No, I’m not suggesting health through better chemistry, but using ibuprofen can be helpful when trying to do certain exercise activities. I use ibuprofen (400 mg) before I play my regular, twice weekly basketball game, because it keeps the swelling down in my feet, allowing me to play without pain. Yeah, I know I need to lose weight, then I wouldn’t have to deal with my feet swelling, but I am over weight.
I love playing basketball. It’s an important part of my exercise regime, keeping my mind right, especially when I’m playing well. If you aren’t loving your exercise, if it’s a chore, then more likely than not the program will fail. Developing a varied exercise program, including things like running, biking, walking, and sports that keep you engaged at a level beyond fitness (that require skills like basketball, tennis, racquetball), can stop the boredom, especially if you’re new to exercise.
Here’s one of the greatest benefits I find from doing skilled sports like basketball: because I want to improve my game, which means improving my level of fitness, it’s motivation to do preparation for the games – weight lifting (which I hate), cardio work, and shooting more baskets. That hunger to lift my basketball game to the next level, then motivates the rest of my exercise program. What’s your motivation to keep exercising?
A couple of things to note about using ibuprofen: I’m taking it twice a week, at most, which I wouldn’t consider a problem, even though 400 mg is above the recommended dosage. But I’m not a doctor, so use it at your own risk or check with a doctor. I don’t use ibuprofen every time I exercise, just for my basketball games, which are played on a hard surface for 1.5 hours straight.
Do you have any better ideas how I can reduce swelling in my feet?
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