HEALTH ALERT

[Restitvtvs]

DELETIA

[Restitvtvs]

DELETIA

[A_Volpe]

One thing I've found out with my Lor. Seggie is that I NEED to maintain a straight back when wearing that armor...No Slouching! NEVER! I was a sloucher in High School and a little into College, and by then it was too late. (Didn't help to be a hockey goalie either...Lots of bending over there)...I notice that after a long day of being a Roman, I will be nearly 2 inches shorter at the end of the day....I realized this after I noticed I had to keep adjusting my rear-view mirror in the car!

Also be very careful when lifting the box that holds your gear/armor. I pulled my back a while ago when putting my armor box in my car...Of course I was rushing and tired and just wanted to get it in the car. Those were my 3 stupid mistakes in a row, and now and then I suffer for it. Always bend with the knees.

I need to seriously cut out my [Soda] Sugar/Fructose Corn Syrup intake...The problem is it is in EVERYTHING nowadays....And it's *hard* to cut out sugar...

we Americans aren't addicited to Oil, we're addicited to Sugar!

Keep that back straight! Suck in that gut! Eat your buccelatum!

[John M McDermott]

In my experience, stretching a back injury tends to aggravate it. If you injure your back, lay off. However, stretching before exercising, or in the case of heavy load bearing, might help. Stretching can also help reduce back injury because it stretches out the hamstrings. Hamstrings are a silent menace to back injuries, because they run up to the lower back. Strengthening the abominal muscles and the other skeletal muscles keeps the vertabrae in line and reduces disk injury (commonly known as the slipped disk).

[tlclark]

What's Turbo Jam?

Oh! I thought it was some kind of jam like you put on toast! :lol:

So did I :lol: :lol:

<homer>mmmmmm. Turbo Jam</homer>

Ok, this thread is making me hungry. On a more on-topic note:

Did the Romans have any exercise programs? I know they lifted weigths and played ball in the palestrae of the terme. Was this purely recreational or did Romans have any kind of exercise regimen? I know lots of this stuff from civilian stuff, but none from military sources.

Travis

[Kate Gilliver]

Did the Romans have any exercise programs? I know they lifted weigths and played ball in the palestrae of the terme. Was this purely recreational or did Romans have any kind of exercise regimen? I know lots of this stuff from civilian stuff, but none from military sources.

Travis

In theory, yes. Vegetius bk 1 outlines the training programmes of soldiers, including learning to run, jump, swim (which they only had to do in the summer months), and how to carry a burden; unfortunately Vegetius doesn't explain how - it just seems to come through the frequent route-marches (1.19).
Later (1.27) V. refers to the constitutiones (regulations) of Augustus and Hadrian that required soldiers to go on exercises 3 times a month. This involved a route march which included some distance at speed, and over hilly and difficult ground.
Onasander's recommendations sound like more fun. As well as the route march stuff, his soldiers get to fight against each other in mock battles armed with wooden staffs or spear-shafts, and throwing clods of earth at each other (10.4)
Presumably you had to be fit enough to drag yourself round the route march, but other than that, many soldiers may only have been as fit or trained as their unit commander required, and that may not always have been much of a requirement.

ps. I rather liked the idea of Turbo-Jam on my toast as well!
Kate

[Graham Sumner]

I know the French Foreign Legion wore a blue-wool body belt, 4.2m (13ft) long. This provided warmth on cold desert nights but also acted as a back support for the heavy marching pack. It is possible that the Roman Fascia was used for the same practical purpose as well as being decorative and acting as a retainer for the rectangular object (purse, writing tablet?)tucked into it. This band appears to be visible below the military waist belts on a number of Rhineland tombstones. If it was also worn under armour it is of course sadly hidden from view.

As well as soldiers however a dock worker is illustrated wearing a body belt on a Gallic relief, presumably useful during heavy lifting as well.

Graham.

[Marius_Ursus]

What's Turbo Jam?

Oh! I thought it was some kind of jam like you put on toast! :lol:

So did I :lol: :lol:

<homer>mmmmmm. Turbo Jam</homer>

Ok, this thread is making me hungry. On a more on-topic note:

Did the Romans have any exercise programs? I know they lifted weigths and played ball in the palestrae of the terme. Was this purely recreational or did Romans have any kind of exercise regimen? I know lots of this stuff from civilian stuff, but none from military sources.

Travis

Just a couple of months ago there was a show on History International that reconstructed a legionary's life based on his brief autobiographical notes. One of the things "he" narrated was running up and down a hill in his kit and getting hit with the centurion's rod when he didn't go fast enough.

It was a great show, and eventually the soldier was promoted to command his own century.

There was also a brief mention of picking up large stones and walking with them.

[John M McDermott]

I am told that outside North America, back injuries are less common. The easy chair, fast food and unlimited driving having done us in.

I wonder how some of our brethren in other countries fare?

[FAVENTIANVS]

I really use my fascia as a lower back protection, and it works! In fact, the Catalan human castle makers do as well:

[marsvigilia]

I also had two surgeries for a herniated disk. At times the herniated disk was more painful than anything else I have ever experienced. The surgery was a blessing both times.

Don't fool around if you have the least suspicion of nerve damage. I dithered and delayed. The pain is gone but I still have numbness in one foot significant problems bending and I have to be careful.

I gained a lot of weight after my injury. And for me losing my excess weight and keeping it off will be a lifetime endeavor.

Losing weight takes time, but the benefits of exercise are much faster. Increase in strength and stamina happen very quickly. My preferred exercise is walking a treadmill at a nice Roman Marching pace of 2.8 miles an hour. I can keep this up for hours, read or watch television while walking. The limiting factor for me is blistering and boredom.