Athletico Health Resources

Exercise has been long established as a way to help boost immune function. For the general population, it is an easy way to get healthier and help prevent infections during cold and flu seasons and keep their immunity up throughout the year¹. There is evidence that exercise can help decrease systemic swelling over time, which is a potent cause of disease and infection in humans, but if you look closer at the research, much of that is by way of excess body weight reduction, specifically visceral fat mass². While exercise is good, too much can be detrimental to your immune system as well, in fact this is seen in many elite athletes by the frequency of upper respiratory tract infections they develop while training³.

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Arthritis affects 24% of American adults, is the leading cause of work disability¹, and accounts for approximately $303 billion of the $4.1 trillion yearly healthcare cost. With 21% of the population estimated to be 65+ by 2030, arthritis management will be an increasingly prevalent topic.

While exercise is one of the best treatments for arthritis, inevitably, the question arises of how to keep moving when living with arthritis. The answer begins with understanding that exercise is not the enemy.

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Tools and technologies can help complete our daily routines, but they are only as skillful as the user. In some instances, our bodies, specifically the hands, are the required tools, yet one might have physical limitations impeding performance and independence. Often, muscle weakness can be the main limiting factor for getting work done. To increase performance, improving one’s grip strength can be most beneficial.

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There are often multiple desires when it comes to exercising. We want to look better, get more toned, feel better physically or psychologically, or lose weight. It is possible to achieve many of these things simultaneously but having a goal and an exercise routine geared toward your wants and needs is the road map that can make you more successful. This blog will discuss strategies for goal setting and the SAID principle to help you choose activities to get the results you desire.

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In 2019, 37.3 million Americans, or 11.3 % of the population, had diagnosed or undiagnosed diabetes.  Diabetes is also a significant contributor to national healthcare costs. In 2017 the national cost of diabetes was more than $327 billion, up from $245 billion in 2012¹. Diabetes is the most expensive chronic condition to treat in the US, as $1 out of every $4 healthcare dollars is spent on care for people with diabetes². Despite these staggering statistics, our nation’s diabetic future isn’t looking any brighter.

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Winter is when many of us hibernate inside to watch Netflix and make sweet treats in the kitchen. But if you are someone looking to build your endurance for later in the year – such as for a race or general fitness – you do not want to take these winter months off before resuming activity in the spring. If you are usually active in the other three seasons of the year, it would greatly behoove you to maintain regular activity in the winter months. Winter is the perfect time for endurance athletes to take it a little easier and focus on building and maintaining their base for a more efficient aerobic system. Here are some tips to consider during the cold months:

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We all understand that sometimes injuries can happen. Most people have experienced pain or an injury at some point in their lives. Although injuries can happen to anyone, how we choose to manage them determines our outcomes. Injuries are often underestimated in severity, and people feel they can “give it time” and wait to see if it will get better. This may work for some injuries, but often people are searching the internet or coming into our clinics looking for more guidance on how to get better, quicker.

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Foot injuries can occur when playing sports but a shoe or cleat can often protect the foot from injury. Some sports, like gymnastics, are performed barefoot. Gymnasts have extra demands placed on the small muscles of the foot as they are not getting the support of a shoe. When training barefoot, there is an increased demand of the muscles in the foot and lower leg. These muscles will help to stabilize the foot and ankle which may reduce the risk of ankle sprains or injuries higher up the leg such as in the knee or hip. How can gymnasts help prevent injury when training barefoot? Here are some ways gymnasts can strengthen their foot muscles to improve their performance.

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