Drink Up Buttercup!

By Amie Donlan, Remedial Therapist

If you have ever had a massage from me, or any other therapist for that matter, then one of the phrases you have almost certainly heard at some point is “make sure you drink plenty of water over the next few days.” It’s not just a helpful tip from a friendly face, it actually relates a lot to your treatment. Let’s delve a little deeper.

First off, regardless of having a massage, you should be drinking water anyway, and probably more than you already are.  Most people don’t drink enough. Plain old, pure water is what it needs to be. None of this “well, there is water in my coffee, so that counts” (or any other daily drinks of yours). Look it’s a coffee from the 4064 boys next door, we might let that slide - but make sure you’re topping up the H2O levels accordingly.

SOME SCIENCY STUFF COMING UP… Just how much should you be drinking?  There are Nutrient Reference Values advising that adult men should drink 2.6 litres of water per day (about 10 cups) and adult women should drink 2.1 litres per day (about eight cups). But these figures are based on the average weight of men and women, so if you’re under or overweight you may consider adjusting your water intake. A general rule of thumb is approx. 35 millilitres of fluid per kilogram of body weight.

Now that you know how much you should be drinking, how does it relate to massage?  First I will talk about healthy vs unhealthy muscle tissue. When your muscles are healthy (hydrated) they feel soft, almost spongy and allows blood to flow freely throughout the vessels.  Unhealthy (dehydrated) muscle tissue is the type that is causing you pain. It is tight, feeling more compact and restricted in movement. What this also means is it also restricts the amount of blood flow and lymphatic drainage through the tissue (by constricting the capillaries).  If you are not getting a good amount of blood flow through an area, this decreases oxygen and nutrient exchange, as well as allowing metabolic waste to build up and become stuck within the tissue. Our bodies are the bloody masters of adaptation, and because of this your blood will go find other, less restricted paths around this area.

When you are having a thorough, deep tissue massage, these areas of restriction and muscle tension are usually the key focal points. The massage therapist is working to break down the adhesion’s that have formed in the unhealthy tissue and BOOM, allowing increased blood flow, increased movement, and restore the muscle to a much more healthy state.  STAY WITH ME… What happens when you open up these areas is that the metabolic waste that had been trapped due to lack of blood flow is now released and on its way out through the lymphatic system. Nutrients and oxygen are being delivered to the muscle at a faster rate, and this all uses water from your bloodstream, which may give you a feeling of dehydration, or thirst.  Similar to why you need more water when working out, your muscles are using more oxygen, and water is necessary for this exchange (so it gets used up faster). An increased amount of metabolic waste is being processed and filtered through the kidneys, which makes them have to work harder and is also using… more water.

If you have ever experienced feeling slightly nauseous, developed a headache, or flu-like symptoms after a massage, this is mainly due to the increased amount of metabolic waste being transported out. Drinking more water after your massage can help reduce those symptoms, or even stop it from happening.

So, it is true you should drink water after massage in order to re-hydrate because your body is using water at a faster rate, but the key is to be drinking enough water EVERYDAY, whether you get a massage or not.  Water is vital for every function that occurs in the body, and necessary to maintain healthy, hydrated muscle tissue.

Book in to see Amie for a massage now!

EOFY Health Funds Reminder - Use it before you lose it

Carbon Fibre Orthotics for running and cycling

It’s approaching Jun 30 and for those with Private health Insurance that rolls over at the end of the financial year, now is the time to ensure you get that last massage, physiotherapy, dietetics or podiatry appointment in before it resets again on Jul 1.

It’s also a good time to remind our loyal clients that everyone who has had orthotic therapy with us previously is entitled to one fund only (no gap) set of orthotics a year using the same foot molds. If you are in doubt, fire us an email and we can let you know when you last reviewed with us for your cycling, walking, running or pressure relief orthotics.

If you are after a second set, contact us with your name, details and orthotic request and we can ensure we have the whole process finalised before June 30. If you have other queries, call us on 07 31296331.

Why we stopped putting shoes in our retail space.

Recently we discussed our move to exclusively selling Lake shoes, alongside this shift we have been gradually removing the shoes from the shelves and providing a more intensive shoe fitting service for clients. This might seem confusing and counter intuitive, but there is a good reason why we have done this and the results are encouraging.

Lake CX402s on the feet of Josh Amberger - Photo Mark Fountain

Cycling shoes are notoriously difficult to fit well. Heavy, unforgiving materials in the uppers combined with stiff soles and a tight fit often cause compression and areas of irritation. As well as this the aesthetics and marketing hype of new products can override good fitting principles and leave customers uncomfortable and unhappy in the long run. When attempting to get the fit right, we have found that professional ‘screening’ of the feet and lower limbs contribute enormously to satisfactory outcomes. At The Pedaler we have experienced Podiatrists with enormous cycling knowledge who have this process perfected.

At The Pedaler we have experienced Podiatrists with enormous cycling knowledge who have this process perfected

Initially we ran a more typical bike store set up. We stocked shoes on shelves and encouraged cyclists to try shoes on with the assistance of our staff. Sometimes the outcomes were satisfactory and in others, less so. Sometimes wasn’t good enough for us, so we decided to only sell shoes once a Podiatrist had given the fit their tick of approval. With this more thorough approach to the process the outcome was always satisfactory.

Hence, we embraced that outcome and changed the way we fit shoes. Rather then have a client spend 45 minutes trying on a range of shoes and becoming increasingly confused, we conduct a foot screening and assessment session with our Podiatrist to guarantee the fit. There is a consult cost for this, but that’s the price for an expert opinion.

This process also enables us to procure any style, size, colour and width option in the ENTIRE Lake range. That’s pretty damned special given just how extensive their range of shoes are.

This also enables us to procure any style, size, colour and width option in the ENTIRE Lake range!

So if you want a pair of guaranteed comfortable shoes, it pays to book in and make a time to get it right.

Lake CX332 paired with COBRA9 SemiPro

Welcome Tara To The Pedaler Health Team!

The health team at The Pedaler continues to grow with the arrival of Tara, our new resident Dietitian!

Tara has many years experience in dietetics, guiding the nutritional journey of officers with the Australian Defence Force, the QLD state Hockey, Water Polo, Judo and Rowing teams, and many individuals achieving extraordinary outcomes in endurance sports. Tara is passionate about helping patients learn how nutrition science can positively impact their performance in life, work, or as an athlete.

Alongside being an Accredited Practising and Sports Dietitian, Tara leads an incredibly active lifestyle currently competing in long distance road and trail running races. Through both her study, and her own athletic endeavours, Tara personally understands the determination, effort and accuracy required for nutrition science to translate into enhanced performance.

Tara is available for appointments on Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s at The Pedaler.

Call us on (07)31296331 to make an appointment

Why we sell lake shoes at The Pedaler.

We have always carried a range of cycling shoes at The Pedaler. Our cycling Podiatry background makes it perfect for us to help cyclists understand which cycling shoes work best for them. Initially we carried a range of brands however we now carry only Lake cycling shoes. Why? Read on.

Lake have been around for almost 40 years. As it is with many cycling shoe brands, the fortunes of the company fluctuate largely depending upon the latest and most contemporary options that become available. Lake has been at the forefront of cycling shoe technology for some time investing in a suite of functional and occasionally wacky options. Despite the full range of options available, some of the shoes lacked the aesthetic appeal of their rivals. This has all changed now with a fantastic custom cycling shoe range to choose from and a standard cycling range that now looks the business whilst remaining true to their core values - providing cycling shoes that make you comfortable and well fitted.

Importantly for us the Lake range pretty much covers the entire spectrum of foot types within its catalogue which is quite rare amongst cycling shoe brands. We often recommend certain brands for narrow feet or wider feet, or those with unusual toe shapes however Lake can pretty much cover the lot. As a clinician, it makes it a lot easier knowing that we are going to get a quality solution every time.

It doesn’t mean that at a shoe fitting appointment we might not recommend a different brand from another retailer, or advise a patient to stick with the option they have used previously, however we can recommend a Lake option and be confident we won’t have issues.

Another benefit of Lake cycling shoes is they fit our Cobra9 custom cycling orthotics perfectly as well. It’s a huge bonus, working easily with a shoe to provide the best and most comprehensive option as required by each client.

Finally, the guys behind the Lake product are super helpful and agreeable. We have worked with the parent company to create cool custom options and fit up entire teams with rock solid shoes. We also liaise with Lake International as required to discuss tricky fitting options. If they’re not in stock, they will source them for us as quickly as possible.

All our shoe fitting options are done via appointment to ensure we can allocate the appropriate time and resources to get the outcome we all want. We will often fit the shoes when they arrive (the range is enormous and carrying all the shoes virtually impossible) on the bike to ensure comfort is felt where it’s needed most. If required we will also then fit our prescription orthotics or ‘off the shelf’ COBRA9 devices to ensure the whole foot to pedal junction is dialled in.

If you want comfort, support or just a pair of properly fitting shoes then make a time to get your feet sorted!

The Pedaler Health Team is growing!

Our collection of heath specialists has grown again in 2019. We have recently added two new massage therapists to The Pedaler Health giving our clients access to massage 3 days per week. We are excited to welcome Amie on Mondays and Thursdays, and Vicki on Fridays. Both clinicians have a wealth of experience dealing with cyclists and multi sport athletes.

Amie and Vicki join Nathan (Podiatry), Anouksa (Physiotherapy) and Matthew (E.P) who consult weekly from The Pedaler.

We will be announcing a few new names to the health team over the coming weeks to help us look after the needs of Brisbane’s cycling, running and multi sport community. We are also excited to almost be ready to roll out our two new key technology additions to The Pedaler as well - Saddle Pressure Testing Hardware and a Virtual Wind Tunnel. These are hugely exciting additions to our business and allow athletes a chance to get more comfortable on the bike whilst also being more efficient. These new features will be handled primarily by Anouska - our Physiotherapist.

Whilst we are usually busy, we typically have appointments available each week so give us a call and let us help you get more comfortable. All health bookings can also be managed online as well.

Back at it on the Weekends!!

With the summer of cycling back on the radar, and the demand from our regulars taken under consideration, we are back at it Saturdays from 7am till noon. We snuck a few in before Christmas, but we can confirm that our increased hours are to remain in place. Enjoy a Fonzie Brew with the crew and break down the weekends racing in our clubhouse type atmosphere.

YES, we make running orthotics!!

We are well known for hand crafting cycling orthotic solutions for all athletes from Pros to weekend warriors. Our off site Northern Suburbs Orthotic Lab allows us the freedom to create all types of unique solutions for cyclists and yes, also for runners as well.

Our access to the Carbon Lab at our facility means we can create light weight dynamic ‘Pure Carbon Fibre’ running orthotics for intermediate / advanced runners and also a mixed Carbon / EVA version for beginner / intermediate runners who may be a little heavier.

The main benefits of using Carbon Fibre as the core material of a running orthotic are

• light weight

• excellent stiffness and memory

• very low volume

• snappy dynamic return to shape properties

• improved foot feel

There Is a good reason why Nike are using Carbon plates in the midsoles of their latest trainers.

The only trade offs for Carbon over Plastic is the materials are more expensive (that’s our problem, not yours) and that the life span of a carbon device is closer to 12 months. Whilst this isn’t as long as a standard plastic polypropylene version, it does provide far better foot feel over the life of its use and with our standard No Gap policy on 2nd sets, you won’t be out of pocket when you replace them anyway (must have applicable health insurance).

If you’re looking for a more dynamic lightweight solution for your running issues, make a time to discuss your needs and issues with us at The Pedaler and let us work with you to create a unique cutting edge solution.

The Pedaler Labs