Improve Running Performance and Decrease Injury with Reiki
Did you know that about 80 percent of runners get injured yearly, due to poor footwear, weak and tight muscles, inadequate core strength and overtraining?
Every runner should apply the “10 Percent Rule,” which is to never increase the mileage more than 10 percent week after week. A small mileage increase will help to decrease injuries.
As a Certified Personal Trainer and former runner, I know first-hand the importance of strengthening, stretching and progressing slowly to avoid injuries while running. As a Reiki master, I encourage clients to schedule weekly Reiki treatments to aid performance and recovery and avoid injuries. I also recommend an anti-inflammatory diet and natural anti-inflammatories, such as deep blue essential oil, peppermint oil, eucalyptus oil and White Fir essential oil.
There are many injuries that most runners experience due to inflammation (anytime “itis” is at the end of a word, it means there is inflammation), poor foot wear, overtraining and weak and tight muscles. I will discuss three:
• Plantar Fascitis:
Inflammation of a thick band of tissues that connects the heel bone to the toes.
Cause: Over training, over use or improper or worn out foot wear. The root of the problem is tight or weakened muscles.
Fix: Avoid walking barefoot, stretching and strengthening the calves and rolling your foot around on a handball and icing the inflamed area.
• IT Band Syndrome:
Feels like someone is stabbing you in the side of the knee while running, especially while going downhill.
Cause: Running down hill and running on the same side of the road.
Fix: Massaging the quadriceps and hamstring muscles. Using a foam roller on the injured area will help loosen things up.
Once you have the pain under control, focus on strengthening hips, quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes.
• Shin Splints:
Experiencing pain in the shins, when left untreated can result in stress fractures.
Cause: Increasing intensity or duration to soon. Shin splints are common for new runners.
Fix: Rest, ice and apply natural anti-inflammatory. As you ease back into your running plan by running on soft surfaces, such as grass or running tracks, pay attention to the mileage you put on your running shoes.
Applying Reiki What is Reiki? Reiki is an Ancient alternative healing therapy that brings alignment, balance, health and well-being to the recipient’s body.
How does it work? Reiki brings the athlete’s natural healing ability to fruition. It boosts the overall positive wellness of body and mind, restoring and rebalancing the person’s energy.
Reiki addresses the root cause of the pain or injury. Once the root cause of the issue is resolved, the body eliminates the imbalance and heals the body and mind naturally. Reiki helps releases energetic blockages, tension and toxins from the body and is deeply restorative.
Reiki helps in recovering from sports injury, post workout recovery and performance in the following ways:
• Reiki can help prevent severe injuries by administering Reiki before and after activity
• Boost memory
• Relieve muscle soreness and stiffness
• Improve post workout recovery and speeding up the healing of old and new injuries.
Reiki may look like a massage, yet is not. It encourages the healing of all the recipients, not just the muscles.