Why are my ankles and knees weak and painful after exercising ?

Question

I am 12 years old and do three different types of dancing and do a lot of practice and competitions. I also do basket-ball and train for that as well as doing matches. My knees and ankles feel weak and painful after exercising or even after having a long day. Can you give me any advice ?

Answer 1

At 12 years old, not just you, but most kids at 12 don't drink enough water.  Since you are very active, and putting quite a bit of pressure on your ankles and knees, you may be squeezing all the fluids out of your joints in those areas, and because of the lack of water in your system, the joints aren't being lubricated well enough.  Try drinking more plain water.  Gatorade and others are decent for putting electrolytes back into your system, but they still have additives in them that the body will use for other things.  Plain water will also flush out the toxins in the body that get built up from all that exercise your getting.  Speaking of all that exercise, make sure you stretch very well before and after your games or competitions.  By doing even that little bit of stretching, you'll notice a big difference in your performance.  Keep up the good habits, it's good to see the younger generation being physically active, instead of sitting in front of the computer all day.

Answer 2

probably you are eating too many hard fats in your diet.  Like cheese, butter, margerine,  french fries or fried foods.  These keep the blood sluggish and cause fatty plack build up in your blood vessels keeping the nourishment the blood carries from being communicated to the cells that need the nourishment.  God bless you  as you seek for better health.