health & wellness
Sports Safety
Proper equipment and
Stretching safeguard kids.
Marvin & Betty Dant°
Health Care Center
Heartland Geor
Heartland West
Heartland — Oakla
I
800.800.CARE
www.KhooseHeartland.com
Heartland
vow
Nor
Health Care Center
Women's care , psi-
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-for you.
Call 248-865-4230
fin' an appointment
"I am sensitive to the special
needs of every woman"
Dr. Miller is board-certified in
obstetrics and gynecology. She
offers personalized care for
women in every stage of life,
including preventative medicine,
prenatal care and childbirth
services, and menopause
management. Dr. Miller also
offers minimally-invasive
surgery for gynecologic
conditions, includirtij elective
procedures.
Call
at 248-865-4
/ Sharon Miller, MD
Obstetrics & Gynecology
SijOHN
'ROVJDENCE
PROVIDENCE
PROVIDENCE 144ORTHWESTERN OB1GYN
30055 NORTHVJETERN H . Vig SUITE 270 • FARMING-TON HILLS, MI 42334
70
October 25 • 2012
n today's age of health and fitness,
more and more kids are involved
in competitive sporting activities.
Although being part of school teams is
an important rite of passage for many
kids, parents and their children could
be overlooking the importance of
proper nutrition and body condition-
ing needed for preventing injuries on
and off the field.
Highly competitive sports such as
football, gymnastics, wrestling and
hockey, follow rigorous training sched-
ules that can be potentially dangerous
to an adolescent or teenager.
"Proper warm-up and stretching
exercise is essential for kids involved
in sports, but many kids learn improp-
er techniques, making them more
prone to injury," says Dr. David Silbert
of Silbert Chiropractic Clinic P.C. in
Southgate.
Young athletes should begin with
a slow jog to warm up the legs and
arms and stretch all the major muscle
groups.
"Kids involved in any sport, such as
football, baseball, hockey, gymnastics
and swimming, should develop a rou-
tine that includes exercises to create
stability for the lower-back muscles,
arms and shoulders to avoid injury,"
Silbert says.
Proper nutrition and hydration also
are extremely important. "A student
athlete may need to drink eight to 10
8-ounce glasses of water for proper
hydration. Also, eating a healthy meal
before and after practice or a game
refuels the body," he says.
The following tips can help ensure
young athletes do not miss a step when
it comes to proper fitness, stretching,
training and rest for their growing and
developing bodies as they participate
in sporting activities.
• Wear the proper equipment.
Certain contact sports, such as football
and hockey, can be dangerous if the
equipment is not properly fitted. Make
sure all equipment, including helmets,
pads and shoes, fit your athlete and
make sure equipment is not damaged.
• Make sure your young athlete is
eating a well-balanced diet and does
not skip meals. Avoid high-fat foods,
such as candy bars and fast food. At
home, provide fruit rather than cook-
ies, and vegetables rather than potato
chips.
• Maintain a healthy weight. Be sure
your child does not feel pressured into
being too thin or bulking up and that
he/she understands that proper nutri-
tion and caloric intake is needed for
optimal performance and endurance
in any given sport.
• Drink water. Teenage athletes
should drink at least eight 8-ounce
glasses of water a day.
• Drink milk. Make sure your child
has enough calcium included in his/
her diet.
• Avoid sugar-loaded, caffeinated
and carbonated drinks. Sports drinks
are a good source of replenishment for
those kids engaged in long duration
sports, such as track and field.
• Follow a warm-up routine. Be sure
your child or his/her coach includes a
warm-up and stretching session before
every practice, game or meet. A slow
jog, jumping rope and/or lifting small
weights reduces the risk of torn or
ripped muscles.
• Cool down routine is just as
important as the warm up. Gradually
allow your heart rate to lower. Give
yourself at least five minutes to move
around; keep moving until you're not
sweating, sip water and rehydrate.
Stretch the muscles you've used to help
relax the body and increase flexibility.
• Take vitamins daily. A multivita-
min and Vitamin C are good choices
for the young athlete. Vitamin B and
amino acids may help reduce the pain
from contact sports. Thiamine can
help promote healing. Also consider
Vitamin A to strengthen scar tissue.
• Get plenty of rest. Eight hours of
sleep is ideal for the young athlete.
Lack of sleep and rest can decrease
performance.
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