Sports Injury Recovery: how to optimise and speed up the process

You may or may not know but I am a sports masseuse. I am always seeing people after a sports injury. No matter what kind of sport you take part in, accidents and injuries can easily happen. Not only can they be extremely painful, but some injuries are severe enough to put you out of action for weeks or even permanently. If you’re an active person, this can make you feel defeated and cause you to lose all motivation. But in some cases, the recovery process can actually to boost your determination and improve your technique. So use this guide to making a full recovery and come back better than before.

Get a sports injury diagnosis

If you’ve sustained an injury, the first thing you need to do is get with any sports injury is a medical diagnosis. Many people don’t seek this help straight away as they believe that their pain will eventually wear off. If the pain continues or gets worse, it’s vital that you get medical assistance. The doctors will be able to carry out tests to determine what is causing your pain and discomfort. This is also an excellent opportunity to think carefully about how the injury occurred. Maybe it was caused by another medical issue you have or perhaps it was just human error. Knowing what caused your injury can help the doctor prescribe the best form of treatment. Depending on how severe your injury is, you may need surgery, time off work and help at home.

Start a rehab plan 

Once your doctor has given you pain relief for your sports injury, the next step is to establish a suitable rehabilitation plan. This will give you assistance and support from experts who can help you start to regain movement and strength. This plan will include simple exercises that are tailored to you and your injury. As you progress, these exercises will get more challenging to encourage your body to regain strength and form. The physical therapist and trainers can also help you stop getting injured again in future by improving your balance and posture. They may even help you improve your technique too. Your rehab plan will take time, so it’s important to remain patient even though you will feel frustrated at times. Having a supportive team around you will give you the motivation you need to continue. 

Sort your nutrition 

Recovery like training is not all about the physical aspects. Your body needs different vitamins and minerals to help the recovery processes and to perform at prime capability. It is important to know what your body needs to keep it performing at its optimum to accelerate the healing process and maintain health and fitness. Where to start with nutrition can be overwhelming. I recommend starting with vitamin and nutritional testing. This will give you a baseline of what your body requires. This will give you the right stepping stone to the best recovery process. Get 15% discount from Healthlabs on any of their extensive range of health testing. This is the best time to really learn about how your body works and what vitamins and minerals you need not only for the recovery process but for future training. 

Don’t push yourself 

No matter what sports injury you have sustained, it’s important that you don’t rush your recovery. This will only increase the risk of further injury and damage being caused to your body. We all heal at different rates, and it’s important to allow your body to heal fully before rejoining your sport. Keep yourself preoccupied during your recovery to stay enthusiastic and focused. You could enlist the help of a personal trainer to help you continue to build up your strength. You may even want to use this time to help coach sports teams in your local area. this will keep you involved with your team or sport whilst recovering from your sports injury. This will stop you feeling like you are missing out. 

Once you feel back to normal and have fully healed, there is no reason why you can’t rejoin your team or coach. Just remember to pace yourself.

the healthiest careers do you have one in the list?

The key to choosing the perfect career choice for you is to select something that you are passionate about and that you are going to enjoy doing for the rest of your life. It is also a good idea if you can find something that promotes your well being, as this will enable you to have a happy and healthy lifestyle. With that in mind, read on to discover more about some of the healthiest career choices.

1. Chiropractor – Chiropractors spend all of their days helping others. They alleviate pain and help to get rid of stress. They are also advocates for good body practices and healthy living.

2. Counsellor – There are many different types of counsellors available today. There are diet counsellors, who help people to develop healthy eating and fitness habits. There are also counsellors that help people with mental health issues. You can take an online masters degree in counselling if you wish to go down this path. After all, being healthy is not just about having a healthy body, but a healthy mind too, and so this is certainly one of the best career paths to go down for overall well-being.

3. Massage therapist – Is there anything better than making someone feel good about themselves? This is what a massage therapist spends his or her day doing. Not only this, but the sole focus is on relaxation. You will be working in a relaxing environment, which will make you feel better about yourself.

4. Nurse – There is no denying that being a nurse is stressful, but most people would agree that the positives outweigh the benefits. After all, what could feel better than saving someone’s life? Moreover, as a nurse, you will learn all about healthy habits. Maintaining a good work-life balance can be difficult, though, and this is something that will need to be managed.

5. Yoga instructor – This is another type of profession that is all about relaxation and getting rid of stress. Yoga teachers live healthier lifestyles and they practice meditation regularly. This is definitely one of the least stressful jobs you will find!

6.  Nutrition or dietician – Last but not least, experts in food know exactly what it takes to fuel the human body. All of the knowledge you pass onto your clients is something you can apply to your own life as well.

As you can see, there are a number of different options available to you when it comes to healthy career choices. No matter whether you decide to become a nutritionist, a chiropractor, or something else mentioned on the list, you will have found something that allows you to be healthy and happy while helping other people to be so too.

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Improving Your Daily Commute

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The daily commute is a major source of frustration for most of us. But since it is a necessary evil and something which you spend so much of your time doing, you may as well make it as comfortable and enjoyable as possible. So, let’s look at just a few of the best ways of doing this.

Listen to Audiobooks or Podcasts

To get yourself mentally stimulated for the day ahead, listening to audiobooks or podcasts is a great way of engaging your brain in a wide variety of different subjects. And with so many different shows and books out there, you have an endless source of entertainment and distraction right there at your fingertips.
Or go old school and read a book.

Plan Your Time

The daily commute provides the perfect opportunity to make plans for the week ahead - or even further in advance. There are plenty of admin-based tasks which you could take part in such as writing out your weekly shopping list or making a household budget. To give yourself something to look forward to, why not start planning your holiday? Otherwise, you could make a simple plan of the days ahead of you, which helps you to feel like you have a greater degree of control over your life.

Use it to Reduce Your Stress Levels

We all live busy and stressful lives these days. And rather than letting your commute add to these stress levels, you could instead use it as an opportunity for some self-care. Perhaps you could practice some meditation. You may simply want to listen to your favourite tunes or unwind with a good book. Otherwise, you could indulge in some escapism like the Final Fantasy 15 exclusive mobile game. Your commute should act as decompression time which gets you ready for the day ahead and relaxes you at the end of it all.

Make it Leisurely

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The worst part of a commute is the feeling of rushing around and the high levels of stress which inevitably come along with this. And while it may feel unpleasant to wake up earlier in the morning, you will feel a lot better about the day ahead if your commute is better. Another alternative could be to look into is the different forms of transportation out there. Perhaps you could look into public transport so that you don’t have to worry about driving. Otherwise, maybe cycling is an option, which also has the advantage of giving you that much-needed exercise in the morning.

Find a Different Route

Switching things up and finding a different route to work is a simple method of improving your daily commute. Not only are you changing your surroundings, you may also find a route which is more enjoyable. And you never know, it may even be quicker!

How To Get Beach Body Ready In Less Than 6 Weeks

There're so many different types of health and fitness plans out there on the internet - sometimes it can be hard to tell what works, and what doesn’t. That’s why I’ve put together my top tips to get beach body ready in less than six weeks.

Nobody said it was going to be easy. So get prepared to throw on your trainers, empty the junk cupboard and eat healthily. You’ll have the perfect beach body you always dreamed of, and you'll feel amazing!

Image source

Mix up your cardio

Whether you enjoy swimming, running or cycling - always mix up your cardio exercises. Not only will you be working different parts of your body, but you also won’t get bored doing the same workouts. This gives you a great opportunity to try new sports, too!

Create a meal plan

Getting a fabulous beach body doesn’t come from just exercising on a regular basis. Eating smart is crucial to getting a flat tum and a tight bum. Clean out the treats cupboard, don’t shop when you’re hungry and stick to healthy meals.

There are heaps of printable meal plans available online. Fill it out with some of your favorite healthy meals or find some available online. Once you've filled it out, stick it to your fridge and don’t stray from it.

Join a fitness class

Committing to a weekly fitness class is a great way to motivate yourself. Get in touch with your local fitness club and see if there are any sessions that you can join. I recommend a spin and circuit class because these are perfect for losing weight and toning up.

Create a motivational board

It’s easy to lose sight of why you’re pulling yourself out of bed in the morning to go for a run or going to an exercise class. Creating a Pinterest motivational board will help keep you focused. Pins can include healthy meals, model inspiration or training routines.

Get a personal trainer

Nothing is more motivating than getting a personal trainer. You’ll get a plan tailored to your body, and they’ll motivate you to push yourself to the fullest. If you’re looking for quick results, and you're serious about getting fit, this is a no-brainer.

Team up with a buddy

Sometimes it’s too easy to make excuses, renege on going to the gym, or to have a cheat meal. If you team up with one of your friends or your partner, then you’ll find it a lot easier to commit to your plan. You’ll have someone to share your achievements with, and someone to keep you company at the gym.

Track, achieve, reward

When you’re working towards a goal, it can be difficult to see the progress that you are making. Remember to always track how far you’ve come and set yourself milestones. Each time you hit one of these achievements, treat yourself. Whether it’s a naughty low-calorie dessert or a new bikini for the beach - you deserve it!

cycling adventure In The North Pennines

The Mighty Pennines

For walkers and cyclists, heading to the North of England could make for the perfect adventure. The North Pennines can be the greatest escape for anyone looking to remove themselves from city life and focus on their own wellbeing. The Pennines gained the title Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1988 as it is one of the greatest landscapes in the UK, so if you haven’t been already – you’re really missing out.

But what makes the ‘mighty Pennines’ worth visiting?

Depending on what you plan to do there, whether you’re a hiker or a cyclist, there will never be a dull moment. With the stunning views that this heritage site provides, you will constantly be pushing yourself to find the most magnificent spot – although this could prove to be difficult as the entire area is breath-taking.

This place can be challenging at times, but that seems to be the core reason as to why people keep returning regularly to head out and achieve more of their goals. The North Pennines has heather moors, peatlands, dales, meadows, upland rivers and woodland areas, meaning you have plenty to explore when you get there.

With the help of Leisure Lakes Bikes, we’re going to plan your entire itinerary. So, grab your cube mountain bikes and hiking boots and make your way to this stunning part of the country to create everlasting memories…

Where to start?

One of the better cycle routes in the North Pennines is the Wear & Rockhope Valleys, as it has a bit of everything. From the Burnhope Reservoir to Lintzgarth Arch, the beautiful scenes will encourage you to keep pedalling and complete this trail.

You should begin at the Durham Dales Centre in Stanhope, so if you’re staying for the night you might want to book a hotel close by where you can relax after that long ride. The Durham Dales Centre is home to a gift shop, craft shop and tea room, giving you the opportunity to have a warm drink before you set off on your journey.

Beginning your journey

Once you’ve got your bike ready and you’re all prepared to leave, exit the Durham Dales Centre and follow the A689 towards Stanhope Town Hall – don’t be tempted to stop at the Stanhope Fish and Chips shop, you need to stay focused.

Continue to follow this road and you will eventually come to a bridge that you need to cross. Proceed in the direction you’re currently going in, before taking your third right and following the road upwards. You will pass Greenfoot Hotel and Greenhead Farm before eventually reaching Rockhope. If you need to have a break in Rockhope, The Rockhope Inn would be the ideal place to stop. It has outdoor seating so you can grab a drink and freshen yourself up.

Once you’ve passed Saint John’s Church, continue forward where you will then reach the town centre. Here, take your second left, following the main road channelling the Rockhope Burn river where you will come to Allenheads. Once you’ve reached Allenheads, a stopping off point would be the Allenheads Inn as it a popular destination for cyclists and hikers alike.

Once you come into Allenheads, take a right and stay on the B6295 road and you will be in Cowshill. In Cowshill, the only place you will be able to stop at will be the Cowshill Hotel. Fortunately, they are more than welcoming to cyclists who are stopping by for a well-deserved break. After this visit, follow the road downwards where you will come to the A689 road — remain on this road and continue to Ireshopeburn.

Then you will cycle past St John’s Chapel and Daddry Shield — make sure to stay on Pleasant Road and not divert onto any other route. This area is full of different cafes and pubs, including Chatterbox Café, The Golden Lion and The Blue Bell Inn. You will then reach Brotherlee, where you need to remain on the road that you’re currently on and eventually you will pass Horsley Hall – a country hotel. Continue following this road and you will reach a bridge crossing the River Wear. Take the right onto the B6278 here and you will be back in Stanhope!

To complete your journey, take a right and head back towards the Durham Dales Centre and relax!

How long will it take?

The entire distance to complete this route is 24.36 miles. If you’re completing this at a speed of 10mph, you should complete this in 2 hours, 26 minutes. For those who are a bit quicker, at 13mph you will reach the finish line in 1 hour, 52 minutes.

At 19mph though, you will complete this course in 1 hour and 16 minutes. If you’re going 22mph, however, you will complete this cycle route in just 1 hour and 6 minutes.

Any challenges?

Hills can be a test for some cyclists and depending on the weather conditions, these can become even more challenging. Fortunately, we’ve listed these in advance so that you know what you’re in for:

• The Brandon Walls and Hill Top has a height of 1570ft and will take 2 miles to complete.
• Rookhope Head has a height of 1745ft and will only take 0.75 miles.
• Burtree Fell has a height of 1836ft and will take up 1.8 miles of your journey.

Source:

http://www.explorenorthpennines.org.uk/

http://veloroutes.org/bikemaps/?route=42072

http://www.northpennines.org.uk/

Next cycling holiday New Dehli

Today I want to talk about a trip I am planning and take you through how I plan a trip. My destination of choice is India. I have always been mesmerized by India. It has an enchanting allure. India has been on my travel bucket list since I was young. I find India fascinating everything from the culture and history of India to the food and people. It is so endearing.

You all know I love History and I am excited to learn more about India. This trip will be my husband and me. I love all things culture and he loves cycling. So I am hoping to combine the two at some point. We have decided on our first trip to India that we will head to New Dehli.

First I need to lock down the flights. As you know I am in Scotland. The flight will be Glasgow to London Heathrow then on to New Dehli. This will be about 12 hours. I actually thought it would be longer. Yes this is going to be an expensive trip I will need to save hard for this travel. I always have a travel budget set aside for big adventure. 

Next up, I need to make an online hotel booking in New Dehli. Thank goodness for the internet. How did we book hotels before the internet? I am using Cleartrip to find the best deal. I have the hotels down to a top two. One being Welcomhotel Dwarka and the other being The Lalit New Delhi. Both have modern spacious rooms with all the amenities you could want and more.  There really are so many choices on Cleartrip.

So our flights and hotel are sorted. Now its time to make a list of what we really want to do whilst we are in New Delhi. Yes, I want to immerse myself in the culture, the markets, the rickshaws the people but also You know I need to see as much of the history as I possibly can. I will, of course, need a couple of rest day If at all possible. To chill out and relax at the hotel spa. Especially as I have quite a long list of things I want to see and do on our trip.

Image from Pixabay

Of course, first up is no shock the Taj Mahal. I have dreamed of visiting here since I was young. I remember seeing photos of Diana princess of wales standing so elegantly outside this gorgeous building and It was hard to imagine something so beautiful could be built so long ago.

Image from Pixabay

The Red Fort. I can not wait to go here. This is was the home to Mughal dynasty for over 200 years. It is an architectural masterpiece. It also has an onsite museum. Which you know I will love as I love to learn a new fact or two about history. 

Humayun's Tomb. This is another building from the Mughal dynasty. I have heard it is one of the most beautiful tombs in the world. I won't go too far into the history of everything as this is another post on its own.

I would love to book a trip to see the tigers in the wild. This is something I will really need to look into further. This would be a big dream come true. But since this will be our first trip to India. I don't want to spend a lot of time travelling. Maybe we will have to come back to do a specific safari type tour. 

I will also be booking one of the many cycle tours. I think this will be a fun and unique way to see the sights of New Dehli. I know my husband will love this. 

This is my initial trip planning. I still have a long way to go. Have you been to India? What do you recommend to do and see? What cannot be missed? Now that our online hotel booking and flights are sorted. Its time to get even more excited to discover this wonderful country for ourselves. 

the best biking glasses? The Oakley Radar EV path

Yesterday I finally got out on the road bike. To set the scene for you. We live rurally and our van conversion was in the garage for its MOT. y husband and I had to go and collect it. I know what your thinking that must have been a quick ride. Not quite. We road from our home in Mallaig to Acharacle to get our van. 35 miles over some of the steepest climbs, I have ever done. One is a 10% gradient. So not the easiest ride.

One of my biggest problem when on any of my bikes is being able to see. If like me you are a biker or runner you know what I mean. Not only do you have to contend with bugs but all that the weather can throw at you. I want to introduce you to my new biking must have The Oakley Radar EV Path Tour De France Edition. I got mine from eyewearthese.com. They have all the best designer glasses and sunglasses at affordable prices. 

 So let's start at the beginning. Yesterday turned out to be the ultimate test of these glasses. We managed to encounter the following weather conditions. Rain, bright sun, Mist and headwinds.

I have always had real issues with glasses fogging up. I have tried so many pairs of glasses. They have all promised me the world and proved to be lying. These Oakley Radar EV Path Sunglasses never fogged up once. I was amazed. My husband had to stop a couple of times to clean his glasses. This was not something I had at all. Huge thumbs up here. 

These have phenomenal visibility, I have honestly never had glasses that have no restrictions.  They have ventilation around the top of the frame. I was worried this would cause the fast-moving air to hit my face but they are designed perfectly and I didn't know there was any ventilation. 

They are super lightweight and very comfortable to wear. The nose pad is the most comfortable I have used. No matter what glasses I normally wear after a while I have to re-adjust them on my nose this was not the case with these. There is also extra grip on the legs to add to comfort and protection. Let's talk about the elephant in the room, shall we? I have a very small head. I get the smallest sized helmet and normally I have a problem with adult sized glasses. Normally glasses which fit me would never fit my husband for instance. These fit me perfectly with no adjusting or constant pushing. This made me a bit worried for all you normal headed people. Thinking they would not fit you. I had to bite the bullet and let my husband have a shot. He loved them and they fitted him like a dream. I think it is Oakleys ear sock design which has grip added to it. So go and buy with confidence. 

These come with one lens but you can buy others. I think I will pick up the clear lenses for mountain biking. Considering we rode in some extreme weather changes yesterday, these lenses seem to work for every type of weather from the low light to the bright sun.  I could not find a fault with these glasses and I am super picky. We both know if I could I would tell you all about it. I think I might have to get my husband a pair now. He is very jealous of them. 

I thought I would shares some of the photos of our ride with you all. Lots of photos below. 

 

van conversion - making a high bed for underneath bike storage

Today let talk about my non-negotiable about the van conversion. I wanted a high bed for bikes to be stored under it with a good quality mattress. 

I am not a good sleeper and before we even ventured on this endeavour. My husband had to agree that the bed would be super comfortable and easy for me to get in to. MMM well, one is right. 

First things first the mattress. The very essence of the bed. I know that a lot of people scrimp on the mattress and use foam but that is just not how I roll. 

We choose memory foam 6000 reflex support orthopaedic medium tension mattress From happybeds.co.uk This is double and was only £114.00

This is anti-allergy and anti dustmite. I have asthma so this is a must for a mattress for me. We choose memory foam as it keeps you cool in the summer and warm in the winter. which is perfect for van conversion. It has a zip off cover which is also ideal for a van conversion as you want to be able to wash it. 

Regular double bed

 OH MY GOODNESS this mattress is the nicest I have ever slept on. My husband is never one to really notice matresses he is blessed with being able to sleep anywhere but he said this is the comfiest thing he has ever slept on. It really is divine and The service from Happybed.co.uk was super fast and even delivers to the highlands! 

The bed is made of wood supported frame and plywood top. all done with screws and joins. 

this was super easy to pop together and install. we had to do the measurement right to make sure all our bikes fit under.  from mountain bikes to downhill bikes. 

Also, there needs to be enough headroom so that sitting up on the bed was easy and didn't feel coffin-like. 

 Luckily the bed fitted in across the van as if it didn't we would have lost loads of space the benefit of a Fiat Decato over any other vans. 

I will explain this little addition in another post in detail but this is our bike storage solution. 
the bed is a bit too high for me to get up to,  I had to buy one of those little kid steps so I can reach the bed. 

Van conversion attaching floor and seating bench

As you read on the last post the insulation is in and now we just placed the old plywood. which came with the backdown and screwed it in place. 

At this stage, we had already gone through the pros and cons of different heaters and selected this propex HS2000. If you want a pro and cons post let me know. 

With this, we knew we need a chest in the van for storage of the heater, battery and gas bottle. The height of the bench was determined by the size of gas bottle we wanted to store. 

 Before my husband put the plywood back on he installed the electrics. I am not going to pretend I know how he did this all I know is this took a lot of fiddling with wires and feeding cables through hosepipe. Again if you would like a post on how he did this I can do one for you all? Just let me know in the comments. 

 You might notice we carpeted behind the chest. There will be a full post on how we did the carpeting but i just wanted to point this out.

 The propex HS200 comes with a really straightforward dial for heating the van. I really like that you can also blow cold air into the van in the summer. Will be great for keeping our dogs cool on hot days. 

the electrics for the van which had to be housed in the chest. 

The chest was created out of tongue and groove wooden flooring. 

This was all wood glued together and designed by my husband. This was also gifted to us by a family friend. At this point, I want to mention the reason we didn't use this as flooring in our van. the Flooring is really good quality wood thus meaning it is really heavy. It just would have made the van too heavy with this thought out. 

The chest had to have two cut out for the fans for the heater and most importantly the USB. The power through the van is 12v. this need to be bored in mind when buying items and for charging phones etc. 

charger and battery gage. 

We actually made this with the hinges on the inside. opening backwards but after testing this just didn't work as the top is super heavy and hard to open. We had to go back and replace these

Added a cheap Ikea sun lounger top as the seat and the bench is complete. 

Don't forget to check back in for the next update.