Activating Children - Part II

Kids playing in a lake at a church camp (Photo credit: Wikipedia)Hope you all caught Part I, and if you’re back for Part II, let’s take a moment and thank you for making a sound and important decision in the development and well-being of your children.  Their futures are very much in your hands and they need strong and steady guidance. What better way than to lead by example.

So you’ve made the decision to kick it in gear and you want to take off on a little run. Let’s make sure you have the things you might need. These items can fit in a child’s back pack, and yes, the child can carry it.

• Small first aid kit (be prepared)

• Cell phone

• Bottled water (everyone carries their own) or have a route planned where you know water is available

• Submit a plan by letting someone know where you are going and when you will be returning

Check everyone’s shoes. Make sure there is adequate arch support and cushioning and the fit is appropriate. These are two things that can lead to foot and ankle pain and now that you are in motion, you don’t want to slow down. You have your destination in mind now, but one more important preliminary:

Never start out running without first doing some warm up activities like stretching. You just can’t take the muscles from cold to hot without first advising the muscles what to expect. That’s what the warm up is all about. Allow yourselves a good five minutes to stretch and warm up by doing the following:

    •    Start with feet and point toes/point heels
    •    Rotate ankles both directions
    •    Stretch out legs
    •    Flex calf muscles
    •    Stretch out upper leg muscles
    •    Gently twist torso side to side
    •    Bend over and touch toes (do not bounce)
    •    A few arm rotations in small circles and giant circles
    •    Head circles and side to sides

On your mark, get set, go! But not too fast, remember, you are working into this slowly. When you’re done running, stretch again to cool down and walk it off. Now wasn’t that exhilarating?

Dr. Teichman has expert advice for you about your feet and ankles. You can have healthy feet for the rest of your life. If you have any unexplained foot or ankle pain, call (610)432-9593, or visit us at http://eastpennfoot.com/.  See you on the jog path!

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Barefoot Running - Fad or Friction

Image via WikipediaAre you a runner? Does your day lack something if you can’t start the morning with that outing that really gets your blood pumping?  Well, how do you feel about this barefoot running trend?  Of course barefoot means without shoes. Then there is minimalist running which is running with “barely there” shoes. Barefoot running might be great in some instances, but here in the real world, seldom can you hand pick your surfaces each day to include soft grassy fields. More often, you see runners pounding the concrete. Without shoes, you would be increasing, immeasurably, the chance of puncture wounds, lacerations and infections. It’s sad to think about a runner being sidelined by an injury that could have so easily been prevented by wearing shoes.  But this just scratches the surface, so to speak.  What does barefoot running mean as far as support and impact to your tissues, muscles, joints and bones?

Barefoot running has become a hot debate, and there are probably arguments that can be made for running both with and without shoes, but in order for an argument to have validity, it needs to be backed by research.  Although there are people who have been running barefoot for years, have the studies really been performed and the results carefully analyzed in scientifically controlled experiments, or are people just exercising their right to preference? It will certainly be interesting to find out what the next ten years holds for this trend.  It seems that if it were truly beneficial, everyone would be running without shoes on.  Some people say that they just like the way it feels free, allowing the air to move across their feet. Similar arguments are used by motorcycle riders who refuse to wear helmets.  But there can be no denying that the use of helmets undoubtedly prevents injuries and probably saves lives.

One other point for consideration here, although it may be growing in popularity, it might not be right for you. Talk to your podiatrist and get their expert opinion on the matter, especially if you already have a foot problem that you are dealing with. You would not want to contribute to an existing problem.  If you are in need of a podiatrist, check out Dr. Teichman at East Penn Foot & Ankle Associates.

Do you have an experience or a story that you would like to share with us that involves barefoot running?  Please feel free to comment below, we would love to hear from you!

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Running - Training for a Marathon Part #1

Image via WikipediaImage via WikipediaSo have you decided that you want to run a marathon?  Well we at East Penn Foot & Ankle Associates want to help you along the way.  To do this, we’re going to be writing about how to go about training for a marathon for some blogs.  So whatever your motivation, we want you to train correctly and avoid injuries. 

So first, before you get going out, there are some things you need to consider.  First of all is that you need to consider the equipment you have.  This doesn’t mean that you need to go out and spend hundreds of dollars getting all the best running gear, but you need also to make sure that the gear you have isn’t going to keep you from enjoying this new hobby.  Mostly you need to make sure that your shoes are up for the extreme punishment that you are about to put them through.  The constant pounding of your feet to the ground means that your shoes need to be supportive, durable, and comfortable.  Your get the supportive part from sole of the shoe.  Make sure to get shoes that match your foot arch and that the shoe is sturdy even that it doesn’t bend in the middle.  The durability of a shoe depends on how sturdy the sole is on the outside of the shoe.  Make sure that you get a running shoe that can take on payment, grass, and whatever else.  Lastly, the comfortability of the shoe comes from the insole of the shoe.  Again, make sure to get an insole that fits your foot arch.  Also make sure to have get a shoe with a nice cushion to help protect your feet.

You can get other equipment for running, but the shoes are the most important piece, kind of like a helmet is for a football player.  If you have any questions, please contact us as we would love to help you get into running.  Make sure to watch for more tips on training for a marathon and get going!

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