Hello Mercy Sports Medicine

Fuel your Body

Whether it be a big game or a daily workout, make sure you are performing your best by fueling your body correctly! Your goal with eating before strenuous exercise is to help you feel energized and perform your best. However, what you eat is just as important. Without adequate energy your body may not be able to and this can lead to low energy and sometimes even injury. 

Carbohydrates break down into sugar which give your body an immediate energy source. Fat serves as more of a long-lasting, slower burning energy source for when your body has used up its carbohydrate stores. Protein aids in the recreation of muscle after it has been broken down post workout or game. Finding balance in all 3 macronutrients is the best way to ensure optimal performance and recovery! 
 

Here are a few health snack ideas to try before your next workout: 

• Apple and peanut or almond butter

• Fruit parfait 

  • Full fat yogurt, your favorite fruit and even a low sugar granola 

• Homemade smoothie 

  • Try adding 1 cup fruit, 1 cup frozen veggies or greens, scoop of protein powder, water/milk/alternative milk, ice 

• Chicken (or protein source), rice and leftover veggies for a filling bowl

• Hard boiled eggs and cheese 

• Dried fruits and nuts, even try making your own trail mix! 

  • Look for dried fruits without sugar added

  • Add dark chocolate for a sweet tooth and additional antioxidant benefit 

• Homemade oatmeal with berries and a drizzle of almond butter

Maintain a High Performance, Injury Free body

As 2022 fall sports are underway, athletes have a long and strenuous season ahead of them! With this in mind, athletes must utilize performance training in the weight room to take care of their bodies properly, even during the competitive season. This is a vital piece to ensure athletes stay injury free and maintain a high level of performance. The following categories are some of the core objectives that are imperative to keep athletes at their best during the sport season:

No matter the time of year, performance training is always necessary to maintain strong, healthy, and injury free athletes. Stay consistent with performance training and reach out to a professional to keep on track!

Spend More Time Outside This Fall

Fall is upon us which means it’s the perfect time to spend a little extra time outside. The heat of the summer has passed, the colors are vibrant and the air is refreshing. While the days may be getting shorter, the list of benefits of being outside is long. From improving your mood before the dark days of winter arrive to strengthening your immune system before sickness becomes more common, there are so many reasons to spend as much time outside as possible this month. 

To help you with this, we’ve put together a little scavenger hunt of three benches around town you must visit this fall. Whether you simply sit to take in the views and listen to the birds chirp or take the extension suggestion to be a little more active, this is a great way to spend more time outside this fall.

Team Behind the Scenes

In welcoming our new Athletic Trainer, we wanted to introduce all of our staff and their current locations within the community. 

• Durango School District 9R - Mariah Stuart, Eric Neal, and Robert Marks

• Bayfield School District - Brandi Wenzlau and Alyssa Fredericks

• Ignacio School District  - Shelby Sangster and Teddi Andreas

• Fort Lewis College - John Jewell, Michelle Pisani, Trev Muth, Marissa Mills, and Daniel Mummert

Support On and Off the Field

One of the great things about our team being connected with Mercy Orthopedic Associates is the support from Sports Medicine Physicians. Dr. Matt Smith, Dr. Sylvia Rozek, and Casey Roberts PA are practitioners that you may see on the sidelines of high school football games.With these practitioners being part of Mercy Sports Medicine, we are able to get injuries seen faster and the recovery process moving. 

When the physicians are on the sideline at games, Athletic Trainers have extra support when injuries happen. If the injury requires a referral, the docs already have a first look at the mechanism of injury and what injury the athlete is going to be recovering from. The Athletic Trainers are also able to pick the practitioners brains, allowing the ATs to be up-to-date on the recovery path of our patients.