Wrestling Advice From My Dentist

I came back home from my internship last week, which has given me a little more time to work out, but it also means I've had to take care of various doctors' appointments.  This morning I had a checkup with my dentist, and it got me thinking of a conversation I had with him at one of my last appointments where he asked me if I wear a mouth guard when wrestling.  I told him that I wore one my sophomore year of high school while I had braces, but that I haven't since then.  His suggestion was to wear one even if you don't need it, because being able to bite down on something while exerting yourself will add force to your movements, similar to how a grunt when lifting weights or a  "hiyah" in martial arts will give you more power.

It sounded intriguing to me, and I may add it to my arsenal, but one of the reasons I never liked wearing my mouth guard was because it made it so much harder to breathe.  I only wore it during matches because the rules required it, and I didn't bother with it during practice, which was a foolish decision because it always came as a shock to my lungs during competition.  If you're going to follow my dentist's advice, wear it all the time so that your lungs adapt.

Being at home has also given me more time to research cutting-edge fitness and nutrition methods, which is both a good and a bad thing, because I tend to get carried away when I peruse online articles and sit in front of my computer screen too long.  If you're going to be reading off of your computer for more than an hour, whether it be for work, school, or the reason I stated above, make sure to take breaks at least every hour to walk around, do some dynamic stretching, and focus your eyes on something distant.  One thing many offices are starting to do is have "stand up desks", where the computer is high enough to be used comfortably while standing.  Some people even kneel down on a pillow to engage their glutes, which would otherwise be idle when sitting.  Whatever position you are in, it is still not a good idea to stay there for too long.  One thing I like to do is hold a handstand against the wall every so often so that the blood doesn't just pool up in my feet and to get more circulation to the brain.  Handstands are an awesome exercise, too, of course.

Bite down,
Jeff