Posts Tagged ‘running’
Aerobic or Anaerobic Running?
Running: foot in front of foot, in such a manner that, for the slightest instant, both feet are off the ground. A simple enough activity, until you consider what is happening within the body. Often, running is considered a purely aerobic activity, good for the soul, heart lungs and body. But there is a boundary that partitions running as an aerobic and anaerobic activity: at what level does your body stop having enough oxygen to feed all the muscles, allowing them to perform without burning carbohydrates to make up the energy deficit.
Aerobic: Can you talk while you run? At this level, your muscles have enough oxygen to be energy dependent.
Anaerobic: Are you gasping for air? You are running at an unsustainable rate, trying to set a personal record. Your muscles do not have enough energy and are making up for it by burning sugar, and overproducing lactic acid.
Lactic acid: As the body burns sugar, lactic acid accumulates in the body. While lactic acid is not necessarily harmful, a byproduct of the body’s production is hydrogen, which begins to interfere with muscle contraction, causing fatigue. Your body cannot dispel the lactic acid as fast as you are producing it and eventually you will have to reduce your pace or stop altogether.
Many people are unaware that this line exists.. Chiropractic and acucpunture are about optimizing and balancing the body, to ensure you get the most out of every workout. Not only do we provide you with the knowledge of how the body and brain work, but we also help you customize a personal fitness plan that will help you achieve everything you desire.
Chiropractic helps the runner by:
Increasing balance and circulation
Ensuring alignment of the spine
Helping your body drain waste efficiently
Helping you breathe more effectively
Helps muscles grow more efficiently
Call our office in Park Slope at (718) 398-3100 to schedule an appointment today.
Dr. Karen Thomas, D.C., L.Ac.
Prevent Injury from Running
The running bug bites many people who greatly enrich their lives by chasing the “runner’s high” that keeps them running further and further. But for those whose main activity is running, the impact on the legs can be brutal. Running on pavement and other surfaces is hard on the cartilage of the knees, but also the spine. Other factors such as weak orthopedic support, running on slopes, and poor running posture conspire to leave your body weakened, despite the measurable aerobic gain. At your Park Slope Chiropractor, we believe that a wariness of the dangers of running can help you find a balance between running the right amount and overdoing it.
Your spine is constructed in anticipation of living a lifestyle that includes lots of running and heavy exertion. As we age, however, the load our discs and joints can reasonably bear reduces, meaning that prevention becomes more and more important with age.
When hip flexors and hamstring muscles are tight, they tilt your pelvis forward, a position which can create pain in the lumbar and sacral regions of the spine. Running often contributes to herniated discs and degenerative disc disease, which makes it all the more important to get screened for these conditions to ensure that you are not exacerbating an underlying, preexisting condition.
Here are other ways chiropractic helps the runner stay on track:
- Stronger muscles
- Better range of motion,
- Improved coordination, nervous system regulation
Running is the ultimate repetitive stressor. Keep the balance of health in your favor by calling our office in Brooklyn at (718) 398-3100 to schedule an appointment.
Dr. Karen Thomas, D.C., L.Ac.