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Recovering from Addiction to Prescription Medications

I never thought of myself as an addict, but I did end up addicted to anti-anxiety medication after developing Generalized Anxiety Disorder. At some point, the medicine stopped being a way to deal with the nervousness and panic attacks, and became something my body craved. I knew that I needed help fast. Fortunately, a local drug rehab program includes support for people like me. They helped me wean off the medication, use methods like massage therapy to help my nerves heal, and even provided ongoing counseling for our family. I don't know how I would have made it without their help. If you suspect that your medication has crossed the line from being helpful to hurtful, take heart. Let me tell you about my journey out of addiction and back to wholeness.

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Recovering from Addiction to Prescription Medications

Muscle Building Exercises That Can Help Competitive Skiers Avoid Knee Injuries

by Valerie Stevens

Competitive skiers know how common knee injuries, like ACL tears and MCL sprains, are in their sport. One of the best ways to avoid this type of injury is to build up core muscles and leg muscles that allow the skier greater control and prevent injury-causing falls out on the slopes.

The best time of year to begin building muscle is before the season begins. Going into the fall months, competitive skiers should get in the habit of doing some routine exercises that will help them get through the ski season with strong and injury-free knees.

The following are four of the best exercises for building core and leg muscles to minimize the risks that a knee injury will keep you off the slopes his winter:

Single and double leg squats

Skiers frequently go into a squat position when on the slopes to lower their center of gravity and to decrease wind resistance when attempting to pick up speed. Squats work the gluteal muscles, which are core muscles that stabilize the body during athletic activity. 

Doing squats requires you to keep your feet shoulder width apart on the ground and bend the knees while facing forward. You'll want to stick your bottom back as you bend down and keep your shins parallel. Doing this movement on only one leg not only builds more strength, but it also helps you work on building your balance. 

Leg press

If you go to a gym, you can use a leg press machine to build quad strength. One advantage of using a leg press machine is that it reduces the stress on your joints caused by some other exercises like lunges and squats. 

Leg presses simply involve lying back and pushing a weight upwards with either both of your legs or one leg. 

Heel raises

Heel raises work your calf muscles. These are not core muscles, but they surround your knee muscles and can increase the overall stability of your legs if they are strengthened. 

When you do heel raises, you can stand with your weight on the tips of your toes and your toes balanced on the edge of a stair or box. Then, pump your feet up and hold yourself up on the tips of your toes before lowering yourself back down and repeating.

Side-to-side skater steps

Skater steps work your core pelvic muscles. You can do this exercise by standing up on one leg and stepping to the side with the other leg. Then, put your weight on that leg and balance on that leg before switching back. Go back and forth, switching legs until you feel it working your thigh and butt muscles, and use a resistance band around your legs for even greater effectiveness. 

For more tips on building muscle to prevent injury, contact a company like Holly Heights Nursing Home.

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