Hello everyone. Today’s article is a guest post from Becky Harris who writes for U-Pack.

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Do you want more muscle and less fat by the end of spring? Just going to the gym and doing some cardio isn’t going to cut it. However, there are seven powerful, calorie-burning programs available that you can use in your own living room. Be aware that most of these programs are rather intense, so you should be able to do at least an hour of cardio to perform these most of these exercises.

1) Insanity

Perhaps the hardest workout routine ever put on a DVD, Insanity promises to change your body in 60 days. There is a lot of jumping, running in place, plyometrics and pushups. Most programs are about an hour and you will be sweating buckets by the end of those 60 minutes. Many people have a hard time just getting through the warm-up, but if you can do that, then the rest should be just fine.

2) P90X

Similar to the Insanity workout routine, this one is very intense and involves a lot of jumping and plyometrics. However, this workout routine focuses a lot on weight training, too. The P90X program lasts for 90 days and each one is more grueling than the last. This is meant only for seasoned athletes, so make sure you can stand doing an hour of intense movements before getting this program. However, if you can survive it, your body will be completely different when the program is finished.

3) Zumba Fitness

Though this program is rigorous, the sessions aren’t nearly as intense as the other two programs. This workout routine is fun and focuses on exercise moves that emulate dancing. This cardio program can be fun and challenging, so even people new to working out can benefit from this program. This is also great if you love dancing or dance music.

4) 10 Minute Trainer

Headed by Tony Horton, the 10 Minute Trainer is a somewhat intense workout that focuses on working different sections of your body, creating an overall muscle confusion effect. This is similar to the P90X program, which Tony Horton also instructs, but it only lasts 10 minutes, so it is much easier for people to pick up and start out with. Whether you want to tone up by the end of spring or maintain your body, this program is great for training your body.

5) TurboFire

This cardio and interval training program lasts for 90 days and it is incredibly intense. Despite that, this DVD is made to embrace beginners and the advanced because there is a training period at the onset that will help acclimate your body to the workouts. If you really want to burn those calories away, then this is definitely one of the best programs around. Just try it out and you will have a completely new body by the summer.

6) Ultimate Body Sculpt and Conditioning with Kettlebells

It’s no secret that kettlebells are one of the best exercising aids in the world. They building functional strength like pushups and chinups and the kettlebells are able to increase lean muscle mass like dumbbells and barbells. This DVD will help you learn several great exercises with kettlebells and the routine will work your entire body, so you will feel the burn while building muscle and losing fat.

7) Complete Physique 57 Workout Kit

This workout set comes with its own exercise ball and it will help sculpt your body regardless of your present level of fitness. A very calm and soothing workout program, this routine will help every muscle in your body get toned and ripped. Not only that, but this routine is great for helping your agility, flexibility and stability. If you are new to working out, then this program may be exactly what you need.

Conclusion

Getting fit for the spring and summer months isn’t all that difficult, you just need to find a routine or program you like and stick with it. These programs can help you whether you are just starting a workout routine, or if you are looking to shred the last of fat you have. So, pick one up, start working out and you will see just how great these programs can be for you.

About the Author:
Becky Harris is the head copywriter for U-Pack moving companies.

Hello everyone. Today’s article is a guest post from Jamie Gibbs who writes for Confused.com.

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My biggest problem when it comes to healthy living and fitness is a complete lack of motivation. I start out with the best intentions, but then my regime quickly unravels and I end up eating takeaway pizza whilst sat in front of the TV, feeling more defeated for giving up. I’ve since found that there are a host of tools available for you to get motivated and improve your health using social media, so now you don’t have to go it alone.

An App For Everything

There are a range of apps that are available for both iOS and Android that integrate social media to help you improve your fitness, depending on what you want to get out of them. If you’re a team player or are slightly competitive then you could use an app like Endomondo, which uses GPS to find other fitness enthusiasts near you. You can then set up fitness clubs or share your best run times to compete with others.

If you prefer a more independent approach, you can get an app like MapmyFitness+, which tracks your route and allows you to post the results on Facebook and Twitter. This gives you that little bit of added pressure to perform well each time, as your friends will be able to keep track of your progress. If you miss a run, they’ll know about it.

Foodie Snapshots

If you want to eat healthier, calorie counting websites advise that you make a record of everything that you eat. The problem that I’ve found with this is that it’s very easy to ‘forget’ to add certain things, or to underestimate portion sizes. Besides, who wants to trawl through a little notebook filled with notes on how much chocolate you ate over the weekend? One solution to this is to take photographs of every meal you have (and if you’re able to do so, snacks too). This will give you a quick reference of what you’re eating each day.

To help motivate you to eat healthier, you can post these photos on Facebook or Twitter, or even create a Tumblr photo blog to keep a running record of your diet. In addition to the added pressure to eat right in front of your peers, you’ll find a lot of people in the same position as you, and will be able to offer you support by following you and sharing your posts. Since testing this out myself on a Tumblr blog, I’ve found that my portion sizes have decreased quite a bit, and I’m eating much more fruit and vegetables in the knowledge that I’m sharing my fitness journey with the world.

Level Up

This whole exercise and healthy living stuff can get a little tedious for some, so why not turn it into a game? The iOS app Slimkicker gives you points for eating certain healthy foods and for exercising, allowing you to gain experience points and level up. You can also win badges for certain activities (such as eating your five portions of fruit and vegetables a day) and you become part of a wider community of like-minded people who will help to support you.

Social media has made the world a much smaller place, but if you’re interested in getting fit, it can also open many doors to help you out.

About the Author:
This guest post was written free of charge by Jamie Gibbs of Confused.com, the whole life insurance comparison site.

Hello everyone. Today’s article is a guest post from Lucozade.

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When running a marathon, the training plan you choose will depend on whether you are an experienced runner and the distance you would normally run.  This article provides you with a number of marathon training plans to suit all levels of runner.

Beginners

If you are new to running, you should work your way up to the marathon distance by entering smaller races first. It is important to give yourself time to get into shape too.

You should first work on your ability to run by incorporating small runs within your workout routine. Start with either 10 minutes or one mile of running. Once you have built up a little more endurance, you can follow the plan for casual runners.

Casual Runners

If you have already entered a few smaller races, you will know what to expect. The key is building up your endurance.

You will need to run at least one long run a week during your training program, then gradually building up the mileage. Give yourself around four months to train and work your way from eight miles for your run and build to a 20 mile long run.

Seasoned Marathoners

Seasoned marathoners will, in most cases, run long distances on a more regular basis and will therefore be more accustomed to training for a marathon. If you are aiming to decrease the time it takes you to run the race, work on some speed training.

One day a week, you should work on your speed by giving yourself a goal and completing your run at that pace. This generally wouldn’t be for your long run, as this should just be used to practice your endurance. If you want to run at your goal pace during your long run, try to save it for the last couple of miles.

Fuelling Your Body For Training

A lot of people think that they should concentrate on consuming carbohydrates while training for a marathon. However, it is important to try to eat a variety of foods.

Incorporating plenty of high-fibre foods into your daily routine is a great help, including plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. When you do eat carbohydrates, concentrate on whole grains and combine this with carbohydrates with a little protein. This will help towards prolonged energy and your body will in turn run smoother.

Hydration is one of the most important elements in training for a marathon. Dehydration can lead to illness while you are running and can be fatal for marathoners in extreme cases. Take a good amount of water or sports drinks with you on training runs and try to stop at as many stations as possible that provides water or other beverages when you are running in the marathon.

Hello everyone. Today’s article is a guest post from Carlo who works for Davies Sports.

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We are all fitness fanatics now, with a much greater awareness to keeping fit and healthy. Find out how to keep fit in your lunch break now.

In recent decades attitudes seem to have changed to a more positive outlook on physical health with more individuals seeking to take better care of their mind and body.

With many people working long hours, it can be extremely hard to squeeze in regular exercise and follow a consistent healthy diet. But a strong sense of well being involves finding the time to maintain health and fitness so that individuals look and feel great in their own skin.

A person’s health and fitness is strongly determined by the choice of sporting pursuits, what they eat, how they live and how they try to keep themselves fit.

People do not have to go to extreme levels of exercise to be fit. Every person has a type of exercise that works for them in sustaining a healthy lifestyle, regardless of age or physical ability.

It is important to try and remain physically fit as exercise can increase levels of energy that can contribute to an individual feeling healthier.

Having a particular level of fitness can make daily life much easier, as you will be able to work more effectively and efficiently, whilst looking good.

Exercise also prevents and delays heart disease and can reduce levels of stress. People often neglect the social benefits of exercise. One of the many benefits of such exercise is that often you meet new people and socialise with people of a similar level of experience and fitness as you.

The main reason many people participate in sport is to prevent obesity, which is more common now than ever before.

If you have a hectic lifestyle and are not quite sure how to fit in exercise in to your busy schedule, then why not use your lunch hour to top up your fitness levels?

It may seem slightly bizarre combing your lunch and fitness, but it is a fantastic way to make sure your body is not deprived of exercise as a result of a busy lifestyle. And it is also very possible to have an exercise session, have lunch, shower and get back to work within an hour. All you have to do is be organised and prepared and make sure your gym clothes are packed.

Intensity is crucial to improve and maintain fitness. A short but intense workout can lead to weight loss and leave your body still burning calories after the work out. For example, a 20-30 minute jog is ideal for a lunch break. Or if you are close by to a gym you could use specialist sports equipment such as kettle bells and fitness balls.

If you are at school and want to be on top performance for your netball or football team then use your lunch break to increase fitness and avoid trailing behind your team mates.

If it is not ‘cool’ to go running on your lunch break, then why not use playground equipment to exercise. There are digital skipping ropes that are fun whilst keeping fit at the same time. You could be the first of your peers to initiate the skipping trend.

There are so many ways to keep fit on your lunch hour. It is possible so get involved and enjoy the benefits.

About the Author:
Carlo write about fitness and sports for a playground equipment supplier. When he’s not blogging he likes playing and watching football.

Hello everyone. Today’s article is a guest post from Ab-Solutely Fit.

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The human animal is definitely an interesting one. It’s an animal that truly wants to be able to show off to the fullest and for most modern day humans that’s going to be having the best body, period.

Male or female, there’s just something exciting about showing off a nice body and causing jealousy in other people.

It’s not like it’s a bad thing at all if you step out of your house and people can’t wait to comment on your hard work at the gym.

But what if you’re at the beginning and you need some specific help? After all, there are so many myths about abs that it can be hard to really figure out what you’re supposed to be paying attention to and what you’re supposed to ignore.

You just need to make sure that you build a plan that is based on sound research rather than all of the myths about abs. So, what’s your action plan?

1. Diet Starts Today – No Excuses!

One of the biggest myths is that diet really doesn’t play a role into creating the physique that you want. That’s just not true.

If your diet currently exists off a lot of fast food runs and trips to the grocery store that include candy, soda, and chips…guess what? You’re not going to chisel out those abs anytime soon.

Is it about a “balanced” diet then? Perhaps, but we like to be specific. A ketogenic diet and strength training go hand in hand.

This is a diet that’s about precision, so you will want to track your food and ensure that you are also keep your carbohydrates low and of a certain quality.

The days of refined carbohydrates like cakes, cookies, pies, donuts and the like are behind you.

If you want to build solid abs, you’re going to need good sources of protein — eggs, beef, poultry, and fish. Plant sources are okay but animal sources are much more complete from start to finish.

2. Train Hard!

A lot of the exercise-related myths surrounding the glorious abdominals rely on spot training.

There’s just no such thing. If you ultimately want to get the body you want, you’re going to need to focus on the whole thing.

Your body moves together as a system. You need to ensure that the system in question moves in a certain way.

It’s going to be up to you to make sure that you design a workout program that you can live with. If you really want a short cut to a great body overall, you can’t go wrong with strength training.

We like a circuit that focuses on dead lifts, cleans, snatch lifts, squats (with weight) and plenty of curls and flies.

You’re going to want a great chest to go with those great abs, right? Absolutely. Hitting the gym and focusing on your workout is going to be the key.

3. Rest Up!

Just as it’s important to make sure that you get your exercise in, you’re also going to want to get the right amount of rest.

Wearing yourself out at the gym can actually backfire on you. The body raises a hormone called cortisol, also known as the stress hormone.

When you’re under that type of stress, your muscles don’t grow. The body is focused on a lot of other things besides muscle growth! So you have to make sure that you get rest.

We’re talking about the basics: 8-10 good hours of sleep in a very dark room along with lots of down time. Stress ruins your progress, just like poor eating does.

However, if you put all of these points together, you’re going to have a basic blueprint for finally getting the body you’ve always wanted – abs and all!

Hello everyone. Today’s article is a guest post from the freelance writer Kate Wilson.

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So you have finally made up your mind to stay in shape. But be careful because if you suddenly jump into a whole new exercise plan then the results could leave you with a damaged body rather than the fitness you had desired. The risk of injury always lurks around when over-exercising. The list below outlines a number of ways to avoid this happening.

1. Know Your Body

Before you start an exercise plan it is very important that you know about your physical limitations. Doing too much too soon can reverse the effects, leaving your body prone to injuries. Analyze your weak spots and go slow with them. Pushing too far isn’t going to benefit you in any way. Remember it’s the slow and steady who wins the race.

2. Be Aware Of Gender Difference

Women are more prone to anterior cruciate ligament injuries in comparison to men who are much better at rigid plane of motion activities. Studies also suggest that injuries are common in women particularly during their menstrual cycle because of the looseness present in the joints. Staying careful during this period is on the advice list.

3. Eat Right

When there is a lack of proper nutrition then the results are low concentration level and quicker tiring process. Bread has carbohydrates that can work as fuel for your exercise regime. After a gap of two hours following your work out regime it’s important to eat again.

4. Rest

Microscopic injuries are a part of physical exertion. So the aches that come after a heavy work out plan are a result of those microscopic damages. Take up different muscle groups based on different days. The resting period in the middle will help your body recover.

5. Use The Right technique

When undertaking some new moves, its best to use the correct technique so that you can minimize the chances of injury in the long run.

6. Talk To Trainers

Take a few initial work out lessons through a professional trainer who will make recommendations about the pace and regime of your exercise plan. Professionals know what works for you and they can help to improve your workout plan.

7. Check Your Equipment

To avoid dangers associated with old and faulty pieces of equipment, make sure you check it before you start using it.

8. Build A Solid Foundation

Begin with foundation building. This includes core stability, strength, flexibility and cardiovascular fitness. Before taking up strenuous sports, make sure you build a solid foundation.

9. Check Your Health

Take a health screening test before jumping into any physical activity. This is important to rule out conditions linked to life threatening diseases like cardiac arrest.

10. Think About Your Environment

Don’t exercise during haze if you are asthmatic. Another example would be to avoid a hilly area run if you have a sprained ankle. Be careful when choosing the terrain.

11. Warm Up

Take some time out a practice some warm up moves before getting into action. Flexibility plays an important role when it comes to preventing muscle damage due to strains.

12. Hydrate

Consume ample amounts of fluid such as water to stay hydrated. Sweating is an intricate part of exercising and the loss of body fluids can result in dehydration. If your exercise plan spans within an hour then you can rely on plain water but if it’s of over an hour then its best to consume isotonic fluids that hydrate and energize your body.

About The Author:
Kate is a blogger by profession. She loves writing, travelling and reading. Recently she attended a panel discussion on pregnancy diet. These days she is busy writing an article on wave power for her blog.

Hello everyone. Today’s article is a guest post from Heather Green of Online Nursing Degrees.

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Maintaining the motivation to workout can be hard in these cold winter months. Who wants to crawl out of a warm bed to run outside in the cold? Then again, it can be hard to keep up the motivation in the summer months when fun in the sun is much more appealing. Turns out, there’s always a reason NOT to exercise. Finding a workout buddy can help keep you on track and stay motivated all year long. In fact, working out with a friend has many benefits. Here are a few:

1) It’s More Fun

Jogging mile after mile staring at an asphalt trail or the monitor on a treadmill can become very boring. If you log those same miles chatting with a friend, the mile markers will fly by without you noticing. (Well, maybe not, but at least they’ll seem to pass by more quickly.) Having a workout buddy lets you talk and tell jokes while you exercise, making it more enjoyable. If you’re the kind of person who needs to be distracted when you work out, a friend is the best kind. An added bonus is that if you’re a busy person (and who isn’t?), working out with a friend lets you multi-task by fitting in social time with workout time.

2) You Have to Do What You Say You’re Going to Do

If you tell yourself that you’re going to wake up at 5 a.m. to fit in a workout before work, no one will notice if you don’t do it. If you tell your friend that you’re going to meet her at the gym at 5 a.m. to fit in a workout before work, she’s definitely going to notice if you don’t do it. And she might be angry about it. Working out with a friend makes you accountable for your workouts. You are essentially making a date to work out, which means that you are more likely to lace up and head out the door. You are much less likely to keep telling yourself that you’ll go the gym “after this episode” until you’ve watched the whole first season of “The Real Housewives.”

3) You Get a Support System

A workout buddy is like your own personal cheering section. This is someone you can talk to you about your fitness and weight-loss goals and with whom you can share your trials and successes. When you’re doing well, there is someone to celebrate your success and encourage you to keep going. If you hit a road block, there is someone to remind you of your motivation and encourage you to keep going. Having a person to workout with also encourages you to try new things. It is much less intimidating to join a new class or try out a new sport when you have someone doing it with you.

4) You’ll Do More

If you start to feel tired when you’re working out, it’s easy to drop a set or to run a little slower. However, if you’re working out with a friend, you’ll do that extra set and run a little faster because you don’t want to slow down your friend and because you don’t want to seem like the “loser.” Our natural sense of competition kicks in when we work out with a friend, and we want to be sure that we are keeping up or even doing better in the workout.

5) A World of Exercise is Opened

There are many exercises that either need a spotter or a partner to perform. If you have a workout buddy, you can get a spotter to lift heavier weights in the gym or to try more acrobatic moves or stretches. If you have a workout buddy, you can perform partner exercises, like partner push-ups, crunches with a medicine ball, rowing, and more. Workout partners can help you do more so that you are always trying new things to keep challenging your body and to keep you from getting bored.

If you are starting to lose the motivation to work out, or you feel that your exercise routine has gotten stale, consider working out with a friend. You’ll have more fun, find motivation to get to the gym, and push yourself harder when you’re working out. At the end of the day, you’ll get a good workout and spend some quality time with a friend.

About the Author:
Heather Green is a freelance writer for several regional magazines in North Carolina as well as a resident blogger for onlinenursingdegrees.org. Her writing experience includes fashion, business, health, agriculture and a wide range of other topics. Heather has just completed research on online asssociates degree in nursing and online nursing schools in pa.

Hello everyone. Today’s article is a guest post from Tom Corson-Knowles who writes regularly on the topic of health and fitness at his blog.

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There seem to be two major groups of health interested folks – those who are into fitness and those who are into nutrition. Of course, this is just a simplification because there are so many other kinds of people interested in different areas of health from emotions to spirituality to mind-body wellness and stress.

But the vast majority are either primarily interested in fitness or primarily interested in nutrition.

You know the nutrition folks – they’re more interested by shaving off a few calories from their meal than they are in exercising. They’ll drive across town to shop at whole foods but will often just take the escalator instead of the stairs. They’ll say things like, “I just ate a salad, I don’t need to go work out!”

Then there are the fitness folks. Quite the opposite! They’ll run 10 miles a day just because they can but when it comes to nutrition often times they just don’t pay much attention. They’ll say things like, “I just worked out! I can afford a nice treat,” and so they go buy ice cream or some kind of other sugary treat.

I believe that both nutrition AND fitness are important. In fact, they go hand in hand!

So here are some tips for you to become more balanced and healthy overall.

Tips For Nutrition Focused People

If you’re nutrition focused, chances are you could probably stand to work out some more. Doing at least 30 minutes of cardio exercise 3 times a week and at least 1 session of strength and flexibility training a week will do amazing things for your health, your energy levels and your physique.

The great thing about it is that if you’re already into nutrition, when you start to exercise more, you’ll get results faster, with less soreness and fatigue because your body already has the nutrition it needs to repair itself faster after exercise and build stronger muscles.

Tips For Fitness Focussed People

If you’re more focused on fitness, then you probably should be eating healthier. Do you find yourself so hungry that you just chow down on ice cream, burgers and unhealthy foods on a regular basis? Do you finish all your friends’ french fries and leftovers when you go out to eat?

Being so fit is awesome. You should be proud of yourself! However, you should also be more aware of your health and your nutrition. Although most fitness people think that working out helps protect their body, the truth is that working out can actually harm you if you’re not protected!

What do I mean?

When you exercise more, you burn more fuel for energy. This increase in your metabolism increases the rate at which your body produces free radicals. Free radicals are basically unstable molecules that damage your body and lead to aging and degeneration. In fact, scientists call the extra free radical damage from exercise, “Exercise-induced oxidative stress.” It’s basically just a big fancy word for cellular damage from exercise.

The good news is that you can protect yourself from this exercise side effect by eating healthier! Antioxidants from fruits, vegetables and berries are especially powerful in helping fight oxidative stress and protect your body from damage.

So if you’re a fitness focused person, that’s great! Keep it up. Just try to consciously add more fresh fruits, vegetables and berries into your diet every day. This well help protect you from oxidative stress and keep your body in good shape so you can continue your fit lifestyle.

Balance

You guessed it! It’s all about balance. Know what your strengths are when it comes to your health and focus on improving your weaknesses.

An old says goes, “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.” Find out what your weak links are in your health and focus on improving those. Yes, it may be tough at first – but it will provide the greatest health benefits for you in the long run.

Here’s to your health!

About the Author:
Tom Corson-Knowles is the founder of the Authentic Health Coaching podcast show and writes regularly on nutrition tips for weight loss.

Hello everyone. Today’s article is a guest post from Elva Lamont who writes for Simply Gluten Free.

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When talking about muscle building and fitness the things that come into our mind are gyms along with weight training machines, dumbbells, diet charts etc. This list is only an indicator to the numerous activities that can form a part of the fitness regimen. It’s only a myth that one needs to visit a gym for a toned and fit body regularly. It’s the kind of lifestyle and eating habits that will decide the kind of body tone you possess. Following a healthy regimen along with good dietary habits is surely going to keep your whole body fit along with a fresh mind.

Make sure that you don’t break the regimen once you have started with exercising. Keep your timing and intensity of exercising in sync with the body demands and the diet you take in. Its of utmost importance that you maintain a balance between the diet that you take in and the amount of time you are giving on the exercises. Keeping loose weights like a set of dumbbells will add to your efforts and multiply the effects that are garnered. If you are not really ready to keep dumbbells or any exercising machines at home its better that you start doing weight lifting with other things such as buckets where the weight can be varied according to the requirements or progressively.

Free exercises like chin ups, push ups and pull ups along with aerobics and yoga will go a long way in keeping your body and mind in the best shape. The metabolic rate of the body will be in sync with the kind of physical activity that you undertake almost everyday. Increase and decrease the number and amount of weights according to your body’s requirements. If you are using dumbbells it’s quite easy to alter the amount of weight at any time.

Make it a point to stretch and flex your muscles before going in for any exercises or weight lifting. The body should get a warning as to what it will be exposed to in a few minutes so that it is ready for the weight lifting or any other training that you have planned for that day. Squats for legs, chin ups for your upper body and biceps, push ups for your chest, dips for the upper body work wonders and can be easily practiced at home. Working out at home has many advantages as it gives you the freedom of choosing your own time and is generally quicker than working out at the gym.

When you are exercising regularly you need to keep a close eye on your diet. However, if you suffer from celiac disease you need to take extra care and make sure everything you eat doesn’t upset your digestive system.

About the Author:
Elva Lamont is an expert in writing on topics like food, health and medical Issues. She is a fitness freak and believes that nutritious food and good health are the essential elements that help a human being lead a quality life. Being gluten intolerant she is a big time advocate of a Gluten Free Food and Gluten Free Recipes.

Hello everyone. Today’s article is a guest post from Rebecca Parker is a podiatrist and chiropodist in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire. Here Rebecca writes about some of the possible causes for foot and heel pain which may result from sports injuries..

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Sports podiatrists specialise in treating injuries that are sports related that may affect the foot, ankle, knee, lower and upper leg.

How Do Sports Podiatrists Detect What Is Causing Or Caused The Injury?

Sports podiatrists carry out a biomechanical assessment on an athlete to determine whether the injury is related to a biomechanical reason.

A biomechanical assessment consists of an analysis of how an athlete walks and runs. Often with the use of a treadmill. The podiatrist is observing how the foot strikes the ground and then observes the chain motion that occurs in the joints in the leg from the surface of the ground upwards.

How Do Sports Podiatrist Treat Injuries?

There are many sports injuries that sports podiatrists diagnose and treat successfully with appropriate exercises, orthotics and correct footwear advice. Below are just a few injuries that can be commonly found in the foot in runners.

Hallux Limitus:- This is a reduced range of movement in the big toe joint due to arthritic changes. This can prove to be very painful.

Stress Fracture:- This is a common injury that occurs in the forefoot. This fracture is due to high impact stresses, wearing running shoes that lack shock absorbency and some medical conditions that affect the bones like osteoporosis.

Mortons Neuroma:- This is caused by a nerve that is impinged in the forefoot. This is due to too much range of movement (hypermobility) of the foot due to over pronation.

Sesamoiditis:- This is a condition that affects the sesamoids which are two small pea sized bones under the main joint in the big toe. The athlete often feels pain under the main joint of the big toe. Sesamoiditis is caused by high impact stresses and lack of shock absorbancy.

Plantar Fasciitis:- This is a very painful condition that affects the plantar fascia ligament. The condition is also referred to as a heel spur. This condition can cause immense pain around the bottom of the heel. The pain is usually worse on weightbearing in the morning. There are various different causes of plantar fasiitis some of these may be due high impact sports like running, poor worn running shoes that lack shock absorbancy, a previous trauma to the heel area or poor biomechanics.

Ankle Sprains:- This is caused by worn footwear, poor biomechanics or uneven surfaces when walking or running.

Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome:- This condition is similar to carpel tunnel syndrome in the wrist. It is caused due to pressure on a nerve in the heel area. It is often due again to poor biomechanics.

If in doubt it is always best advice to make an appointment with your GP in the first instance to rule out any underlying health problem or reason for the foot pain.

For more information, you can contact Rebecca at her mobile Bromsgrove chiropodists service, or for more information on general foot care, you can read the healthcare blog which Rebecca contributes to.