There are a multitude of way to treat that syndrome…commonly called plain old heel pain and medically referred to as Plantar fasciitis or bone spurs. The bone spurs are not found in everyone that has these symptoms and it is rarely a surgical problem.

Here is a way to try to decrease the symptoms on your own…heat? Sure if you want to…Ice? Why not? But how about something very different? No side effects…except maybe a relationship if you are dating/living with/married to someone not so understanding. We don’t make judgments.

How about a very old school…ancient school..medieval school technique?

Simply wear either cowboy boots or high top tennis shoes to bed at night.

Don’t laugh. It’ll work with at least half of you! When you go to sleep your foot relaxes. The toes essentially will go lower than your heels. This puts the bottom of your foot on “slack”. You get up several hours later to go to the bathroom…step on the floor and can’t move…paralyzed by heel pain!

Using the boots or shoes on your toes simply won’t go as low.

So there you have it…a very low tech and “old school” way of treatment. Not everything is complicated! Of course I am a big believer that if the plan isn’t working you change the plan. So try this. If this plan doesn’t work there are a lot more out there. The key is finding the right one for you!

The following link has a little more information, http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/foot_facts/a/foot2.htm . Bigger words are included whether you like them or not and also a little bit of the way I do it and have since 1990…yeah still old school…and this site was updated this year. It just seems that everything effective always comes back around!

University of Illinois kinesiology and community health professor Robert Motl, PhD, has a study on the effects of caffeine on pain during exercise in the April edition of the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism.

“This study looks at the effects of caffeine on muscle pain during high-intensity exercise as a function of habitual caffeine use,” he says. “No one has examined that before.

“What we saw is something we didn’t expect: caffeine-naïve individuals and habitual users have the same amount of reduction in pain during exercise after caffeine (consumption).”

For more check out this link: http://www.therapytimes.com/content=1002J84C48965286406040441

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With our system you’ll have more agility and balance. Get quicker, stronger, and faster without frustration. Sound impossible? It’s not. And we want to show you how to do it.

Just watch this video. Whether you are a fan of Florida or not…you have to be a fan of their work ethic!

“Everybody’s a self-made man. Only the successful ones are ever willing to admit it.” -Anonymous

Everyone is looking for the secret. The little pill, powder, drink, or work out that will give him/her the edge over the competition. There is a great deal of poor information out there. The following are a few of the most common myths, misconceptions, and outright lies.

Carbohydrates and sugar should be avoided at all costs.

Wrong. They are essential for athletes. Sugar is a carbohydrate. Your carbohydrates are your primary energy source. Your body functions quite well with carbs! Your brain needs carbs to function normally. You do not need to go over board here. Basically, a few carbs will help you prior to exercise and during if you’re involved in a long run or tennis match. Carbs will also help you fully recover if eaten after training. Carbs are also “protein sparing”. They help you keep what you’ve earned…your muscles!

Vitamins will give you energy and enhance your strength and endurance.

This is not true. Vitamins provide no calories and can’t be used as fuel. “Energy” comes from calories and vitamins do not provide calories. Only carbs, fats, and proteins will provide energy. The body will get rid of the vitamins it doesn’t need. Only people who have vitamin deficiencies really need to take them. In modern times it is hard to think anyone could be vitamin deficient. But it can happen. If you eat a correct and balanced diet you should be fine. The big word here is “if”. For those that do not eat as well as they should taking a good multivitamin/mineral tablet should be sufficient.

Excess protein will be used as energy.

True, but it is not as efficient as carbohydrate or even fat sources. Most excess protein may be stored as body fat. Like all excess calories. Not exactly what you want to do.

Athletes need more protein than the average couch potato.

This is true but not an enormous amount. Currently the government recommends 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. Research has shown that athletes may need somewhere between 1.2-1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight or 0.5-1.0 grams per pound. Some estimates say up to 1.2-1.5 grams per pound. These may be a bit extreme. In general we aren’t talking about huge amounts.

Protein supplements are not necessary.

This is true. If you eat correctly they are not necessary. “If” is again the big word here. As an athlete, eating should be taken just as serious as your training. All that being said protein supplements are a convenience. This is especially true when refueling the body for recovery after training. So the big question here is: Are you eating correctly?

People in the United State are the best fed people on earth.

Actually we are probably the best “over fed” people on earth. It is interesting that you can take in a lot of calories and still miss out on some key nutrients. It is easy to take a lot of things for granted. Do the right thing and eat the right things. It isn’t hard. At least not in the U. S.

Taking extra vitamins will make me mature faster, become stronger, and improve athletic performance. Athletes need a lot of extra vitamins. As far as vitamins go, more is better!

Nope. Maybe just a little more than the average individual, but not a lot more. Some vitamins are actually toxic at high levels. Over supplementation has not been shown to increase the performance of already well-nourished athletes. Although vitamin/mineral deficiencies may weaken athletic performance, it is unusual for athletes to have such deficiencies. This is because they already tend to eat more than ordinary people. If you feel “flat” or spent it’s probably because of overtraining, a lack of calories, carbs, or sleep.

Vitamins can replace foods.

Nope.

Food cravings indicate a nutrient deficiency.

Nope. Usually food cravings come during a time of food restriction. Other wise known as a diet. (Actually there has been some thought that dark chocolate could provide some health benefit…however not the amounts that I’d like to eat.)

Chewing gum takes seven years to digest if you swallow it.

Nope. Although it is sticky it won’t attach to the lining of your gut. And it will come out the other end!

Skim milk is less nutritious than whole milk.

Nope. Skim milk has the same 15 essential nutrients and in the same amounts as whole milk. This is true for 1% or 2% milk as well. The only difference is reduced fat in skim milk and less calories.

You can eat more food if they are low fat or fat free.

Not necessarily. Just because foods have less fat do not mean they have no calories. Remember that your weight comes from all calories, not just fat!

What you eat after the game does not matter.

It matters a great deal if you want to get full benefit out of the nutrients of your meal to recover optimally. Muscles are ready to receive a fresh supply of fuel during the first 15 minutes to a couple of hours after training.

Sports drinks are no better than water.

False. Actually they are better than water during strenuous sports and for recovery afterwards. But you don’t want to go over board here as most of them have way too much sugar.

“The mind is the limit. As long as the mind can envision the fact that you can do something, you can do it as long as you really believe 100 percent.”

-Arnold Schwarzenegger; Champion Bodybuilder, Businessman, Movie Star, Governor