On April 12, FuncPhysio running club hosted “TCM curry x Exercise,” a collaboration between physical therapists and the Department of Medicinal Cooking. In this issue, we would like to report on the event.
Leg and hip stretching and muscle training
Muscle strength in the legs and hips is essential for running. If you continue running with insufficient muscle strength, you may develop pain at some point. Also, if your joints and muscles are tight, your movements will be smaller, and your running will be less efficient. Before the exercise, a brief lecture on muscle recovery was given, followed by the exercise. In this exercise, we stretched the muscles around the hip joints, and then we did squats and other strength training exercises for the legs and hips together, explaining the precautions to be taken. The amount of load and the number of times were changed for each person, so I think each person was able to do the exercises with an appropriate load. Later, we received comments from participants that their muscles were sore even after such a short exercise and that they would like to continue the exercise in the future.
TCM – Based Dietary Therapy
The event started with a few exercises to strengthen muscles, followed by a nutrition part. We had the pleasure to welcome a TCM-based dietary therapist, New York Food Therapy Diary, who provided explanations on how to strengthen and rejuvenate muscles through proper diet. The participants had an opportunity to enjoy Japanese curry and side dishes prescribed for strengthening muscles and post-exercise recovery after the exercise. The side dishes included potato salad and coleslaw, which both were meant to replenish energy, and the curry was infused with multiple Chinese herbs with effects to strengthen blood and thus muscles, and to improve blood circulation, which helps functions of the liver according to TCM dietary principles. I myself found that the curry and the side dishes were so delicious and nutritious, and I had a better appetite on the following day, which might be ascribed to enhanced metabolism resulting from the food.
Finally, a pastry baker offered us a tart. The event ended with a rave review from all the participants.
We received a lot of positive feedback from the participants of this event. We would like to thank all those who cooperated with us this time! We hope to continue our running club activities with the help of others in the future. We look forward to working with you in the future.
