There are many exercise choices for strengthening the lower limb for training or in rehabilitation after injury. Some however are more functional than others and in the long term can be very beneficial. Read more to find out the differences between strengthening the legs with different types of exercises.
The benefits of cycling are numerous. Many people want to cycle but aren’t sure how to start. The following blog provides suggestions on how to engage in a targeted and regular training regime to help you become a stronger, more confident, life-long cyclist. We provide a structured exercise program specific to cycling — especially for beginners or those who have taken a hiatus from past cycling activity, although, even experienced riders will relate!
Cycling activity (indoor and outdoor) has increased markedly over the last 6 months worldwide as offices, businesses, and schools closed to help slow the spread of the COVID-19. There are many health advantages to cycling. Read more for advice and tips on how to get the best out of cycling whether you are a novice or more experienced cyclist.
The abdominals which are primary core muscles, are important to keep strong if you wish to move well, and stay confident in your ability to keep active. They play key roles in protecting and stabilising the structures in our back, and performing even simple tasks such as rising from a chair, turning while lying in bed, or getting up from sitting on the floor. It is very important to keep your abdominal muscles strong and protect from back injury. Keep reading for advice about how to do this.
Are you grandkid ready? In this week’s blog we look at the 2 to 10 as well as the teenage years. We give you some strengthening and balance exercises, as well as exercises that help you respond more quickly and sharpen your reflexes.
Looking after grandchildren is one of those joys in life, which while extremely rewarding it can also take its toll on the body. In this first blog, we will look at common problems you may experience and the solutions you can try when dealing with those gorgeous newborns and the energetic toddler.
One of the biggest challenges in our busy daily lives is how to fit exercise into an already packed day. Each day has only 24-hours and how you spend that time can change future health-risks. Our advice is to start with small steps and build on this foundation. Research indicates this is an achievable strategy to build a healthier lifestyle.
So you are a woman in 40’s or 50’s fifties. You have had one or several children, you enjoy exercise and good health. However, you cannot imagine jumping, running or playing netball because you can’t quite control your bladder. Fortunately, you can wear a pad and there is a toilet in the facility where you exercise. Sound familiar? While this is common, it isn’t normal and doesn’t have to be the case. There are several actions you can take to help resolve your dilemma.
Is it wise to wear a mask during exercise? The answer is not straight forward and will differ between people, the type of exercise and situation in which you are exercising. Wearing a mask can be uncomfortable while exercising. However, mask wearing in public will save lives, by decreasing person-to-person transmission, lowering hospitalizations and death particularly in populated areas.
Do you sometimes struggle with the monotony of exercise training? Changing your routine and accomplishing the occasional challenge can keep your exercise routine fresh and moving forward. Our new 8th Exercise Challenge adds variety to your routine by incorporating intervals of aerobic activity interspersed with strength-based exercises.
Balance is the even distribution of your body weight, enabling you to remain upright and steady. Often, we don’t appreciate our balance until it deteriorates.
Maintaining good balance helps you to move more easily and is important for many common activities such as walking, and good balance helps prevent falls and injury. Factors that can affect your balance and proprioception include our muscle strength, previous injuries, your inner ear, and eyesight, all of which deteriorate as we age while our reflexes slow increasing our likelihood of falling.
Maintaining balance is an important strategy to sustaining your independence as you age. The good news is you can improve and rehabilitate your balance and proprioception.
This week’s blog will provide you with tips on improving balance, as well as some useful balance exercises, so you can move better. live better.
Ever wonder what is at the heart of good posture, and how you get it? Poor posture can lead to muscle pain and fatigue, stress on your ligaments and joints, and can lead to arthritis. Good posture is reinforced by strong core stability, while stretching is an important practice that supports good posture. Read more to find out how you can avoid adverse positions, and some simple steps you can take to improve your posture.
Gardening can be a physical activity involving a lot of bending and squatting. In previous posts, we have talked about the issue of repeated bending and the impact of this on the lower back. There are a number of techniques you can apply and exercises you can do to prevent injury while gardening.
When performed correctly, stretching can increase flexibility and range of motion around your joints, which can improve performance and reduce your risk of injury Static versus dynamic stretching There are two well recognized types of stretching – static and dynamic. Static stretching is the most common form of stretching. Sometimes considered “old school,” it involves passive stretches held in place for a sustained period (10-30…
A 12% decline in activity and 4 lbs of body fat in 8 weeks Globally, people have experienced significant reductions in physical activity since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This has been quantified by activity tracking. As outlined in the following paragraphs, activity decline and limitations on movement could theoretically lead to a reduction…
The best time to move is when you are NOT feeling motivated! The dust has settled, and social distancing is the “new normal.” Therefore, if you are spending more time at home due to physical distancing and amended work routines, take this opportunity to introduce more movement in your life. If there has ever been an…
Many of us have not worked at home for extended periods of time but in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, this may be our new normal for the foreseeable future Currently, a significant percentage of the workforce is operating in makeshift conditions at home. We find ourselves slouched for hours at the dining table,…
A call to action: be more physically active! During this time of stay-at-home orders and physical distancing related to COVID-19, it’s increasingly obvious that we need to plan, schedule and participate in more exercise activity than the 150 mins/week currently endorsed by international organizations. Specifically, the frequency, duration and distances related to walking activities and…
It’s time to hit the reset button. Confinement to our homes to slow the spread of the coronavirus (Covid-19) has placed considerable constraints on our lives and suppressed our activity levels. Prolonged periods of inactivity can have dramatic and detrimental effects on your health. Research shows that people who are inactive are at a 17-25%…
Not everyone enjoys running or cycling, but most of us can walk. The return on the investment of walking is a form of exercise can be profound in terms of physical and mental benefits. With much of the world practicing social distancing and working remotely and from our homes, walking can help clear your head to offset…
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 fail to sleep for 7-9 hours nightly, we feel the immediate effects. Additionally, studies show that a chronic lack of sleep has detrimental long-term consequences to our health and can even shorten our lifespan. One way to improve the quality 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,…
Reasons not to skip your stretching routine Flexibility improves your performance in physical activities Basic movement relies on the contraction and expansion of muscle fibers. When muscles are tight and do not have the capacity to lengthen, activities can become impaired. For instance, flexible quadriceps (muscles at the front of your thighs) allow you to…
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 traveling Traveling – as fabulous as it is – often leaves us exhausted due to deviations from our daily patterns of movement and activity. Daily sightseeing schedules of 15-hours become the norm. Travel usually begins with a prolonged period of sitting on a plane, in a car, bus…
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 Knowing why you want to exercise, and what…
The lower back and the role of core stabilising muscles When you experience back pain, the core stabilisers — deep muscles in the abdomen and back — may function inadequately. Commonly referred to as ‘corset muscles’, stabilisers help preserve spine stability and posture. The stabilisers are synchronized with a different group of muscles (moving muscles)…
Everyday things we do that lead to back injuries Back pain or injuries usually occur when too much pressure impairs back structures such as the discs, muscles and ligaments. Compression and tension on these structures can occur several ways: Lifting a heavy load in a bent and or twisted position. Generally, loads that exceed 15kg…
