Improving your health doesn't need to mean making huge, scary adjustments. You don't need to follow a strict diet or start a vigorous workout regime to live well, stretch the years of your life and make them happier and more energised.
A sedentary lifestyle is a recipe for poor health. A modern lifestyle can lead toward being chained to a desk and spending hours in traffic. It is vitally important that we all take the opportunity to walk and stretch regularly throughout the day. Make it a habit to leave your desk regularly!
Research (link here) has shown that people who drink diet soda in an attempt to reduce calorie-intake and lose weight are more likely to consume more calories from food that other dieters who don't. The bigger picture is important- there are no short-cuts to weight-loss!
The World Obesity Federation has released a report which makes for uncomfortable reading. The current trend forecasts that over half of the world's population will be overweight by 2035 and the rates of obesity are increasing more in children than adults (a 100% increase in boys and 125% in girls). If more prevention work is not undertaken, the costs will simply skyrocket, along with the long-term impact on health. We are all responsible for our own choices when is comes to diet, exercise and stress-reduction. The time to take action is now.
When choosing a new mattress, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. The first is that a good quality foam, or a denser population of springs are crucial. The main idea is that every area of your body should have its own support- some parts sink lower than others and should all be held properly.
It’s very important to sit comfortably, whether at work or at home or anywhere you are sedentary for long periods. If your feet don’t touch the floor, then the weight of your legs will pull the top of your pelvis forward (using the quad muscle group) which will increase and stress the lumbar curve. Always use a foot-rest or even just a stack of books to make sure that there’s no forward pulling.
When it comes to sun exposure, it's important to take a moderate approach. Too much can damage our skin (and different skin colours will alter how much sun-time is too much), and too little may leave us deficient in vitamin D. As the summer's coming up, we must be sensible with our sun-loving!
A sedentary lifestyle is a recipe for poor health. A modern lifestyle can lead toward being chained to a desk and spending hours in traffic (when we're allowed back into the actual office!). It is vitally important that we all take the opportunity to walk and stretch regularly throughout the day. Make it a habit to leave your desk regularly!
Ensure that you nourish your body properly. Being deficient in certain minerals or vitamins will mean that your body doesn’t have the building blocks it needs to maintain proper bone mass and tissue health. Eat a balanced diet- as much fresh food as possible - don’t live on microwave meals!
It may seem like Health & Safety gone mad but it’s very important to lift properly! It’s just not worth chancing it, as many back-pain-sufferers will tell you. In general, don’t attempt anything you think may be too heavy on your own (of course). Bend your knees and hips rather than your spine. Keep loads as close to your body as possible. Or ask somebody bigger and stronger!
Parents have been afraid to expose babies to peanut products for years- recent research has altered current thinking by suggesting that early exposure is beneficial and significantly decreases the likelihood of someone developing an allergy. It makes for very interesting reading and is a paradigm-shift for a lot of parents. You can find the article here.
Having a good night’s sleep is crucial to good health. The pillow you use should support your neck in as neutral a position as possible whether you’re on your side or your back. Modern contoured pillows are ideal as they will support you in either position. You need one which keeps your neck supported when you’re comfortable, so a bit of measurement, and trial and error is usually the way forward!
Our balance is key to keeping us upright, doing the things we love. As we age, our sense of balance can worsen unless we challenge it. Good and simple ways to do this include consistent, small exercises like standing on one leg while you brush your teeth, and 'writing' the alphabet in the air with your foot while you sit (both lower- and upper-case). These simple things will keep your ankles working as well as possible, as you're training them to improve constantly throughout your lifetime.
We all should be eating more vegetables and fruit. Something to not miss out on is the high antioxidant content of purple vegetables. They're good for us! They seem to have a restorative effect on the body and help with heart and liver health.
When choosing a new mattress, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. The first is that a good quality foam, or a denser population of springs are crucial. The main idea is that every area of your body should have its own support- some parts sink lower than others and should all be held properly.
While it may not seem immediately apparent, there is a link becoming more and more likely between being a smoker and suffering from chronic back pain. This is probably due to the reduction of the integrity of the tissues and the body’s ability to repair itself. We all know that it’s not a good idea to smoke, but this specific set of findings may just help to boost the desire to quit once and for all! Source
We’ve all probably gone overboard over the holiday season. Many of us are hitting the road or the gym in an effort to reverse some of the effects of over-indulging. The biggest thing to remember is to start slowly. If you go too hard to quickly, you’re more likely to injure yourself and then stop completely. If you run, start for 5-10 minutes only and see how you feel over the next 48 hours. Then you can incrementally increase your workload as your body gets used to it.
Whilst it can be comfortable for a period of time, crossing your legs as a habitual seated posture isn't recommended as it causes over-stretching of the pelvic joints over time. This can lead to dysfunction in the pelvis which can cause pelvic and lumbar pain. Try to sit in a balanced way with an even distribution of weight and save the leg-crossing for specific stretches!
Water is incredibly important to our health. Drink it every day- don't simply substitute it with soft drink or caffinated drinks!
Pilates is an exercise and stretching system improving body movement and stability. The rehabilitation part of the care provided at Cotham Chiropractic Clinic utilises many exercises taken from the Pilates system. It never hurts to do a bit of extra at home or in a class setting - your body will thank you!
If you find that you cannot get through the day without resorting to consuming a chocolate bar or two, or half a packet of biscuits, then you may need to rethink your strategy. There are many reasons why people may snack- hunger, boredom and habit are three biggies. A big factor in what you'll eat is convenience- make more healthy foods easily available. Try nuts and seeds instead of sweets- they'll fill you more effectively without the sugar high and inevitable drop. If you have to snack, be sure to do it sensibly!
It may seem like Health & Safety gone mad but it’s very important to lift properly! It’s just not worth chancing it, as many back-pain-sufferers will tell you. In general, don’t attempt anything you think may be too heavy on your own (of course). Bend your knees and hips rather than your spine. Keep loads as close to your body as possible. Or ask somebody bigger and stronger!
It's very important to maintain flexibility- whilst it may not be useful to get your foot above your head, a basic level of general stretchiness is recommended. If certain muscle groups are particularly tight compared to others, it can give indications as to which areas of your body are working harder than others, which can lead to postural imbalances and future symptoms.
Your hamstrings are the muscles at the back of your thighs that help flex the knees and extend the hips. In some people, this group can be very tight which restricts the pelvic movement - this in turn increases the stress on the lumbar spine which causes dysfunctional movement. There are researched links between the the length of the hamstring group and lower back pain. Stretch!!
The National Obesity Forum is a useful resource regarding the state of the nation's weight and its relationship to our nutrition. It boils down to the fact that it's too simple to say that 'Fat is the enemy'. A reduction in saturated fats is good, but shouldn't be replaced by simple carbohydrates. In a nutshell, the type and amount of food you eat is important, and should be balanced but low in sugars. Whole foods are best. Exercise is crucial to health generally, and simply switching to 'Diet' foods and drinks will not work in the long run.
Things are looking positive regarding the COVID pandemic in the UK at the moment. It's important that you get your vaccination if eligible to help the population get on top of this virus. If you haven't yet received it, you can start the booking process by using this link.
Cotham Chiropractic Clinic is proud to host Ascenti Physiotherapists at our facilities, however if you wish to book or amend an appointment with Ascenti please DO NOT call the clinic but please contact Ascenti directly on 0330 678 0850
Or make a booking through their website.
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