Have you ever wanted to build your endurance to run 5 km? Doing so requires training, motivation, determination and a plan to get there! This sort of goal can seem daunting. Yet, with a regular and methodical training plan like we outline here, this undertaking is achievable for almost everyone! Not only will you work towards satisfying the American Heart Association’s recommendation of fulfilling…
We need to get moving! Social, or physical distancing which is recommended to reduce the spread of coronavirus (Covid-19) has altered our daily work and recreation patterns, leading to a much more sedentary lifestyle for many of us! Presently, I am working remotely like many of you, which requires less walking, and my gym and swim classes are cancelled. The number of steps I take in a typical day have been reduced by one-half. We know that Exercise (even a single…
In this time of social distancing and self-quarantining that helps slow the spread of the coronavirus (Covid-19), how do we keep active and mentally healthy? This is especially challenging in many parts of the world as schools, workplaces, gyms, and fitness classes are closed. Exercise (even a single bout) can boost your immune system and aid in your recovery from viruses…
One of the great benefits of regular exercise is the boost it provides to the immune system. Regular exercise protects against sickness for all people, but particularly in older aged people and those with chronic diseases (1). This is shown to be the case with large population studies for both communicable diseases, such as bacterial and viral infections,…
It is very easy to injure the neck and shoulders when engaging in a lot of heavy clipping and trimming of shrubs and plants in the garden. When your arms become tired with clipping and brush cutting at shoulder height or above, often the muscles around the neck become overused. This also applies if you…
Being active is a very good indicator of overall health and wellness. It’s recommended that we exercise at a moderate intensity for 150 min a week at about 30 min for 5 days a week. The 30-minute bouts can be broken into smaller intervals of 10 minutes as well. But what if you haven’t got…
Gardening is a great activity, but it can play havoc with the body at times. Sometimes the back, shoulders and neck can suffer particularly as you battle the weeds that take hold over the summer months. I will be preparing a series of blogs that will be looking at gardening, its impact on the body and how…
Short bursts of vigorous exercise from several seconds to minutes can be very beneficial to fitness and health. This latest ‘word on the street’ is supported by science-based studies over the last decade and is now incorporated into updated physical activity guidelines worldwide such as the 2018 US Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. Short bursts…
We are often adopting poor postures for greater amounts of time than we used to, mainly due to hi-tech gadgets including computers and smart phones. Sitting a lot in bad positions puts an unnatural load on the lumbar discs, the building blocks of our spine in our lower back. Problems with lumbar discs can be…
Exercise can be performed at very low temperatures and even well below 0°C (32°F) in well prepared and appropriately dressed healthy individuals. The risk of injury, such as hypothermia (decreased core body temperature) and frostbite (freezing injury of the extremities) is real yet preventable with appropriate clothing and avoidance of circumstances that put you at…
Back pain is a very common feature for many people. Most will just put up with, not understanding what the problem is and not knowing what they can do from day to day to help. This is the beginning of a series of blogs to help you know a bit more about why you may get back pain…
Our leisure, school and work time are increasingly spent watching screens while sitting such as television, computers, and socializing on small screens. Consequently, we are becoming more sedentary during our average day, and spending less time doing physically active tasks. It’s much more convenient to email our work mate down the hallway instead of getting…
In this the second blog of our series on trekking, we continue our trekking preparations whether it be in Iceland, the bush trails in Australia or for the Oxfam trailwalk. Whatever your goal, if you are attempting to walk or trek you will need to prepare yourself by increasing your strength and endurance capacity gradually.…
Sleep is a valuable asset that many of us take for granted. When we don’t get a regular 7-9 hours of sleep, we can feel the immediate effects and eventually the long-term effects if inadequate sleep becomes a habit. Studies show that a chronic lack of sleep has detrimental long-term consequences to our health and…
Sleep is a powerful tool – too little sleep slows recovery time from injury, and adversely affects overall physical and mental health. Good quality sleep of 8 hours however, can improve the effects of ageing, and improve memory, healing from injuries and optimize well – being. The National Sleep Foundation of Australia recommends that adults between 18-64 years old have 7 to 9 hours sleep each night, and people over…
In the last of our four blog series on being trek-ready we take a look at the importance of selecting the right size pack for your adventure and give you some final stretches for before and during your trek. 1. Pack Selection Regarding pack selection – pick the smallest possible one for the job. Although…
So, you are walking further to improve your endurance and loading on the muscles and tendons, and you have started improving your upper limb strength. Now we need to discuss lower limb strength and why it is so important. Strength plays a critical part in protecting the joints and ligaments, as well as decreasing the…
The benefits of regular exercise are quite outrageous. Exercise has been called the ‘wonder’ drug and a ‘miracle’ cure. Research indicates that regular exercise is effective in the prevention and treatment of many common diseases including type 2 diabetes, some cancers, dementia, depression, heart disease and other common serious conditions. Regular exercise is estimated to reduce…
Many of us spend days at the computer, travelling to and from work or sitting for long periods. It is important to get away from the screen and that chair, and there is no better way to help with this than to go walking or trekking. So how can you prepare to ensure your body…
Are you suffering from recurring back pain? Lower back pain is one of those things that many people are afflicted with at some point in their life. It often comes on without warning, is very painful, very inconvenient then after a while it settles down and you wondered what all the fuss was about. For…
We lose muscle strength and power as we age. How much and why does it matter? One consequence of aging is the loss of strength and power in leg and arm muscles. When does this start to occur and at what rate of degeneration do our bodies experience this? When does it become apparent to…
Recovering from an ankle injury: weeks 2-6 This is the second part of our ankle blogs discussing how to progress your rehabilitation beyond the first two weeks following an ankle injury, in particular an ankle sprain to the lateral ligaments. Weeks 3-6 following an ankle injury should involve: Strengthening the muscles around the ankle and…
The ankle is a part of the body we often pay little attention to until we damage it. Basketballers, netballers, and people playing sports involving a lot of jumping, are particularly prone to ankle injuries. However, the ankle can also easily be damaged when walking or running over uneven surfaces. The most common form of…
Stretching helps flexibility, improves joint range of movement and reduces risk of injury. Stretching incorrectly can do more harm than good. But what is the best and safest way to stretch? Use these tips to keep stretching safe: Don’t stretch cold muscles as you may hurt yourself. Stretching should not replace a warmup. Before stretching,…
Stretching can help improve flexibility and range of motion around your joints, which in turn reduce your risk of injury and improve performance. Good flexibility of your body can: 1. Improve your performance in physical activities. This can range from your ability to run faster with better technique through to simply being able to get…
Developing the habit of exercise: the secret to success is incremental goal setting Success in many endeavours is the result of consistently achieving a goal that can be met even in difficult and very busy times. This is also true in achieving a level of fitness, with exercise for health, well-being and getting stronger. Adopting…
Long haul flying in economy class can be downright unpleasant at times. The journey is long, its cramped and you just can’t sleep. The only good thing is you can binge watch movies (if you haven’t already seen them!) The best advice is to start preparing for your journey well before you excitedly board that…
Imagine this: You are four hours into the 17-hour long-haul flight. You are half way through the second movie of the six you plan to binge on, when you notice an ache in your lower back. You are seated two in from the aisle and your partner is soundly sleeping next to you. You twist…
Have you ever experienced knee pain on holidays? It can from nowhere, give you pain at the most unexpected times and then you are worried about doing too much. A common problem that can be avoided. Travel can often involve negotiating more stairs than you would normally come across at home. Stairs at airports, up…
Handbags and small day bags can cause shoulder and neck soreness and pain Travelling can involve many hours out and about, sight-seeing and exploring new cities and places. We often take a small day bag with us to carry the essentials for that day. If you have a heavy day bag over one shoulder, it…
Avoiding foot and lower leg pain when travelling Travelling – as fabulous as it is – can often cause havoc to the body. We usually start the travelling experience with a prolonged period of sitting either on a plane, in a car, bus or train which puts strain on the lower back. We then proceed…
Let’s talk about the problems of carting heavy luggage and its impact on the lower back and shoulders You stumble off the plane after enduring 17 hours of cramped conditions. Your lower back and neck are stiff, but it feels great to be moving, striding out as you walk the kilometres to the baggage reclaim…
Everyone needs to be active and exercise. Several strategies to help you keep on track are: Keeping your specific goals front and center Understanding the benefits of exercise Setting small achievable goals for those times when it’s hard to maintain the routine. 1. Know the Why Keep your specific goals front and center. Knowing…
The lower back and the role of core stabilising muscles When you have any sort of back pain, the core stabilisers, including the muscles adjacent to your spine don’t function very well. These muscles normally activate involuntarily, milliseconds prior to movement, such as getting out of a chair, walking or bending. They keep the spine…
Everyday things we do that lead to back injuries Back pain or injuries usually occur when too much pressure it put on the back structures including the discs, the muscles and ligaments. Too much pressure on these structures can occur several ways: Lifting a big load in a bent and or twisted position. A big…
