Running Form has Been Forgotten

What do I mean by running form has been forgotten?  Simple... hunter gatherers used to run all day and night.  They had the ability to run back to back to back marathons without any issue at all.  To them, a marathon would have been a nice short run, not some kind of special feat.  Yet, today we think running 26 miles is a major accomplishment.  People train for months or years to be able to run 26 miles.

And worse yet, people get all kinds of injuries when they try to run longer distances, especially sprained ankles, shin splints and knee pain.  What has happened to us as a species that we can no longer run as our bodies were meant to do for hundreds of thousands of years?  Well, we have simply forgotten how to run naturally.

Think about it... these people ran hundreds of miles and didn't have expensive running shoes.  They either did it barefoot or with very minimal protection.  Their feet were rugged and their ankles were strong.  And they were running on natural terrain, not concrete.  Their bodies were mechanically aligned to be able to run incredibly long distances without injury or pain.

Today, we go to a gym or run on sidewalks and think 2-3 miles is a good workout.  We wear incredible stiff shoes that do not allow our feet or ankles to move naturally.  And basically, we are huge wimps that cannot do much of anything without pain or injury.  It's honestly a pretty sad state of affairs, but it doesn't need to be that way.

So, the first thing you need to do is try running barefoot or using minimal protection and very lightweight, thin soled shoes (like Vibram's or Nike Free shoes).  Then, you need to make sure you run on natural surfaces, like sand, grass, tundra, etc...  Don't run on treadmills and don't run on concrete.  The impact is very hard on your knees and ankles.

Lastly, you need to learn proper running form to best protect yourself.  You can't stand straight up and pound your heels into the ground, because that will set you up for a lot of problems.  if you are interested in learning more, check out one of my favorite books on the subject, called "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall.  It's a great read and you will learn a ton from it, so you can enjoy running without the pain.

How do I heal a sprained ankle?

This question is asked tens of thousands of times a day.  If you ask most people what they should do for a sprained ankle, you will usually get the same answer... rest and ice it. R.I.C.E. (rest, ice, compression, elevation) is the most common treatment for a sprained ankle, because it's been around forever.  But, just because something is old, doesn't mean it is the best solution.  A lot of times, people get stuck in the rut of thinking that older things are better.  But, in the realm of rehab, that is usually not the case and it definitely is not the case with a sprained ankle.

The H.E.M. Sprained Ankle Rehab System is a relatively new treatment that has been shown to significantly reduce the time it takes to heal AND dramatically improves the quality of the healing process.  It has literally helped tens of thousands of people recover from a sprained ankle much faster and better than rest and ice alone.  So, why don't more people know about H.E.M.?  Well, it's still relatively new.  And we are trying to break through the myths and misunderstandings of how the body heals.

You see, the whole reason H.E.M. was created is due to the fact that rest and ice is extremely slow at healing a sprained ankle.  Not only that, it also happens do a very poor job at it.  I am an avid basketball player and got sick of waiting 2 months every time I sprained one of my ankles.  I wore ankle braces, then got sick of wearing them and sprained them again.  The ankle braces made me slow and my ankles always hurt afterward.   Being an expert on the body, I decided to research ways to speed up the time and quality of the healing process.

A few years later, I had developed the H.E.M. Ankle Rehab System.  And the results I got with clients and athletes astounded even me.  I continued to work out the kinks in the system until it was perfect and got the best possible results.  Today, it is beyond question that the H.E.M. system works much faster and better than rest and ice alone.  With the H.E.M. system, people heal in about a week instead of months.  And they are at much lower risk of future sprains.  And they find their ankles are much stronger and not in need of braces or wraps.

So, why do people still suggest the old method of rest and ice?  It just comes down to the fact that the word on H.E.M. just hasn't spread far and wide yet.  It is spreading fast, but most people still rely on the ancient method of sitting around and waiting for the ankle to heal by itself and suffer for months while the ankle slowly heals.  And they keep re-injuring the same ankle.  And they wear braces and wraps.  And they get slower as their ankles get weaker and weaker.

So, if you have used H.E.M., spread the word, because you know how well it works.  You will be helping people get out of pain a lot faster and reducing their risk of injury significantly.  Help us spread the word so that people don't have to suffer longer than necessary.  So, the next time you hear someone ask what they need to do, you can give them an informed response that will really help them!