Athletico Health Resources

Editor’s Note: Today’s entry is written by Jenny Short, PT, DPT, ATC, Athletico Endurance Program member and participant in this year’s Bank of America Chicago Marathon.

With the 2013 Bank of America Chicago Marathon quickly approaching, chances are you know someone who will be running or walking in it. We are lucky to have one of the World Major Marathons in our own backyard (Boston, New York, Berlin, London, Tokyo, and Chicago). Elite runners come from all over the world to run in the Chicago Marathon and enjoy the Windy City. They have logged hundreds of miles and prepared all summer but there is one critical component left…you the spectator! Having run Chicago the past two years, I cannot emphasize enough the impact the crowd has played in my Marathon performance. The energy of the crowd, the signs, and the support throughout the full 26.2 miles has kept me motivated and helped me finish strong. Friends and family have come out to support me and have had a blast watching the race. This is a compilation of tips from me, my friends, and family on the best way to view the marathon! (more…)

We hope you all had fun learning and applying “3D” as it relates to the human body. To quickly review we discussed the sagittal, frontal, and transverse planes of movement and demonstrated in words/video how each plane worked. (Did any of you take our 3D quiz for a chance to be entered into a raffle for some fun prizes?) As humans, we were meant and designed to move in all these directions; yet, with many modern conveniences and sedentary occupations, we seem to move less and less. Maximizing multi-planar motion will not only help your movement, flexibility, agility, fitness and strength, but it will also train your proprioceptors to better respond if you trip, slip, reach/lift at an awkward angle, or do a quick direction change when playing a recreational or competitive sport, oftentimes significantly lowering your potential injury risk. (more…)

Now that warmer weather is finally here, we are all stir crazy to get outside and start having some fun in the sun. A simple and easy way to have fun in the sun with exercise is to start a walking or running program. In the spring and summer months you’ll see walkers or joggers on the lakefront, in the parks, on the sidewalks, along a forest or preserve trail, and sometimes even in the streets. Because walking and running are inherently familiar to most of us, we don’t often think outside the box and try to incorporate ways to make it better or safer. So today we will not only review some basics, but we will show you how and why to add a 3D component to not only your walk and run but also to your pre-activity warm-up and post-activity stretching routine. (more…)

Welcome to post-race letdown. It is completely normal and even inevitable to feel a big letdown after a milestone race. Being the type-A person most athletes are, you’ve trained and sacrificed for months preparing yourself and now just like that, it’s done. Hopefully race day went well and you achieved your goal, but even if you didn’t, the feelings are the same. You have been focusing on that event for months and now it’s over. It’s easy to let that bring you down, but you don’t have to let that happen. This post will give hints on how you can avoid post-race letdown. (more…)

The term “shin splints” gets tossed around a lot among athletes. What exactly are shin splints, what causes them and how can you alleviate them if you already are affected by them?

Shin splints are not caused by one thing because they are actually a symptom of deeper issues and are not a medical condition. The term shin splint generally refers to achiness and/or acute pain in the front side of your tibia (shin bone) while your foot is dorsiflexed (your foot is flexed). Depending on the person, the pain may be during exercise, immediately following exercise or even all the time. This pain and/or discomfort can be caused by a variety of things. This post will cover the most common causes of shin splints and how you can resolve them. (more…)

Congratulations! You made the commitment and registered for a Marathon. Whether this is your first or your 50th marathon, I’m sure you are excited to get going. Now comes the tough part for most marathoners-what do I do now? (more…)

Sigh… We knew it couldn’t last forever. Although it’s been pretty mild so far, we know what’s next. Fall is here, and winter’s coming.

It’s easy to think that the cold and the puffy clothes we wear are a good excuse to hit the buffet a little harder and to lower the fitness goals. However, there are a lot of great ways to stay fit and have fun during the winter months. Even if you don’t join an organized activity, get outside for some fresh air and natural vitamin D.  This blog post is dedicated to tips on how to exercise safely and comfortably throughout the winter. (more…)

About 2 years ago, I was out for a jog and saw a runner wearing the most peculiar shoes. They looked like a glove with individual toe cut-outs. Fittingly enough, he said they were called the 5 finger running shoes by Vibram. Having never heard of this company or type of shoe before, I thought he was crazy for trying to run on them. Turns out, the shoes were part of a new craze among runners…barefoot running. (more…)