Recovery Techniques for Cyclists:

Whether you are a serious cyclist who competes at some level or just a "casual" bike rider looking to enjoy some Sunshine and burn some extra calories, you might want to consider some different methods of injury prevention.

I happen to fall into the latter category, riding my "comfort" mountain bike for an hour or so at a time. While you competitive types on racing bikes speed past me, just remember that I'm still getting a good workout, pedaling my large frame around.

At 6' 4 and 240, I'm not going to win any races even if I wanted to....... and combined with an extra large bike, I'm burning plenty of calories along the way as I enjoy being outdoors.

My bike puts me in a slight forward lean, which can put some pressure on my neck and shoulders. This means I need to do some "maintenance work" in between rides. This can include some massage therapy. Luckily, as a massage therapist and instructor, I have access to regular therapy when needed.

Since this forward lean can also affect your posture over time, doing some upper body strength work is also a good idea, especially for the upper back and the back of the shoulders. One good way to relax and decompress the spine is the lying spine technique, incorporating deep breathing through your diaphragm.


You can also do some core training to work on your posture for injury prevention. Whether you are a competitive or casual cyclist, you probably shouldn't be doing any sit-ups or crunches, as you are already placing your body in a forward flexed position. Doing sit-ups will only make things worse.

In fact, I was reading a bike forum for those training for RAGBRAI - the annual bike ride across the state of Iowa. Someone asked about doing something for his stomach and upper body to help with his riding posture and one person suggested doing sit-ups.

Not a good idea for someone with a bulging stomach who's already putting too much stress on this area of his body. Isometric core exercises would help with his core stability and posture at the same time.

Joint mobility training is a great way to unwind tight joints through gentle movements, kind of similar to Tai Chi. The neck movements in particular work great for me. If you have occasional back pain from riding, joint mobility movements will also help with this.

Cholesterol Drugs for Kids?

Should kids be given cholesterol drugs to prevent future heart problems? Are you kidding me! This headline appeared in a syndicated story, that the American Academy of Pediatrics are recommending that some children as young as 8 should be given these drugs to prevent heart problems down the road.

Has noone heard of exercise for controlling this issue? Don't kids go outside and play any more or do they just sit around playing computer games and drinking Mountain Dew all day?

The article states that recent research shows that these cholesterol drugs are generally safe for children - not quite entirely safe, but "generally safe" for consumption.

Where do I start on this one...... its a pretty sad commentary on our health that kids as young as 8 need to be concerned about their heart health and their cholesterol levels. But recommending drugs for this and not exercise and a reduction of "junk" food?!

These kids will have their adulthood to look forward to taking plenty of medications and hoping that they don't cause any side effects, since most do have some side effects.

There is a pretty simple solution to raising levels of HDL "good" cholesterol and lowering LDL "bad" cholesterol........ its called exercise! And if our kids are getting so little exercise that they need cholesterol drugs, something's wrong!

I'm sure there may be a few exceptions with kids that may have some congenital problems that limit physical activity, but you can always cut out all the sugar and junk food that kids tend to crave.

For those children who are overweight, the academy suggests that the first course of action should be more physical activity and nutrition counseling. Well, at least they got that one right. Some health professionals say that cholesterol isn't as big an issue as it is made out to be, anyway. More on that, later.

When I was a kid, I spent my Summers playing baseball, swimming, riding my bike, playing hide and seek, and climbing trees. Bottom line, I was extremely active and didn't know that I was exercising - I was just being a kid! What happened to all kids doing that?

I consumed plenty of sugar, more than I probably needed, but was still skinny because of all the activity. I can remember riding my bike several blocks to the 7-11 store to buy the "Big Gulp", a large soda pop, which was more sugar than anyone needs at one time. However, since I was riding my bike all over town, I probably burned off all those calories.

I can remember Little League games and getting either a Pepsi or Mountain Dew after the game as our "treat." Between that and Pixie Sticks (flavored sugar) I should have put on some weight, but I was skinny because of being in constant motion.

When I was a kid they didn't have all the video games. We had Pong, which was cool for about 10, maybe 15 minutes and then was boring. Probably why it was available in a garage sale...... those kids got bored with it, too.

In the United States, we probably consume way too many pharmaceuticals as it is - no need to give kids drugs when exercise and diet will solve the problem with almost all of them.

Some well qualified doctors believe that cholesterol drugs probably aren't necessary for many of the adults they are prescribed to. To read more about this cholesterol drug issue, click here.

If you are interested in seeking natural health solutions to your health issue, you might be interested in Dr. Joseph Mercola's natural health website, Mercola.com.