They say you are what you eat, which is partially true in that what you eat influences directly how your body performs. To say it differently, you get out what you put in. If you only feed your body lousy food, you are guaranteed not to perform as well as you would like.

Many runners know what it is like to run through pain. You wake up in the morning with a sore knee, but you go out and run anyway because usually, your pain goes away after a minute. But what if it doesn’t go away? What if you seriously injure yourself because you do not know when to stop?

Picture this: it’s a beautiful day outside, and you decide to replace your daily gym routine with a nice run. After your warm-up, you pick up a good pace, feeling your heart pounding in your chest and the sun on your face. Suddenly, you feel a searing pain in the front of your shin that causes you to come to a full stop. You wonder, what in the world was that? Then, you worry that you may be suffering from a very common stress response for any runner: shin splints.

Rest is essential to any athlete’s routine, especially runners. If runners neglect to rest, they increase their injury risk and decrease their muscles’ ability to recover. Some runners may not rest as much as they need to, thinking that if they rest, they will slow their progress. On the contrary, runners who prioritize rest days tend to gain more progress over time.

Picture this: you’re scrolling through Instagram one day, and you see a picture your college friend posted from a 10k they just did that past weekend. They are sweaty and smiling, wearing their assigned race number with pride as they pose at the finish line. You suddenly feel a longing to accomplish something great for yourself. If your friend could do it, why couldn’t you? So you decide, right there sitting on the couch, that you want to run a marathon.

From ancient Greece to the present day, athletes have been stretching. Stretching can improve flexibility, blood flow, and overall tissue health. There are many types and applications of stretches, from yoga to static, to ballistic or dynamic. Your choices can be overwhelming, so what should runners do to prepare their body for running?

Every athlete needs to ensure their body is performing well. A lack of appropriate awareness can lead to health complications, overtraining, and reduced performance. For female athletes, this is especially important. If they do not maintain an appropriate energy level, they put themselves at risk for serious health conditions, such as the female triad.

When making any significant change to your life, there are many factors to consider, especially when beginning a new fitness program or recovering from an injury with physical therapy. Investing in your health is one of the best decisions, but sometimes, this decision is challenging. Success often requires investing your time, money, and a personal commitment to a lifestyle change. Physical therapy and wellness services can range in price and may be challenging to fit into your budget. Also, a lifestyle change requires extra time and discipline to see results. You must choose the right place the first time to make the best health investment. At EW Motion Therapy, our physical therapy and wellness services, including Pilates, personal training, yoga, and more, can fit almost any patient willing to invest in themselves. We have been rehabilitating patients and working with wellness clients of any age and ability since 1999, and we are continuing to grow in our expertise, programs, and services. Whether you are an athlete who wants to set a new personal record (PR) or a grandparent who wishes to get down on the floor and play with your grandkids again, our therapists can tailor a treatment plan for you.