Subject line:  Don’t Let Spring Fever Lead to Cabin Fever

Don’t Let Spring Fever Lead to Cabin Fever:  Exercising for the Long Run.

By Dr. Gary Gendron, B.S., D.C., C.C.S.P.

With the increased daylight in spring, it seems the whole world is ready to get moving.  Insects show up.  Birds are scavenging for nest building.  And the sap is running in the trees, making new leaves.  It’s hard to ignore that hum of life around you.  It’s a great time to join in the buzz, get moving and start a good exercise routine

And there is no end to the list of ways exercise can improve your health.  And it makes sense:  Despite that feeling of inertia that can creep over us, our bodies are built to move – we’re moving machines.  From our wandering hunter-gatherer ancestry we’ve inherited a metabolism, nerves and muscles, a beating heart and pumping lungs that not only help us move, but are designed to thrive on frequent activity.

And the evidence is hard to deny:  A recent study conducted by the Veterans Affairs Medical Center found that regular, moderate exercise can cut the risk of death by half for men.  Tracking 15,660 men for an average of 7.5 years this study is the largest yet to look at the link between exercise and mortality.

Dr. John Kokkinos, the lead researcher in this study, emphasizes that it only takes a brisk 30-minute walk 5-6 days a week to achieve the fitness level that can reduce your mortality risk by 50%.

And while this study focused on men, research has proven similar benefits for just about everyone – both sexes, all ages and with all kinds of health issues. 

My neighbor, Sally, well into her 70’s reminds me of how exercise is important even when your body seems to be screaming “NO!”  You see, Sally has rheumatoid arthritis.  Yet despite her joints’ protests, she’s out there almost everyday taking her walk.  And she says getting out makes the world of difference in how she feels.

Over 30 studies confirm Sally’s experience.  Just published this year, a study conducted in the Netherlands followed patients who had been discharged from the hospital after receiving treatment related to their osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis.  Researchers found that patients who followed a 3-week intensive exercise program after discharge recovered faster and experienced a better quality of life than patients who received standard care.

None of the research on arthritis and exercise has demonstrated that it furthers the progression of the disease.  Just the opposite.  It seems to help enormously.  

But there is a catch.   And nothing like spring fever to bring this message home.

The problem is, for most of us, our body is not as ready as our mind is to get moving.  After sitting around, our muscles and joints just aren’t in shape to take that sprint up the street.

In fact, the worst thing you can do is follow your instinct to join in the spring fever with a burst of activity.  Because, before you know it, your unprepared muscles will sideline you with an injury.

So the best way to participate in this spring hubbub, is to start slowly.  Build your muscles up slowly and up your exercise intensity and duration over time. 

If you’ve been pretty inactive, check out the gentle exercise routine below.  But even if you’ve been more active, emphasize stretching and strength-building work for several weeks before getting into more cardiovascular activities like walking or running.

Let your muscles get up to speed and they’ll keep you skipping into next winter.  Back off at the first sign of pain that goes beyond a healthy ache and give any sore muscles a nice rubdown with a soothing menthol ointment like Dr. Blue.

And get out there and enjoy the spring!

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Start Spring Right Exercise Routine:

Start off with spending 10-15 minutes two times a day doing some simple calisthenics.

First some simple stretches:  Stand with your feet a bit wider than shoulder width apart and reach your hands to the ceiling.  Hold your wrist and bend just a bit to one side and then come to center, still stretching up.  Do the same to the other side. Then try touching your toes. 

Next, bring your feet to shoulder-width apart and put your hands on your knees, bending them slightly.  Rotate your knees in small circles in one direction and then in the other.  Finally, stand up straight again and put your hands on your hips.  Slowly turn your whole body to one side and then back to center and then the other side.

Take deep breaths and slowly let them out to help you relax into the stretches. Do these stretches slowly without bouncing and don’t go beyond a healthy ache.  If you feel any twinge, stop.

For muscle building, start with some gentle squats. Holding a chairback to the side for support, with your feet shoulder-width apart, slowly bend your knees and then straighten them. And make sure you don’t go too low – Don’t let your knees block your view of your toes.  Do a set of 10. 

Then try a couple calf raises.  Holding the back of the chair or the wall, go up on your toes and then come down.  Do this about 10 times.

Finally, stand facing the wall with your palms against the wall.  Slowly bend your elbows allowing your face to come to the wall:  Like a vertical push up.  Do this about 5 times.

Do this circuit 2 times and then repeat it later in the day.  After doing this for a few weeks, you’ll be ready to add a 10-minute walk to your routine.  Eventually, you can build up to a 30-minute brisk walk.  Make sure you do an extra stretch of your Achilles tendon before and after walking.  Place both hands against the wall, standing an arms length away from the wall.  Step forward, placing the foot close to the wall.  Slowly bend your front knee and go into a lunge, keeping the back leg extended.  Go just far enough to feel the stretch on your back leg.  Switch legs.

A little soreness or stiffness is normal in the beginning, but if you feel any twinges or pain that makes it hard to move.  Stop.  Take a few days off and build back slowly.