I am pleased to publish this article with the permission of Terry Laughlin, swimming coach and founder of Total Immersion.

I’m searching for information on stretching with focus on freestyle swimming.

I’ve found in Total Immersion, the Revolutionary Way to Swim better, Faster, and Easier some exercises and two stretches for the front of the shoulder and two stretches for the back of the shoulder.

I’m definitely interested in shoulder stretches but also back and leg stretches that are appropriate. I’ve noticed with TI swimming a definite change to the muscles in my upper back, and I would like to be sure that lack of correct stretching does not cause a physical problem.
The effects or benefits of stretching are commonly thought to be relief of tightness in muscles and increase of range of motion in joints.  Over time I’ve come to view the question of stretching and its effects differently, and my view today is colored by my age – 59, a time when my muscles seem a bit more susceptible to injury or the occurrence of “hot spots” or knots.

My stretching activities now are more geared to overall health and feeling good at all times, while also–as an athlete–trying to keep my muscles ‘tuned for action.’

I rarely do the kind of swim-specific stretching I did from my teens to my 30s that was illustrated in the original TI book. This focused on muscles like the pectorals, triceps, lats. When I was younger I regularly experienced post-swim soreness in those muscles but that was because my swimming relied on higher arm-forces. By using the drag-evading and whole-body-propelling techniques of Perpetual Motion Freestyle, I no longer experience that kind of soreness.

I deal with more general tension–not uncommon in middle-aged-athletes–by warming up more gently and thoroughly before a practice. Also by having one or two practices a week done entirely at ‘recovery pace’ and devoted to higher levels of technique.

I often get knots, particularly in the muscles around my left scapula, because I tore the rotator cuff in that shoulder in an auto accident in 1996 so those muscles compensate to keep my shoulder stable. I need occasional massage, adjustments and acupuncture to break open those knots and relieve tension.

But virtually all of my prior active stretching has been replaced by yoga, which feels both holistic and integrative in a way those stretches were not. Yoga not only keeps me feeling more supple–in my spine and joints as well as in muscles. It also keeps me strong in an integrative way. That is, rather than working on isolated muscles, it strengthens them as they work–in combination and by using them as I do outside of yoga.

Finally, it brings the calming and centering effects of meditation. I’m certain the combination of yoga and swimming is among the most healthful things I will do for the rest of my life.

I was involved in the planning of the Yoga for Swimming and More DVD with Susan Jacque who is one of my teachers, and can strongly recommend it both to complement swimming and as a way to become acquainted with yoga.

For more information on Total Immersion and Terry Laughlin, visit:

http://www.totalimmersion.net/ and

http://www.swimwellblog.com/

According to the World Health Organization, every year 17 million people  globally die from cardiovascular diseases, particularly heart attacks and strokes. It has been projected that by the year 2025, about 1.56 billion people worldwide will suffer from high blood pressure or hypertension. One in four persons will be afflicted by hypertension and that is alarming.

Hypertension is a common and serious medical condition that can lead to many health problems such as stroke, coronary heart disease, kidney and heart failures. More disturbing than the figures is the fact that these lethal medical problems sometimes show no symptoms.

Normal blood pressure pushes our heart to our body so it can receive the oxygen and nutrients required. The pressure rises and falls during the day, but when it stays elevated over time, it is called high blood pressure or hypertension. The common approach in managing hypertension is by using clinical blood pressure readings, but this is not always accurate and can lead to a false sense of security. A seemingly healthy person can suffer from arrhythmia, a condition in which the heart beats with an irregular or abnormal rhythm and an ECG may not pick it up.

The devices and systems that physicians used in laboratories and hospitals to manage hypertension do not provide accurate readings of the blood pressure and may not detect any form of arrhythmia. They are also expensive (US$30K to US$40K) and beyond the reach of general practitioners.

A doctor from Singapore, who was frustrated with the limitations of the existing clinical measuring equipment, decided to conduct intensive research and came up with an innovative watch-like device, BPro, that can be used in a clinical setting.

Dr TING Choon Meng, CEO of HealthSTATS International, invented this device that monitors blood pressure and can predict and prevent sudden heart attack and stroke. This has caught the interest of doctors and researchers worldwide.

BPro is a revolutionary device that provides the medical practitioners and researchers alike with unprecedented capabilities in acquiring highly reproducible & accurate real time arterial pulse wave data and 24-hr Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring [ABPM]. These breakthroughs are achieved both by innovative hardware design and an application software, A-Pulse Casp, also developed by Dr. Ting.

The software was tested and validated in three separate clinical trials involving 12,000 patients. The only other way to get such measurements is by inserting a catheter into the groin.

With its ease of use and integrated application software packages it has the potential to become the standard for medical care for hypertension and related illnesses.

Unlike other methods available in the market, the BPro does not restrict movement or disrupt sleep. It is the only device in the world that takes a person’s blood pressure without the wearer being aware of its presence.

BPro has won numerous international awards and received accreditations from European CE-MDD Mark, FDA, China, Australia and New Zealand agencies.

Major healthcare establishments in many countries are either testing or  using the BPro.  High profile patients, including celebrities, politicians and royalties who prefer to remain anonymous are also using this device.

Dr Ting has developed two scaled-down models, the US$2,700 A-Pulse CasPro, meant for GP clinics, and the US$350 A-Pulse CasPal, for patients to use at home. These two devices have just been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration.

The A-Pulse Casp is being used in a study of 1,200 pregnant women at the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Singapore.

The trial aims to track the health of both mothers and babies – from the time they are in the womb, and as they develop and grow.

The objectives of the study are to uncover better ways to prevent and treat metabolic diseases such as obesity and Type 2 diabetes and to establish the normal central blood pressure ranges during pregnancy.

In another large-scale trial in USA, 50,000 Americans will use these devices, to track how the measurements are associated with diabetes.

The American company, Save 1 Heart, will buy 100 of the machines for use in the diabetes trial, as well as others on thyroid and heart disease.

‘We ran various trials and found it was a world-leading device recommended by top doctors,’ said Mr Isaac Casados, founder of Save 1 Heart.