3 Jump Squats Facts that You Need to Know

Some people say that the squat jump is good for the body, but, some would say that the squat jump can be dangerous and cause injury. Let's find out the truth by knowing three facts of squat jump.

Squat jump is one of the exercises that performed with the initial position of the body and legs standing wide open. Then, hands placed behind the head, and a little jump with landed half-squat position until your knees are bent and not exceeding the toes.

Squat jump is usually done as part of the warm-up or to tighten the lower body muscles. However, there are other facts you need to know in order not carelessly in doing squat jump, avoid the dangers, and get the benefits.

Here are three facts squat jump you need to know:

1. Half squats before jump squat. Squat jump may be good to do as a warm up before the main exercise. But it turns out, before doing jump squats, you should first do a half-squat. Half squat is done like a squat jump, only without doing jumping movement. Half squat is done as a form of heating, so the jump squat performance increased due to an increase in muscle activity.
2. Avoid doing jump squat if you have this condition. You are advised not to do squat jump if you have a meniscus tear. Tearing of meniscus (knee joint coating) typically occurs in athletes. However, this condition can also be caused by other conditions such as aging, activity that causes full body weight is concentrated in the knee, and the knee is forced to rotate. If you are having a meniscus tear you will feel pain, knee stiffness, and swelling.
3. Perform jump squat well to avoid this condition. If you want to do a squat jump, you should do a squat jump correctly and not excessive. Why? Because even if the movement is good for the lower body, but if been carried out excessively and not properly then it could result in injury. One type of injury that may occur is patellofemoral pain. It is a condition in which the bone and the soft tissue around the kneecap, as the fat pad under the patella, tendon, synovial tissue (lining of the knee joint), as well as the connective tissue of joints, painful. In certain circumstances, patellofemoral pain can cause inflammation of the synovial joints of oil or liquids. In addition, it could also lead to a torn meniscus, back pain, and sprains.

For those of you who practice or exercise by using lower body exercise (e.g. running and jumping), you can start by practicing squat jump. Even so, do a reckless squat jump, and in the wrong position can actually cause injury. It is suggested do half squats before jump squats, squat jumps and avoid excessive exercises.

Water Sport Exercise Benefits for Arthritis

Water sports are recommended to people with arthritis. Even water sports are often used to help those who are in rehabilitation after joint replacement.

In fact, in addition to maintaining a healthy body, exercise is also very important when you have arthritis. Stay active proven to be beneficial for people with arthritis, including reducing pain and improving flexibility. And one of the sports recommended for people with arthritis are water sports.

Water Sport Exercise Benefits

1. Increase flexibility and range of motion without putting pressure on the joints and spine.
2. Improve the function of joints that are painful without worsen the symptoms.
3. Improve health.
4. Reduce pain.
5. Water is a substance that can make the floating body. When doing water sports, water helps the body and  the joints do not need to work hard. Because of the water, the body is almost no gravity, so the body loses 90 percent of its weight. It keeps the body free to move without spending a lot of energy.
6. Water also creates a natural resistance when you move your body. It makes muscles like trained with weights without the need for tools.
7. If exercising in the pool with warm water (28° - 31° Celsius), there are additional benefits that can be felt, which help to relieve pain in the joints.

Water sports for arthritis patients

Do not make your arthritis as a barrier activities, especially exercise. There's no doubt benefits of exercise for physical fitness. Here are a few water sports are good for arthritis.

Swimming

Besides useful to maintain health and weight loss, water sports is also very good for arthritis patients, especially freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke. Freestyle most recommended because it makes the body, neck, hands, and spine rotates and moves lightly. While backstroke help strengthen the muscles of the back and shoulders, support and lengthen the spine, and help open the chest cavity. And breaststroke able to strengthen back muscles. But the need to step carefully when swimming breaststroke, because it can give excessive pressure on the neck and lower back.

Water Aerobic

If it is the first time you do water sports, start slowly by walking in a pool of shallow water. Then gradually increase the intensity of exercise, ranging from swimming with waist-deep water up to chest height. Furthermore, add movements that use both arms and legs. And do not forget to always do five minutes of warming up and stretching at the beginning and end of exercise.

Walking in the Pool

When walking in the water, use the same technique as when walking on the ground, by retracing your feet from heel and ends at the toe. If you want to do this water sport, wear the buoys to keep safety.

Sports exercise in deep water

Deep water is able to prevent injury when performing high-intensity athletic sports. You can jog, run, sit ups, and do many other things, but you need the life vest to do all these activities.

Before you start doing water sports, ask your doctor whether exercise is safe for you. Besides, also ask what movements or water sports should be avoided. When exercise, start by stretching to warm up the body. Perform each stretch or warm up slowly to avoid putting pressure on the joints, and end with cooling.

Keep in mind not to exercise if you are experiencing severe arthritis or accompanied by swelling. Be sure to wait until the pain stops and swelling subside. If you suddenly feel sick, dizzy, or short of breath, stop immediately and consult a doctor.

Plantar Fasciitis Treatment Exercises

Plantar fasciitis is a common cause of heel pain. Fortunately, plantar fasciitis can be prevented by doing some exercise for a few minutes to make it more flexible.

Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of the thick fibrous tissue that runs vertically from heel to toe. This tissue is called plantar fascia and is useful to support muscles and arches as well as connecting the heel bone to the toes. If it gets over stretched or overuse, the plantar fascia surface can be torn, causing inflammation, pain, and walking problem.

Plantar fasciitis can be caused by several factors such as wearing high heels, flat soles that do not have an arch, a strained calf muscle, pregnant, obese, or standing for a long time. Heel pain in the morning or after a long break is usually this disease characteristic.

Read also : This is What Happen When You Wear High Heels!

Plantar Fasciitis Treatment Exercises

The pain of plantar fasciitis can be relieved by doing exercise purposively designed to stretch the calf muscles and plantar fascia as below:

• Using a Towel

Before getting out of bed in the morning, wrap a towel around the foot. Use towel to pull the toes toward the body, try to keep your knees straight. Repeat three times on each leg. Or, place a towel on the floor and then grab a towel with your toes and pull it toward you. Do not forget to repeat this movement on the other leg.

• Using a Chair

Sit on a chair. Bend your pain foot knee so you can hold your toes. Pull the toes inward (toward you) until you can feel a stretch on the plantar fascia. Hold it for 20 seconds and repeat 10 times, do this exercise 3-5 times a day.

• Using Wall

Place both hands on the shoulders parallel to the wall with one foot in front of the other. Your front leg should be lined around 30 cm from the wall. Lean against the wall with the front knee bent and straighten the rear legs, until you feel your calf muscle becomes tight. Repeat 10 times before switching to the other foot.

There are also other movements, but you have to stand closer to the wall. straighten your arms and stick to the wall aligned the shoulders. Place one foot in front of the other foot, bend your knees at the same time, with a footstool weight on both legs. Keep your back straight and look straight forward, and both heels touching the ground. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat 10 times before switching to the other foot.

• Using a Can

Relieve heel pain can also be done with the help of beverage cans, bottles, plastic ice, or a rolling pin. You can do this exercise sitting or standing. The trick is, put your feet on the can then roll it backwards and forwards. Repeat at least twice a day.

• Using Stairs

Standing at the bottom of the stairs while holding the handle of the stairs and facing a higher stair. Keep your legs slightly apart, with heels hanging off and the pads of the feet on stair. Lower your heel to the calf felt tight. Hold this position for about 40 seconds, before raising your heels back to the starting position. Repeat this exercise six times, and do at least twice a day.

We recommend you to do the exercise on both legs, although only one leg ache. Why? Because besides relieving pain in the heel, foot balance and stability will increase. But before doing exercise above, ask your doctor first. Do not forget to rest your feet by pausing or reducing activities that can lead to plantar fasciitis. If you feel your heel in pain, compress with ice, compress with ice to relieve the pain.

Benefits of Pilates Exercises

Pilates is now more popular worldwide. Taken from the name of its creator, Joseph Pilates, this workout offers many benefits to your body (e.g. pilates weight loss)

Basically, Pilates consists of 25 to 50 strength workout. Pilates focuses on the abdomen, lower back, hips, and thighs. The method used consisted of endurance and muscle strength, and flexibility that are categorized as low-impact.

Improve health and body control

When performed regularly, a lot of benefits Pilates can be gained, including:

• Awareness of the whole body. Pilates will train your mind to coordinate with and act symmetrically with the body. Furthermore, a person will have more awareness to make a move, sit, or stand right thanks to pilates workout. It will help to avoid and reduce pain due to incorrect habits before.
• Improving the ability to control the body. Pilates will familiarize a person to move the body synergistically, not only rely on the major muscle groups.
• Strengthening the abdomen and back. Pilates workout focus not only on the abdomen, but it is believed will make the back and the whole body become stronger and healthier as well.

Pilates Basic Position

Understanding the Basic Principles of Pilates

There are six vital principles while practicing pilates workout optimally:

• First is Concentration. While doing Pilates workout, your focus should be thorough on the whole body.
• The second principle is controlling the muscles. That is why it takes full concentration so a person can control his muscles when performing Pilates exercises.
• The third principle is a focus on the major muscle groups as the central point, which is on the abdomen, lower back and upper, pelvis, buttocks and inner thighs. All Pilates motion starting from the center, and then flows to other body area.
• The fourth principle of Pilates is efficient. Pilates is intended to create a non  excessive flow of energy through movements.
• The fifth principle is the precision. To build strength and stamina, movements should be done properly in order to be able to flow to other body parts.
• The sixth and final principle in Pilates is respiration. Pilates workout intended to increase oxygen intake and blood circulation filled with oxygen which then circulated to the whole respiration system.

Conditions to Consider Before Following Pilates Workout

Pilates can be a strength and stability workout are easy to perform. But some medical conditions are not advised to perform pilates movement. For example for those who have unstable blood pressure, osteoporosis, hernia, and the risk of developing blood clots. 

If exercising when pregnant or are not used to exercising, consult to your doctor before perform pilates exercises.

You can watch a video that shows the Pilates motion to do at home. But we recommend pilates performed under the supervision of experienced instructors, especially for beginners. It was important to do for you to obtain benefits maximally from pilates, while avoiding the risk of injury that can harm your body.

You can watch pilates workout from this video:

How to Prevent Shin Splint After Exercise

Pain in the shin or shin splint commonly experienced by those who are often running, dancing, playing basketball, football, tennis or simply catching the bus.

Have you ever experienced pain in the area along the shins? It could be that you experience shin splints. Pain in the tibia or shin splints may be caused by inflammation due to an injury to the soft tissue under the front legs. Inflammation and the injury could occur if the shinbone got too much pressure or if your feet excessively when it hits the ground.

The tibia bone pain or shin splint can be felt during or after your strenuous activity like running. Or can also while doing sports that require fast pace movement and stopped abruptly, for example, basketball and tennis. Pain in the shins or shin pain sometimes occur constantly and become severe in sensitive areas.

Depending on the cause, the pain can be located along the both sides of the shin or the muscle. If touched, it will make the pain more painful. Muscle swelling can sometimes irritated nerves around the feet that make the legs feel like being stabbed by many needles and sometimes become numb.

Shin pain can often heal by itself. Of course, you can help yourself by doing simple steps such as the following:

1. Take a rest
2. Put ice on the shins or around the pain for 20-30 minutes every 3 or 4 hours. Do this for 2-3 days until the pain goes away. This action is is considered capable to relieve swelling and pain.
3. Take anti-inflammatory painkillers such as ibuprofen, NSAID, or aspirin. Useful to help relieve the pain and swelling. However, these drugs are recommended only used occasionally or according to doctor instruction.
4. Stretch the calf muscles and the front legs.
5. Choose the right sports shoes. Seeking advice from a doctor or trained store staff to determine which sports shoe that best fits your foot shape is the best way you can do to prevent shin pain.
6. Use neoprene sleeve to sustain and warm up your lower leg.
7. Go to a physical therapist to identify and treat problems in the legs, helping to relieve the pain, and guiding or advising about exercise you can do without make your shin in pain.