Post-Practice Routine: Sports Cream

After a hard session of practice or an especially tiring game, you’ll likely suffer from sore muscles and joints. That is quite normal; you exert a lot of pressure on your muscles and joints and this invariably results in soreness.

To promote recovery, you’ll be advised to drinks lots of water to replace lost fluids as well as load up on carbohydrates and protein to replace those which you lost. Others also go for a body massage to ease the soreness of their body. However, one of the most immediate remedy to muscle soreness is applying topical sports cream to the aching parts of your body.

But wait, did you know that these sport creams can be lethal?

Yes, they can be fatal.

On 13th of April, 2007, a promising track and field high school athlete died in her sleep. Arielle Newman relieved her muscles pains by applying large amounts of sports cream. The doctors found out she died of an overdose of methyl salicylate, also known as salicyclic acid methyl ester. An overdose can likely occur when some uses more than the recommended amount of application for this product.

Although Newman’s case was not enough to give a clear link between overdose of methyl salicylate and consequent death, it is enough to increase awareness among consumers on products such as sports creams.

There were other products which were also used in excess and that how she ended up with high levels. It is also the use of the products over time and not just a single overuse which can cause severe side effects and, sometimes, death. Topical application of sports cream especially those containing methyl salicylate should not cover more than 40% of the body.

Not all over the counter drugs are safe; you must be a responsible consumer. Read labels, ask questions, and seek medical advice when in doubt. Newman’s death could have been prevented if reading labels and directions for use become a standard practice.

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Continuous intensive workout or training can result to essential nutrient depletion and electrolyte loss which leads to fatigue and dehydration.

Along with the fat and protein you burn, you also lose water and electrolytes through perspiration and other bodily functions. Replenishing the lost fluids after an especially hard practice is more important that than you know. Plus, you must also take in the right kinds of electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, etc.

A more detailed uptake on this subject can be found in this article by Shawn Dolan. Here is an excerpt of that very informative write-up:

“Electrolytes, the mineral salts that conduct the electrical energy of the body, perform a cellular balancing act by allowing nutrients into the cell, while helping to remove waste products. Certain elements, such as sodium, chloride, magnesium, calcium and potassium, play a primary role in cellular respiration – that of muscle contraction and nerve impulse transmission.”

It is important that you drink plenty of water after a brutal session at the gym or a practice. In addition to fluid replenishment, you also need to replace the protein and fat you burned. A big, healthy meal should always be part of your post-practice routine.

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5 Common Overtraining Symptoms – Which Do You Want To Overcome?

You want to achieve peak performance, just like any other athlete, so you push yourself harder each time, you drive yourself to achieve better and step up your game to the next level of performance.

There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s perfectly natural and that’s exactly the right attitude any athlete should have – the passion for achieving peak performance.

Unfortunately, in the urge for achieving performance, you tend to drive yourself too much, too hard; and sometimes a little too much that your body can’t keep up with the intensity of the physical exertions you demand from it and this, results to overtraining.

Overtraining is defined as the “emotional, behavioral and physical condition that occurs when the volume and intensity of an individual’s exercise exceeds their recovery capacity”.

Most weight training athletes experience this, although other athletes such as distance runners are also prone to overtraining. These athletes sometimes complain that they are too burned out and this is evident in their performance.

What are the five most common symptoms of overtraining? Do you experience any of them?

1. Fatigue or exhaustion – This is the most common sign of overtraining? Have you experienced being too tired after an intense workout? I bet you have…maybe once or twice a month. But if you feel tired almost after each workout then you’re already overtraining yourself and you need to stop!

2. Insomnia and altered sleep patterns – Sleep doesn’t come easily and if it does, you don’t really wake up fresh and invigorated after. You’re exhausted and irritable.

3. Increased levels of cortisol or stress hormone – Studies have linked the relationship between a high ratio of testosterone-cortisol levels to enhanced athletic performance. When overtraining sets in, testosterone levels decrease and cortisol levels increase. This hormonal changes invariably results to
a decrease in athletic performance.

4. Weight loss and decreased appetite – Athletes who overtrain also have the tendency to lose their appetites and as a consequence, lose weight as well. Losing weight, especially lean muscle mass is definitely a no-no for any athlete.

5. Decreased sports performance – Another symptom of overtraining is the apparent decrease in athletic performance – which is the cumulative result of all the symptoms of overtraining.

So how do you overcome overtraining?

The answer is very simple – plenty of rest.

The body badly needs the rest and recovery after such an intensive and hard-driven training. Your muscles need some time to repair and get back into shape. The longer the period for overtraining the longer also is the need for rest. A month of overtraining needs at least 3-5 days of rest for the body
to recover.

Enough rest along with a balanced diet, quality sleep, and emotional support are essential for a full recovery. It also critical that factors leading to overtraining are pointed out and addressed accordingly to prevent future recurrence.

Having the motivation and the drive to improve one’s athletic performance is indeed highly commendable but you must keep in mind not to do too much of a good thing because in the end, it will just prove to be not-so-good as it all seemed to be.

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Back Pain: A Common Sport Injury

Ask any athlete – professional or amateur – if they ever suffered from back pain.

The answer would be, more often than not, a resounding yes!

Athletes are not immune to back pain. After all those physical workouts and training, you might think that an athlete’s body is not all susceptible to back pain. Old people and those whose jobs require them to sit down for extensive hours are the ones who often complain of back pain. But yes, they can occasionally suffer from episodes of back pain.

After a really intense and competitive game, athletes can sometimes experience back pain due to ineffective warm up and cooling down exercises. Back pain can also be a sign of overtraining and it is an important indication that you are doing something wrong in your training.

Here are some techniques which sports therapists use to help athletes address back pain: methods of exercise, McKenzie Approach, and Dynamic Lumbar Stabilization. A more complete story on these techniques is available right here.

These techniques are safe and effective, and are most useful for athletes who want to get back to their previous physical condition. Sport injury rehabilitation and recovery is a long process.

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Stretching for Injury Prevention and Recovery

What’s the first thing you do when you wake up? Maybe check the time and see how many more minutes you have left to prepare for school or work? Well, maybe…

But isn’t it also a normal thing you do when you wake up – get up, yawn, and stretch yourself? You’ve also seen cats do this, haven’t you?

Stretching is a good way to improve flexibility and it can be a big help in injury prevention and recovery. When you warm up before your workout or before a competition, you usually do stretching exercises.

In sports, warm-ups and stretching exercises prior to a practice session or a big game is part of the routine. Muscles and joints are continuously getting more mobile with regular stretching exercises and you are less likely to sprain an ankle if you have a greater level of flexibility.

It can also help in injury recovery by helping that part of the body to gradually attain its former level of performance, or may even raise its level of fitness higher.

Whether you are doing stretches for flexibility or injury prevention and recovery, it is important that you do the routines right.

Make stretching a regular part of your routine!

For more tips and information, check out this Top 3 Sports Performance Tips free report!