than a more objective, physical one such as joint-space narrowing. "Think about it," she says. "When you’re in pain, you can’t move about the way you’d like, you can’t work effectively, and you can’t enjoy a good social life. Pain is important, because

down, without the core strength to control your movement, your quads and knee joints bear the extra pounding of your body weight, which can lead to fatigue, pain and even injury. 4. Endurance As you're nearing the end of a race, a solid core helps

.On the other hand, if your loss of libido is accompanied by reduced appetite, poor sleep, muscle or joint soreness, poor athletic performance, or lasting depression, then you are likely to be physiologically overtrained. In this condition, your body

, according to a recent study at the University of Missouri-Columbia in the USA. In a test of 10 brands of socks, researchers found that nylon socks caused fewer blisters than cotton ones.Bunions Bunions are an inflammation of the big toe joint, caused

muscles (not just piriformis) contract to protect it and attempt to stabilise your lumbar spine. It fails woefully and just increases lumbar spine shear and joint compression.Get your thoracic spine treated, don’t go near your lumbar spine or piriformis

You know that adding some weight training to your programme will help your running by making you more stable and powerful, but what if you don’t fancy joining a gym? Here’s the answer: stay at home and use your own body weight for all-round strength

, swimming or racquet sports, then these will help improve your stability. However, it’s worth bearing in mind that you might also increase your risk of injury as well.Pilates Pilates will increase your stability and the health of your joints by improving

's an investment that will pay dividends on the road. HARD CORE, HEALTHY RUNNERYour core is like a power plant. If it’s not working efficiently, you’ll waste energy, says Tim Hilden, a physical therapist, athletic trainer, and exercise physiologist, specialising

.com). Scientists monitored people's sleeping habits for two weeks, then exposed them to a cold virus. Those who clocked less than seven hours were three times more likely to get sick than those who slept for at least eight hours. Drink on the runThat healthy boost

in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Danish researchers studied the sports and leisure-time activities of 5,749 healthy pregnant women in the first and early second trimesters of their pregnancies. They discovered that physical activity during