Sleep Matters - Focus, Recovery and Mental Alertness

By: Katie Jodscheidt, NASM-CPT

Brought to you by Innerzyme*

When you combine passion, competition and performance with a love for an extreme sport you get a motocross athlete. So much preparation is involved to be able to compete in such a highly competitive sport. Day in and day out, these athletes are pushing the limits both on and off the track to ensure they are ready to perform when the gate drops. In order to achieve a high level of performance, riders must follow intense training regimens to prepare them physically, mentally and emotionally. From specialized meal plans to intense resistance training, cardiovascular exercises and on track performance, there is an incredible physical demand placed on a rider.

So you have your training regimen down and bike dialed in, what's missing on the road to improved performance? The essential element is sleep. Often overlooked, rest and recovery are critical in reaching peak performance. When motocross is your life and your desire to “make it” becomes the ultimate focus, it is easy to forget that overtraining can be your own worst enemy. If you love what you do, it is hard to shut it off. Do you ever feel guilty about taking a rest day? Well you're not alone. However, like it or not, if you want to maximize your training and performance, your body needs to rest in order to repair and rebuild itself.

Motocross places high levels of stress on the body so although you might think out training your competition will help you win the race, over-training can hurt you in the long run if you are not getting enough sleep. When you don't give your muscles time to repair properly, you run the risk of injury because you keep breaking them down day after day. Muscles will only strengthen if you give them time to rebuild, making rest imperative.

Also, lack of sleep affects your ability to be mentally and physically prepared to train efficiently. When you are tired, your first inclination is to just get through your workout for the day, probably not giving it everything you could have if only you got enough rest. When you shortcut your training, you are slowing your progress. In addition, lack of sleep affects your mood, which in turn affects your performance and ability to focus. How about your reaction time? Depriving your body of sleep causes a decline in mental alertness, which can be detrimental in a sport where the slightest error can result in season ending injury. Not to mention how important reaction time is during races when your actions not only affect you but those around you.

Can occasional lack of sleep effect your performance?  Lets face it, there are going to be days once in a while where you don’t get enough rest or didn’t give your body enough time to recover. As long as these days are few and far in between, you will be okay.  However, consistently depriving yourself of sleep can not only be harmful to your health but also damaging to your performance.

So why else is sleep important? Lets consider psychological and physiological effects of sleep deprivation.  Studies have shown that depriving yourself of sleep can have a negative effect on growth, stress and energy levels.  Recovery and growth occur during the sleep state when the body releases the necessary growth hormones to stimulate muscle repair and build strength following muscle breakdown during training and races.  Without the release of this hormone, the body runs the risk of not repairing itself, which leaves the body susceptible to injury.

In addition, sleep deprivation has been linked to increased levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which can negatively affect muscle growth and tissue repair while weakening the immune system.

What about energy?  During rigorous training and competition, the body is depleted of essential fluids and muscle glycogen, which is necessary to properly fuel the body to avoid early exhaustion.  Ever feel like you are running on “E”, there is a good chance this is because your body has been broken down time and time again without enough time to recover and replenish the essential levels of fluids and energy storage.  Of course, early exhaustion can also occur when athletes are not food fueling properly.

So what is the right amount of sleep for a motocross rider? Researchers say athletes should get 8-10 hours of sleep each night, which is about an hour to two more than the average person.  While you may be able to put a price on your bike, gear, traveling and training, one thing you cannot put a price on is the value of sleep. 

If you are looking to improve your overall performance, start by improving your sleep habits.

*Innerzyme is revolutionizing the natural supplement market with specially formulated enzyme based supplements that offer a natural, safe and effective alternative to reduce pain, inflammation and scar tissue resulting from sports injuries, overworked muscles/joints and post operative recovery.  Innerzyme is highly recommended by athletes and healthcare professionals worldwide for it's optimized enzyme blend, state of the art delivery system and effectiveness.

Natural Alternatives for Pain Management - Innerzyme & Chiropractic Care

Pain can be felt in many different ways, in many different places.  Joint pain is oftentimes described as dull or sharp.  Different sensations and intensities of pain can provide a natural practitioner with a better idea of the problem at hand.  Did you know that pain is the last indicator that there is a problem?  Many people feel pain and they immediately try to think of a recent event that may have caused it.  However, pain can surface days, months or even years after the initial cause such as in the case of a car accident or sports injury.

According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, "back pain is one of the most common medical problems, affecting 8 out of 10 people at some point during their lives.”  

Did you know that nearly all injuries and operations result in inflammatory reactions and build up of excess scar tissue which causes pain and swelling?  It is a natural protective response to injuries and trauma on a cellular level.  However, if the inflammation is not resolved or reduced in the acute stage, it can become a chronic inflammatory problem.

Whether someone is dealing with dull or sharp pain, acute or chronic pain, let's face it, no one wants to live in pain.  Sharp pain may be indicative of ligamentous or tendinous damage.  On the other hand, dull pain is usually due to muscle spasms which are oftentimes referred to as trigger points.

What is most often seen in the chiropractic profession is pain that has origins in the spine.  Misalignments of the spine, also known as subluxations, can cause muscles to spasm, which contribute to bad posture, which contribute to more subluxations, which lead to more muscle spasms, which lead to even worse posture and ongoing health problems.

The good news is that most pain can be decreased and eliminated through natural alternatives for pain management such as chiropractic and systemic enzyme therapy.  One of the best ways to reduce pain is to get to the source of inflammation.  Many chiropractic physicians are complementing spinal adjustments with a high potency systemic enzyme to help bring their patients back to wellness faster while getting to the root of the problem. 

Taking over the counter medications like aspirin only dulls the pain and can cause internal damage to the liver and organs overtime.  Likewise, prescription pain medication simply puts a band aid on the problem.  Chiropractic treatment, however, actually gets to the root of the pain and eliminates the cause of the pain, so it doesn’t return.  Where there is pain, there is inflammation.   This is why chiropractors are adding systemic enzymes, like Innerzyme's Pain & Inflammation Blend to their treatment regimen.  This natural anti-inflammatory allows chiropractors to properly adjust the spine throughout their treatment program while reducing inflammatory flare ups.  In addition, continuing a low dose daily regimen of systemic enzymes will help reduce future occurrences of pain and inflammation which can occur from daily wear and tear on the body, exercise, overuse of muscles or even injury.

Most people who see their medical doctors for back pain usually get a pain-killer and muscle relaxant prescription.  Both will only provide temporary relief and not fix the root of the problem.  For long-lasting pain relief, ask your chiropractor how systemic enzymes and chiropractic can offer the solution you need to improve your quality of life by improving your health.

Dr. Stephen Gubernick, Chiropractic Physician says, 

"I was introduced to Innerzyme about 8 months ago and continue to use it personally as well as with my patients in order to complement their spinal adjustments.  The Innerzyme products have been more than helpful.  In fact, they have been an important part of my treatment program.  I personally take Innerzyme products to not only reduce pain from overuse work stress but also to help me prevent repetitive stress injuries from developing."

Learn more about Innerzyme's Pain & Inflammation Blend, click here.

Motocross Injuries: Reducing Pain, Inflammation and Excess Scar Tissue

You Know Injuries, We Know Enzymes

All lined up, motors revving, waiting for the gate to drop before ripping down the start-straight to grab the holeshot as the first lap is underway. Adrenaline pumping as the 30 second board girl hits the track. This is the when preparation meets opportunity. What many spectators don't realize is the physical demand and endurance required to race motocross. So much preparation goes into racing from bike to body. From fine-tuning the suspension and engine to conditioning, practice and nutritional regimen, everything plays a part in the outcome of a race. While a rider could be completely dialed in, one thing they are not immune from is injury. In the extreme sport of motocross racing, many riders will tell you it's not a matter of if but when and how serious. Not every rider is the same, for some, giving up isn't even an option; they rehab their bodies to make a comeback because passion outweighs risk. The drive is incredible! For others, injury cuts their career short.

According to Motocross Action, "The most commonly broken bone in motocross is the collarbone. Medical sources claim it only takes 7 pounds of pressure to break it. Collarbones are usually broken by falling on the point of the shoulder, impacting the ground with your upper torso or hitting the ground hard with one arm above your head" (April 2013/Motocross Action, pg 107).

Ten Things to Know About Injuries:

(1) Injuries & Inflammation

Whether an injury is minor or major, it is important to remember that nearly every injury results in an inflammatory component and buildup of excess scar tissue. If pain isn't taken care of in the acute phase, it can become chronic pain. 

(2) Injuries & Age

Ever wonder why younger riders heal faster than older riders? The answer, enzymes. The body naturally produces enzymes, however, the physical demand motocross requires depletes your enzyme levels faster than most people creating an enzyme deficiency. When you are younger, your body has an ample amount of enzymes to travel to the injured area to reduce inflammation and swelling quickly.

(3) Injuries & Over-Training

Over-training increases your chances of injury and slows your recovery time. Implementing a well-balanced Systemic Enzyme into your training regimen will help reduce muscle soreness following intense training.

(4) Injuries & Enzyme Depletion

Face it. If you aren't supplementing, you are depleting. Enzymes are responsible for over 3,000 chemical reactions within your body including metabolic function, growth, immune system support and natural healing. They should be a viral part of any recovery regimen.

(5) Injuries & Scar Tissue

Injuries requiring operation often leave behind excess scar tissue. While scar tissue is an essential part of the healing process, it is the buildup of scar tissue that causes pain in the injured area down the road. Research has shown Systemic Enzymes to safely eat away excess or dead scar tissue and eliminate it out of the body.

(6) Injuries & Toxins
Training, racing and injury can create a buildup of toxins in the body such as lactic acid. If these toxins are not taken care of, they can have a negative effect on recovery and hinder your ability to practice at peak performance.  Systemic Enzymes like Innerzyme's Pain & Inflammation Blend helps cleanse the blood and eliminate toxins, which in turn improves circulation.

(7) Injuries & Painkillers

Prescription painkillers and over the counter drugs such as ibuprofen simply put a band aid on pain without getting to the root problem. Overtime, they can both cause severe damage to the liver and organs in addition to prescriptions being highly addictive. Innerzyme's natural blend has no side effects and offers a safe and effective solution to get to the root of the pain and inflammation.

(8) Injuries & Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation, Physical Therapy, Chiropractic and strength training are commonly part of any recovery program. Often times, the frequency is limited by natural response inflammatory flare-ups. Time is usually recommended in between sessions to allow for inflammation to reduce in the aggravated and inflamed area. Physical Therapists, Chiropractors and Sports Injury Specialists are complementing their treatments with Innerzyme to help reduce the inflamed area faster, which in turn shortens the rest time previously needed between sessions.

(9) Injuries & Preventative Health

Think preventative rather than reactive when it comes to sports injury and healing. Many riders wait for pain to get in the way of riding before they address the problem. Taking a low dose of Innerzyme as a daily training supplement will help your body respond more quickly to the daily wear and tear placed on the body allowing you more time to focus on training.

(10) Injuries & Innerzyme

Innerzyme is revolutionizing the way athletes train by offering a safe, natural and effective way to reduce pain, inflammation and excess scar tissue following sports injuries or operations.

Innerzyme currently sponsors over 300 individual motocross riders across the United States as well as team sponsors Team BWR in the Arenacross Series.

Learn more about Innerzyme, visit http://www.innerzyme.com

Check out our Sponsored Riders:

Team Sponsorship - TeamBWR (Arenacross): http://www.innerzymeax.com

Individual Sponsorship - 2013 MX Riders: http://www.innerzymemx.com

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