DO YOU WANT TO PLAY SPORTS UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF A COACH OR ON YOUR OWN?
Working in the gym with a trainer would be ideal, any specialist will tell you that. But in today's reality, not everyone can pay for individual lessons. I live by the principle, "Help someone else and it will come back to you," so I constantly post free videos on my Instagram and YouTube with detailed explanations of how to exercise properly. Again, I work with moms who can't leave their kids at home alone and go to the gym. These women also want to be pumped, so I ask them to do exercises at home using my video lessons.
"WE ARE WHAT WE EAT"
All of our problems are related to improper nutrition and a sedentary lifestyle. When people ask what to do if their joints hurt, I immediately answer: change your approach to your food choices. To build a solid house, you buy quality materials, because you want to live in it for a long time.
GOOD NUTRITION AND PROTEIN
It's a little annoying when people say, "Anya, we feed our kids straight food, dairy products. I always reply, "Are you kidding me now?" I often travel and something I do not see herds of grazing cows that give us so much milk, cottage cheese and sour cream. And there are tons of these products on every corner in the cities. The question is: Where does it come from? We often go abroad. Well, all the grocery stores there sell protein: in bars, cookies, cocktails. People are used to it, they easily buy these products. And mothers have no question whether they will harm their child, because these products are sold in simple supermarkets. And where is protein sold in our country? Only in specialized stores for athletes, which is wrong! It's just regular food. Who told you it's sports nutrition? It was developed by nutritionists to feed children. When we were young, young athletes ate mixes because they were high in protein. And when they grew up, they switched to adult nutrition with increased amounts of protein. I always say, people, hear me: don't you want to get joint pain?
Ask yourself what they are made of? So geez, maybe you will drink purified fluids and consume protein to make the joint work? And we want to take the magic pill by paying a lot of money...
THE MOST COMMON KNEE INJURIES AND THEIR CAUSES
First of all, joints break down earlier, too, because of poor nutrition. Secondly, our parents were running at the age of 78 and did not talk about any pain in the knees, they just moved more. Third, unlike animals, humans have moved on to uprightness. The load went to the hips, knees, and ankles. Not only that, but our shoes have worsened the cushioning of the foot. And these are all links in the same chain. I've worked as a trainer for over 10 years, and 90% of those who have knee pain suffer from herniated or protrusion in the lumbar area. That's where the discomfort occurs. So the first thing I do is pump my lower back, and that's it: the pain in my knees disappears.
JOINT DISEASES, IN WHICH IT IS CONTRAINDICATED TO EXERCISE IN THE GYM
I like to take on difficult cases - it's encouraging for any coach. Here's a simple question: if a joint is a movable joint of bones, what is it made for? And the answer has already been given! I'm not discovering America when I say that you have to move. If a joint doesn't move, it dies. Even with serious illnesses that are not joint related, you have to do massages and move your limbs. The only time I don't have people practicing is if they come in with an inflamed joint. Never once have I not taken a person to practice if they don't have inflammation. You can exercise or not, but as soon as something starts to hurt - it's a direct indication of a competent, properly calculated workout.
HOW TO STRENGTHEN YOUR KNEES AND GET RID OF PAIN AND CRUNCHING
On my YouTube and Instagram there are a number of exercises that you can do at home. But a lot of people don't do them either.
KNEELING: PROS AND CONS
Remember our parents, who took a rag, got on their knees, and scrubbed the floor with their hands. Their joints didn't hurt because they were working. And we all exaggerate: walking on our knees? Hoba - and run! Two seconds, first you need to warm them up properly, make special movements to strengthen the ligaments and then do the exercise. Knee walking is a kind of rough self-massage. That's a colossal load. But if you slowly pump up the knee with a gradual increase in loads, and then move not on the floor, but on a soft fitball or a pillow - it's different. And only after half a year or a year we move to the floor.
DO I HAVE TO DRINK WATER DURING MY WORKOUT?
When people ask me this question, the answer is: "Are you kidding me? Is there a water cooler in all gyms so you can salivate while you're working out?" But you have to drink it in portions, not come out of the gym, suck up a liter - and then you say you feel sick from the water. You do a workout, you drink a sip. Without joint fluid the cartilage is not lubricated.
WARM-UP TIME BEFORE CLASS
The main thing in sports is the principle of gradualness. Start your workout with a short 5-minute workout.
THE BEST EXERCISE FOR KNEE JOINTS
You know what little kids do in kindergarten when they sit on chairs? They wiggle their legs up and down with little amplitude. So you sit on a high chair with your hips on it and your shins hanging down. At this moment, the articular surfaces do not rub against each other, because there is no pressure on the lower leg. The loads moves it away, and the joint gap with the fluid becomes a little wider.
You don't have to do it 10-20 times as you do during pumping: you just move your legs for 10-15 minutes, not lifting them up and down too much. That is, I'm pumping the ligaments, strengthening them and protecting the knee. Remember, this is the best and easiest exercise. You have to do it in the morning and evening for 15 minutes - it's like brushing your teeth.
HARMFUL EXERCISES FOR KNEE JOINTS
There is a basic law: knees do not like sharp angles. So when people come to me with pain in them, the first thing is a ban on running and jumping, and the second thing is to remove squats and lunges, replacing them with Romanian tractions.
BANDAGES OR KNEEPADS FOR SPORTS ACTIVITIES
In my 10 years of practice I have never used and do not advise others. In training we strengthen ourselves. And if I'm wearing a bandage, I can't do that.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT SHOES FOR SPORTS
There are sneakers for running for example. These are different loads. Runners buy shoes with cushioning under their toes and heels. It is desirable to look for specialized shoes for classes. If not - it is fraught with difficulties with the feet. For example, I noticed that all scoliosis people have problems with them.
WHAT YOU CAN AND CAN'T DO AFTER YOUR WORKOUT IF YOU WANT TO KEEP YOUR KNEES AND JOINTS MOBILE
All physical activity in the gym should end with a warm-up. After the workout you must not go outside immediately, otherwise the joint will immediately cool down. The cold will hit it, and that's it: pulls the ligament, and compression of the joint occurs.
KNEE AND JOINT INJURY PREVENTION TIPS
The main thing is to eat right and be active. Just 20-30 years ago, people used cars less often to travel around town, did not sit 24 hours a day at computers, and out of 100 people there was only one with bad joints. And now it happens much more often because of junk food and sedentary lifestyles.
The opinion of the columnist may not coincide with the opinion of the editorial board.
Before you start training, you should consult a specialist and find out if you have no contraindications to any exercises and loads.
Photo: From the speaker's personal archive