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December 1, 2014
Sports are a huge part of life in all major cultures. This thanksgiving morning 22 friends and family played a pickup soccer game. Ages ranged from 11 to 50's. The air was crisp under brilliant blue skies. The joy to enjoy sport was palpable. Carpe Diem.
As I age, I marvel at the closeness of my soccer family and friends throughout life's stages. I watched my son and nephews play filling me with pride for the quality men that they are becoming. It is fascinating to me how much I enjoy playing competitively with my son and nephews. There is a childish happiness to the experience.
I digress. The truth is that I wish to play well into my 60's and be competitive.
I have always had a goal of playing with minimal injury and maximal enjoyment. Young and old athletes alike are often suffering from overuse injuries as described in recent articles. What are the top ten things that you can do to age well with sport and benefit from the friendships and happiness that follow?
1) Cross train - Avoid the constancy of one sport. Play many and take breaks from all for a few weeks or months.
2) Eat well - a balanced nutritional plan is the best route to rapid healing from sport induced tissue damage. It will also be the best source of energy for muscle building and competition.
3) Sleep adequate amounts routinely - sleep is paramount to being focused and in the flow.
4) Core work - no matter the sport, a strong core is important for injury prevention. Consider TRX, yoga or pilates for core education.
5) Work out multiple days a week - weekend warriors are weekend injurers. Hitting the trails, gym and pool a few days a week will go a long way come weekend.
6) Hydrate - you are 60+% water. Gatorade or sports drinks are generally unnecessary for most athletes. When you are thirsty, you are already dehydrating.
7) Stretch - daily stretching is a key to muscular injury prevention. This can be as part of yoga or separate routines.
8) Roller therapy - breaking down sore and injured muscles can help to increase performance and reduce injury. Video.
9) Warm up before any high intensity events - this is one of the best ways to avoid a pulled or torn muscle.
10) Cryotherapy for injured or sore muscles - I routinely take a 5 minute ice bath for sore or hurt muscles to good recovery effect.
Long live sport with your kids,
Dr. M | 
