Some of The Best (and safest) Summer Fun Possible

From the Palo Alto Medical Foundation

Summer is almost here and that means fun in the sun for you, your friends, and family members of all ages—swimming, wakeboarding, jet skiing, boating, scuba diving, backpacking and more. While these sports can be thrilling and energizing, they also bring with them different risks of injury. Below are tips on how to prevent summer sports injuries, so you can enjoy every minute of summer!

Tips:

• Wait 30 minutes after eating a meal before getting into the water.
• Never drink alcohol and operate any mechanical vehicle including boats, jet skis and scuba gear.
• Do not try to push too hard, especially if you are tired. People usually injure themselves seriously late in the day when they are tired.

Wakeboarding

The sport of wakeboarding uses a combination of water skiing, snowboarding and surfing techniques. The rider uses a single, twin-tipped board with stationary bindings for each foot. He or she is pulled behind a boat, riding the board standing sideways (as on a snowboard or skateboard).

Wakeboarding can be great fun, but it can also cause serious injury. Wakeboarding injuries peak during adolescence, as opposed to young adulthood and middle age for the similar sport of water skiing.

The most common, serious wakeboarding injuries are ACL tears, shoulder dislocations and ankle sprains. Lacerations are also common, with the head and face most commonly injured areas. There are also a variety of injuries when a wakeboarder hits the water at a high velocity.

To prevent injury:

• Get trained by a professional wakeboarding instructor.
• Do strength training to protect your body from exhaustion injuries.
• Use bindings that feature effective release mechanisms.
• Use a towrope with a plastic or foam coating to reduce lacerations.
• Make sure the boat driver is sober!
• Always wear a life jacket.
• Wear a helmet.

Water Skiing

Water skiing is similar to downhill snow skiing. The water skier straps a long board to each foot (the boards are not connected) with the bindings oriented forward. To start, the ski tips are parallel, pointed up toward the sky. The skier lies back, maintaining a balance between the skies. When the boat driver hits the throttle, the skier should “pop up” out of the water and ski along the surface.

A variation of “normal” water skiing is slalom skiing, where the skier uses one ski instead of two. Both feet face forward, one behind the other. This type of water skiing is much more difficult than using two skis.

Water skiing is associated with many injuries, including:

• Lacerations
• Fractures
• Sprains
• Eenema injuries

Although water skiing injuries peak during young adulthood and middle age instead of adolescence (unlike wakeboarding), teenagers still need to be cautious while water skiing.

To prevent injury:

• Always wear a life jacket.
• Do strength training to prevent knee and lower extremities injuries.
• Use a towrope with a plastic or foam coating to reduce lacerations.
• Make sure the boat driver is sober!
• If you are a novice, have the boat pull you at a slower pace.
• Use skis that are fitted to you; the bindings should be snug but will release if you fall.
• Never ski at night, in shallow water or in front of another boat.
• Avoid rough water and unknown areas; there may be unseen dangers.
• Wear a helmet to protect against head injury.

Scuba Diving

Scuba (Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus) diving is a sport that is popular among vacationers around the world. It is the sport of swimming underwater, usually with fins, while using self-contained breathing equipment.

By nature, scuba diving is a dangerous sport. There are many issues that you need to address throughout a dive. Common injuries include:

• Ruptured eardrums
• Damage to sinuses
• Decompression sickness
• Nitrogen narcosis
• Skin cuts and grazes.

To prevent injury:

• Get certified! Diving requires some training and/or certification.
• To avoid barotraumas, equalize pressure in all air spaces when changing depth. This is achieved in two ways: by using the “Valsalva maneuver” – pinching your nose and attempting to exhale through it, or by using the “Frenzel maneuver” – using your throat muscle to swallow. (The Frenzel maneuver is more difficult.)
• To avoid decompression sickness, make safety stops on your ascent. This allows gas trapped in your bloodstream to gradually leave the body. Ascend slowly.
  • If you do get decompression sickness, get treated with a recompression chamber.
• To avoid nitrogen narcosis, stay above 66 ft or dive with trimix or heliox instead of the normal tank full of air.
• Wear a diving suit to avoid cuts and grazes.

Backpacking

Backpacking is more popular during the summer because the climate is usually warmer, and there is more daylight for longer hiking and usually more vacation time.

Since backpacking is an overnight activity, you have to carry all your gear and supplies in your pack. Sufficient gear includes food, water, shelter (usually a tent) and little else. All supplies must be compact and as lightweight as possible because all the weight will be carried on your back.

Backpacking trips can last anywhere from one night to several months. However, longer trips require much more planning and preparation.

Injuries from backpacking are often similar to hiking injuries:

• Ankle sprains
• Fractures
• Blisters, cuts and bruises
• Back injuries due to the heavy backpack.

Other problems that backpackers face in the wilds of nature include animals, hypothermia, heat stroke, dehydration and hypoxia (since backpacking is most common in the mountain wilderness).

To prevent injury:

• Train for strenuous activity before the trip; do aerobic exercise and strength training.
• Don’t try to overstuff your pack. As a general rule, your pack should weigh no more than one-third of your body weight.
• Use hiking poles to distribute the extra pack weight and avoid back injury.
• Only hike in full daylight.
• Keep a first aid kit handy. Remember to include moleskin for blisters.
• Bring plenty of water, and stay hydrated!
• When hiking, keep your eyes on the trail.

In all you do this summer, remember sun protection! Girls4Sport provides women and girls a wide range of coverage for most any activity. For more great health and safety tips, visit the Palo Alto Medical Foundation at http://www.pamf.org/. Happy summer, everyone!

Copyright Palo Alto Medical Foundation

Head Games

BY LEANNE SALANDRO

“It’s mind over matter.”

How many times have you heard that and thought, oh phooey, it still takes some doing to get things done? Well, it’s entirely true that if everything we wanted to accomplish simply stayed in our brains, nothing would happen. I think that’s called “daydreaming”?

However, sometimes tasks present some rough going and, without fierce mental resolve, we would quit and some big challenges in life would go unanswered.

For myself, I never consideredmyself to be an athlete and I certainly didn’t consider an endurance event like triathlon or marathon within the realm of even trying. For most of my adult life, I considered myself a rather neutral sports figure, someone who was more of a hiker or walker; definitely not a runner or swimmer.

This identity probably had seeds in my childhood. Raised to be “a girl”, it was rare in my day to have female athletes in the media in anything other than a handful of sports. The world of sorts was still pretty much a man’s world.

This attitude continued into my early 20’s but things started happening. I got a little bored and curiosity got the best of me.

I received a class schedule in the mail from the local community college and, as I was flipping though it, a karate class caught my eye. Karate was something that always held a bit of mystique for me and piqued my curiosity. I had never been in any kind of physical altercation and knew I would be so pathetic if I ever had to physically protect or defend myself. It had allure, this karate class. I talked myself into signing up. I could always cancel, right? Besides, I didn’t know many people in town and it was something to get me out of the house.

I showed up the first night of class and no one was there. I was utterly confused. Where was everyone? Was I the only one who signed up? I waited around for about 5 minutes and then went home. Whew. I had been a bit nervous about taking that class, a physical class no less, all by myself amidst strangers. It was a sign. I dodged that bullet. Well, dodged it until I got home…

My phone rang and it was a very nice man, Dave Lamb, from Southeast Community College. He was the instructor and there had been a scheduling mix-up. Some people, like myself, had come at the right time but to the wrong room and he wanted to make sure I made it to class. To be polite, I talked with him and told him maybe I would come some other time, some other semester. He kindly urged me to come, heck, come any of the two nights the class was offered, that was fine with him. After some persuading, I agreed to come. That decision changed my life.

I practiced karate with Dave for 2 years and it gave me much more than I ever imagined it could. I expected to learn some deadly moves and get a workout but it gave me both body awareness and physical confidence. I got to know my body, a real feeling physicality, and this knowledge opened up a whole other world and way of thinking. This mental workout had been completely unexpected.

What else could I do? Now, any sport or activity was an option. I started to set some personal challenges for myself. Some goals were simply can-I-do-this tests. Running. I tried in earnest at the ripe old age of 30… I could to it! So, I maybe I could do a race? A 10K perhaps? At the time, I could only run 3 miles but why not? I could train. Wow, I could! I kept running. I used to swim as a kid so I wondered if I could do a triathlon? An olympic distance triathlon? I wanted to scare myself into something significant. I signed up, trained my butt off and, after fearing the ocean swim, the swim turned out to be the fastest piece of my race time. I was giddy! What next? I decided I would register for a full marathon, something I would’ve never dreamed of attempting.

The funny thing about the marathon was my fear of attempting so many miles. Up to that point in time, I had never run more than 8 miles in one stretch. I was curious as to how I would physically manage, how I would feel, if my body would do such a thing.

I talked to a friend of a friend who had run a marathon or two. He said something that helped break my mental block, “After running about 6 miles, they all feel about the same after that.” Surely he was kidding? How could running for hours feel the same as running a 10K? I mentally prepared to find out.

Training for a triathlon was an endeavor of scheduling, work outs, eating right and, of course, mental preparation but the marathon loomed larger for me. The idea of all of those much longer runs scared me. I had a binder with all my notes and training miles mapped out by week. Turns out, I both dreaded and loved my training runs. Training runs gave me hours every week of mental solitude and peace. Feet hitting pavement, alone with my thoughts for hours at a time was a wonderful thing. It was my mobile meditation. As the day grew closer, I felt like I really could be ready on race day.

At mile 23 of that marathon, it became very clear that it was a mental race from that point on. My mobile meditation became a valued asset. I was tired, I had to pee, I kind of wanted to walk but knew that would mean finishing later, prolonging my discomfort. My brain ran those last few miles. I’d invested all of that training so no way was I giving up but, when I was lagging, it was will power alone that got me through. (And yes, after mile 6, they do all pretty much feel the same.)

So, go ahead, daydream often. Exercise your brain, ponder the possibities and discover a myriad of amazing things you can accomplish. The process will give you gifts you may have never imaged. Had I not followed my heart and my head, I would’ve robbed myself of some peak life experiences.

What can you put your mind to?

What did you win by playing sports?

Today, December 8, marks the Rally for Girls’ Sports Day, celebrating the importance of girls in sports and the far-reaching benefits of athletics participation for girls nationwide.

In partnership with the National Women’s Law Center, Girls4Sport is asking women to comment on the question: “What did you win by playing sports?” Tell us what participating in athletics programs meant to you and/or your daughter and how it has affected your lives.

Research has repeatedly shown that participation in sports has many benefits for young women. Participation in sports helps to decrease girls’ chances of becoming obese and developing heart disease, osteoporosis, and breast cancer. Female athletes have higher levels of self-esteem, a lower incidence of depression and a more positive body image than non-athletes. Girls who play sports have higher grades, better test scores, and are less likely to drop out. They also have more opportunities to apply for athletic scholarships, which can help them attend college. Female athletes are also more likely to participate in traditionally male-dominated occupations, which are typically higher paying. In addition, more than four out of five executive businesswomen played sports growing up, and the vast majority reported that the lessons they learned on the playing field contributed to their success in business. By playing sports, girls win more than a game.

The National Women’s Law Center launched the Rally for Girls’ Sports campaign to address the discrimination in athletics that girls still face in high schools nationwide.  The campaign features advocacy and outreach and also includes the filing of administrative complaints against twelve school districts across the country for failing to provide girls with equal opportunities to play sports, in violation of Title IX.

Heather Herbeck: What I Won by Playing Sports

Girls4Sport kayaker Heather Herbeck

BY HEATHER HERBECK

What did I win by playing sports?  Well, the DESIRE to experience life . . .

D = Determination:  To ‘push through’ with blood, sweat and tears to reach goal(s).  It’s not always easy . . . sometimes you just need to grit your teeth, commit and fight!

E = Effort:  You get out of life, what you put into it.  If you believe . . . IT WILL HAPPEN.  Your EFFORT on the field (life) = your OUTCOME.

S = Success and Sorrow:  Living life means experiencing moments of transcendence as well as moments of disappointment and sadness.  Participating in sports has helped me realize that I will face both of these throughout my life.  Sport has taught me how to rejoice during the good times with my family, friends and those who helped make it happen; and, reflect on the disappointments, brush off the dirt and get back up when moments are challenging and unfair.

I = Interests:  Being active and involved with sports throughout my life has given me the curiosity and confidence to try new activities.  I call this the beginner’s mindset . . .  we are NEVER too old, too short, too skinny, too busy or too financially challenged to try something new.  How do YOU know that YOUR’E not going to be the next Olympic Gold Medalist unless you get out there and try!  If you’ve always been interested in trying a certain activity . . . Do It!

R = Responsibility:  Sports has taught me to be responsible for my actions.  If I slack off in practice, I should expect my performance to suffer.  Through sport, I have learned that effort equals outcome.  Taking the responsibility to do what you need to do, to succeed, can be difficult as you’re growing up.  I take responsibility for all my actions and I give credit to my coaches and the discipline that sport has given me, for being able to do that!

 E = Energy:  Participating in sports builds healthy and fit minds and bodies.  Being healthy means enjoying your life, family, friends, work, school, girlfriend/boyfriend, EVERYTHING . . .  SO MUCH MORE!  Being active in sports gives you the energy you need to be the best you can be to yourself & the people around you!

So, I encourage everyone – young and old – to enjoy sports!  Experience your own reasons for ‘winning by playing sports’!  And join me in living by this motto:  “The sky is the limit!”  Go out there and LIVE . . .

Heather Herbeck is a whitewater kayaker with Girls4Sport who lives in BZ Corner, Washington, in the Columbia River Gorge.  She teaches whitewater kayaking on the White Salmon River.  She’s also a personal trainer and aerobics instructor.

Nalani Oda: What I Won by Playing Sports

Girls4Sport kiteboarder Nalani Oda

BY NALANI ODA

What I’ve gained most from playing sports is having a passion in life that keeps me motivated and excited. Also I’ve learned that for me staying active is vital for good mental health.  Nothing rebalances the brain like a good workout. 

Hawaii native Nalani Oda is a kiteboarder with Girls4Sport who currently resides in San Francisco, where she is attending dental school.  She began kiteboarding in 2002.