If you think the best treatment for a sore back is laying on the couch all day, you couldn’t be more wrong. In almost all cases, staying active and continuing to exercise will help you recover faster and can protect your back from further injury. How Does Exercise Reduce Back Pain? Exercise is effective at…
Back stretch Place feet hip-width apart—sit or stand Bring right hand above your head, bend elbow and bring your right palm to touch your back Stretch left arm to the side, bend elbow and bring hand behind your back moving the left fingertips to meet the right then clasping the right hand (or bringing it…
When you’ve got time – at your desk, driving the car, cooking food – do some deep breathing. Inhale and count up to 5 seconds, hold it for a few seconds, and release slowly. Exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide is one of the best things we can do for our blood and cells.
Here’s a relaxing way to stretch one hamstring at a time. Lie on your back. Raise your left leg as high as you can, keeping your pelvis flat on the ground. Hold your lower thigh and encourage the leg to move toward your head. Flex your bottom foot to stretch your calf too. Hold for…
Australia is today ranked as one of the fattest nations in the developed world. The prevalence of obesity in Australia has more than doubled in the past 20 years. Australia has become accustomed to sitting down – at work, on the couch, in the car – and it’s taking a major toll on the health…
A 2012 Australian study found the more time you spend sitting during the day, the higher your mortality risk soars. And that’s just one of a handful of recent reports linking lots of chair time to serious health risks. The antidote? Stand up. Cutting your sitting time to three hours a day could add years…
Sit on the floor with your feet wider than your hips, nod your head forward and begin to bend forward by hinging at the hips. Breathe normally. As you go down, draw your chin into your neck. Your hands should not reach past your toes, you’re not aiming to lie on the floor and you…
The World Spine Day is October 16th and the theme for 2016 is Straighten Up and Move. Millions of people in all continents of the world suffer with spinal disorders. These can include low back pain, neck pain, scoliosis and disc disease, to name but a few. Spinal pain and disability can have a profound…
Calf Stretch Start standing on one leg on a stair or curb, with your heel hanging off the back. Gently press your heel toward the ground until you feel a gentle pull along the back of your lower leg. Hold for 30 seconds. Then slowly bend your knee slightly, until you feel the stretch move…
New Year’s resolutions are a bit like babies, they’re fun to make but extremely difficult to maintain. Why not take the opportunity to set your mind on ways to live a full life. Here are some tips on how to develop challenging, lasting and meaningful goals for 2015. Start by asking yourself three questions: What…