Former drug addicts find new fixation on triathlons

(CNN) — When rehab and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings didn't work for Eddie Freas, he sought another way to kick his 20-year drug and alcohol addiction.

Eddie Freas fights drug addiction by putting all his energy into training for triathlons.

He swam 2.4 miles. He biked 112 miles. He ran 26.2 miles. The Pennsville, New Jersey, resident found relief in triathlons.

 "I feel better when I'm working out," said Freas, 33. "It does wonders for the mind. The reason I started running — it was a switch that went off in my head. I started feeling positive and feeling great about myself."

Freas spent his youth in pursuit of drugs. At the age of 13, he snuck bottles of Amaretto and rum from his mother's liquor cabinet. He also developed a taste for marijuana and cocaine. By his senior year of high school, Freas was kicked off the wrestling and football teams after failing a drug test.

Then in 2007, after a three-day binge, "I came home and was crying," Freas said. "I was so depressed. I turned on the TV." The set was tuned to ESPN, which was airing a story about a former drug addict who competed in triathlons.

The program's subject was Todd Crandell, who had lost a college hockey scholarship because of a drug addiction. After 13 years of using drugs, Crandell started competing in Ironman races and championed finding positive ways to fight addiction through his program called Racing for Recovery.

"Having an athletic background, I was drawn to getting back in shape," Crandell said. "It makes you turn intellectually and spiritually fit. Exercise is essential. It decreases addiction, depression and you use it as part of the recovery."

Freas was entranced by the parallels.

"His whole story seemed like mine," Freas said. "That's why it hit me so much. It was my story but it happened to somebody else. I knew I had to get back into fitness."

He took a bus to Racing for Recovery's office in Sylvania, Ohio. There, Freas said he learned to "stay clean and use other things — fitness, instead of drugs." On his first day, Freas pushed himself to run 10 miles.

"It killed me," Freas said. "I was just motivated. I was sore for a week and I gradually got into it. As soon as I started including fitness into my everyday lifestyle, it made it so much easier. It kept me busy and because of the physical fitness, it was making me feel better about myself."

He pushed himself to run farther and raced in his first Ironman competition in 2008.

"It's different when you use drugs, you temporarily feel good and afterwards, you feel like doing more drugs," Freas said. "When you go for a long run and do physical fitness, you feel good doing it."

Research in animals and humans show that exercise can be a mild antidepressant.

"It isn't a huge surprise when you consider many positive effects exercise can have with regards to the brain chemistry: dopamine, serotonin, endorphin, epinephrine — these are all associated with mood altering effects," said Dr. Cedric Bryant, the chief science officer for the American Council on Exercise. "If they're able to get this natural high, through a natural endeavor such as exercise, it allows them to replace the means to achieve that high with a more positive approach."

One study showed that women trying to quit smoking were more successful when they exercised. And the National Institute on Drug Abuse held a conference last year to explore the possible role of physical activity in substance abuse prevention.

"The thought centers around the release of mood-altering brain chemical, mainly endorphins," Bryant said. "It gives you euphoria or what you call 'runner's high.' "

Crandell said some people who battle drug addiction "want something more than sitting in support groups filled with smoke, complaining about drinking."

"I've had some of my naysayers from other programs who say you've taken one addiction and replaced it for another," Crandell said. "I've taken addiction and put into a new focus that includes exercise. Exercise for me is essential to my recovery and well-being."

The purpose of Racing for Recovery is not to turn everyone into an athlete, but to focus on positive pursuits in a person's life.

"Whatever you lost during your addiction, that should be your Ironman, not just running," Crandell said. "If your goal is to become a teacher, let that be your Ironman."

After Freas spent six months in Ohio, he returned to his hometown.

"I didn't want to come back home, because this was where I did all the dirt, all the partying and stuff," Freas said. "As time went on, I had to come back here. My life is turned around. I got to help people in my hometown."

Back in New Jersey, Freas helped train Dustin Deckard, 19, a former high school star wrestler, who is recovering from a four-year heroin addiction. Deckard wanted to get clean after a near-fatal overdose.

"I have to be clean the rest of my life," Deckard said. "Sometimes that overwhelms me. I just feel that sometimes it's not fair that other people can go out and have fun and drink and do whatever at a party. But me — if I do anything — it's off. I can't stop. I definitely have troubles with that."

Freas and Deckard have developed a brotherhood.

"I know how he was feeling, being down, not wanting to use drugs," Deckard said. "I just relate to him in every way. We both used. He's also into sports and into wrestling like I was. That's what's cool."

 

To Stretch Or Not To Stretch

Author: Stan Reents, PharmD

If the average person was asked to define "fitness", he/she might point to the ability to run a distance race (ie., "aerobic fitness") or the ability to lift a large amount of weight (ie., "muscular strength"). But, flexibility is a component of fitness too, even though it may not get as much attention or respect as its siblings.

This brings us to the concept of stretching. Almost all athletes — from elite athletes down to the weekend warrior types — stretch. Thus, it seems intuitive that stretching prevents injuries….why else would everybody be doing it, right?

Indeed, recent studies have shown that stretching can influence the viscosity of the tendon and make it significantly more compliant. Thus, many believe that increasing the flexibility of a muscle-tendon unit promotes better performances and decreases the number of injuries. Because of this belief, stretching exercises are regularly included in warm-up and cooling-down exercises. However, the sports medicine literature is divided on whether stretching prevents injury.

But, before we get into the science, let's review some basics:

TYPES OF STRETCHING

To be precise, stretching can be classified into 5 different types:

• Ballistic Stretching: This is defined as: rapid lengthening (stretching) of a muscle by the use of jerking or bouncing movements, for example, bouncing down to touch your toes. This type of stretching is not recommended. In fact, it mimics the type of sudden stress that produces muscle injuries in the first place. Jerking a muscle into a full stretch causes it to lengthen beyond a safe stretch and may injure the muscle…exactly the opposite of what you are trying to achieve with stretching.

• Static Stretching: This type of stretching is characterized by a slow and sustained (eg., for 15-60 secs) lengthening of a muscle by the athlete without help from a partner. This is one of the best types of stretching because it does not pose the risk of injury to muscle and connective tissue as ballistic stretching does.

• Passive Stretching: Passive stretching is identical to static stretching, except that a partner is used to gradually move the arm or leg. The advantage of using a partner is that a greater range-of-motion can be achieved compared to stretching without a partner.

• Isometric Stretching: Isometric stretching is simply static stretching with the aid of an immovable object.

• Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) Stretching: PNF stretching sounds more complicated than it really is. Technically, PNF stretching involves passive muscle lengthening with the use of a partner after an antagonistic muscle is contracted. PNF stretching is considered to be an excellent technic however the risk of injury is slightly greater than the other methods since the range of the stretch can be greater.

STRETCHING TO IMPROVE FLEXIBILITY

One of the benefits of stretching is that it does improve flexibility, albeit, short-term. Stretching, combined with warming up, has been shown to increase the flexibility of the ankle, hip, and knee joints (Thacker SB, et al. 2004). However, an improvement in flexibility does not automatically mean fewer injuries or improved athletic performance. This is where there is confusion in the literature.

STRETCHING AND MUSCLE PERFORMANCE

As mentioned above, while stretching does increase the flexibility of specific joints, greater flexibility, in turn, does not always lead to improved performance. After static stretching, the muscle-tendon unit is weaker for 10-15 minutes (or longer, see below). This phenomenon has been called the "stretch lag" period, or, "tendon slack".

In fact, in some cases, stretching actually worsens (measurements of) muscle performance. Stretching has been shown to impair maximal voluntary contraction force (Behm DG, et al. 2001), muscular endurance (Kokkonen J, et al. 2001), and one-repetition maximum (Kokkonen J, et al. 1998) when it occurs just prior to the performance assessment.

A study of 40 females using a vertical jump test to assess muscle performance revealed that adding PNF stretching to a general warm-up routine worsened jumping ability (Church JB, et al. 2001).

Another study shows the effect of stretching on muscular strength over time (Fowles JR, et al. 2000). Subjects performed 13 stretches of the plantar flexors, holding each stretch for 135 seconds during a period of 33 minutes. Maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) was assessed 6 times during the ensuing 60 minutes. MVIC was depressed as follows:

Time / Percent Strength Decrease

• Time 0: -28%
• 5 min: -21%
• 15 min: -13%
• 30 min: -12%
• 45 min: -10%
• 60 min: -9%

The authors concluded that an intense prolonged stretch (of the plantar flexors) reduces maximum voluntary force for up to 1 hour after stretching.

STRETCHING TO PREVENT INJURIES

Contradictory findings regarding the ability of stretching to prevent injuries have been reported in the literature. Stretching recommendations are clouded by misconceptions and conflicting research reports. Apparently, no scientifically based prescription for stretching exercises exists (Witvrouw E, et al. 2004).

One fundamental issue to consider is that, even though stretching improves flexibility, most injuries occur during an extremity's normal range of motion (ie., during eccentric contraction). Thus, it is illogical to conclude that improving flexibility will prevent most muscle injuries (Shrier I. 2000).

In 1999, Shrier reviewed the literature on stretching to prevent injuries. He found 12 papers with acceptable study design. Of those, 4 showed that stretching was beneficial, 3 showed that stretching was detrimental, and 5 showed no difference (Shrier I. 1999).

Australian researchers reviewed the literature in 2002 and found that stretching had no beneficial effect on delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and did not reduce the risk of injury (Herbert RD, et al. 2002).

A subsequent literature review, published in 2004 (Witvrouw E, et al. 2004), was much more revealing. These authors proposed a possible explanation for why there is disagreement on the issue of whether stretching prevents injury:

Witvrouw and colleagues believe that the type of sports activity in which an individual is participating needs to be considered. Sports that involve a lot of bouncing and jumping activities with a high intensity of stretch-shortening cycles (SSCs) (eg. basketball, football, soccer, tennis) require a muscle-tendon unit that is compliant enough to store and release the high amount of elastic energy that benefits performance in such sports. If the muscle-tendon unit is not compliant enough, the demands in energy absorption and release may rapidly exceed its capacity. This may lead to an increased risk for injury of this structure. Thus, when a sport demands stretch-shortening cycles (SSCs) of high intensity, such as jumping or abrupt changes in direction, stretching may be important for injury prevention.

In contrast, when the type of sports activity contains low-intensity, or limited SSCs (eg. cycling, jogging, swimming), there is no need for a very compliant muscle-tendon unit since most of the forces come from active muscle contraction to generate motion. Strong evidence exists that stretching has no beneficial effect on injury prevention in these sports.

In other words, whether or not stretching prevents injury depends on the type of activity being considered.

Witvrouw and colleagues believe that if this point of view is used when examining research concerning stretching to prevent injuries, the reasons for the contrasting findings in the literature are in many instances resolved.

USE OF STRETCHING TO HASTEN RECOVERY AFTER AN INJURY

While stretching to PREVENT an injury is not always helpful, the use of stretching to hasten recovery AFTER an injury has been shown to be beneficial:

• Hamstring Injuries: A Greek study randomized athletes with hamstring strains to light stretching (once per day) or a more vigorous program (4 times per day). The study was conducted from 1996-2001 and randomized 40 athletes into each of the 2 plans. All 80 athletes received RICE (rest, ice, compression, and elevation). The stretching involved static stretching for 30 seconds per stretch session.

The authors found that normal range-of-motion was achieved earlier in the 4 times per day group (5.6 days vs 7.3 days) and the time elapsed prior to achieving full athletic activity was also shorter in the 4 times per day group (13.3 days vs 15 days) compared to the once/daily group (Malliaropoulos N, et al. 2004.).

• Plantar Fasciitis: For plantar fasciitis, also known as "painful heel syndrome" or "proximal heel pain", stretching of the Achilles tendon has been shown to be beneficial in reducing pain, stiffness, and increasing range-of-motion (McNair PJ, et al. 1996; Porter D, et al. 2002). One study reported that a non-weight-bearing stretch of the plantar fascia was better than the classic standing Achilles tendon stretch (DiGiovanni BF, et al. 2003).

SUMMARY

Thus, while there still is some controversy regarding stretching to prevent injury, some conclusions can be offered:

• Stretching to PREVENT injury is most helpful in sports that involve sudden changes of direction, such as football, soccer, or tennis or sports that require lots of jumping such as basketball or volleyball. Stretching appears to be less helpful in sports that produce less shock to the muscles, such as cycling, jogging, or swimming.

• Do not stretch extensively (if at all) within 15-60 minutes prior to a competitive event.

• If you do stretch prior to a competitive event, work that muscle group for a few minutes to help the muscle(s) recover to their normal length and power capacity. For example, if you have just stretched your hamstrings and the front of your thighs to get ready for a race, do some light jogging for several minutes before the race begins.

• Avoid ballistic stretching: It is more likely to cause injury than other technics.

• Stretching injured muscles does appear to hasten recovery.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

A very succinct, yet thorough, review of the sports medicine literature on stretching was published in the Sept./Oct. 2002 issue of ACSM's Health and Fitness Journal (see Bracko MR, below). Although this publication is intended for sports medicine professionals, the article is written in an easy-to-understand style.

For a "how-to" book filled with diagrams, get the classic Stretching by Bob Anderson. Even though this book was originally published in 1980, it demonstrates every kind of stretch and stretching routine you can imagine.

REFERENCES

Behm DG, Button DC, Butt JC. Factors affecting force loss with prolonged stretching. Can J Appl Physiol 2001;26:261-272. Abstract

Bracko MR. Can stretching prior to exercise and sports improve performance and prevent injury? ACSM's Health and Fitness Journal 2002;6:17-22. (no abstract)

Church JB, Wiggins MS, Moode FM, et al. Effect of warm-up and flexibility treatments on vertical jump performance. J Strength Cond Res 2001;15:332-336. Abstract

DiGiovanni BF, Nawoczenski DA, Lintal ME, et al. Tissue-specific plantar fascia-stretching exercise enhances outcomes in patients with chronic heel pain. A prospective, randomized study. J Bone Joint Surg Am 2003;85-A:1270-1277. Abstract

Fowles JR, Sale DG, MacDougall JD. Reduced strength after passive stretch of the human plantar flexors. J Appl Physiol 2000;89:1179-1188. Abstract

Herbert RD, Gabriel M. Effects of stretching before and after exercising on muscle soreness and risk of injury: systematic review. BMJ 2002;325:468. Abstract

Kokkonen J, Nelson AG, Andrew C. Acute muscle stretching inhibits maximal strength performance. Res Quart Exerc Sport 1998;69:411-415. Abstract

Kokkonen J, Nelson AG, Arnall DA. Acute stretching inhibits strength endurance performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2001;33:11A. (no abstract)

Malliaropoulos N, Papalexandris S, Papalada A, et al. The role of stretching in rehabilitation of hamstring injuries: 80 athletes follow-up. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2004;36:756-759. Abstract

McNair PJ, Stanley SN. Effect of passive stretching and jogging on the series elastic muscle stiffness and range of motion of the ankle joint. Br J Sports Med 1996;30:313-317. Abstract

Porter D, Barrill E, Oneacre K, et al. The effects of duration and frequency of Achilles tendon stretching on dorsiflexion and outcome in painful heel syndrome: a randomized, blinded, control study. Foot Ankle Int 2002;23:619-624. Abstract

Shrier I. Stretching before exercise does not reduce the risk of local muscle injury: a critical review of the clinical and basic science literature. Clin J Sports Med 1999;9:221-227. Abstract

Shrier I. Stretching before exercise: an evidence based approach. Br J Sports Med 2000;34:324-325. Abstract

Thacker SB, Gilchrist J, Stroup DF, et al. The impact of stretching on sports injury risk: a systematic review of the literature. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2004;36:371-378. Abstract

Witvrouw E, Mahieu N, Danneels L, et al. Stretching and injury prevention: an obscure relationship. Sports Med 2004;34:443-449. Abstract

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stan Reents, PharmD, is a former healthcare professional. He holds Personal Trainer and Lifestyle Counselor certifications from the American Council on Exercise and has been certified as a tennis coach by USTA. He is the author of Sport and Exercise Pharmacology (published by Human Kinetics). 

 

Jogging Exercise

 

Jogging as an exercise started off in England in the mid 17th century. In the earlier days jogging was referred to as roadwork in the United States. Jogging exercise is an ideal aerobic activity that helps people burn a lot of calories within a short span of time. Taking more than 9 minutes to cover a mile while running can be termed as jogging. The main idea of jogging is to boost fitness at low stress levels. Buying the right type of shoes is very important before you begin your jogging exercise. The shoe has to suit your body perfectly and should not damage your feet while jogging.

 

 

What is jogging ?

Jogging is categorized as a ‘high impact’ exercise. An even amount of strain is placed throughout the body while jogging and a heavy level of strain is placed on the knee joints. Jogging is similar to walking and can be done anywhere and at any convenient time. Jogging has a series of health benefits like relieving stress, toning and strengthening the muscles, and conditioning the heart. If you are jogging for the first time, be sure to be slow, start with slow walking, then start walking at a fast pace. Once you are well adjusted to the walking schedule, gradually begin jogging and slowly increase the pace of your jogging.

 

Jogging exercise

The number of calories burnt while jogging varies as per the duration, intensity and extent of the workout. The American Council on Exercise, ACE, points out that when a person weighing 160 pounds jogs at a speed of 6 miles per hour, he tends to burn 12.5 calories per minute. For the same amount of exercise more calories are burnt if the speed is increased or if the person is heavier, lesser amount of calories is burnt if the speed is reduced or if the person weighs less.

There are more chances of injuries because of the excessive strain experienced on the muscles and joints. The entire body weight is rested on the knee and the ankle areas while jogging thus they are prone to more wear and tear resulting in injury or damage. People belonging to any age group can begin jogging as a regular exercise. Anybody who wants to take to jogging seriously has to get a fitness approval from the physician.

 

Jogging guidelines

 

• A warm-up session is essential before jogging.
• Choose the right shoe else your jogging exercise can turn into a nightmare. Choose a shoe with the right cushioning, ample toe space and that which gives a comfortable fitting at the heel.
• Do not bend forward while jogging. Instead keep your chest open and relax your shoulders.
• Keep your head up and eyes focused in front of you. Do not look downwards as this will lead to back and neck pain.
• The arms have to be kept close to the body while jogging and also remember to swing the arms forward and backward.
• Do not clinch your fists while jogging.
• Never bend too much on your back, this will lead to hip and back pain.
• Remember to lift your knee to the front and pull out the balance length of the leg towards the back.
• Learn to land on your heel first and then place the rest of the foot.
• Start off to jog using the balls of your feet.

 

Safe jogging

People tend to get over enthusiastic within a few days of their jogging sessions, they tend to overdo and thus get injured. Safety is also equally important for joggers, listed below are safety tips for joggers:

 

• Begin jogging slowly and gradually increase the speed.
• Wear the right shoes; else you will develop blisters on your feet.
• Always jog facing the traffic.
• Never jog in the dark.
• Try to jog with a companion.
• Avoid jogging in a lonely area.
• Carry your hand phone while you go out jogging.
• Wear bright colored clothes to enhance visibility.

Jogging exercise benefits

• Jogging is a wonderful way to improve physical fitness, bone density and cardiovascular health.
• Number of calories burnt is more when compared to walking.
• While jogging the muscles of the body is put to work thus burning excess fat, this stimulates weight loss (calories burnt are in kilojoules).
• Jogging boosts stamina and energy levels.
• Jogging lowers blood pressure thus reducing risks of heart attack.
• Helps in the initial stages of diabetes and osteoporosis.
• Brings down the risk of breast cancer and strokes.
• While jogging the body releases natural endorphins thereby helping to reduce depression and gain control over mood swings.
• Overall metabolism of the body is improved thereby resulting in weight loss.