Should We Exercise? (part 3!)

OK, we’ve covered whether or not we should be exercising at all in part 1 – the answer was yes, even though the costs of injuries due to exercise and recreational activities is exceeding the associated costs of obesity.  We should exercise, just with better judgment than we currently use.  In part 2, we went over the “dos” of exercising safely, so we can be fit and healthy without becoming one of those injury statistics.

Today, we’re going to cover the “don’ts”.  These are things you should not be doing if improved health and fitness are your goals. (Of course, if your goals are to injure yourself, then by all means, ignore my list here and keep doing what you’re doing…) 

Don't: be a macho asshole.

Exercise is not a contest nor is it a “sport” as jackasses who are trying to sell you sneakers will suggest.  It is a tool to improve your health.  Ego and machismo encourage you to do more than you safely can and therefore lead to injuries.  As discussed, this only leads to lost training time, and lost training time always equals NO RESULTS. “It is always better to stop a little early than a little late.” is written on the wall of the TR.  And always remember, the person who coined the term “no pain no gain” was a learning impaired individual.

Don't: sit all day.

Seriously, if you have a job where you sit all day you’re going to have orthopedic issues.  It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when.  If you have a long commute your odds of avoiding musculoskeletal issues are increased exponentially as well.

If you have both a long commute and a sedentary job, you’re screwed.

Seriously, there is no way to avoid the premature aging and discomfort that are coming your way if you’re seated for 10, 12, 14 hours per day.  It’s just not possible to have your spine in the shape of a letter “C” for an elongated period of time and not think that’s going to screw up the surrounding tissue and joints. If this is the case, you're going to have to make some changes to your routine. 

Don't: stretch incorrectly.

"Loose" knees and lower backs are NOT good - they are injuries waiting to happen.  Some areas of your body require a lot of mobility – ankles, hips, and thoracic spine for example.  But other areas need to be restrictive and stiff so you can remain upright when moving.

The knee for example is a hinge.  It is supposed to move in ONE direction – forward and back.  Stretching it so it can move laterally or worse – so it can rotate - is asking for trouble.  

In fact there’s a term for a rotating knee: AN ACL TEAR.  Loosening your knee is like loosening the hinges on a door – it’s only supposed to move in one direction, by allowing it to move in others, you’re creating a safety issue.

Ditto for the lumbar spine (lower back).  Have you ever heard the term “spineless”, or have someone say “get a backbone”?  There’s a reason for the implication that said person is weak or a pushover: because people who have soft, pliable, lumbar spines ARE WEAK and ARE PUSHOVERS, LITERALLY.

Because of this, your lumbar spine has almost no movement capabilities – only a few degrees in each direction and as defense mechanism only (similar to the way skyscrapers can move very slightly in the event of high winds).  But just because they can move, doesn’t mean it’s a good idea, and your body will tell you so one way or another.  Remember this the next time someone tells you to doing crunches or flipping truck tires in a parking lot is a good idea.

Needless to say, there are plenty of other bad ideas, but these seem to be the most common.  If you can check the ego at the door, if you can spend the day upright, and if you avoid stretching incorrectly you can greatly increase your chances of staying injury free.

Stay healthy my friends…