The shape of things

It's 4 p.m. You're starting to watch the clock, counting down the minutes until you can leave work (and go to the gym, right?) :)

Well if you've been sitting at a desk all day, typing and clicking away - chances are you've got a stiff back, tight shoulders, achy forearms and tired legs.

The remedy? Do some stretches at your desk. Here's a list of stretches you can do right here at the office. It'll make your muscles feel great and it may give you that energy boost you need to finish that one last project before you call it a day (and go to the gym, right?) :)

I just did these stretches in my office, and with the exception of one (the inner thigh stretch) they are pretty nonchalant. If you work in a cubicle, it may be a little odd, but try to sneak to a small conference room if you want some privacy, or just let your cube coworkers join in on the stretches - believe me they need it too!

So just click here and enjoy. My favorites were the hip stretch and the spinal twist!

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Some things in life are never certain. Especially in the realm of sports/nutrition/health research. One day we hear coffee is incredible for you, the next day it's the devil. Same goes with the infamous topic of stretching. Unfortunately a lot of us don't keep up on the research and revert back to our days of playing ball during physical education class in junior high.

You know, the P.E. teacher would have us all bend over reach for our toes before the "sport of the week." We'd sit there waiting for always only 5-10 seconds, and then on to the next stretch.

If you still stretch like this - please pay attention to this post!

Many of you already know (I assume) that it's a very bad idea to stretch cold muscles. Basically, to stretch before exercise is not good and actually harmful to your muscles.

A new research article was published and I'm going to share with you their major findings:

• Traditional stretching during warm-up before exercise can increase flexibility for a short time, but there is little evidence that it can improve exercise performance, reduce delayed-onset muscular soreness, or prevent injuries.
  
  
• Passive stretching for 15–30 seconds is more effective for increasing flexibility than stretching for shorter durations and is equally effective as stretching for longer periods.
  
  
• Increased flexibility is important for sports like ballet, gymnastics, and swimming, but it may decrease running economy and be inappropriate for line play in American football and for certain other sports activities where joint stability is critical.
  
  
• Stretching just before exercise may cause temporary strength deficits.
  
  
• There is some evidence that traditional warm-up procedures that do not include stretching may improve certain types of exercise performance and reduce the risk of sports injuries.
  
  
• Read More Findings here
  

To sum up - stretching during a warm up is really not necessary. You should hold stretches for about 15-30 seconds - and holding it longer doesn't make a difference. Increased flexibility is not ideal for all sports.

Take away - stretch after you exercise. Hold each stretch for about 15-30 seconds. If you're a runner or football player being incredibly flexible might not actually improve your sport.

The New York Times had an interesting article today about running classes and camps. In the past few years there's been a surge of participation in these camps from "recreational runners" who want to perfect their form and prevent injury - not win the Boston Marathon.

It's interesting because in the past people would just go out and run and if they got injured they would go to another sport. But today, people are more conscious about injury prevention and good running form and actually research information about running and take classes even if they are only clocking 10-20 miles a week.

I admit that when I started getting interested in running and wanting to sign up for races one of the first things I did was go to runnersworld.com and read articles on form and prevention of injury. But, for me, that's something I do before I start anything new - a lot of research. It's interesting to know that others do the same thing.

One of the most surprising statistics mentioned in the article was that each year 60-65% of runners get injured in one of the five spots - knees, the calf and shin, the iliotibial band (the connective tissue of the outer thigh), the Achilles tendon and the foot. That blew me away. They estimate that there are 11 million adult runners in the U.S. and 60-65% of them get injured each year. Yikes.

Now I'm not convinced that I need to sign up for a running camp this summer, but it's nice to know that it's an option. What I am convinced of (and I hope you are too) is that I need to take care of myself and learn all the best ways to prevent injuries. Here's what I've learned so far in terms of injury prevention:

1. REST - if you run every single day you're body will get injured. Your muscles need time to rest. If you run two days in a row, take the third day off.

2. STRETCH - after a run take 5-10 minutes to stretch out those muscles that you just made work so hard. Stretch your calves, quads, hamstrings, groin and achilles.

3. Pick up cross training - if you love to run but find it's hard on your knees (or any other body part) then pick up another cardio activity that is less strenuous on that body part. Go for a swim, get on the elliptical, go for a bike ride, take a spin class, jump on the step machine, etc. It will also help you not get bored with your workouts.

4. STRENGTH TRAIN!! - Your muscles are working hard during a run, and if they're not strong enough, they won't last very long. Hence the need to strength train. Do squats, lunges, dead lifts, bicep curls, shoulder presses, chest flies, triceps dips, pull ups, push ups, crunches, back extensions. Target all your muslces and you'll be more toned and less likely to get injured. (I strength train three times a week - each time I focus on one area: upper body, lower body, core).

Read a lot more articles about injury prevention here at runners world.