As the temperature warms up and the end of school is in the near future, it is now time to start thinking about how you will use the summer months to meet your strength and conditioning goals.
Background Information
Having a basic understanding of how a strength and conditioning program should look will help you understand what exactly you should be doing this summer. You do not need to get caught up in all of the terminology, but understanding the basic cycles will help you avoid overuse injuries and maximize performance. All athletes should be following a year-round exercise program. This is called your macrocycle. Within your macrocycle will be four main mesocycles. To keep it simple, the four mesocycles for athletes are going to be pre-season, in-season, post-season, and off-season. Within each of these mesocycles there will be microcycles. These microcycles are going to be the individual strength and conditioning programs you use.
Strength and conditioning programs should be individualized and specialized to your body, your goals, and your mesocycle. There is no one-size-fits-all program. All of us are different heights, weights, speeds, and strengths, and we need different programs to maximize our individual strengths and attack our weaknesses.
What You Need to Know
When is your sports season? Knowing what time of year your sport takes place in will play a huge role in what your summer strength and conditioning program will look like.
If you play a summer sport, you are an in-season athlete. Your strength program should look to help you maintain your pre-season strength and help you avoid injury with corrective exercises. Use mobility movements and exercises that help release stiffness from competition and prepare you for upcoming contests.
Fall athletes will be in your pre-season program. This will be your max strength and power microcycles. Your goal will be to reach max strength, power, and speed by the time the summer is finished. Your body should be in peak condition as the season is ready to begin. This also includes proper rest for the body in the week leading up to fall season.
Winter athletes will be just finishing up your post-season training and looking to head right into your off-season workouts. The first microcycle of the off-season program should aim toward building the size, stability, and movement patterns needed for your strength and power phases in the pre-season.
If your sport is in the spring, then you are in your post season. This is a good time to use your summer strength and conditioning program to help your body recover and heal from any injuries or problems your body underwent in-season to prepare for off-season.
If you have any questions about a strength and conditioning program for yourself or your child, contact your local Bon Secours Sports Performance Coordinator and find out how we can individualize your program to maximize your athletic potential this summer.
We offer Summer Clinics for middle and high school students at our Bon Secours Sports Performance Center:
Memorial Regional Medical Center
8200 Meadowbridge Road
Suite 102
Mechanicsville, VA 23116
Phone: (804) 442-3670
Tuesdays and Thursdays,
June 20 – July 27, 2017
Price: $195
Middle School Clinic
Speed, agility, and introduction to strength training
10am – 11 am
High School Clinic
Speed, agility, and strength training
11am – 12pm
Spaces are limited. Call (804) 442-3670 to reserve your spot today!
A daily walking habit for 30 minutes is one of the easiest steps you can take to improve your health.
Not only does it reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes, but walking also decreases your risk for certain cancers and osteoporosis. You can improve your blood pressure, blood sugar, and blood cholesterols as well.
Walking doesn’t require a gym membership, special equipment, or training. It’s one of the simplest forms of exercise. Yet many people are hesitant to start a walking routine because they find it’s difficult to go much further than a few blocks.
It’s important to see a doctor if you find walking is painful, especially if your symptoms – leg pain, aching or cramping in the buttock, hip, thigh or calf pain – go away when you sit down to rest.
These symptoms could signal that you have peripheral arterial disease – a narrowing of the arteries that carry blood to the head, organs, arms, and legs. People who have PAD also have a greater risk of heart and stroke.
“You should always have a doctor check out why you’re having pain while walking,” said Dr. Jason Andre, MD, a vascular surgeon with Bon Secours Vein and Vascular Specialists. “It might be arthritis or a problem with a disc in your back. If it’s peripheral arterial disease, getting treatment could save a limb.”
Left untreated, PAD affects your circulation. If you develop a wound on your foot, it can become infected and lead to gangrene. People who have diabetes are particularly susceptible.
Leg pain is a typical symptom of PAD, but some people are asymptomatic. Other symptoms include:
A weak or absent pulse in the legs or feet.
Sores or wounds on the toes, feet, or legs that heal slowly, poorly, or not at all.
A pale or bluish color to the skin.
A lower temperature in one leg compared to the other.
Poor nail growth on the toes; decreased hair growth on the legs.
Erectile dysfunction, especially among men who have diabetes.
Although it might be painful to walk, walking has many benefits for people with PAD. Under a doctor’s supervision, walking can build up your stamina, improve your mobility and help your body grow new veins.
“Walking is good for everyone,” Dr. Andre said.
Richmond Cardiology Associates Vascular Clinic provides comprehensive services for the evaluation, diagnosis, and management of a full range of vascular diseases. For more information, visit us at HERE or call (804) 730-1481 to schedule an appointment.
We all know the importance of preventative visits and screenings to ensure optimal health.
Patients new to Medicare Part B are entitled to a one-time Welcome to Medicare Preventative Visit. One year after that, they may schedule Annual Wellness Visits. During these visits, health care providers and patients may discuss health problems, medications and making a plan for better health, as well as recommended shots and screenings.
It is important to remind friends, family members and neighbors about this service.
Bon Secours physicians can provide the Welcome to Medicare Preventative Visit and Annual Wellness Visit exams, free of cost to the patient. Medicare will be billed for the visits.
To schedule a Welcome to Medicare Preventative Visit or Annual Wellness Visit, patients should contact their primary care provider or find one at www.bonsecours.com.
Every 40 seconds, someone suffers a stroke in the United States. A stroke occurs when the blood supply to the brain is blocked by a blood clot, or when an aneurysm—a weakened area of a blood vessel that “balloons” over time—ruptures and causes bleeding in the brain. Both conditions reduce the brain’s oxygen supply and cells die.
Bon Secours St. Mary’s is the only non-academic facility to earn the highest level of stroke care certification in Virginia as a joint commission comprehensive stroke center.
Stroke is Preventable
Stroke is the leading cause of long-term disability and the fifth-leading cause of death in the U.S., but did you know that the National Stroke Association says that up to 80 percent of strokes are preventable?
Before a stroke strikes, become familiar with the factors that may put you at a higher risk for stroke. There are a number of risks that can be managed by altering lifestyle habits and some that cannot, including high blood pressure, diabetes, heart diseases, age, race, gender, or a family history of stroke.
Lifestyle changes can go a long way toward the prevention of a stroke. The National Stroke Association says there are ways to manage your risk outside of the doctor’s office and suggests the following.
Stop Smoking — Smoking accelerates clot formation, thickens blood, and increases the amount of plaque buildup in the arteries.
Adopt a Healthy Diet — Try to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, along with foods that are high in fiber. Limiting salt can help lower your blood pressure. Eating less cholesterol and fat, especially saturated fat and trans fats, may reduce the plaque in arteries.
Maintain a Healthy Weight—Carrying extra weight can make you more apt to develop high blood pressure, heart problems, and diabetes.
Be Active — Physical activity can help you lose weight and reduce stress—which can lower blood pressure.
Drink Less — Drinking too much alcohol can increase blood pressure and the risk of stroke.
Should you experience a stroke, there are experts ready to help. At Bon Secours Neuroscience Institute, physicians are standing by to treat blood clot–related strokes by administering clot-busting medications and with advanced neuroendovascular procedures that mechanically remove a clot from a blood vessel in the brain. Additionally, Bon Secours can treat an aneurysm-related stroke with neurointerventional surgery.
Remember, if you identify a friend, loved one, or perfect stranger showing signs of a stroke, BE FAST. You may just save a life.
B = Balance
Is the person experiencing a sudden loss of balance or coordination?
E = Eyes
Is the person having a sudden change in vision or trouble seeing?
F = Face Drooping.
Look at the person’s face. Does one side of their face droop? Ask them to smile. Is the smile lopsided?
A = Arm Weakness.
Is an arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise their arms. Does one arm drift down?
S = Speech Difficulty.
Is the person’s speech slurred? Ask the person to repeat a short phrase. “The silly dog is nice.” Are they slurring their words or completely unable to repeat the sentence?
T = Time to Call 911!
If a person shows any of these signs, call 911 immediately. Call even if the symptoms appear to go away. Tell emergency responders that you believe the person is having a stroke and note the time that symptoms first occurred.
These two buzz words are definitely making an impact on the food industry these days with many new foods being marketed as beneficial for containing pre- and probiotics. But what are they? And why should I care if they are in my food?
Probiotics: gut-friendly bacteria. The human body naturally has hundreds of different types (strains) of bacteria, some good and some bad. Probiotics are helpful live bacteria and/or yeast that can balance out the types of bacteria already living in your gut. These “good bacteria” can help decrease chronic gas, bloating, diarrhea, and constipation, and increase immune system functions among other things.
Prebiotics: food for the probiotics. These are fiber-containing foods that help the good bacteria (probiotics) survive and flourish in the gut. Natural prebiotics include fibers from fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans.
Some great natural food sources of probiotics include yogurts, kefir, and kombucha. Foods that come with both probiotics and prebiotics include fermented raw sauerkraut and kimchi. Check out this easy recipe to make your own sauerkraut at home. http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-homemade-sauerkraut-in-a-mason-jar-193124
By Abby Forman, Registered Dietitian with Bon Secours Physical Therapy & Sports Performance
