Alternate your pedal-forward stance Riding is a largely symmetrical cross-linking exercise when you're climbing easy terrain or pedaling in a smooth cadence.
But, during the descent, when compressive forces are at their most jarring, the majority of riders favor a particular foot in the pedal-forward position (much like surfers).
This chronic asymmetrical stress leads the body to develop spinal misalignments and muscular imbalances that become firmly engrained with repetition.
Switching your pedal-forward foot periodically may feel a little strange at first, but keep in mind that in doing so, you're actually retraining your core stabilizer muscles to support a more balanced riding stance.
Avoid sugar 1-2 hours before bedtime The vast majority of our body's growth and repair occurs while we sleep, so getting proper rest is the most important factor in a good recovery.
Blood levels of Growth Hormone, which modulates growth and repair, peak between 1 to 1 ½ hours after falling to sleep.
Insulin, which the body secretes in response to rising blood glucose levels, inhibits Growth Hormone release.
This means that any sugar you eat will reduce your body's recovery while you sleep, and this includes not only ice cream (darn!), but any carbohydrates or alcohol you take in, as your body easily converts these into sugar.
Alkalize your system with greens When our bodies are acidic, our respiration rate increases, and we become more easily-winded.
This occurs because as blood Ph becomes more acidic, carbonic acid develops in the lungs, which the lungs then "blow off" in the form of carbon dioxide.
A few examples of blood acidifiers are: red meat, coffee, smoking, drinking alcohol, sugar, and emotional stress.
Simply adding a "green drink" to your dietary regimen can substantially reduce free radical damage and alkalize blood Ph, thus reducing respiration rate.
If a shot of wheat grass juice isn't your thing, just including more fresh, leafy greens (or the juice thereof), or substituting one of the many powdered green drinks into your diet regimen will do the trick.
Get your spine checked regularly by a qualified Chiropractor Your skeletal system is a strong, yet dynamic structure that allows you to sit at a desk for eight hours, then garden, then play with your kids, then go bombing down single-track, all without a hitch.
The spine is designed to house and protect the spinal cord, which supplies power to the entire body, and, contrary to popular belief, the spine does require periodic maintenance.
Most of us will own many different cars, and even more bikes in our lifetimes, but we only have one spine and nervous system to last us the duration.
Periodic spinal maintenance improves not only strength, endurance, and structural balance, but reduces the pain of injury, and enhances the nervous system for quickness, agility, and a speedy recovery.