Here’s an email I received from one of my patients Michael, 53, Charltons, last week:
“Paul, I was wondering if you could help me… As you know I really enjoy running. I run 5-6 times a week with at least one day of rest.
But lately my body has been feeling lethargic and my back feels tense, do you have any tips for what I can do?”
Here’s the thing…
Feeling lethargic, and experiencing tension isn’t always a ‘bad thing’.
You might be raising your eyebrows right now, and of course any kind of muscle tension is unpleasant and something we don’t want, but these are signs from our body telling us to slow down and ‘heal’.
When you enjoy running as much as my patient Michael does, it can be difficult to take a break – but sometimes doing less is the solution.
Let me tell you why…
Back tension is a very common thing I see amongst runners. If we overexercise, and live busy lives, we’ll most likely experience some form of niggle.
This alone can get in the way of your health goals, and in the long run your back, or any other part of the body, may only get worse.
So to prevent this from getting in the way, here’s some things you can do just like my patients:
Get A Good Night Sleep
We all know that getting a good sleep is important, but we’re not told to get up to eight hours for no reason.
Studies actually show that consistently getting eight hours a night helps to reduce unwanted aches and pains in the body, as well as rid of that lethargic, heavy feeling.
When you sleep this gives your body a chance to repair, and when you have a regular routine, you will likely find yourself feeling energised!
Exercise Less
This one might come as a surprise, but sometimes taking a break from exercise will have huge benefit your body.
It’s important to give your body a chance to recover in order to see and feel the benefits of exercise, repair your muscles and reduce inflammation that comes from exercise.
This doesn’t mean that you have to stop exercising, or running for a number of days – you could simply try switching up your workouts so you’re not always using the same muscles, and be sure to take at least one or two days off.
I know it’s hard to take a days rest, I find it tough too sometimes, but it’s worth it!
When my patients do this, their back tension eases off, and their running even improves! So give it a go, why let a bad back get in the way of keeping active and mobile?
If you have back pain or any sports injuries right now, be sure to claim a copy of my free, special report which shows the BEST ways to get fit quick: It’s 27 pages of advice titled “7 Secret Recovery Strategies That Only The Pro Athletes Know And Use”: www.paulgoughphysio.com/sports-injury-clinic
You might know Paul as an expert Columnist who writes weekly health articles for TWO of the North East's biggest daily Newspapers, The Northern Echo And The Hartlepool Mail, he is a regular Speaker at Industry Seminars around the globe and a Radio Personality, often heard on the BBC. Paul has been an expert guest on dozens of Radio shows and regularly interviewed in newspapers, magazines and trade journals all over the world, including the Guardian.
Paul’s background included working extensively in the Premier League with a Top Professional Football Team, and since quitting his job in Professional Football in 2007, his Physio Practice has become the fastest growing in the UK and biggest in the North East. So successful, that companies like BUPA, ASDA, The Vela Group And Coast & Country, repeatedly retain his Physio company's services to keep healthy their own staff and workforce. Paul Gough Physio Rooms is now a large multi-physio, multi clinic speciality practice in Darlington, Durham, Guisborough and Hartlepool.
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