When we find a sporting activity that becomes our passion, it's fantastic news. Any form of movement is incredibly beneficial for us. It's like a drug that recharges the body with energy and works wonders for our mental well-being. However, our bodies aren't always as thrilled with our beloved sports as we are, and not every activity is a win for our physical structure. So, what can you do when your muscles, tendons, and joints start to protest, but you don't want to give up the sport you love?

In situations like this, good advice is priceless. Drawing from my experience as a movement specialist, I've created 10 TIPS that we should all follow if we want to continue enjoying our favorite sports without pain.

The movement patterns required by your sport should be in harmony with your unique anatomy. Every body is different, and movement should never work against your skeletal structure. It is crucial that a movement pattern is executed in the segments of the body designed for that specific motion.

For a golfer, a powerful swing is essential, which requires excellent rotation. This rotation should originate from the thoracic (chest) area and the hips. However, if the rib cage is stiff and the hip joints have lost mobility due to a sedentary lifestyle, the rotation will be forced into other segments that aren't built for it. Over time, this can lead to issues like lower back or knee pain.

You can learn how to move in a way that heals in the mini-course BODY IN MOTION > HERE <.

Every sport has its own unique movement patterns, which are often one-sided. Our muscle chains, tendons, and fascia adapt to this specific load by changing their structure, length, and elasticity. You can learn more about fascia >HERE.

This adaptation can lead to muscle imbalances that carry over into our daily and work-related movements. Take a cyclist, for example. Think about their seated position: rounded back, slumped posture, and gaze fixed forward. The acute angle between the femur, pelvis, and lumbar spine shortens the muscles that originate on the inner thigh and pelvis and attach to the lumbar vertebrae, where they meet the diaphragm's attachments. The shortening and stiffening of these muscles will affect the position of the pelvis, lower back, and chest when standing, walking, or performing other movements. The forward head position also impacts the atlanto-occipital joint, cervical spine, and shoulders, compounded by shortened hamstrings.

So, how is a passionate cyclist supposed to stand up straight? This example clearly shows how certain body segments suffer. It's therefore essential to create an individual compensatory plan and dedicate time to exercises that restore balance to the body. These may not be the exercises we enjoy most, but they are necessary to continue doing the sport we love.

What our bodies could handle in our youth may not be true in later years. For proper posture, we need not only strong and flexible muscle tissue but also hydrated, toxin-free fascial tissue. If you engage in your favorite sport more than 3-4 times a week, it's crucial to incorporate detoxification and hydration for your muscles, tendons, and fascia into your routine.

With daily exertion, the body can't effectively eliminate waste products and toxins generated during exercise, preventing muscles, tendons, and fascia from fully regenerating. Hydrated tissue is supple and elastic. It dries out with age, extended periods of immobilization (like in a cast), or under static load. This dehydrated tissue becomes brittle and prone to injury. We can hydrate and detoxify it ourselves with the help of a foam roller, but I must emphasize the importance of proper technique. That's why I created an e-book on how to do it > HERE <.

If a specific part of your body signals discomfort—whether minor or significant—during or after sports, you should not ignore it. This is your body's way of telling you that something is wrong and that a particular load or repetitive movement is becoming too much. If we ignore the pain and don't give our body time to regenerate, this pain can progress to inflammation, where calcium deposits may form in the overstressed area, potentially leading to irreversible tissue damage over time.

Therefore, whenever you feel pain, it's important to reflect on what caused it. Did you overdo it with the intensity? Was it a new movement your body isn't accustomed to, or a sudden, fast, or unexpected motion during your sport? Evaluate the situation and devise a regeneration strategy. Sometimes a quality massage, self-massage with a foam roller or spiky ball, or a visit to a physical therapist or movement specialist is enough. Other times, you may just need to take a break. If the injury is in the muscle structure, recovery is shorter than when a tendon is affected. It's also important to realize that pain changes our daily movement patterns, which often don't return to optimal function even after the pain subsides.

When we experience a stressful period in our personal or professional lives, it is reflected in our movement patterns and tissues. Our fascial network responds to stress by contracting, which can restrict our movement. This forces other structures in the body to work harder, eventually leading to overload. At the same time, movement is an excellent way to relieve stress and can be incredibly beneficial during these times.

Heat has a very positive effect on our tissues. In contrast, cold brings stiffness, and muscles become brittle and weak in the cold. They generate much more force when they are warm. We also have a greater range of motion in the heat, which makes movement feel more fluid, allowing our bodies to move with less effort. Be mindful of air conditioning and sudden transitions from warm to cold environments. If you do strain a muscle group during sports, gentle movement will help the affected tissue regenerate better than complete rest.

Sometimes we just don't feel right, and other times our body gives out completely, signaling that it needs a break. "Get in bed and rest up!" We should really respect that. If things get serious and a doctor prescribes antibiotics, it's crucial to prioritize rest. Our tissues particularly dislike broad-spectrum antibiotics, and it's wise to wait another 5 days after finishing the course before returning to intense activity.

We put only the best fuel in our cars, take them for regular servicing, and change the oil. Do we take the same care of our bodies? In today's consumer-driven world, it's hard to resist all the temptations around us. There are countless nutrition advisors, approaches, and diets. How is one supposed to choose? What works for one person may not work for another. In my many years of practice, I've tried numerous styles myself, which eventually led to health problems.

Today, I can wholeheartedly recommend consulting an Ayurvedic specialist or a good Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) therapist who specializes in dietetics. Only these experts can recommend a diet tailored specifically to your constitutional type and the quality of your tissues. Some people need to moisten their tissues, while others have an excess of dampness. Some are chronically cold, while others are always hot. There are people with excellent digestion, and others who take a long time to process food. We all need something different, and if we respect that, our bodies will thank us, and we will feel much better.

How is anyone supposed to navigate the supplement market? It's oversaturated with options, and a layperson without in-depth knowledge is often swayed by advertising. It's true that the nutritional content of our food—fruits and vegetables that are harvested unripe to survive a journey halfway across the world, often grown in greenhouses without ever touching soil or seeing the sun—cannot compare to what it once was when we ate food grown locally without chemicals and growth accelerators. Therefore, it's essential to think critically when choosing supplements and prioritize local, natural products over synthetic ones, which our bodies can't process effectively and may even harm us.

You can read about my experiences HERE.

It is important to realize that our bodies are not designed for enormous loads. They were created for walking.

These are my recommendations that work for my own athletic activities and that I teach to my clients. You can learn how to regenerate your body using foam rollers, spiky balls, and tennis balls; how to stretch actively and functionally; how to stand tall, breathe, center your joints, and strengthen your core; and how to perform daily activities using the correct body segments in the online course - Restart Your Body. Learn more in the video below.