Effects of Sport Massage

Recent advances in sports and exercise science have highlighted the potential of sports massage to improve circulation and accelerate recovery from activity and injury (Benjamin & Lamp, 2005). Sports massage from skilled therapist (Moraska, 2007) can significantly improve the condition of the muscles of any participants. The deep massage, pumping and stroking movement improve circulation, remove waste products and improve elasticity on physical and physiological aspect; and the psychological benefits include invigoration and reduction of mental tension (Weerapong, Hume, & Kolt, 2005).

To maximize the benefits, massage treatment are administered on:
1. Pre-event
2. During event
3. Post-event (Directly after event)
4. Post-event (several hours and days after event)
5. Restoration/rehabilitation
6. Training/conditioning

The massage techniques used are stroking manipulation - effeurage (flushing), pressure manipulation - petrissage (kneading, picking, wringing, rolling) and squeezing/pressing, friction, tapotement (plucking, hacking, cupping, tapping, pounding etc.), vibration/shaking, acupressure and trigger pointing (Riggs, 2007; Watt, 1999).

Delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) describes muscle pain and tenderness that typically develop 12 - 24 hours after such exercise (Clarkson, Nosaka, & Braun, 1992) and subsides generally within 4 to 6 days; and consist of predominantly eccentric muscle actions, especially if the exercise is unfamiliar. Although DOMS is likely a symptom of eccentric-exercise–induced muscle damage, it does not necessarily reflect muscle damage.

Sports massage of minimum 10 minutes was effective in alleviating DOMS by approximately 30% and reducing swelling, but it had no effects on muscle function (Bakowski, Musielak, Sip, & Bieganski, 2008; Zainuddin, Newton, Sacco, & Nosaka, 2005).

Gait and posture observation are normally done on the first appearance of the subject. Posture will always play an important role in performance and sense of well-being. “Postural distortion is the beginning of the disease process”, proclaimed by Han Selye, MD, Nobel Prize laureate. This will give a general direction for the therapist to work on.


References

1. Bakowski, P., Musielak, B., Sip, P., & Bieganski, G. (2008). [Effects of massage on delayed-onset muscle soreness]. Chir Narzadow Ruchu Ortop Pol, 73(4), 261-265.
2. Benjamin, P. J., & Lamp, S. P. (2005). Understanding Sports Massage (2nd ed.): Human Kinetics.
3. Clarkson, P. M., Nosaka, K., & Braun, B. (1992). Muscle function after exercise-induced muscle damage and rapid adaptation. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 24(5), 512-520.
4. Moraska, A. (2007). Therapist education impacts the massage effect on postrace muscle recovery. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 39(1), 34-37.
5. Riggs, A. (2007). Deep tissue massage (Revised ed.). Berkeley, California: North Atlantic Books.
6. Watt, J. (1999). Massage for sport (1st ed.). Bristol: The Crowood Press Ltd.
7. Weerapong, P., Hume, P. A., & Kolt, G. S. (2005). The mechanisms of massage and effects on performance, muscle recovery and injury prevention. Sports Med, 35(3), 235-256.
8. Zainuddin, Z., Newton, M., Sacco, P., & Nosaka, K. (2005). Effects of massage on delayed-onset muscle soreness, swelling, and recovery of muscle function. J Athl Train, 40(3), 174-180.

DIY Taichi Music

Integrate MP3 Player with Speaker Option for Taichi Individual

The MP3 hardwares for individual were bulky previously, especially when there were incorporated with the speaker option. It is affordable and user friendly now and is the good time that we integrate health and fitness solutions to peoples of all ages.

The integrated solution is far more than exercise with music (Lawrence, 2004) and in sports psychology, it is called disassociation (Weinberg & Gould, 2007) which decrease in fatigue (Kirby & Murphy, 2005) and monotony of training and leads to motivation. Appropriate Music (Smith & Widmer, 2004) is used as a dissociative strategy to improve exercise capacity in patients (Macintyre, Bloomer, Provan, & Sturrock, 2001); others used it as a emotional regulation strategy (Bishop, Karageorghis, & Loizou, 2007). The evidence regarding the beneficial effects of music on performance during submaximal endurance exercise suggested that it was probably helps by suppressing cardiovascular and metabolic responses (Fatouros et al., 2005).

The hardwares are light with speaker option to minimize the disadvantage of headphone wires crossing the body to the ears. It also act as the thumb drive that can plug into portable CD/Radio player for group exercisers usage. Other applications such as with the earphone features, sound recording and radio are added advantage.

Taichi MP3 Walking/Running

Humans are walking and running species. Refer to Fitness Running Book (Brown & Henderson, 2003) and Lore of Running (Noakes, 2003) for training and physiological references.

Taichi circuit training

Cardiorespiratory Circuit of various exercises (with and without equipment) and durations (customisation for Taichi specific) incorporating with music depending on individual or group requirements. Circuit system for resistance training - example: exercises performed in succession with minimal rest (15 to 30 sec) between exercises; about 10 to 15 repetitions of each exercise are performed per circuit with resistance of 40 to 60% of 1RM (Fleck & Kraemer, 2004).

Taichi sports performance

- Mental Rehearsal and Training (Weinberg & Gould, 2007) including imagery (Hecker & Kaczor, 1988). Technique imagery includes imagery related to the execution of proper body positioning and form while exercising (Munroe-Chandler & Gammage, 2005),
- Positive affirmation statement
- Rest Recovery strategy
- Injuries Recovery etc.

References

1. Bishop, D. T., Karageorghis, C. I., & Loizou, G. (2007). A grounded theory theory of young tennis players' use of music to manipulate emotional state. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology,, 29, 584-607.
2. Brown, R. L., & Henderson, J. (2003). Fitness running (2nd ed.): Human Kinetics.
3. Fatouros, I., Chatzinikolaou, A., Jamurtas, A., Kallistratos, I., Baltzi, M., Douroudos, I., et al. (2005). The Effects Of Self-selected Music On Physiological Responses And Performance During Cardiovascular Exercise. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 37(5), S106.
4. Fleck, S. J., & Kraemer, W. J. (2004). Designing resistance training programs (3rd ed.): Human Kinetics.
5. Hecker, J. E., & Kaczor, L. M. (1988). Application of Imagery Theory to Sport Psychology: Some Preliminary Findings. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 10, 363-373.
6. Hoffman, J. (2006). Norms for Fitness, Performance and Health: Human Kinetics
7. Kirby, A., & Murphy, R. L. (2005). Does music alter performance and change perception of effort during exercise ? Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 35(5), S286.
8. Lawrence, D. (2004). Exercise to music (2nd ed.). Great Britain: Biddles Ltd, Kings Lynn.
9. Macintyre, P. D., Bloomer, C., Provan, D., & Sturrock, R. (2001). The effect of music on exercise capacity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 33(5), S322.
10. Magill, R. A. (2007). Motor Learning and Control: Concepts and Applications (8th ed.). USA: McGraw Hill International.
11. Maud, P. J., & Foster, C. (2006). Physiological assessment of human fitness (2nd ed.): Human Kinetics.
12. Munroe-Chandler, K. J., & Gammage, K. L. (2005). Now See This: A New Vision of Exercise Imagery. Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews, 33(4), 201–205.
13. Noakes, T. (2003). Lore of running (4th ed.): Human Kinetics.
14. Schmidt, R. A., & Lee, T. D. (2005). Motor Control and Learning - A Behavioral Emphasis (4th ed.): Human Kinetics.
15. Smith, J. C., & Widmer, R. J. (2004). The effect of different types of music on performance of exhaustive cycling exercise. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 36(5), S166.
16. Wasserman, K., Hanson, J., Sue, D. Y., Whipp, B. J., & Casaburi, R. (1999). Principles of exercise testing and interpretation (3rd ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
17. Weinberg, R. S., & Gould, D. (2007). Foundations of sport and exercise psychology (4th ed.). Champaign: Human Kinetics.

Taichi with Music

Effects of Music on Taichi

Taichi exercise is of low to moderate intensity similar to when jogging or walking, listening to a favourite piece of music might decrease the influence of stress caused by fatigue, thus increasing the ''comfort'' level of performing the exercise; music evokes a ''distraction effect'' during low intensity exercise (Yamashita, Iwai, Akimoto, Sugawara, & Kono, 2006).

Taichi exercise with preferably using medium tempi music program was the most appropriate for an exercise intensity of 70% maxHRR (C. Karageorghis, Jones, & Stuart, 2008).

Influences by type of music and personal factors

Potteiger, Schroeder and Goff (2000) had done the research on the ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) influenced by difference type of music. Fast upbeat music, classical music, self-selected music, and no music were used; and heart rate, peripheral RPE, central RPE, and overall RPE were measured every 5 min during exercise (20 min of moderate exercise). There were no significant differences found in heart rate among the four conditions indicating similar exercise intensity during each condition. Each type of music resulted in a reduced peripheral, central, and overall RPE when compared with the no-music condition. The data indicated that different types of music could act as an effective passive distractor during exercise and were associated with lower ratings of perceived exertion. Exercise with most preferred music condition reported the highest levels of dissociation (Dyrlund & Wininger, 2008).

Participants reported a preference for both medium and fast tempo music at low and moderate exercise intensities and for fast tempo music at high intensity. Only partial support was found for the expected linear relationship between exercise intensity and music tempo preference (C. I. Karageorghis, Jones, & Low, 2006).

When evaluating the relationships between affect intensity, age and importance of musical components, rhythm response components (rhythm, tempo, beat) were rated as most important. Gender differences in perceptions of musical are importance. Women rated the importance of melody significantly higher than did men, whereas men gave more importance to music associated with sport. Affect intensity was found to be positively and significantly related to the perceived importance of melody, lyrical content, musical style, personal associations and emotional content. Results suggest that the needs to be sensitive to personal factors when choosing music to accompany exercise (Crust, 2008).

Music as a healing art

Complementary therapies and healing practices such as Taichi with music and imagery have been found to reduce stress, anxiety, and lifestyle patterns known to contribute to cardiovascular disease (Kreitzer & Snyder, 2002).

When using relaxing music, it has a better effects on aerobic exercise-induced fatigue, helps in rehabilitation of cardiovascular, central, musculoskeletal and psychological fatigue and the promotion of the regulatory capability of the kidneys (Jing & Xudong, 2008).

There is increasing evidence of the importance of regular mental and physical exercise to maximize overall health and functioning in older adults. However, many individuals find that reduced strength or disabilities prevent them from participating in the kinds of exercise they enjoyed when they were younger. Music can provide the important benefits of both mental and physical stimulation to even frail older adults (Sorrell & Sorrell, 2008).

References

1. Crust, L. (2008). Perceived importance of components of asynchronous music during circuit training. J Sports Sci, 1-9.
2. Dyrlund, A. K., & Wininger, S. R. (2008). The effects of music preference and exercise intensity on psychological variables. J Music Ther, 45(2), 114-134.
3. Jing, L., & Xudong, W. (2008). Evaluation on the effects of relaxing music on the recovery from aerobic exercise-induced fatigue. J Sports Med Phys Fitness, 48(1), 102-106.
4. Karageorghis, C., Jones, L., & Stuart, D. P. (2008). Psychological effects of music tempi during exercise. Int J Sports Med, 29(7), 613-619.
5. Karageorghis, C. I., Jones, L., & Low, D. C. (2006). Relationship between exercise heart rate and music tempo preference. Res Q Exerc Sport, 77(2), 240-250.
6. Kreitzer, M. J., & Snyder, M. (2002). Healing the heart: integrating complementary therapies and healing practices into the care of cardiovascular patients. Prog Cardiovasc Nurs, 17(2), 73-80.
7. Potteiger, J. A., Schroeder, J. M., & Goff, K. L. (2000). Influence of music on ratings of perceived exertion during 20 minutes of moderate intensity exercise. Percept Mot Skills, 91(3 Pt 1), 848-854.
8. Sorrell, J. A., & Sorrell, J. M. (2008). Music as a healing art for older adults. J Psychosoc Nurs Ment Health Serv, 46(3), 21-24.
9. Yamashita, S., Iwai, K., Akimoto, T., Sugawara, J., & Kono, I. (2006). Effects of music during exercise on RPE, heart rate and the autonomic nervous system. J Sports Med Phys Fitness, 46(3), 425-430.

Resource for Diabetic Recipes

We are seeing an alarming increase in numbers with diabetes. To help diabetic clients to eat more healthy foods, here suggests a site www. diabeticrecipes.com (you can find this site in my references link) that has a great resource.

The Pancreas and Diabetes

The most common endocrine disorder, and a serious public health problem, is diabetes mellitus, a failure of the body cells to use glucose effectively. The excess glucose accumulates in the blood, causing hyperglycemia. Increased urination (polyuria) marks the effort to eliminate the excess glucose in the urine, acondition termed glycosuria. The result is dehydration and excessive thirst (polydipsia). There is also weakness, weight loss, and extreme hunger (polyphagia). Unable to use carbohydrates, the body burns more fat. This leads to accumulation of ketone bodies in the blood and a shift toward acidosis, a conditiontermed ketoacidosis. If untreated, diabetes will lead to starvation of the central nervous system and coma. Diabetic patients are prone to cardiovascular, neurologic, and vision problems, infections, and, sometimes, renal failure.

There are two types of diabetes mellitus. Heredity seems to be a factor in the appearance of both. Type 1, also called juvenile-onset or insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), usually appears in children and teenagers. Globally, an estimated of 500,000 children under the age of 15 live with Type 1 diabetes. It is caused by a failure of the pancreatic islets to produce insulin, resulting, perhaps,from auto immune destruction of the cells. Because insulin levels are very low or absent, patients need careful monitoring and administration of this hormone. Blood sugar level may be tested multiple times during the day, and insulin may be given in divided doses by injection or by means of an insulin pump that deliversthe hormone around the clock (continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion; CSII). Diet must be carefully regulated to keep glucose levels steady. Insulin is obtained from animals and is now also made by genetic engineering.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus, also called adult-onset or non–insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), accounts for about 90% of diabetes cases. Type 2 diabetes is initiated by cellular resistance to insulin. Feedback stimulation of the pancreatic islets leads to over production of insulin and then to reduced insulin production by the overworked cells. Metabolic syndrome (also called syndrome X or insulin resistance syndrome) is the term now used to describe a state of hyperglycemia caused by insulin resistance in association with some metabolic disorders, including high levels of plasma triglycerides (fats), low levels of high density lipoproteins (HDLs), hypertension, and coronary heart disease.

Most cases of type 2 diabetes are linked to obesity, especially upper body obesity. Although seen mostly in older people (hence the name adult-onset diabetes), the incidence of type 2 diabetes is increasing among younger generations (is growing alarming rate in children), presumably because of increased obesity, poor diet, and sedentary habits. Exercise and weight loss for the overweight are the first approaches to treating type 2 diabetes, and these measures oftenlead to management of the disorder. Drugs for increasing insulin production or improving cellular responses to insulin may also be prescribed, with insulin treatment given if necessary.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) refers to glucose intolerance during pregnancy. This imbalance usually appears in women with a family history of diabetes. Women must be monitored during pregnancy forsigns of diabetes mellitus, especially those with predisposing factors, because this condition can cause complications for both the mother and the fetus. Again, ensuring a proper diet is a first step to management, with insulin treatment recommended if needed.

Diabetes is diagnosed by measuring levels of glucose in blood plasma with or without fasting and by monitoring glucose levels in the blood after oral administration of glucose (oral glucose tolerance test; OGTT). Categories of impaired fasting blood glucose (IFG) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) are stages between anormal response to glucose and diabetes.

Excess insulin may result from a pancreatic tumor, but more often it occurs after administration of too much hormone to a diabetic patient. The resultant hypoglycemia leads to insulin shock, which is treated byadministration of glucose.

Here are some signs of diabetes to look out for:
- Frequent urination
- Excessive thirst
- Increased hunger
- Weight loss
- Tiredness
- Lack of interest and concentration
- Blurred vision
- Vomiting and stomach pain (often mistaken as the flu)