Sports Fitness > Alternative Therapy > Meditation

Next thing they know, they have torn a calf muscle or sprained an ankle and they're visiting a therapist like Gelfand, supervisor of the Nicholas Institute for Sports Medicine and Athletic Trauma at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. "The biggest mistakes are going too fast, too far, Or too soon," Gelfand says.

Weight training, or strength training, builds strength and muscles. Calisthenics like push-ups are weight training exercises too. Lifting weights is a weight training exercise.

Prevention: strengthen your Achilles by performing toe lifts: Place a five to10 pound weight on each foot. (Use weights you can strap around your feet rather than dumbbells.) Sit on a tall chair with your feet dangling, then point your toes up without lifting your thighs.

Performance Boosting

Anaerobic activity is short in duration and high in intensity. Anaerobic activities include: racquetball, downhill skiing, weight lifting, sprinting, softball, soccer and football. Aerobic means with air or oxygen. You should be able to carry on a short conversation while doing aerobic exercise.

Treatment: Ice massage five to 10 minutes three times a day until symptoms are gone. Stretch your hip, rear-thigh and calf muscles, along with the muscles on the bottom of your foot.