Humans have always played sports and it has evolved a long way from hunting to the numerous kinds that we have today. Sports serve various purposes -— be it physical fitness, honing of certain skills, showcasing superiority, working together as a team or entertainment. Sports also saw the birth and the rise of sports science, which is an important field. We asked Michael Omann, Head of Sport Science and Exercise Therapy at Vivamayr Altausee Health Clinic, Austria, about this branch of science.
A team of experts
One key aspects of the Vivamayr philosophy is the individualisation of health. Quality before quantity is important. The medical team consists of 20 people including physician, sport scientists, medical masseurs, osteopaths, diagnostics, hydrotherapy, and mental trainers. The team of sports science consists of four members. They’re still growing and developing. Two members are focusing more on science and exercise, whereas they have a yoga teacher with a background in dance and a specialist for fascial training.
Sports science
Sports science is an interdisciplinary subject which includes aspects of anatomy, biochemistry, biomechanics, and psychological aspects to improve performance of athletes as well as develop understanding for the prevention of disease of civilisation as cardiovascular diseases, obesity, diabetes, arthrosis and some sorts of cancer, says Omann, adding, “We try to understand the human locomotion as a whole and want to implement that knowledge in exercising and people’s daily life.”
Role of a sports scientist
And how do sports scientist help people? Omann explains, “As experts in human locomotion, we try to identify humans movement patterns, we observe the posture, movement patterns of the person, assess fitness level and functional movements, body constitution and lifestyle. We try to get a holistic picture of the person. Our goal is to self-empower people to manage their lives actively, whether it’s increasing performance of athletes or helping the elderly to manage their everyday life.” Nutrition and exercising is individual. Not all sports are fit for every person. Not everybody likes to cycle or run. So they accompany people on their individual journey to joyful activities and healthy lifestyle.
Dealing with patients
Omann deals with a variety of clients at Vivamayr, aged anywhere between 12 to 94 with common orthopaedic issues like chronical lower back pain, neck tension, knee and hip pain, lifestyle topics like weight loss, body shaping and muscle toning and the prevention of diseases of civilisation like osteoporosis, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and obesity. As for trends that he’s observed in his practice, the awareness for healthy lifestyle in our society is increasing. “Nevertheless, I also see a lot of frustration at my clients. The media is showing us an ideal of the actor’s six-pack, slim but toned models. Although people often start exercising, they do not succeed as fast as they want to and quit exercising and activities. In my opinion, that is the wrong access,” he says adding that exercise and sports should be something joyful, an open field for experiencing ourselves and growing with challenges, creating self-confidence to take the hurdles of daily life.
Trends observed
Another important point Omann wishes to make is that exercise and sports is something individual, whereas trends make us feel that there is only one right way. Cross Fit is such a trend, Power Yoga maybe or also running. Every method has a lot of positive effects, but not every method fits for every person. “Therefore, I also try to help people to find their individual way of exercising. If people start with high intense movements too fast, without establishing a solid base first and focusing more on quality than on speed and quantity, the possibility for injuries and frustration is quite high and that is the danger I see with such trends mentioned above,” he observes.
Nutrition
Just like exercising, diet is something absolutely individual, opines Omann. “Considering the Mayr diet, the solid base of successful exercising is a working metabolism. The food is our fuel, that should be highest quality but also our engine is important to use the energy properly and that is our intestine. Here happens the decision on what nutrients get absorbed and which just pass through. The base for a working metabolism, that we can use the energy properly is alkaline milieu in the small intestine,” he says advising a diet based mainly on vegetables, avoiding refined products especially white bread and sugar.
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