CYCLING IN COMFORT: It’s not just the lycra that needs to fit properly!

Cycling is no longer the “new golf” – the growth of cycling has been steady and consistent for many years now. Bike sales have exceeded car sales annually for over 15 years, and over half of all Australian households own one or more bicycles, making cycling the fourth most popular physical activity after walking, aerobics and swimming. All levels of government have recognised the benefits of cycling to the community in terms of amenity, traffic management, health and economics.
The Mornington Peninsula is one of Australia’s cycling ‘hot-spots’, with riders of all shapes, sizes and abilities enjoying the roads and trails either for training, commuting or just for fun. With this increase in activity there is of course an increase in the prevalence of cycling-associated injuries or pain.

Sore backs, knees, hips, shoulders and necks can frustrate riders at all levels, but most cycling aches and pains can be improved by ensuring that the bike and rider work together. It is rare for a bike to ‘fit’ the rider straight off the shop floor, and while most bike shops will offer a basic setup, it can sometimes take a more thorough assessment to get things right. As with any sport, it is often only possible to manage an injury by assessing technique and biomechanics, which is where a specialist musculoskeletal examination is needed.

At MP Sports Physicians we can now offer a thorough riding assessment, starting with the rider and then moving on to look at the bike. With the individual rider’s issues in mind we can then work on the combination of how the two should best fit together. 


For more information please see our website, or call the Mornington or Frankston office. Patients can book an appointment for a Riding Assessment through either clinic.

High impact activity increases the stimulus on your bones to increase their density.
The effects of this are most remarkable in adolescence, as our bodies are rapidly growing, but they occur throughout the lifespan.
Non weight bearing exercise does not cause the same improvements. It is important to include some level of cross training in your regime to avoid injury, but also remember that, even if swimming is your sport, the effects on your bones of getting out for a good walk a few times a week cannot be underestimated.

Research released today by the Baker IDI, following patients for 12 years has revealed that people are significantly OVER estimating their levels of physical activity and UNDER estimating the amount of time they spend sitting.

That means that you may be doing less than you think.

This is BAD NEWS. Less active time and more sedentary time were clearly correlated with increased risk of obesity, diabetes and the metabolic syndrome, all of which increase your risk of heart disease.

Those who developed obesity and glucose tolerance issues were 3 TIMES more likely to die in the 12 year study period.

AND being young is no immunity. The highest risk period for weight gain and waist measurement increases was 24- 35 years of age. Combined with the other statistics, these young people are setting themselves up for short, unhealthy futures.

TIME FOR AN OVERHAUL? MP Lifestyle offers tailored, medically supervised diet and exercise solutions to make it easier to develop and keep the lifestyle that will keep you.

www.mplifestyle.com.au

Call for one of our no obligation free assessments

Iron stores are often implicated in fatigue in the general population, although there is very little data to back this up.
In the endurance athlete, even very small reductions in iron storage can lead to performance deficits.
These reductions are often considered by the testing laboratories to be within the normal range for the general population and therefore may go untreated.

Athletic fatigue, though is often multifactorial and all these factors need to be teased out in order to achieve maximal improvements.
How to beat fatigue
Click here to read an article with tips to help fight fatigue, written by our sports dietitian and nutritionist Jodie Read.