Many of you will have had your places for the 2011 London Marathon confirmed this week, so roughly 23 weeks to train your bodies to cope with 26.2 miles on the road.

Over the next month I will be blogging some top-toe tips on how to stay injury free and get the most out of your training.

Posture

It is important that we look after our whole body posture and look at our daily activities and see how they may contribute to poor posture. Sitting at a desk all day, as many of us do, is a major factor contributing to poor postural habits. As mentioned in an earlier blog, on plantar fasiitis, fascia envelopes our muscles and connects various areas of the body. This is why, for example, tightness underneath the foot can lead to calf pain, low back pain, neck pain and even headaches.

How poor sitting posture can affect us:

  • a tendency to poke our head forward, increasing tension in the posterior neck muscles which can also lead to headaches.
  • round our shoulders forward, shortening anterior chest muscles which can compromise our breathing mechanics.
  • slump in our chairs, increasing tension in the low back muscles.
  • often sitting with our chairs too high, leading to sortened anterior hip muscles, hamstrings and calfs.
  • at the end of the day we get up from the sitting position and run, without a thought for the poor muscles and joints thast have been stuck in a static position all day.

What should we do throughout the day?

  • make sure that desk and chair are correct height and that you are sitting square to the screen, if unsure have an ergonomic desk assessment.
  • move regularly, twist our upper bodies.
  • stretch our anterior chest muscles, clasp hands behind head.
  • take regular deep breaths and try to breathe without elevating our shoulders.
  • stand up and arch backwards by placing our hands on our low back then slowly bend forward to touch toes.
  • place heel of one foot on your chair and keeping low back straight lean forward from the hips to stretch back of thigh, pull toes towards shin to include calfs.
  • sitting in your chair, lift one foot and rest on opposite thigh, hug your knee and pull gently towards opposite shoulder, to stretch buttocks.

Osteoapthy can help prevent running injuries and treat any current problems that may affect your training. For appointments in Ealing or Shepherds Bush contact Lisa Opie

More tips for marathon runners next week….