NO PAIN, JUST GAIN BY PHYSIOCISE

NO PAIN, JUST GAIN BY PHYSIOCISE

6. NO PAIN, JUST GAIN COASTREK PLAN & TRAIN E-BOOK BY WILD WOMEN ON TOP 2

Chapter written by Melissa Partington, physiotherapist. Injury prevention is cruical when training and completing Coastrek. This chapter will provide you with the latest tips and information so your body stays pain free. 3

INJURY PREVENTION Think of your body as a car. Some of you have beautifully maintained, well oiled, well balanced, shiny cars that love being on the open road. Most of us have bodies that are more like old Holdens with a few bumps and dings, strange creaky noises and slightly dodgy wheel alignment. Sometimes they seem to spend more time in the garage than on the road! So to begin training for Coastrek we need to turn your Holden into a Ferrari! What you don t want to do is go hard and long, early! Your wheels will fall off and you will end up spending hours at the physio! So our first tip is start slow and low. Shorter distances, lower challenge. Your Coastrek training manual will guide you here. The second is to start thinking about your alignment (that s your posture) because the more balanced your body is, the less likely you will be to overload old joint problems, such as in your hips, knees and feet. Following are simple things to think about for each area. 4

TIPS FOR INJURY PREVENTION Walk right Lose the active couch potato These are our top three things to think Lots of us got the message about about next time you go for a walk: exercising regularly and may do 30 Shine your Light: Imagine you have a mins a day, but if you are still sitting the light shining out of your chest between majority of the day you are at risk of your boobs (even man boobs!) and Active Couch Potato Syndrome, which walk with your light shining directly is not great for Coastrekkers! forward not down to the ground. This Move more: Increase your incidental turns on your core and balances your activity during the day. Get off your trunk. bum and onto your feet whenever Don t overstride: Think smaller steps possible. with more control. It takes the load off 10,000 steps: Buy a pedometer or your calves and feet. use your iphone and try and work on Use your arms: Don t let them just hang reaching 10,000 steps each day. Try to by your side like a gorilla! As you shine spread those steps during the day, not your light, swing your arms with your just in one block. elbows slightly bent. This will really help Huff and puff: Get a little more huff later when you start using your poles and puff exercise every day climb and it also strengthens your shoulders those stairs two at a time, walk quickly and upper body. up those hills and get your heart rate going it s great for your buttocks, your brain and your sleep! 5

TIPS FOR INJURY PREVENTION Peachy bottoms for happy hips and knees If you walk like a supermodel or Marilyn Monroe, then your buttock muscles are not doing their job, which can be a recipe for sore hips and knees. Three tips to fire them up: Keep feel apart: Walk with feet on imaginary train tracks rather than walking on a tightrope. Keep your pelvis steady: Balance your pelvis like you are holding a glass of champagne on a tray between your hip bones. Don t let it tip forwards, sidewards or backwards. Build your bottom: Use a good step up exercise, working on those train tracks. Fab feet and fancy footwork Feet take a huge load during Coastrek, and will often be the first thing to breakdown with things like plantar fasciitis and ankle sprains. Three tips to be foot ready: Use your muscles: Use your core and buttocks to decrease the load on your feet. Embrace flat shoes: Wearing high heels and thongs over summer can make your calves tight and your feet sore - embrace the sensible shoe. Get balenced: Do this test: stand on one foot with your eyes closed. If your foot grips and your ankle wobbles, then stretch your calves, roll your foot over a frozen water bottle at night and practice challenging your balance daily. Building better backs Sometimes as your training goes on, the creaky hinges and dodgy wheel alignment of the old Holden start to make themselves felt. Here are some tips to feel more like a Ferrari: Think tall Stretch the tight bits hips, calves, midback Firm the wobbly bits tummies, bottoms, thighs Find the pelvic floor 6

TIPS FOR INJURY PREVENTION Sensational stretches The postures we find ourselves in in everyday life can sometimes lead to tight spots that can pull you out of alignment and make your trekking more difficult. Tips for stretching the stiff bits (see our website for pictures www.physiocise.com.au): Warm up before you stretch Use a psoas stretch if you ve been sitting Try a table stretch for tight backs, hamstrings and legs A calf stretch is great if your knees and feet are a problem Sand vs Land The sand and land parts of Coastrek put different loads on your body, so you need to make sure you train for both. Start your training on a firmer surface and then progress to sand. Tips to manage the sand: Pace yourself sand is harder on your muscles, but easier on your joints Walk both ways on the beach Shorten your stride Lift your arms and legs higher Walk on the soft/ most level area Hilltop heroes Sometimes those molehills can feel like mountains. Here are some tips for bringing them back to size. Tips to conquer those hills: Walk tall like a princess (or a prince), not like a gorilla Drive through your glutes (that means your buttocks) Tread lightly If it doesn t work, rest and stretch And for the slippery slide down the other side: Can be harder and more fatiguing on muscles than the uphill You need to train doing it to do it well Balance your tray and don t knock your knees So these are our basic tips. Remember if you are at all worried, seek help from a health professional who is used to assessing the body s patterns of movement as a whole, and get your own specific set or exercises to prepare. Good Luck from all of us at Physiocise! 7