Add strength training to your weekly routine. Stronger muscles mean better joints and a more energized body.

Create a workout program with balance. Combine stretching, strength training and cardiovascular exercises to keep your body in balance.

Use R.I.C.E. If pain does creep into your body after an activity, use technique of R.I.C.E. immediately to reduce inflammation. Never use heat in first 48 to 72 hours after an injury occurs, as this will increase swelling and bruising. Rest-Ice-Compression-Elevation can make difference in a fast, effective recovery from a sprain or strain.

Try massage. For tight, stressed muscles, massage therapy can be a relaxing and helpful treatment for minor pain. Self-message is easy to do on legs, ankles and feet.

Give cognitive behavior therapy a go. This therapy works on concept that you can reprogram your mind to increase performance or decrease pain triggers, incorporating relaxation and other visualization techniques. Professional athletes have been using it for some time to rehearse a perfect performance in their mind before an event.

Physical activity may produce its own set of challenges for Baby Boomers. But inactivity itself is a threat to health. A sedentary lifestyle is associated with an increased risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, osteoporosis, stroke and some cancers. Regular physical exercise helps Boomers strengthen muscles, which in turn stabilizes joints, increases flexibility and keeps age-related diseases at bay. Better to be a buff Baby Boomer than a middle-age couch potato!

This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical treatment or consultation. Always consult with your physician in event of a serious injury.

Most therapists and doctors advise not to use heat right after an injury, as this will have opposite effect of ice. Heat increases blood flow and relaxes muscles. It’s good for easing tight muscles, but will only increase pain and swelling of an injury by accelerating metabolism.

When it comes to cooling devices, different effects will result due to device’s ability to exchange heat. Crushed ice packs do a better job at cooling body than chemical or gel packs, because they last longer and are able to draw four times amount of heat out of tissue. The important difference is that ice packs undergo phase change, allowing them to last longer at an even temperature, creating a more effective treatment. Most chemical or one-time-use packs and gel packs do not undergo phase change. They quickly loose their ability to transfer heat, limiting their effectiveness to reduce swelling. Their short duration of cold is not long enough to produce numbness, also reducing their ability to relieve pain.

Cold therapy should always be used as soon as possible after an injury occurs and continued for following 48 hours at 15 to 20 minute intervals. Remember – if you hurt yourself, you need to ice!

This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical treatment or consultation. Always consult with your physician in event of a serious injury.