Critical Cool Downs

I had a great chat yesterday with the head coach of the York Track & Field team. We were discussing the importance of a good cool down. A lot of athletes take time to warm their bodies up – jogging, lunges, dynamic drills (lunges, As and Bs, etc), strides, even “keep up” with hockey players. Then there are on field or on ice warm ups that are meant to practice a few skills before competition.

Athletes try to time their food intake and water intake just right so to enhance their performance. For example, there is the sipping technique used by runners, where they drink only little sips of water in the last hour or so before the race. And hockey players get their Gatorade and granola bars between on-ice warm up and the first period. Rugby players down almost half a litre of water right before the game starts!

But as soon as the competition is over very few athletes go through a thorough cool down. Even after practices, everyone is rushing off to get to something else. The only problem is these athletes are missing the most important part!

Recovery is important as it prepares the athlete for the next practice or competition. Drinking enough fluids to replace what’s lost in the workout or competition, eating a mostly protein mix within 45 minutes of finishing, and repeating a good portion of the warm up. So jogging, lunges, dynamic drills, and now some static stretching. The body will be loosened up, toxins will be flushed out, and muscles relaxed. Joints will become more mobile, the circulation system will return to resting levels faster, and injuries will be avoided.

The better the recovery, the harder you can train or compete the next day.

Why don’t athletes stretch??!

I can remember years ago, a friend of mine, who was a pro cyclist, telling me she never stretched. I was a personal trainer at the time and always advocated that she start to stretch. She told me that she would spend 25 hours a week on her bike and at the end of the day felt that she had done enough and was too tired to stretch. She started to stretch when she sustained an injury and the doctor told her she really needed to take stretching more seriously!

Fast forward a few years and I am now working with a junior hockey team and division 1 rugby team. I know more about stretching now than I did when I was just training and can you believe hardly any of my athletes stretch! Hockey in general is bad for stretching. I guess it isn’t cool and the same excuse comes out: not enough time. After a rugby game, my girls are tired and ready for a beer. After a hockey game, the boys are ready for bed (and likely a beer that I don’t hear about). I am still personal training and very few of my clients, at the end of our sessions, will stop and stretch. Most are rushing out to get on with their day, my calls for stretching lost in the breeze.

I have been a collegiate athlete in the past and always found stretching to be part of the routine. After a track workout, you stretch. After a long run, you stretch. I still do the same today. I have a rug in my small apartment placed there specifically for stretching after my runs. The odd occasion I too am running on with my day and leave the stretching behind. But 9 out of 10 times I get down on the ground and stretch.

We don’t take enough time in our days to move our bodies and get our joints through their full range of motion. Do you ever put your arms up over your head or reach behind you? Does your heel ever reach your butt? Can you get into a lunge position? And lastly, can you extend your back and lean backwards?? Many people just can’t get into these positions. Children can do it, but as adults we train ourselves out of these positions.

Stretching when the muscles are warm is so vital for good health. Holding the stretches allows you to get a full relaxation of the muscle and get to know your body better. Being on the floor while stretching allows your joints and tendons to relax and allow the muscles to really extend. We can solve and prevent so many problems by simply stretching.

I was at a Rugby Ontario tournament a few weeks ago and had an athlete approach me with knee pain. I showed him how to stretch while we waited to use the massage table. Guess what! The pain went away right away when he started to stretch. And this has been my experience working with athletes and avid exercisers – some pain can be resolved by simply stretching!

Tight people get injured.

Get down on the floor after your workouts or games and stretch. Save time for it. Your body will thank you! And as you get into your later years in life, you’ll appreciate a bit of flexibility when you drop something on the floor or need to put pants on!

We are doing stretching seminars all the time at Dynamic Living. In Toronto and in Gormley. Whatever your sport, you need to stretch.

Jen Mark BSc., CAT(C), CSCS
Dynamic Living

Concussions in the Classroom

Exceptions need to be made for invisible injuries.

High schools across the country are filled with student athletes. Some play within the school system and some are involved in sports above the high school level. Students that participate in contact sports have a special risk; concussions. The percentage of student athletes who get concussions will likely never be known since most do not report any symptoms. But what about those who do report how they feel? Are we protecting them enough in the classroom? Is it worth it for these athletes to explain to their teachers what has happened?

I’ve noticed that most coaches and players don’t fully understand concussions, even though they are around the sport and probably see them all the time. What about teachers in the schools? Especially those that have nothing to do with sport or fitness? It seems many of them are not sensitive to the injuries that are invisible.

Often with concussions it is difficult for the student to concentrate without getting a headache. There is often a sensitivity to lights and noise, which happens in high schools and elementary schools. The prescribed treatment for concussions is to stay home and do nothing; no TV, no video games, and no school work – they need to let the brain rest. I have had many athletes who have had to take a week off or more from school. That week is generally filled with sleeping and being in the dark. This is what is best for a concussion to heal properly. Upon returning to school the student needs to catch up with school work and get comfortable being in the classroom again. Teachers need to allow this transition time – allow for more time on assignments and perhaps guidance.

When a student returns to school around exam time, they need those extensions in order to regain confidence and do well academically. Teachers need to allow the student to finish their term papers in an appropriate amount of time and allowed to study for each exam accordingly. We are not talking about adults, who are often less affected by concussions. Student athletes are a special bred. They are in the middle of their learning and their brain is forming into a mature adult brain.

We need to help our student athletes achieve greatness on the field and in the classroom. Teachers need to be sensitive to head traumas and help students through these often difficult times. Exceptions are made in the “real” working world and we need to have them in the classroom.

Jen Mark BSc., CAT(C), CSCS
jen@bodysmithinternational.com