There is something I love about making things that can easily be purchased. It usually means spending more on ingredients and coming up with a subpar version of something. I once spent $35 on ingredients to make tonic water which costs about one dollar! But these sports drinks are cost effective and easy to make and your Woodbridge, Dale City VA Chiropractor has a few for you to try.
Maple Sports Drink
This easy-to-make, maple syrup-flavored recipe is delicious and settles well because it is not acidic, says recipe developer and author Nancy Clark, RD. “When you are working out for more than an hour, enjoy this all-natural sports beverage to energize your workouts,” she says. (If you dig natural syrups, try this molasses recovery shake, too.)
3 3/4 cups cold water
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
Mix all ingredients together in a 1-quart bottle.
Shake well and enjoy!
Yield: 1 quart.
Note: Maple syrup is also a tasty alternative to energy gels. Put some in a small flask and take nips during extended exercise.
“Greaterade”
When the Golden State Warriors decided to ban commercial sports drinks and started making their own with Himalayan sea salt, Chef John of FoodWishes in San Francisco was inspired to try his own—with less sugar. “You can tweak this recipe to create your perfect formula,” he says. (This is how much sodium you really need each day.)
8 cups fresh cold water
3 tablespoons honey, or other sweetener to taste
1/2 teaspoon fine *Himalayan pink salt (mine was coarsely ground, so I used a rounded 1/2 teaspoon), or sea salt (or any pure salt)
3/4 teaspoon calcium magnesium powder (I used NOW Foods Cal-Mag Citrate)
pinch cayenne
3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2 lemons, juiced
2 limes, juiced
Pour 1 cup of water into a large pot.
Add honey, salt, calcium-magnesium powder, and cayenne.
Place pot over low heat and whisk until ingredients have dissolved.
Remove from heat and allow to return to room temperature.
Add juices to room temperature mixture in pot.
Pour in remaining 7 cups water and whisk until well blended.
Hopefully summer sports will be in full swing this year. So now is the time for the young athletes to start preparing! Your Woodbridge Dale City VA chiropractor has some tips to get them back out there without injury.
The majority, if not all, sports are good, provided that the child prepares appropriately,” says Timothy Ray, DC, a member of the American Chiropractic Association’s Council on Sports Injuries and Physical Fitness. “Without proper preparation, playing any sport can turn into a bad experience. There are structural and physical developmental issues that need to be taken into consideration before children undertake certain sports.”
Highly competitive sports such as football, gymnastics and wrestling follow rigorous training schedules that can be potentially dangerous to an adolescent or teenager. The best advice for parents who have young athletes in the family is to help them prepare their bodies and to learn to protect themselves from sports related injuries before they happen.
“Proper warm up, stretching and strength-training exercises are essential for kids involved in sports, but many kids learn improper stretching or weight-lifting techniques, making them more susceptible to injury,” says Steve Horwitz, DC, an ACA member from Silver Spring, Md., and former member of the U.S. Summer Olympic medical team. “Parents need to work with their kids and make sure they receive the proper sports training.”
“Young athletes should begin with a slow jog as a general warm-up, followed by a sport-specific warm-up. They should then stretch all the major muscle groups,” says Dr. Horwitz. “Kids need to be instructed in appropriate exercises for each sport to prevent injuries.”
Proper nutrition and hydration are also extremely vital. “While an ordinary person may need to drink eight to 10 8-ounce glasses of water each day, athletes need to drink even more than that for proper absorption. Breakfast should be the most important meal of the day. Also, eating a healthy meal two to four hours before a practice or a game and another within one to two hours after a game or practice allows for proper replenishment and refuels the body,” adds Dr. Horwitz.
Young athletes today often think they are invincible. The following tips can help ensure your child does not miss a step when it comes to proper fitness, stretching, training and rest that the body needs to engage in sporting activities.
Encourage your child to:
Wear the proper equipment. Certain contact sports, such as football and hockey, can be dangerous if the equipment is not properly fitted. Make sure all equipment, including helmets, pads and shoes fit your child or adolescent. Talk to your child’s coach or trainer if the equipment is damaged.
Eat healthy meals. Make sure your young athlete is eating a well-balanced diet and does not skip meals. Avoid high-fat foods, such as candy bars and fast food. At home, provide fruit rather than cookies, and vegetables rather than potato chips.
Maintain a healthy weight. Certain sports, such as gymnastics, wrestling and figure skating, may require your young athlete to follow strict dietary rules. Be sure your child does not feel pressured into being too thin and that he/she understands that proper nutrition and caloric intake is needed for optimal performance and endurance.
Drink water. Hydration is a key element to optimal fitness. Teenage athletes should drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day. Younger athletes should drink five to eight 8-ounce glasses of water.
Drink milk. Make sure your child has enough calcium included in his/her diet. For children over 2 years of age, ACA recommends 1 percent or skim milk rather than whole milk. Milk is essential for healthy bones and reduces the risk of joint and muscle related injuries.
Avoid sugar-loaded, caffeinated and carbonated drinks. Sports drinks are a good source of replenishment for those kids engaged in long duration sports, such as track and field.
Follow a warm-up routine. Be sure your child or his/her coach includes a warm-up and stretching session before every practice, game or meet. A slow jog, jumping rope and/or lifting small weights reduces the risk of torn or ripped muscles. Flexibility is key when pushing to score that extra goal or make that critical play.
Take vitamins daily. A multi-vitamin and Vitamin C are good choices for the young athlete. Vitamin B and amino acids may help reduce the pain from contact sports. Thiamine can help promote healing. Also consider Vitamin A to strengthen scar tissue.
Avoid trendy supplements. Kids under the age of 18 should avoid the use of performance-enhancing supplements, such as creatine. Instead, they should ask their coach or trainer to include weekly weight training and body-conditioning sessions in their workout.
Get plenty of rest. Eight hours of sleep is ideal for the young athlete. Lack of sleep and rest can decrease performance. Sluggishness, irritability and loss of interest could indicate that your child is fatigued.
We have all been on lock down for a few months and are just now getting moving. In some cases, I literally mean moving. So, before you look to get into your sports and outdoor activities your Woodbridge, Dale City VA Chiropractor has some ways to do it safe.
Anyone who concentrates all their exercise into 1 or 2 intense bouts a week could be considered a weekend warrior. But physicians agree that weekend warriors tend to be men older than 30, especially former competitive athletes who expect their bodies to adapt to—and recover from—activity the same way it did when they were teenagers.
But even people who are not super athletes can suffer injuries if they do intense activities over the course of a day or two, such as a weekend of yard work or cleaning gutters.
The types of injuries that frequently occur for weekend warriors are:
Muscle strains, such as hamstring injuries
Ligament sprains, particularly ankle sprains
Tendonitis in the Achilles tendon and elsewhere
Shin splints
Shoulder or rotator cuff injuries
Nearly all of these types of injuries can be resolved by following the RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevate) protocol. If pain lasts longer than a few weeks or doesn’t improve, make an appointment to see your doctor.
The main trigger for weekend warrior injuries is the abrupt transition from little or no activity to intense bouts of it. Muscles and soft tissues need gradual conditioning to perform at their best.
To prevent this, it’s important to exercise more regularly, if possible. Even if your main period of activity is on the weekends, try to fit in at least 1 or 2 periods of exercise on weekdays.
Build up activity slowly.
If you’ve been inactive for most of the winter or you’re starting training for a marathon in the fall, gradually increase your exercise time and intensity each week.
Warm up.
Before you jump into activity, warm up your muscles with 10 minutes of moderately paced activity like jogging, for example.
Stretch.
After doing a few minutes of light exercise, stretch your major muscle groups, such as your quads and hamstrings, as well as any muscles that will be heavily used during your chosen activity. You can also benefit from using a foam roller before you stretch, which has been shown to increase flexibility and lessen post-exercise pain.
Don’t forget to stretch after you finish exercising too. The findings about the benefits of pre-exercise stretching are mixed, but stretching after exercise has clear benefits for decreasing soreness and helping muscle tissue return to its normal state.
Use proper technique and proper equipment.
It may help to consult a coach, trainer, or physical therapist if you’re new to a sport or piece of equipment.
Find an exercise program.
A class or race training group can help you set a good pace for working toward your exercise goals.
Don’t push through serious pain.
Mild muscle soreness is normal after a workout, but stop exercising if you experience sudden, piercing pain or if you have pain that’s getting steadily worse.
With all the sports off the table right now it doesn’t mean they won’t return. So, in this time of limbo it is still good for kids to stay in shape for the return of their beloved sports! Us old people are dealing with injuries we experienced as kids, so take some of that wisdom and apply it to them. Here are some pretty solid tips from your Woodbridge, Dale City VA chiropractor to help you help them.
The majority, if not all, sports are good, provided that the child prepares appropriately,” says Timothy Ray, DC, a member of the American Chiropractic Association’s Council on Sports Injuries and Physical Fitness. “Without proper preparation, playing any sport can turn into a bad experience. There are structural and physical developmental issues that need to be taken into consideration before children undertake certain sports.”
Highly competitive sports such as football, gymnastics and wrestling follow rigorous training schedules that can be potentially dangerous to an adolescent or teenager. The best advice for parents who have young athletes in the family is to help them prepare their bodies and to learn to protect themselves from sports related injuries before they happen.
“Proper warm up, stretching and strength-training exercises are essential for kids involved in sports, but many kids learn improper stretching or weight-lifting techniques, making them more susceptible to injury,” says Steve Horwitz, DC, an ACA member from Silver Spring, Md., and former member of the U.S. Summer Olympic medical team. “Parents need to work with their kids and make sure they receive the proper sports training.”
“Young athletes should begin with a slow jog as a general warm-up, followed by a sport-specific warm-up. They should then stretch all the major muscle groups,” says Dr. Horwitz. “Kids need to be instructed in appropriate exercises for each sport to prevent injuries.”
Proper nutrition and hydration are also extremely vital. “While an ordinary person may need to drink eight to 10 8-ounce glasses of water each day, athletes need to drink even more than that for proper absorption. Breakfast should be the most important meal of the day. Also, eating a healthy meal two to four hours before a practice or a game and another within one to two hours after a game or practice allows for proper replenishment and refuels the body,” adds Dr. Horwitz.
Young athletes today often think they are invincible. The following tips can help ensure your child does not miss a step when it comes to proper fitness, stretching, training and rest that the body needs to engage in sporting activities.
Encourage your child to:
Wear the proper equipment. Certain contact sports, such as football and hockey, can be dangerous if the equipment is not properly fitted. Make sure all equipment, including helmets, pads and shoes fit your child or adolescent. Talk to your child’s coach or trainer if the equipment is damaged.
Eat healthy meals. Make sure your young athlete is eating a well-balanced diet and does not skip meals. Avoid high-fat foods, such as candy bars and fast food. At home, provide fruit rather than cookies, and vegetables rather than potato chips.
Maintain a healthy weight. Certain sports, such as gymnastics, wrestling and figure skating, may require your young athlete to follow strict dietary rules. Be sure your child does not feel pressured into being too thin and that he/she understands that proper nutrition and caloric intake is needed for optimal performance and endurance.
Drink water. Hydration is a key element to optimal fitness. Teenage athletes should drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day. Younger athletes should drink five to eight 8-ounce glasses of water.
Drink milk. Make sure your child has enough calcium included in his/her diet. For children over 2 years of age, ACA recommends 1 percent or skim milk rather than whole milk. Milk is essential for healthy bones and reduces the risk of joint and muscle related injuries.
Avoid sugar-loaded, caffeinated and carbonated drinks. Sports drinks are a good source of replenishment for those kids engaged in long duration sports, such as track and field.
Follow a warm-up routine. Be sure your child or his/her coach includes a warm-up and stretching session before every practice, game or meet. A slow jog, jumping rope and/or lifting small weights reduces the risk of torn or ripped muscles. Flexibility is key when pushing to score that extra goal or make that critical play.
Take vitamins daily. A multi-vitamin and Vitamin C are good choices for the young athlete. Vitamin B and amino acids may help reduce the pain from contact sports. Thiamine can help promote healing. Also consider Vitamin A to strengthen scar tissue.
Avoid trendy supplements. Kids under the age of 18 should avoid the use of performance-enhancing supplements, such as creatine. Instead, they should ask their coach or trainer to include weekly weight training and body-conditioning sessions in their workout.
Get plenty of rest. Eight hours of sleep is ideal for the young athlete. Lack of sleep and rest can decrease performance. Sluggishness, irritability and loss of interest could indicate that your child is fatigued.
Well summer is here and time for the weekend sports to begin! Which means tons of new injuries. As your chiropractor in the Woodbridge, Dale City VA area I encourage getting out there from an overall health stand point. Of course, getting injured is a bad idea. So, here are some tips to help you prevent injury.
Anyone who concentrates all their exercise into 1 or 2 intense bouts a week could be considered a weekend warrior. But physicians agree that weekend warriors tend to be men older than 30, especially former competitive athletes who expect their bodies to adapt to—and recover from—activity the same way it did when they were teenagers.
But even people who are not super athletes can suffer injuries if they do intense activities over the course of a day or two, such as a weekend of yard work or cleaning gutters.
The types of injuries that frequently occur for weekend warriors are:
Muscle strains, such as hamstring injuries
Ligament sprains, particularly ankle sprains
Tendonitis in the Achilles tendon and elsewhere
Shin splints
Shoulder or rotator cuff injuries
Nearly all of these types of injuries can be resolved by following the RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevate) protocol. If pain lasts longer than a few weeks or doesn’t improve, make an appointment to see your doctor.
Prevent injuries before they occur
The main trigger for weekend warrior injuries is the abrupt transition from little or no activity to intense bouts of it. Muscles and soft tissues need gradual conditioning to perform at their best.
To prevent this, it’s important to exercise more regularly, if possible. Even if your main period of activity is on the weekends, try to fit in at least 1 or 2 periods of exercise on weekdays.
Build up activity slowly.
If you’ve been inactive for most of the winter or you’re starting training for a marathon in the fall, gradually increase your exercise time and intensity each week.
Warm up.
Before you jump into activity, warm up your muscles with 10 minutes of moderately paced activity like jogging, for example.
Stretch.
After doing a few minutes of light exercise, stretch your major muscle groups, such as your quads and hamstrings, as well as any muscles that will be heavily used during your chosen activity. You can also benefit from using a foam roller before you stretch, which has been shown to increase flexibility and lessen post-exercise pain.
Don’t forget to stretch after you finish exercising too. The findings about the benefits of pre-exercise stretching are mixed, but stretching after exercise has clear benefits for decreasing soreness and helping muscle tissue return to its normal state.
Use proper technique and proper equipment.
It may help to consult a coach, trainer, or physical therapist if you’re new to a sport or piece of equipment.
Find an exercise program.
A class or race training group can help you set a good pace for working toward your exercise goals.
Don’t push through serious pain.
Mild muscle soreness is normal after a workout, but stop exercising if you experience sudden, piercing pain or if you have pain that’s getting steadily worse.
It is looking like we are getting some warm weather on a more consistent basis. So that means it is time to find your golf clubs and softball mitt. Just don’t follow my lead on this one. I like to take three or four swings in the front yard than go ok where are my cigars I am ready to play. As your chiropractor in the Woodbridge, Dale City VA area I should give you some really advice.
Anyone who concentrates all their exercise into 1 or 2 intense bouts a week could be considered a weekend warrior. But physicians agree that weekend warriors tend to be men older than 30, especially former competitive athletes who expect their bodies to adapt to—and recover from—activity the same way it did when they were teenagers.
But even people who are not super athletes can suffer injuries if they do intense activities over the course of a day or two, such as a weekend of yard work or cleaning gutters.
The types of injuries that frequently occur for weekend warriors are:
Muscle strains, such as hamstring injuries
Ligament sprains, particularly ankle sprains
Tendonitis in the Achilles tendon and elsewhere
Shin splints
Shoulder or rotator cuff injuries
Nearly all of these types of injuries can be resolved by following the RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevate) protocol. If pain lasts longer than a few weeks or doesn’t improve, make an appointment to see your doctor.
Prevent injuries before they occur
The main trigger for weekend warrior injuries is the abrupt transition from little or no activity to intense bouts of it. Muscles and soft tissues need gradual conditioning to perform at their best.
To prevent this, it’s important to exercise more regularly, if possible. Even if your main period of activity is on the weekends, try to fit in at least 1 or 2 periods of exercise on weekdays.
Build up activity slowly.
If you’ve been inactive for most of the winter or you’re starting training for a marathon in the fall, gradually increase your exercise time and intensity each week.
Warm up.
Before you jump into activity, warm up your muscles with 10 minutes of moderately paced activity like jogging, for example.
Stretch.
After doing a few minutes of light exercise, stretch your major muscle groups, such as your quads and hamstrings, as well as any muscles that will be heavily used during your chosen activity. You can also benefit from using a foam roller before you stretch, which has been shown to increase flexibility and lessen post-exercise pain.
Don’t forget to stretch after you finish exercising too. The findings about the benefits of pre-exercise stretching are mixed, but stretching after exercise has clear benefits for decreasing soreness and helping muscle tissue return to its normal state.
Use proper technique and proper equipment.
It may help to consult a coach, trainer, or physical therapist if you’re new to a sport or piece of equipment.
Find an exercise program.
A class or race training group can help you set a good pace for working toward your exercise goals.
Don’t push through serious pain.
Mild muscle soreness is normal after a workout, but stop exercising if you experience sudden, piercing pain or if you have pain that’s getting steadily worse.
Well school season is almost over and the kids are breathing a sigh of relief. But that means it is now sports season and the parents are now feeling the pressure! With all the running around sometimes the little things get over looked. For those of you who were in my office this week you may have noticed I overlooked sunscreen this past weekend. With our younger athletes your Woodbridge, Dale City VA Chiropractor has some small things we can do to keep them healthy and fit
The majority, if not all, sports are good, provided that the child prepares appropriately,” says Timothy Ray, DC, a member of the American Chiropractic Association’s Council on Sports Injuries and Physical Fitness. “Without proper preparation, playing any sport can turn into a bad experience. There are structural and physical developmental issues that need to be taken into consideration before children undertake certain sports.”
Highly competitive sports such as football, gymnastics and wrestling follow rigorous training schedules that can be potentially dangerous to an adolescent or teenager. The best advice for parents who have young athletes in the family is to help them prepare their bodies and to learn to protect themselves from sports related injuries before they happen.
“Proper warm up, stretching and strength-training exercises are essential for kids involved in sports, but many kids learn improper stretching or weight-lifting techniques, making them more susceptible to injury,” says Steve Horwitz, DC, an ACA member from Silver Spring, Md., and former member of the U.S. Summer Olympic medical team. “Parents need to work with their kids and make sure they receive the proper sports training.”
“Young athletes should begin with a slow jog as a general warm-up, followed by a sport-specific warm-up. They should then stretch all the major muscle groups,” says Dr. Horwitz. “Kids need to be instructed in appropriate exercises for each sport to prevent injuries.”
Proper nutrition and hydration are also extremely vital. “While an ordinary person may need to drink eight to 10 8-ounce glasses of water each day, athletes need to drink even more than that for proper absorption. Breakfast should be the most important meal of the day. Also, eating a healthy meal two to four hours before a practice or a game and another within one to two hours after a game or practice allows for proper replenishment and refuels the body,” adds Dr. Horwitz.
Young athletes today often think they are invincible. The following tips can help ensure your child does not miss a step when it comes to proper fitness, stretching, training and rest that the body needs to engage in sporting activities.
Encourage your child to:
Wear the proper equipment. Certain contact sports, such as football and hockey, can be dangerous if the equipment is not properly fitted. Make sure all equipment, including helmets, pads and shoes fit your child or adolescent. Talk to your child’s coach or trainer if the equipment is damaged.
Eat healthy meals. Make sure your young athlete is eating a well-balanced diet and does not skip meals. Avoid high-fat foods, such as candy bars and fast food. At home, provide fruit rather than cookies, and vegetables rather than potato chips.
Maintain a healthy weight. Certain sports, such as gymnastics, wrestling and figure skating, may require your young athlete to follow strict dietary rules. Be sure your child does not feel pressured into being too thin and that he/she understands that proper nutrition and caloric intake is needed for optimal performance and endurance.
Drink water. Hydration is a key element to optimal fitness. Teenage athletes should drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day. Younger athletes should drink five to eight 8-ounce glasses of water.
Drink milk. Make sure your child has enough calcium included in his/her diet. For children over 2 years of age, ACA recommends 1 percent or skim milk rather than whole milk. Milk is essential for healthy bones and reduces the risk of joint and muscle related injuries.
Avoid sugar-loaded, caffeinated and carbonated drinks. Sports drinks are a good source of replenishment for those kids engaged in long duration sports, such as track and field.
Follow a warm-up routine. Be sure your child or his/her coach includes a warm-up and stretching session before every practice, game or meet. A slow jog, jumping rope and/or lifting small weights reduces the risk of torn or ripped muscles. Flexibility is key when pushing to score that extra goal or make that critical play.
Take vitamins daily. A multi-vitamin and Vitamin C are good choices for the young athlete. Vitamin B and amino acids may help reduce the pain from contact sports. Thiamine can help promote healing. Also consider Vitamin A to strengthen scar tissue.
Avoid trendy supplements. Kids under the age of 18 should avoid the use of performance-enhancing supplements, such as creatine. Instead, they should ask their coach or trainer to include weekly weight training and body-conditioning sessions in their workout.
Get plenty of rest. Eight hours of sleep is ideal for the young athlete. Lack of sleep and rest can decrease performance. Sluggishness, irritability and loss of interest could indicate that your child is fatigued.
