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Are you experiencing pain in your heel during your favorite physical activities or even after sleep and putting weight on your feet? If you are, then you may have plantar fasciitis. This is caused by swelling of the tendons that connect your heel bone to your toes. A doctor should be consulted if you are experiencing such an issue.

In order to help with the heeling process, the Mayo Clinic recommends:

1. Change activities and decrease exercises that place pressure on your foot.
2. Check your footwear. Make sure your shoes have a minimum of one inch heel, good support and good cushioning. Do not go barefoot or wear sandals.
3. Stretch and massage your foot. A good stretch would be a standing calf stretch with bent knee.
4. Alternate ice and heat after activities. The Mayo Clinic recommends 10 minutes of heat, one minute of ice, followed by four sessions alternating four minutes of heat, one minute of ice.

If the pain is lasting more than 6 weeks or becomes worse, you should consult a doctor. If you have questions concerning plantar fasciitis or any other foot or ankle related problems, we recommend contacting Dr. Jeffrey Frederick at www.michiganfootcare.com.

Muscle mass is important for many reasons. We need muscle to get through our daily routines, walking, lifting, general mobility, even for smiling and kissing. Muscle mass keeps our metabolism high. In general, the average person looses 10% of their muscle mass every 10 years after the age of 40. This can drastically slow down our metabolism, which in turn will put on unwanted pounds, increase body fat percentages, decrease self-esteem, and put us into depression. This simply does not have to happen as we get older. Strength training is the solution.

Strength training, or resistance training, or “lifting weights” is the best way to increase and maintain muscle mass as we get older. Men and WOMEN need to do strength training regularly, that means a minimum of 2 days per week.

I always hear from females about how weight training “bulks me up”. Well, this simply is not true if you are doing the appropriate type of training in addition to regular cardiovascular exercise and cutting back on calories. I often find that when I begin a program with a woman (who is carrying a higher percentage of body fat) and we go through a few weeks of strength training, the client sees her arms and legs getting larger. Many times her measurements around her arms or legs are larger. Then I ask, “Have you been doing your cardio as prescribed and cutting back on calories every day?” Every response back has always been “No”.

Exercise and nutrition go hand in hand. If you are not doing daily cardio and not cutting back on calories consumed, then YOU WILL NOT LOSE INCHES! You are building muscle under fat that is going nowhere. Of course your measurements will be higher.

So ladies, strength training is not the culprit for making your arms and legs larger if proper exercises are in place. It is one’s lack of discipline in sticking with recommendations and failure to be patient with your program. Strength training is the key to building and maintaining muscle mass, preventing osteoporosis, keeping our metabolism high, and the list goes on (click on Strength and Endurance at the right to see more). Everyone, men and women, need to strength train consistently in order to have a well-rounded exercise program.

Flexibility is a very important part of a well-rounded exercise program and is one of the 11 components of physical fitness. Flexibility is a health-related component of fitness. As we age, muscle rigidity can slowly set in which can have hazardous effects on our daily activities. Immobility will certainly cause problems for individuals in their senior years if proper stretching is not performed regularly.

Prevent muscle rigidity in the future by doing a proper stretching program today. Stretching can be done every day and can only take up to 10 minutes to stretch your major muscle groups. Improving flexibility can be done at all stages of life. If done properly and consistently, you will see an increase in flexibility throughout your entire body.

Stretching should always be done after a 10 minute low-intensity warm-up. This warm-up is needed to get the blood circulating through your muscles and to prevent injuries. Always relax and go slowly into a stretch. An effective stretch should be held for 30 seconds on each muscle. Be sure to breathe normally when holding a stretch. A good stretch should be uncomfortable but not painful. Never use a ballistic movement, or bounce a stretch. This can cause injury.

Research shows that stretching not only increases flexibility, but can also help to reduce blood pressure, stress, and anxiety. Please contact us for more information regarding proper stretching and individual stretching programs.