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Archive for category: Sports and Leisure

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I Always Called it Dumb-Ball

Football lovers beware, this post will offend you.

I have never liked football, in fact I have always called it dumb-ball. Why? Because I could not, and do not, understand the appeal of watching big dudes, many of them grossly out of shape, run into each other with their heads. I never saw this as sport, and recognize that in a three hour game, each player actually moves for about 6 minutes. How athletic (I mean pathetic).

Okay, okay, simmer down. I can see that some of them are sweating under those helmets, and to be honest I don’t even understand the game. I should not knock something I have not tried, take no interest in, and don’t get, but alas I will continue.I think the recent NFL player award of $765 million for those with brain injury resulting from football proves my point. According to one article, “under the settlement, individual awards would be capped at $5 million for men with Alzheimer’s disease; $4 million for those diagnosed after their deaths with a brain condition called chronic traumatic encephalopathy; and $3 million for players with dementia”. They indicate that there are 18,000 players affected (http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000235494/article/nfl-explayers-agree-to-765m-settlement-in-concussions-suit).

Other articles talk about this as a “drop in the bucket” and an award very unlikely to have any impact on the NFL at all. I know that the economy lives on supply and demand, and it somewhat saddens me that there remains a “demand” for this type of sport via spectators that pay big bucks and derive pleasure from watching this idiocy.

I love this article from Grantland: What Would the End of Football Look Like? (http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7559458/cte-concussion-crisis-economic-look-end-football). In this, they speak of pending football lawsuits and that the end result is that “more and more modern parents will keep their kids out of playing football, and there tends to be a “contagion effect” with such decisions; once some parents have second thoughts, many others follow suit.”

I can tell you that I work with people with brain injury, Alzheimer’s Disease, concussions and post-concussion syndrome. These are not easy injuries to live with, or to treat. Dizziness, visual disturbance, excessive fatigue, cognitive difficultly, physical and emotional challenges…not fun. Why as a parent would I sign my kids up for that, or the likelihood of that, when there are other sports like tennis, volleyball, swimming, baseball and golf that are more classy, often more athletic, and clearly more safe?

What is interesting is that a few years back I was at a conference on Spinal Cord Injury. At my table, there was a researcher from the US. He was talking about impact data being collected from sensors inside football helmets. He said they were astonished at the high velocity of impacts being measured, and said the numbers were so severe they “could not even release the data as the outcome would result in public outcry and a drastic change to the sport”. Well, we wouldn’t want an outcry, would we?

The bottom line is that society’s values are changing. Parents are going to be less and less interested in exposing their children to sports that are more likely to cause injury, and to have long-term disabling effects. Sorry dumb-ball, I think your days are numbered. Golf anyone?

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Gardening Ergonomics

Do you have, or are aspiring to have, a “green thumb” ?  Or do you simply enjoy spending time beautifying your home or spending time connecting with nature?  Whether you garden for pleasure or purpose you may from time to time suffer from a sore back and achy muscles brought on by the hard work and bending involved.  The following article from the Toronto Star gives helpful tips on how to ergonomically garden without ending up with a sore back.

 

The Toronto Star: How to avoid back pain while gardening

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Summer First Aid Essentials

Although it’s best to be prepared and know how to avoid sunburn and heat illnesses the hot summer can bring, sometimes our best efforts fail and we need to learn how to deal with the consequences.  The following from the Government’s Healthy Canadians, will help you learn how to treat a sunburn or heat stroke, 2 very common summer health issues.  Although prevention is the best method, it’s best to be prepared.

 

Healthy Canadians: First aid advice for sunburn and heat illness

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Summer Sports Safety

Do you or your kids participate in summer activities or sports?  Swimming, playing soccer, golf, tennis and other summer sports can be fabulous for your health, however, you need to ensure you are playing safely.  Whether you play organized summer sports or simply enjoy a nature walk, the following article from Better Home and Gardens discusses how to ensure you and your family play it safe this summer. 

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Reap What You Sow All Summer Long

Thinking of starting your own vegetable garden?  Gardening is a great way to get outside and enjoy nature while reaping many health benefits.  Growing your own food can also be beneficial due to: cost savings, the promotion of eco-friendly activities, allowing you to connect with nature, educational opportunities and many more!  The following article by Readers Digest provides easy tips on how to start your own vegetable garden and reap the benefits your harvest will bring.

Readers Digest: Grow Your Own Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs

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Make The Most of Your Weekend

Are you weekends filled with countless errands and projects?  Do you make time for fun activities?  The following article from Readers Digest discusses how you can plan ahead to ensure you and your family get more out of your weekends and give ideas for easy ways to add some fun to your summer.  The activities are fun, strengthen family relationships, and will help keep you and your family active and healthy.

Reader’s Digest: 9 Tips for Active Weekends

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Golf FORE All

Julie Entwistle, MBA, BHSc (OT), BSc (Health / Gerontology)

I don’t quite understand why hitting a stationary ball is so difficult but alas, golf is one of my favorite sports.  I started playing as a teenager and spent years figuring out that my old baseball swing aimed lower would hit a golf ball far, but not really straight.  With practice I have removed the sway, slowed down my tempo, and learned that trying to kill the white-dimpled-target does not work out either, and voila, I am hooked.

But beyond my love of the sport as an athlete, I also love how adaptable it is.  Growing up I remember playing with my grandfather who had polio.  He would swing a club with one arm while his other arm held his crutch to keep him standing.  Yet, even with one arm, he could hit the ball consistently far and straight – skills foreign to most amateurs.  As an occupational therapist I now suggest golf as one way to re-integrate clients into the athletic world following an accident or injury.  How?  By breaking the sport into its component parts, and structuring participation around ability. 

Many people start with putting.  While putting can be boring to practice, it is the most important part of the game as you are likely going to put at least 18 times a round.  Putting requires neck flexion  but can be done in sitting or standing.  Mats can be purchased to putt at home that will eject the ball back to your feet if your putt is successful.  At times, I have even used putting with clients at their home to test for visual-spatial deficits which makes it a great exercise to also practice if deficits are noted.

From putting, people can slowly increase the club speed through chipping, pitching and low wedge shots.  In these cases, there is little body movement and reduced torque through lowered club speed that would cause pain if the ground, not the ball, was impacted.  Then, if feeling good around the greens, the player can start with low irons on the range and work backwards to full swings.  Eventually, they can try a few holes with a cart to pace the walking, then consider a pull cart with walking later if that is within their abilities.

What is also great about golf, however, is how this is getting attention in the world of modified sport.  Now, some courses have Solo Riders (www.solorider.com) that can be used by people who have deficits in independent standing.  These Solo Riders position the golfer in swing distance from the ball, then elevate them into a standing position to facilitate the swing.  These carts can go on the tees and greens as they only distribute 70 pounds for force through each tire – less than a person’s foot so they don’t damage the course.  I played in a tournament last year where a local golf pro, who had a spinal cord injury, demonstrated the use of a Solo Rider on a par 3 from the tee and hit the ball within a few feet of the pin.  Apparently, for the group before us, he hit a hole in one.

I also remember reading an article a few years ago about physiotherapy programs that were focusing on golf-related skills in therapy such as balance, trunk control, pelvic rotation, and fluidity of movement to help golfers return to the game.  Other activities, such as yoga and Tai Chi are also now known as ways golfers can improve flexibility, strength, endurance, and muscle control in the off-season.

My parents vacation in Florida all winter, and while there met Judy Alvarez who instructs and assists disabled people to learn, enjoy and excel at the game of golf.  I read her book (Broken Tees, Mended Hearts) on a recent holiday.  What is most compelling in her book is not about the physical benefits of golfing, but rather the emotional and participatory value golf has for her disabled clients.  Through participation in a challenging but modifiable sport, people can regain passion for sport, competition and can work to achieve personal bests.  Golf really is FORE all and I hope you will consider hitting the links.

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Making Martial Arts More Accessible

 

I previously wrote about Martial Arts and the immense benefits of this for both children and adults.  However, in highlighting this, I am cognisant that some people will have physical, financial, and geographical barriers to participating in a Martial Arts program.  As such, I wanted to provide some more information to make Martial Arts more accessible.

From a physical perspective, like all activities, Martial Arts can be modified to meet any level of physical ability.  Personally, I have vertigo so I cannot engage in ground techniques.  So, I stay on my feet working on kicks, punches, forms, and self-defense.  Erik Kondo (http://martialartistwithdisabilities.blogspot.ca/2008/07/erik-kondo.html) has paraplegia and is a third degree black belt.  He has posted several videos online about self-defense from a wheelchair, and has also published an online resource on the 5 D’s of self-defense (http://www.not-me.org/).  Michael Sirota (http://www.sirotasalchymy.com/master.html) runs an entire Martial Arts program for people with disabilities and structures each program individually.  With a creative Sensei and a motivated participant, anything can be done.  Tai Chi is also a Martial Art, but is grounded in slow, sequential movements that can be done in sitting or standing.  My grandmother had Parkinson’s Disease and practiced Tai Chi for years as a way to prevent the decline of her balance and mobility.  There are many local chapters of Taoist Tai Chi (www.taoist.org/ontario).

Financially, like many organized sports or activities, Martial Arts can be considered expensive.  However, as a parent, I have found Martial Arts to be less expensive than the organized volleyball, basketball, tennis, cheer and dance my girls have participated in.  In the world of rehab, a one year Martial Arts Program could be easily justified on a treatment plan.  Or, if you are funding this yourself, there are different dojos with different fee structures so calling around can help you to find one within your budget.  Our local YMCA offers Martial Arts as part of the family membership, and a family membership at the Y has multiple benefits for a reasonable fee.  I also believe the Y’s offer membership rates that can be geared to income.  Some dojos offer Martial Arts on a monthly basis, and others require a contract.  You can decide through speaking with different programs which option works best for you.  Also, some community centers offer Martial Arts for very low prices, or again are geared to income.  I have also experienced Sensei’s coming into physical education classes to demonstrate some of the skills and techniques at no charge.

Geographically there may be barriers to finding a local dojo, or transportation problems prevent easy access the community.  Perhaps looking for videos, online resources, books or even using video games to teach some of the skills could be possible.  Or, perhaps there is a carpooling opportunity with another family in the same area.  Explaining access issues to the Sensei at the nearest dojo may result in some solutions.

The bottom line is that as with anything, where there is a will, there is a way.  And the benefits of engaging in Martial Arts are so immense that taking some time to research local opportunities and to ask questions to make this accessible to you or your child will be well worth the effort. 

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Martial Arts is All That…

Julie Entwistle, MBA, BHSc (OT), BSc (Health / Gerontology)

I started Martial Arts at a time in my life when I was discontent with my emotional, physical and cognitive health.  I was unhappy with myself and listed all the reasons I felt that way to come to a very solid conclusion – I was not getting enough exercise.  After having four kids in five years, my exercise and sports were naturally not at the forefront of my time.  My solution?  Karate.  Why?  It would provide me with the physical outlet I needed, would be a cognitive challenge, and would feed my emotional need to do something for “me”.  Also, I considered self-defence, like CPR and First Aid, a tool I wanted in my “just in case” tool box.  But what I found through Martial Arts was much more than I expected.  I always struggled to explain this to others until I read a wonderful post from Sensei Master Michael Sirota (http://www.sirotasalchymy.com/master.html).  Sensei Sirota lives in British Columbia and has created an entire Martial Arts program for people with disabilities.  He is heavily involved in the Para-Olympics and is, in my mind, a pillar in the Martial Arts Community.  I was fortunate enough to meet Michael in person last year.

In his post “Why Martial Arts”, Sensei Sirota highlighted the benefits:

Self-Defense:  “practice the fight so you don’t have to”.  This speaks to the fact that Martial Artists develop a quiet confidence that is seen but not heard.  This confidence makes them less vulnerable as a target of violence, and teaches them to identify potentially dangerous situations early to promote avoidance.

Athletic Enhancement and Fitness:  Many athletes combine their sports training with Martial Arts to maintain endurance, flexibility, coordination and swiftness.  Being able to strike, kick and move quickly mimics the explosive, fluid and coordinated movements needed in sport.  There are few other activities that burn as many calories, or result in such an overall body workout.

Other Health Benefits:  Martial Artists tend to take diet and exercise seriously.  This is part of the intensity of their training and their commitment to wellness.  Martial Arts requires concentration and focus, things relatable to all areas of life.  Martial Arts is a commitment with the built in motivation of moving through belt levels to achieve the goal of Sensei.

Respect and Courtesy: Contrary to popular belief, Martial Arts is about restraint and playing nicely in the sand box.  It has been proven that children (and adults) trained in martial arts tend to be disciplined, composed and respectful.  This is beneficial in all areas of life, especially relationships, school and work.

So, if you are looking for fitness, emotional strength, confidence, and cognitive stimulation, there are few other activities that will provide more bang for your buck.  And, fortunately, there are many forms of Martial Arts to choose from, making it likely that you can connect with a style and form that aligns with your interests.