I wonder how my chickens get around on those skinny legs.  I can’t exactly get them to do calf raises to build up their muscles.  And they can get hurt, too, if they walk on slick surfaces or run into something (like a car or bear).

We humans have tricks to maintain healthy knees. Prevention is better than cure at this point, so listen up and you may well keep them in good shape as you age.

1. Warm up before you workout.  The synovial fluid that lubricates joints will start flowing through them; you will experience less friction than if you started working out cold. As you jump or run or squat, your knees absorb from 3X to 6X your weight; in time, that friction can wear on them.
2. Maintain a healthy weight.  If you’re thinking about a big ol’ handful of chips, don’t.  The more weight you carry, the more your knees get stressed.
3. If your hip function is good, your hips will absorb some of the pressure of standing, walking, lifting, etc.  The glutes and hamstrings we trainers love to work on support the hip function.
4. Listen to your trainer; we almost always have you position your knees at the same angle as your foot, with your knees behind your toes. 
5. If it hurts when you do a certain exercise, stop.  Whatever is causing you pain could damage your joints. 

Take a lesson from my chickens: stay away from something that will eat you and don’t eat what we tell you not to.  More holiday eating tips coming!

This entry was posted on December 5, 2011 at 6:36 pm. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Posted in Blog by KeithW No Comments Yet