Popping painkillers before endurance events can cause severe long-term damage

Popping painkillers before endurance events can cause severe long-term damage – UP study

For the average marathon runner, excruciating pain is often inevitable during endurance runs, and popping a few painkillers before or during a race to make the pain more bearable seems like a no-brainer and is quite common. But a recent collaborative study by UP Sport, Exercise, Medicine and Lifestyle Institute (SEMLI) has raised concerns that neither athletes nor race organisers realise …

Designer Bodies

Designer Bodies

A few years ago, The Sharks injury prevention and performance programme, Sharksmart, anonymously surveyed 9824 male pupils attending 20 high schools in KZN regarding various lifestyle behaviours.  One section of the questionnaire related to the use of anabolic steroids, the results of which proved both interesting and somewhat surprising. The response rate to the survey was in excess of 80% …

drink more water

Five reasons to drink more water and five ways to help you do it.

Dr Phatho Zondi MBChB, MSc Sports Medicine, MBA Sports Science Institute of South Africa South Africans are spoilt by delightful weather, sunny skies and luscious nature that lures one to find ways to enjoy it. In all of this excitement, we often find ourselves indulging in these delights, but forgetting the basics that sustain us and keep us revitalized. Good hydration is …

Guidelines for fluid replacement during Marathon Running

Prior to 1969, marathon runners were advised against drinking or eating during competition (1) since it was believed that, especially fluid ingestion would impair performance, not least by causing unpleasant gastrointestinal symptoms including the “stitch”. At that time, marathon runners and marathon races were quite different from their modern descendants. In particular, there were few competitive marathon runners; most were …