herniated disc in his back. By using the Thera Cane along with a daily stretching routine he has obtained long lasting relief.Pressure applied to the muscles by the Thera Cane helps to maximize the flow of oxygenated blood to the muscles. This pressure aids in restoring muscle function by breaking up adhesions in muscle fibers and tendons. The increased circulation helps the muscle to work more efficiently.

EMPOWERMENT
The Thera Cane provides temporary relief from muscular tension, stiffness, tenderness and soreness. It's simple to use and it puts relief where it belongs, in your hands. The personal involvement necessary for using the Cane leads to an increased desire to take more responsibility for one's own health. Using the Thera Cane regularly will put you in touch with your body, closer than you've ever been before, not to mention putting you in control of minor muscular aches and pains. You are never alone when you have your Thera Cane with you.

PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS
We all have muscles that occasionally get sore. It might go unnoticed until we reach for something, or bend over. Sometimes a twist or turn is all it takes. This might produce a crick in your neck or a hot spot between your shoulder blades. Either way it can hurt and it just won't seem to go away. We've all tried rubbing the muscle to make the pain lessen. However, it's hard to get in deep enough, or do it long enough, maybe you just can't reach the spot on your own. With the Thera Cane you can apply deep pressure massage to the back, neck, shoulders, legs, hips, arms, buttocks, anywhere and everywhere... and we show you how.

PROVEN PROFESSIONAL RESULTS
The Thera Cane is used by thousands of health care professionals in a wide variety of clinical settings. Therapists and Doctors from many specialties are making the Thera Cane an integral part of treatment for their patients who suffer from muscular pain and discomfort. 

Read what some have to say:

"Knowledge of knowing how to use The Thera Cane has allowed me to continue to help my clients past various pains and injuries that have limited either their range of motion or confidence in completing exercises.  The health benefits and pain relief has far surpassed traditional ways of muscle tension; the very reason I use it before each workout on the clients that need the relief." - Zeke Samples, P.T.; IDEA, IFA (@SurrealBodyZeke: Twitter, Owner, SurrealBodySolutions.com).

"The Thera Cane is a great product and I will continue to promote its use with my patients." - B. Hudson, P.T

"Your Thera Cane is making a difference between taking meds and dealing with my muscle pain drug-free." 

- Susan

Product Specifications:

Weight: 1 lb. Length: 24" Width: 15" Diameter: 1"

Unique patented design, four patents awarded. 

TheraCane Exercises

Click HERE for How to Order

In Health, 

Zeke Samples - IFA, - IDEA

Contributing author for www.FitAphrodite.com

surrealbody@gmail.com

Pre-Exercise Stretching Importance

 Did you know pre-exercise stretching is generally unnecessary and likely counterproductive?  Most people stretch to prime muscles for the workout to come, but there are some misconceptions that stretching before an activity will prevent injury.

Muscles may actually lose flexibility when they are overworked.  This can create a risk for decreased strength, especially if you are doing weight-bearing activities.  

  

Most people should consider adding more warm-up routines and cutting back from intensive stretching before exercise.  For example, an exercise that includes light stretching, like jumping jacks, can prepare the body for intensive activity without making the muscles vulnerable to overwork.  Then spend more time on recovery stretching afterwards.  

"If someone is jogging or walking, I recommend a gentle warm-up that takes less than a minute to stretch the quadriceps, hamstrings and calves," says Richard Cotton, the national director of certification at the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). "I feel better when I do that, but I wouldn't mandate it for every client. There is value in stretching to increase range of motion and enhance activities of daily life."
 

Stretching has benefits because when combined with flexibility training it can give people a wider range of motion in their joints.  This can help in daily activities, balance and posture, which are important in preventing falls and injuries as people age.  I can help tailor the amount and type of stretching based on your individual need.

In Health, 

Zeke Samples - IFA, - IDEA

Contributing author for www.FitAphrodite.com

surrealbody@gmail.com

5 Reasons to Exercise (Part 1)

5 Reasons To Exercise (Part 1 of 3)

Yes, even I have days where you just don't feel like exercising...It's Normal..

You feel too busy, too stressed, and even too tired.

Maybe you forget about all the amazing benefits that a consistent, and challenging exercise routine gives you. 

My job is to remind you..

Over the next week, I will be blogging a list of 15 of the Top Reasons to Exercise, divided into three parts. I want you to pull out this list and read it when you're having one of those days that you don't want to workout.

5 Reasons to Exercise:

1. To Be Happier

Exercise has been shown to stimulate brain chemicals that induce relaxation and happiness. When you're having a bad day, lace up your shoes for an invigorating workout and feel happier.

2. To Reduce Disease

Exercise has been proven to reduce the risk of pretty much every single health problem known to man, from stroke, to heart disease, cancer to osteoporosis. Exercise is also a great defense against Type 2 Diabetes, one of the most widely growing diseases of our time.

3. To Look Amazing

Exercise firms your muscles, improves your posture, and even makes your skin glow. Looking amazing is a wonderful result of regular exercise. It's very rewarding when the people in your life start to notice your transformation!!

4. To Reach Your Goal Weight

Exercise burns fat and helps you keep it off. If you want to have a leaner, healthier body, exercise is your BEST answer.

5. To Be Energized

Remember that feeling you experience after a great workout? You're body is buzzing with energy, you're less easily irritated, and feel more peaceful.

- Zeke Samples -

Dissolve Kidney Stones Naturally! Asparagus..

10 Health Benefits of Asparagus

1. Helps Relieve Arthritis and Rheumatism

2. Helps Relieve Symptoms of PMS

3. Prevents Progression of Cataracts

4. Helps Control Blood Sugar

5. Great Source of Folic Acid During Pregnancy

6. Reduces Acidity in Blood

7. Helps Prevent and Dissolve Kidney Stones

8. Strengthens Heart

9. Diuretic

10. Cancer Prevention

- Zeke Samples -