Sports « Weekly Gravy

Rowing is often called the best aerobic exercise because it offers a total body workout and is low-impact. Rowing involves performing a continuous motion with focused coordination between the arms and the legs. If you’ve never rowed a boat or paddled a canoe before, it may take some time to get the hang of it, but the fitness benefits are worth time spent on the learning curve. Home machines come very close to simulating this fun yet strenuous activity, but try different models before you buy. Don’t be swayed by price alone: The resistance mechanism on cheaper models often relies on pistons and may not give you the smoothest motion. Check out rowing machines that rely on air, water or magnetic resistance to find the one that feels most natural to you. While you should feel comfortable on the seat, working with the oars will tell you how well a machine suits you. You should be able to move your arms through a full range of motion. The resistance should feel smooth, not jerky, and you should be able to easily adjust the tension level to suit your ability. Don’t rush through a test run. In fact, you may want to return to the store for a second visit before you invest in a machine. After you’ve made the purchase and have your rower set… read on >

Ever had a bad spasm from bending down to pick up your child or tie your shoes? Keeping your core muscles — the workhorses that stabilize your spine — flexible with a stretching routine can help prevent this common occurrence and protect your back in general. The Pelvic Tilt targets your lower back and your abdominals. Lie on your back with knees bent and feet about hip-width apart. Flatten and then press your lower back into the floor. You’ll feel your hips tilt forward. Hold for 10 to 20 seconds and repeat five times. The Side Stretch helps your back and sides become more limber. In a standing position, extend your right arm above your head. Put your left hand on your hip. Slowly bend to the left without twisting or jerking. Hold for 10 to 20 seconds and repeat five times. Then repeat the sequence on the other side. The Back Arch stretches hips and shoulders as well as your back. Stand up straight, legs shoulder width apart. Support your lower back with both hands and bend backwards. Hold for 10 to 20 seconds and repeat five times. As a reminder, never bounce when stretching. This can cause muscles to tighten and lead to injury. Ease into every stretch with a slow, steady movement. Stop if any stretch feels uncomfortable. You should feel slight… read on >

After-school activities help develop social skills and talent, but a new report finds that many kids are priced out of participating. In fact, for 1 in 6 middle and high school students, costs are the prime reason for not taking part in these activities. And the poorest students are two times less likely to participate, compared with their better-off peers, researchers reported in a new poll. “Extracurricular activities correlate with grades, staying in school and graduating,” said Sarah Clark, co-director of the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health at the University of Michigan. “So when we see kids not participating, that’s very concerning,” she said. School activities can also influence a student’s chances of getting into college, Clark added. After-school activities include sports and various clubs, including service clubs and student council. But 18 percent of kids whose family incomes are under $100,000 don’t take part in any activity, which is double the rate of those from families with higher incomes, the researchers found. Clark said that about half of the students played sports, which include intramural and varsity teams, in 2018-2019. More than 40 percent took part in activities like music, theater or dance, she said. In addition, about half participated in a club or other activity like student council. These activities, however, often come with costs. Average fees are $161… read on >

As the weather starts to warm up, you might be excited to restart a swimming routine, but swimming isn’t the only water sport that’s also fun exercise. Many activities that used to be vacation-only pastimes are more accessible than you might realize. If you’re a fan of rowing, either the real thing or with cardio equipment that simulates the movement, consider canoeing and kayaking. Both activities provide a terrific upper-body workout. The differences between the boats and the paddles might lead you to prefer one over the other. With a canoe, you either sit on a seat or kneel. The boat is open and usually made for two or more people, so it’s a good choice for family outings. To paddle, you typically alternate sides every few strokes. A kayak is a type of canoe, often made for one person. You sit on its floor with your legs stretched out and use a double-ended paddle for alternating strokes. For a completely different experience, there’s stand-up paddleboarding, which delivers a full-body workout. You stand on the board at all times, great for improving balance and strengthening legs, and use a paddle to move through the water. You can do it on calm water if you don’t want to ride waves. Of course, if you’re a landlubber, there are many indoor activities you can move outside in… read on >

Drowning can be swift and silent, making it a leading cause of accidental death among children. To help parents protect their kids in and around the water, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has updated its water safety recommendations. Drowning is the third-leading cause of accidental injury-related death among 5- to 19-year-olds. Nearly 1,000 children in the United States died from drowning in 2017, and 8,700 were seen at hospital emergency departments after a drowning event, according to the AAP. Toddlers and teens are at highest risk. “Drowning is the single leading cause of injury-related death among children ages 1 to 4,” said Dr. Sarah Denny, lead author of the updated policy statement. “Many of these deaths occur when children are not expected to be swimming or when they have unanticipated access to water. Toddlers are naturally curious; that’s why we must implement other strategies, such as pool fencing and door locks,” she added in an AAP news release. But little kids aren’t the only ones at high risk. Nearly 370 young people between 10 and 19 years of age drown each year in the United States. “Adolescents can be overconfident in their swimming abilities and are more likely to combine alcohol use with swimming — compounding their risk significantly. Children of color, especially African American teens, are especially at risk,” Denny said. The policy… read on >

Think exercise has to be high-intensity to make a difference to your health? Think again. New research shows that even routine housework and gardening can help older women’s hearts. “For older women, any and all movement counts towards better cardiovascular health,” said Dr. David Goff. He’s director of the division of cardiovascular sciences at the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), which funded the new research. “When we tell people to move with heart, we mean it, and the supporting evidence keeps growing,” he said in an institute news release. Heart disease remains the leading killer of American women and nearly 68 percent of women aged 60 to 79 have heart disease, according to the NHLBI. The new study was led by Andrea LaCroix, of the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). Her team tracked the activity of more than 5,800 U.S. women, aged 63 to 97. Each wore a device that measured their movement 24 hours a day for a full week. The researchers then tracked each woman’s heart health over the next five years. The investigators found that even light physical activity — gardening, going for a stroll, folding clothes — appeared to reduce the risk of stroke or heart failure by up to 22 percent, and the risk of heart attack or coronary death by as much as 42 percent.… read on >

Stretching your leg muscles can improve your flexibility and prevent injury. Here are three stretches that you can do every day and at every age. Start with a calf stretch. Stand at arm’s length from a wall and place your palms flat on the wall at shoulder height for support. Now take one big step backward with one leg. Keep that leg straight as you bend the front knee. Lean forward, but keep your back heel planted firmly on the floor. You should feel the stretch in your lower leg. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds, then switch legs and repeat. Repeat three to five times with each leg. Now move to a hamstring stretch. Lie flat on your back and extend one leg straight up to the ceiling. Loop an exercise band around the ball of that foot and hold the ends of the band firmly around both hands. Now pull on the band to create tension, drawing your foot slightly toward your head. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds, then switch legs and repeat. Repeat three to five times with each leg. Finish with a quad stretch. Stand a few feet in front of a step or low stool. Extend one leg behind you so that you are resting that foot on the step. Bend your front knee slightly without letting it extend… read on >

As American kids pack on the pounds, the number of those with back pain is on the rise. One in three between the ages of 10 and 18 said they had backaches in the past year, according to a survey of about 3,700 youngsters. The incidence rose along with kids’ age and weight and was higher among those who play competitive sports. Though many people probably associate back pain with older people, the orthopedic surgeon who led the study was not surprised by his findings. “We see a lot of kids who have pain from overuse injuries or joint pain from playing sports,” said Dr. Peter Fabricant, who treats pediatric patients at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. “Of these kids who had back pain, very few actually required any sort of medical intervention. Most didn’t need treatment at all.” About 80 percent of adults suffer from lower back pain at some time, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health. But this is the first time the extent of back pain among children has been estimated on nationwide scale, the authors said. The youngsters surveyed were equally split by age and gender. On average, those who reported back pain weighed more and had higher body mass indexes, or BMIs. (BMI is a measure of body fat based on height and weight.)… read on >

Working your triceps might not always be top of mind, but toning the muscles that run along the backs of your upper arms is key to the smooth functioning of your elbows and to also give bare arms a sleeker look. For a study sponsored by the American Council on Exercise (ACE), scientists from the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, evaluated eight popular triceps strength-training exercises. Tops for Triceps Training Triangle push-ups Triceps kickbacks Overhead triceps extensions Bar push-downs Rope push-downs Closed-grip bench press Lying barbell triceps extensions Dips From this list, triangle push-ups, dips and triceps kickbacks best engaged these muscles. Here’s how to do them. (For each exercise, do 10 to 15 reps for a complete set. Progress from one to three sets as you get stronger.) Triangle push-ups are a variation on the classic push-up. The difference is that the hands are placed next to each other, directly under the upper chest, with thumbs and index fingers making a triangle shape. Flex your feet and contract your core and leg muscles. Keep your head in line with your spine as you slowly lower your body until your chest touches the floor. Focus on moving only your arms. With control, press back up until your arms are fully extended. Repeat. (If this is too hard, you can do the exercise with knees bent… read on >