Food & Fitness

Guest Post: Athletic Therapy

Yesterday, on Day Ten of the Raw Food Challenge, I ate:

– 1 apple and about 1/2 glass water

– Green tea and assorted sashimi on a bed of shredded carrots, beets, and daikon at a sushi restaurant (the sashimi was three pieces salmon, two pieces red snapper, two pieces white tuna, and two pieces yellowfin tuna)

– Beet juice (1 beet, 1/2 pear, small piece of ginger, a few celery stalks, some romaine lettuce leaves in the juicer- but I only drank half of this mixture because it wasn’t quite to my liking), plus the rest of the brownie (which is the equivalent of 1/4 cup walnuts, 1/4 cup dates, and 1 tbsp cacao powder) mixed with 1/2 banana

– Juice pulp flatbread spread with hummus and 1 mug rooibos tea

– 1 apple with cinnamon and 1 digestive enzyme capsule with lemon water to chase it down. My tummy started to get a little sore, just after I ate the brownie, so that’s why I decided to have the digestive enzymes. I’m not sure if it was because I had too much brownie all at once or if it was from the sashimi, but my poor stomach was not pleased with me at all.

– Over half a dozen leaves of romaine lettuce (somehow munching on this made my tummy feel a bit better- or maybe it was the digestive enzymes kicking in) and some of yesterday’s soup with added black pepper and sea salt. Then I crumbled a few corn chips on top, which added some really nice spice. I like this soup because the vegetables are really crunchy (well, they’re still raw!), and they just burst with flavour. I also watered it down a little to make it less carrot-intense, and I preferred it this way. I had a few more corn chips and also a spicy juice pulp patty smeared with guacamole.

– 1/2 banana, plus some banana ice cream made in the food processor with another banana, some vanilla bean, cinnamon, and a squeeze of lemon. Earlier in the day, ice cream came up in conversation, and I said that ice cream isn’t something I want in the winter. Apparently I was wrong πŸ˜‰ The blandness of the banana was very gentle on my stomach. I like banana ice cream!

– Small glass lemon water

I have been feeling incredibly sleepy lately, particularly in the evenings. I haven’t been doing very much strenuous activity, although I was easily able to do Level 2 of the 30 Day Shred (my favourite workout DVD) on Saturday, so this way of eating doesn’t seem to affect my energy levels with regards to how capable I am of exercising, but lately I’ve been ready for bed by 8pm. At least my sleeps have been incredibly restful of late… only a couple of bad dreams and a little bit of restlessness the past couple nights, but other than that I have been sleeping very deeply and for an extra hour or two more each night than what I’m used to.

Don’t forget to answer this month’s poll!

Guest Post: Athletic Therapy

Hello everyone. I am thankful to be guest posting at one of the most popular blogs on the net. Thank you, Sagan.

My name is Melanie Talastas (Certified Athletic Therapist) and I am here to promote Athletic Therapy and to increase awareness about Athletic Therapists in your area. I will be presenting the Athletic Therapist scope of practice, where you can find them, and why you should see one when you sustain an injury. Here are the most frequently asked questions about Athletic Therapy.

What is Athletic Therapy?

Athletic Therapy is committed to providing exceptional treatment and quality care when it’s needed to active individuals with injuries. Athletic Therapists specialize in musculoskeletal injuries originating from sports injuries to work-related injuries.

In clinical settings, Athletic Therapists provide treatment for injuries such as muscle strains, ligament sprains, joint pain, lower back pain, whiplash, and rehabilitation for post-surgery or after a fracture. In field settings, Athletic Therapists specialize in primary on-field management along with supportive taping techniques.

Often people think that Athletic Therapists only treat athletes, due to our job title, however our services are not limited to athletes alone.

The main focus is to help active individuals rapidly return to work or play in an improved condition after a musculoskeletal injury. After sustaining an injury, the recovery time is crucial for immediate treatment. Everyone has direct access to Athletic Therapists because anyone can visit AT’s without a referral from a doctor.

What’s the difference between Physiotherapy and Athletic Therapy?

As mentioned above, Athletic Therapists specialize in injury prevention, primary on-field management, injury rehabilitation strength and conditioning muscle, and bone and joint specialists. Physiotherapists specialize in a wider range of practice such as Obstetrics, Pediatrics, Neurology, Geriatrics, Respiratory, Mentally Disabled, Arthritics, Amputees, Burns, Musculoskeletal, and Oncology.

Where can you find Athletic Therapists?

Athletic Therapists are recognized by all provincial chapters of the Canadian Athletic Therapist Association in Canada; therefore they can be found nationwide. There are a number of private clinics and educational institutions that offer Athletic Therapy services. For instance, institutions in Manitoba like the University of Winnipeg, the University of Manitoba, and Brandon University all offer Athletic Therapy Services.

Athletic Therapists also work alongside other health care providers in multi-disciplinary clinics with Chiropractors, Massage Therapists, Sports Medicine Doctors, and Surgeons. Athletic Therapy patients range from adolescents to adults and seniors. Athletic Therapists also provide rehabilitation to individuals who experience injury at work, in motor vehicle collisions, or in everyday life.

What Athletic Therapy Treatments Include

Your Athletic Therapy treatments may include heat or cold application, therapeutic modalities (ultrasound, IFC, muscle stimulation and traction), therapeutic exercise, supportive taping techniques, soft tissue mobilization, reconditioning programs, and information and education on course of treatments. These are all proven methods of treatment used by AT’s today.

Who covers Athletic Therapy?

In Winnipeg: Manitoba Public Insurance, Workers Compensation Board, Blue Cross, Manulife, Green Shield, Great West Life and many more private insurance companies. Through proper coverage more individuals can receive the benefit of a specialized professional helping them to recover quickly to be healthy again.

Affiliations: Manitoba Athletic Therapist Association (MATA) www.mata.mb.ca and Canadian Athletic Therapist Association (CATA) www.athletictherapy.org

Thank you for taking the time to learn about the Athletic Therapy profession. I am currently working at the University of Winnipeg Athletic Therapy Centre, located at 400 Spence Street in the lower level of the Duckworth Centre. Our hours of operation are Monday to Friday 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Should there be any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at melanie.talastas@yahoo.ca or visit http://melsinaction.blogspot.com. You can also find me on http://www.facebook/mtalastas.

18 Comments

  1. Cammy@TippyToeDiet

    Hope your tummy is feeling better!

    I had not heard of ‘athletic therapists’ before, but it sounds sort of like what ‘physical therapists’ in the US do. I like the AT designation better. I’d much rather tell my friends I have an appointment with an ATHLETIC therapist. πŸ™‚

  2. Dr. J

    I don’t think we have Athletic Therapists in the US. I guess we have other similar fields that do the same thing with some overlap. Do these people repair all those missing front teeth for your hockey players πŸ™‚

  3. The Candid RD

    Such a great post! I had never heard of athletic therapy before, but I guess I assumed there was a profession to cater to such individuals. I loved reading about this. As an RD I get some questions about sports and athletic training, and sometimes more specific questions for specific populations, and this is information I need to learn, so thanks for sharing!

  4. Sagan Morrow

    Cammy- Tummy feels much better today, thanks!

    Dr. J- No, our hockey players have all ditched us to play for American teams πŸ˜‰

    Gina- It really seems to me that nutritionists or RD’s should work closely with fitness professionals… when we pair the two in conjunction, we achieve so much more than if we just focus on one aspect on it’s own.

  5. Hanlie

    I have also not heard of athletic therapy…

    Remember, repair in the body takes place while we’re sleeping, so with all the raw (pun intended) materials at its disposal, your body may be signaling to you that it’s ready to do some work. I should heed my own body’s call and go to bed now!

  6. Tracey @ I'm Not Superhuman

    I’d never heard of athletic therapists before, either. Though the more I read, the more I wonder if they’re like physical therapists. If so, they’re invaluable. As someone’s who’s trying to rehab from pain, PT is a major help. (A recent New York Times article called it “voodoo” but I beg to differ. PT has helped my knee pain dramatically.)

  7. Sagan Morrow

    Dr. J- Precisely!

    Hanlie- That’s definitely a possibility. I have been incredibly thankful for the restful sleeps, although it has been a bit of a nuisance to be practically falling asleep before 10pm… we’ll see how it all progresses throughout the rest of the month!

    Tracey- My mum’s a physio therapist (for animals, though- she’s a veterinarian), so I agree with you that athletic therapy and physio therapy certainly isn’t voodoo! It’s funny how these sorts of practices get lumped with things such as “voodoo” when people don’t know much about them. We always always always need to increase our awareness so we don’t put unrelated things together under the same category. Hence the Raw Food Challenge to learn about it’s health benefits rather than to just dismiss it as being weird πŸ™‚

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  9. Jamie Walker

    I am impressed by your dedication to the raw food diet — it doesn’t sound easy! I look forward to reading more about your progress! Seriously, keep up the great work! πŸ™‚ That’s so awesome.

    If you are ever in San Francisco, please do come and try some GranolaFit bootcamp, you’d love it! πŸ™‚

  10. Sagan Morrow

    Diane- And there is always SO MUCH to learn!

    Jamie- Thanks tons for your support! If ever I do go to San Fransisco, GranolaFit bootcamp is the FIRST thing I’ll do πŸ™‚

    Chris- I just don’t like juice (which I’ll talk more about tomorrow)… I don’t really ENJOY any type of juice. I never have. I thought that maybe I’d start to like it if I were eating raw and experimenting, but I just can’t get into it. The taste of juice is too potent for me; it’s all just an overkill of flavours (and honestly, this goes for regular apple juice and orange juice etc as well).

  11. liz wx

    I’m really pleased about the sleep, Sagan, after what you said a few weeks ago. I hope that it turns out to be a lasting benefit, although I also hope you start making it past 8 pm a little before you collapse!

  12. Gerry Macculloch

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