Gallagher Fitness Resources

Category: Shoes, Gear and Gadgets

Posts on shoes, apparel, equipment, gear, gadgets. This is the place for any questions you have on the items we sell or tips or recommendations for items we don’t!

  • Accessories: Little Things That Really Work

    Accessories: Little Things That Really Work

    Accessories can help keep you healthy, happy and safe. These are the little things that can help make your running and walking experiences more enjoyable, help keep you injury-free and help with improved performance.

    We’re all individuals with different needs and goals. What works for one person doesn’t necessarily work for another. Sometimes you don’t really know what works and what doesn’t work until you try it. This list will shed some light on options you may not have thought about. Best of all, you can find them all here at GFR!

    Common Accessories found at Gallagher Fitness Resources

    • Anti-Chafing products protect from blisters and hot spots.
    • Anti-Blister pads, bandages and dressings protect healing blisters or prevent them before they happen.
    • AquaJogger is a water belt designed to allow for impact-free exercise in the pool.
    • Compression gear reduces fatigue through decreased muscle vibration, increases circulation and improves oxygenated blood flow by accelerating venous return for faster recovery and reduces long-term overuse injuries.
    • Fuel products keep the body properly energized and hydrated during workouts. Electrolytes, carbohydrates and protein are all valuable nutrients that can be used before, during and after exercise.
    • Gloves are important when the temperature drops, so stay covered and be protected from the elements.
    • Hats are useful for warmth and protection from moisture as well as shielding the eyes and skin from the sun.
    • Hydration belts and handheld water-bottles allow you to bring much-needed water or electrolyte drinks on the go.
    • Hydroflask is a double wall vacuum insulated stainless steel bottle that maintains hot and cold temperatures.
    • Inserts such as orthotics can provide support and cushioning in addition to what the shoes already have.
    • KT Tape is used for pain relief and support, injury prevention and faster recovery.
    • Massage Tools loosen tension and increase elasticity, helping to prevent and treat injuries, as well as helping muscles work more efficiently for improved performance. Self myofascial release is an alternative or enhancement to deep tissue massage.
    • Music Carriers worn on your arm or on your waistband are touch screen compatible and come in a variety of sizes.
    • Pepper Spray repels angry animals… and people.
    • Reflective gear and flashing lights allow you to be seen in darker conditions. Be seen – be safe.
    • Shoe bags are handy smaller bags for your dirty or wet shoes or gear, fitting nicely in a locker or larger bag.
    • Smart ID lets you take important personal information with you in case of emergency.
    • Socks made of technical fabrics help wick moisture and prevent blistering. Cotton is not recommended!
    • Sport-Wash gets the stink out of technical fabrics and doesn’t leave behind a residue.
    • Sunglasses protect your eyes from the sun as well as wind and rain.
    • Sweaty Bands keep your hair out of the way and come in a variety of styles and colors. Better yet, they don’t slip!
    • Watches track your workout’s duration. Some also monitor heart rate or track pace and distance with GPS or an accelerometer foot pod. Calorie counters and interval timers for run/walk alerts are also available.

    Check out some of the Accessories sold at Gallagher Fitness Resources

    View Accessories through our online store link. Look under Categories and Sub-Categories!

  • Stretching

    STRETCHING

    Done properly, stretching can do more than just increase flexibility. Benefits include increased relaxation, increased body awareness, reduced risk of injury, and reduced muscle soreness and tension. Unfortunately, stretching is not always done properly. Therefore, the benefits are not always realized. Common mistakes include stretching cold muscles, overstretching, performing exercises the wrong way, and shallow breathing.

    Click here for breathing tips.

    OVER-STRETCHING

    Occasionally, the progression of sensations you feel as you reach the extreme ranges of a stretch are localized warmth of the stretched muscles, followed by a burning (or spasm-like) sensation, followed by sharp “ouch!” pain. The localized warming usually occurs at the muscle’s origin or point of insertion. When you begin to feel this, it is your first clue that you may need to “back off” and reduce the intensity of the stretch.

    If you ignore (or do not feel) the warming sensation, and you proceed to the point where you feel a definite burning sensation in the stretched muscles, then you should ease up immediately and discontinue the stretch! You may not feel soreness right away, but you probably will the next day. If your stretch gets to the point where you feel sharp pain, it is quite likely that tissue damage has already occurred and may cause immediate pain and soreness that persists for several days.

    Click here for Trigger Point Therapy information to help your stretching be even more effective!

  • Trigger Point Therapy

    TRIGGER POINT THERAPY

    Trigger Point therapy is an effective injury prevention strategy, increasing muscle elasticity and functionality. It’s like doing your own deep tissue massage. Trigger Point therapy helps you gain a better appreciation of which muscles are tight and how to release them. IT Band Syndrome, Plantar Fasciitis, Shin Splints, Piriformis Syndrome and other common conditions are addressed through TP therapy. You can learn to take care of yourself by treating the cause of a problem, not just the symptoms. You can minimize the aches, pains and conditions that steer you off the path toward your goals, and you can function at a higher level.

    What are trigger points?

    Pain related to an irritable point in muscle or fascia, not caused by acute local trauma, inflammation, degeneration or infection. The painful point can be felt as a nodule or band in the muscle, and a twitch response can be elicited on stimulation of the trigger point. Palpation of the trigger point reproduces the feeling of pain, and the pain radiates in a distribution typical of the specific muscle harboring the trigger point.

    What is muscle elasticity and why is it important?

    Muscle elasticity is the muscle rebounding to its natural state. It is important for sustaining optimal performance without factors of fatigue and injury. Proper muscle function is key for flexibility, balance, power, stamina and injury prevention. An inelastic muscle is like a rope. The muscle loses its ability to lengthen and rebound. In some cases, the rope-like muscle has knots. You cannot stretch a knot out of a rope, or a knot out of a muscle.

    How does the use of Trigger Point tools give me elasticity?

    The TP Massage Ball, TP Footballer and TP Quadballer work to improve the body’s performance by increasing elasticity within the muscles, allowing them to rebound to their natural state. This is achieved through increased blood flow and elevated oxygen use and reduction of scar tissue and muscle adhesions. The tools knead out the adhesions, scar tissue and knots within the muscles. The kneading and the increased blood and oxygen combine to increase elasticity, making the muscle function like a bungee cord instead of a knot-filled rope.

    What is the difference between elasticity and flexibility?

    Flexibility describes how far a muscle can stretch, without regard to how elastic the muscle actually is. Elasticity is the ability of the muscle to rebound to its natural state after it has been stretched. If you tried to stretch a knot in a rope, it just gets tighter. If you stretch a bungee cord, it returns to its normal state. Factors of aging, wear and tear and biomechanical dysfunction due to inelasticity of the muscle and the surrounding connective tissue and fascia can significantly reduce the range of flexibility.

    Gallagher Fitness Resources has been selling Trigger Point therapy tools since 2007 and offering classes since 2008.

    Contact: 503-364-4198 or E-mail Susan for more information or to schedule a Trigger Point session.

  • Using Heart Rate As Your Exercise Guideline

    Exertion is necessary when exercising. Breaking a sweat is good. Over-exertion, on the other hand, especially for beginners, leads to more than just injury. Typically, it’s one of the primary reasons people quit. Unfortunately, they don’t realize it. This is partially because they don’t know how to measure effort and when highly motivated, the tendency of human nature is to over-do it.

    How do you know how much effort is enough and how much is excessive? Using a heart rate monitor or “effort-based” training are tools to help guide you and increase your awareness of effort, be it low (EASY), moderate (COMFORTABLE) or high (INTENSE). Heart rate or “effort-based” training is at the foundation of long term exercising. This, done consistently, leads to life-style changes and the attainment of your personal goals.

    Guidelines listed are for Women’s Clinic participants or anyone starting an exercise program or returning from an extended lay-off. Let’s break up the exercise session into three parts. If going by effort, it’s easy, comfortable, then easy. As mentioned, beginners generally don’t truly understand what easy or comfortable feels like. Their tendency is intense right out of the chute. Stopping to manually take your heart rate is an option. Using a heart rate monitor, however, provides immediate, objective feedback and removes the guess work. Plus, there’s no stopping to check your HR. You simply glance at your monitor.

    Many heart rate monitors apply the 220 minus your age formula and instruct users to program in their birthday. The unit then displays where the user is within a 65-85% range, with optional visual or audible alerts when under or over the target range. For the Women’s Clinic and most beginners I work with, a 60-80% range is suggested, with 85% being a red flag for over-doing it. Most heart rate monitors allow a manual adjustment to personalize your target HR range.

    Warm-up Phase: 60-65% (Effort feels EASY)
    Aerobic Conditioning Phase: 65-80% (Effort feels COMFORTABLE but more of an effort than EASY)
    Cool-down Phase: 60-65% (Effort feels EASY)

    HINT! If your effort is too hard, or you’re not having fun, SLOW down!

    Additional beginner guidelines during Aerobic Conditioning (middle) Phase:

    Less fit people:
    “Error on the Conservative” Try not to go above 75%, especially in the first 6 weeks. You’ll see this reflected in your homework.

    Moderately fit people:
    “Generally” okay to go up to 80%.

    Chronically fit people:
    Occasionally okay to “gradually” progress up to 85%, but do this towards the “end” of the Aerobic Conditioning phase, not during the “entire” phase.

    Generally, be aware that it’s a bit hectic the first week of HR checks but we get through it and it gets easier. So hang in there, respect your group leaders (especially the big groups) and do your best. Read through this information a few times so you know what to expect. You are being given a tool to help you exercise at the pace that’s right for you. Remember my comment on the first night, you’re here for one reason or another, but “nobody here is training to qualify for the Olympic Trails.” Although a few of you may be returning, most of you are still building your fitness base. There is no need to exceed the guidelines. Consistency is the key to your success.

    MEDICINE

    Some drugs raise heart rate and some lower it. Medications may also influence hydration levels which can affect heart rate. If you are on medications and are not sure what effect they may have on your exercise heart rate, please contact your physician and be inquisitive. Let the doctor know your exercise plans and concerns regarding medicine use and heart rate guidelines. How does the medicine you are taking affect heart rate during exercise and what precautions should you take?

    Remember, we’re aiming for an increased awareness of the importance of starting EASY (Warm-up Phase), staying Comfortable (Aerobic Conditioning Phase), and ending EASY (Cool-down Phase). Begin to associate “effort” (what it FEELS like) with your HR numbers, so that eventually you KNOW your effort and trust it.

    Click the following links for more on Using Heart Rate as Your Exercise Guideline:

    Heart Rate Formula

    Conversation Pace

    History of Taking Heart Rates

    Your True Resting Heart Rate

    Three Stages of Aerobic Fitness

  • If the Shoe Fits

    Pronation is a normal foot in motion, from foot-strike on the outside of the heel through the inward roll of the foot. Pronation occurs as the foot rolls from the outer edge to the inner edge. Everyone pronates, and the initial pronation is considered an important and healthy response to the intense amount of shock imposed upon the foot and is integral to propelling you forward. If the foot pronates too much or too little and does so frequently, several biomechanical problems may result that will cause a decrease in performance and increase the possibility of injury.

    Fit

    No matter how expensive your shoes are or how much technology your shoes contain, they will not do their job unless they fit correctly. Here are useful tips that can help assure you are getting the proper fit.

    When trying on shoes, if you have custom orthotics or over-the-counter inserts, bring them with you.
    Combining rigid orthotics with supportive shoes can sometimes result in over-correction. Consult with the experts to make sure your shoes accommodate your orthotics for a comfortable match.

    Make sure there is adequate space in the toe box. Leave 1/2 inch between the longest toe and the end of the shoe. This is about a thumb’s width. This measurement should be done while standing since the foot elongates while weight-bearing. If this measurement is done while sitting, there is a good chance the shoe will be too short.

    Check the heel counter to make sure your heel won’t slide excessively and is firm enough to provide stability. A little slippage is normal, but not too much.

    If your feet tend to expand throughout the day, try on shoes in the afternoon or evening to insure you have enough toe room.

    Walk or run in the shoes while in the store, and experience how they feel. They should be comfortable right away, not needing to be broken in. General rule of thumb: If it hurts in the store, it will hurt at home. An expert sales associate will observe your biomechanics while you try out the shoes, providing knowledgeable feedback.

    Knowledgeable Staff/Specialty Shoe Store
    Use the knowledge of staff at a specialty shoe store, Gallagher Fitness Resources. We listen to your specific foot concerns, explain the technology of the various categories, assess the wear pattern of your old, worn shoes, and observe the biomechanics of your stride. Taking all this into account, we can help take the guess work out of finding shoes that will provide you the best comfort and functionality.


    Durability

    There is a wide variety of running/walking shoes. The main types are neutral/cushioned, stability and motion control. Regardless of the type of shoe, the constant pounding will wear out the midsole cushioning before the rest of the shoe. The impact at heel strike is typically 2.5 times or more your body weight. This is the same force that is translated to the ankles, knees and lower back. Running shoes are specifically designed to redistribute and absorb shock to preserve the health of these joints. It is recommended to change running shoes every 350-500 miles or every 6 months to maintain proper shock absorption and help prevent injury.

    Minimalism

    The running shoe world has been buzzing with minimalist/barefoot hype. Gallagher Fitness has an entire line of minimal/natural footstrike shoes from New Balance, Brooks, Saucony, Nike and Altra in addition to the “minimal” racing flats we carry from Asics, Nike and adidas. We want to represent as many choices to our customer base as possible without finding ourselves awash in a tsunami of inventory. To be certain, there are some fads and pretenders trying to make a buck before this minimalist movement implodes. Yet at the same time there are some quality products built by manufacturers who have taken the time and effort to research the final offering and produce a product that will stand the test of time.

    We recommend a very careful and methodical transition to using minimalist shoes, especially if you’ve been in conventional shoes for most of your life. If you’re curious about trying them, we encourage you to talk to our staff individually when you come in for shoes. Trust the cumulative experience we have at GFR over the marketing, which can be confusing and misleading. When used correctly, minimal shoes can be a tool to strengthen your feet and lower legs and assist with form awareness. However, they don’t work for everyone. We’ve seen quite a few injuries. The Good Form Running classes at GFR twice a month will increase your awareness of form, regardless of your shoes. We encourage you to sign up. It’s more involved than princess steps.

    “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” However, if you try minimalist shoes, start slowly and proceed gradually. What works for some, doesn’t work for everyone.

  • Injury Cycle

    Injuries can be avoided when you discover YOU can alter the cycle that creates them.  Hydration, proper recovery, massage, and rolling out with trigger point tools are all important pieces to the training puzzle.  We want you to reach your goals.  Taking care of your body is the easiest way to get there.  If you ignore the easy things your goals are harder to reach and unexpected injuries are just around the corner.

    Here’s a message from Cassidy Phillips, Trigger Point creator, talking about the role dehydration plays in the injury cycle.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ry1Q67x5NmU

  • KT Tape: Saluting Running Specialty Retailers

    KT Tape would like to thank all the specialty retailers out there who accommodate the needs of those athletes continually striving for their PR’s. Kinesiology therapeutic tape is great for all sports, and is especially helpful to runners and their specific needs. Please read the nice things KT Tape has to say about stores like GFR!

    Trusted by millions, KT Tape is used for common sports injuries such as ITBS, runners knee, shin splints, hamstring strain, plantar pain, and other common running aches and pains. Click to read: Saluting Specialty Retailers.

  • When should I replace my shoes?

    Q: I have a question about shoes. Specifically, when do I replace them? How long are they good to run in before they begin to break down? I know when I feel like I should get new shoes but is there an average shoe-life time if I’m running 4 days a week from 5-15 miles each time?

    A: Thanks for your shoe inquiry. The industry standard for replacing shoes is 350-500 miles. Some get the upper range, some get the lower range. At 120 pounds, I break mine down in 350 due to my biomechanics.

    In addition to biomechanics, other factors influencing shoe replacement may include: 
    Ball-of-foot, arch, heel, shin, knee, or hip aches; surfaces you run on; shoe type; original quality; other activities the shoes are used for; exposure to extreme temperatures and general care of the shoes.

    Here’s the info you provided: 4 days a week from 5-15 miles each time. 
    And here’s the math: 
    4×5=20 miles/wk = 80 miles/month x5 months = 400 miles. 
    4×10=40 miles/wk = 160 miles/month x2.5 months = 400 miles.

    So your shoe-life range at 5-10 miles per day is 2.5 to 5 months. 

    Hope this helps. Thanks again!