Happy Wednesday! Ability without ambition is like a car without a motor.

Nutrition and Hydration What you eat and drink is very important to any training program. Food provides the energy necessary for peak performance. Hydration is equally important. Hydration is taking in fluids, specifically water, so that the body functions properly.

Adequate Rest Sleep is essential for any training program. Getting too little sleep can disrupt the nervous system, causing slowed reaction time, lack of concentration, forgetfulness, irritability, and even depression. On average, teens need 7 to 10 hours of sleep every night to function at their best. Sleep helps the body rest and reenergize.

Avoiding Harmful Substances Avoiding harmful substances such as tobacco, alcohol, anabolic steroids, and other drugs is important to maintaining a healthy fitness program. Anabolic steroids: synthetic substances that are similar to the male hormone testosterone; they are ILLEGAL Nutritional substances such as a daily vitamin are good for your body.

Health Screenings It is important, especially if you have not been active in a while, to visit a health care professional for a health screening (physical), before starting a new activity. They check for diseases or disorders that an individual would otherwise not have knowledge of or seek help for. This will help prevent you from doing an activity that could potentially be harmful to you.

Injuries Associated with Physical Activity Injuries can be classified as minor or major. Minor injuries can be treated without seeing a physician. Major injuries, in most cases, will need to be seen by a physician.

Minor Injuries Minor injuries that can affect you during or after physical activity include, but are not limited to, muscle cramps, contusions (bruises), strains, and sprains. Muscle cramps are a spasm or sudden tightening of a muscle resulting from tiredness or dehydration. Strains result from overstretching or tearing a muscle or tendon. Sprains result from overstretching or tearing a ligament (at a joint).

Treatment Follow the RICE model. – R: Rest – I: Ice – C: Compression – E: Elevation Depending on the severity of the injury, a rehabilitation program may be used in conjunction with RICE.

Major Injuries Major injuries that can affect you during physical activity include, but are not limited to, fractures and dislocations, tendonitis, and concussions. Fractures are any type of break in a bone. Dislocations result when a bone is forced from it’s normal position at a joint. Tendonitis is when tendons are torn or stretched due to overuse. Concussions are a traumatic brain injury resulting from a blow to the head or several hard blows over time to the body.

Treatment In most cases, you will need to see a physician for these injuries. If involved in athletics at a school, most of these can be seen and treated by an athletic trainer, who will refer if needed. Fractures will generally be reset and casted for 4-8 weeks, depending on the severity and bone. Dislocations will generally be mobilized for a few days or weeks, if there are no underlying injuries. Tendonitis will generally be treated with rest, physical therapy, and possibly a corticosteroid. Concussions will be removed from activity to let the brain rest and heal.