Ultimately, the goal is not just to live longer but to live better. By focusing on both lifespan and health span in the present moment, we can aspire to add more vibrant and fulfilling years to our lives.
Yoga As A Tool For Elevated Athletic Performance & Active Recovery
The tenets under which yoga is based may be applied to the present day and can be invaluable to
competitive hockey players. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBI’s) are more readily used
than ever in sports; those who are searching for avenues to uplevel their performance, promote
mental health/reduce burnout and set themselves apart from their competition come to yoga as
a means to pursue those goals. Athletic trainers are on the forefront in terms of healthcare
advocacy for athletes and along with traditional sports medicine concepts, AT’s can look to
incorporate holistic techniques such as meditation, intentional breathing and movement
sequencing for rehabilitation and active recovery. Research suggests that athletes who practice
yoga make healthier food choices, experience less pain during training, and adopt mindful
decision-making processes.
Everything Hurts: What do you know about pain?
Let's have a conversation
Jennifer Tirillo, MS, LAT, ATC, CSCS
Have you ever read a story in the news about some average Joe doing something extraordinary like this high school football player in 2019? According to ABC News 7, this young man lifting a car off of his neighbor when the jacks gave way leaving the man pinned. The article goes on to say that this hero suffered some broken ribs and plenty of scrapes on his face but ultimately he will recover. He saved the neighbor's life.
No doubt, some serious adrenaline kicked in for this young man, allowing him access to super strength, which brings me to my point that the human body is built for survival. I bet if I asked him to attempt this again, he would experience stress on his back, knees, and shoulders. I also bet that these signals of stress would ultimately cause him to stop before he injured himself. Again, SURVIVAL.
If I told you that there are ZERO pain receptors in the body, what would you think? Pain is a very personal experience, shaped by your previous encounters, levels of stress, state of the body at the time on onset. I know, you're thinking: "Jenn, what the heck am I feeling if something HURTS?!" Answer: Your body is equipped with specialized cells that detect changes in your body systems, and trust me your body does NOT like change. When one of those special cells are triggered, your body goes into that 'survival mode" to continue on in life. Chronic pain arises when this cycle of fight or flight becomes a sequel to the movie of Groundhog Day with Bill Murray. Can you stop the cycle? YES!!
