Category: Blog

Exercise to be happy!

Coming into 2011 many of us are making our New Year’s resolutions.  Apart from the usual resolutions of drinking and eating less, what about starting a new year’s resolution “to be happy”!

The ABC recently aired a program called Making Australia Happy.  The social experiment followed 8 volunteers on their journey testing the science of happiness.  With a team of experts guiding them, the volunteers participated in activities and tests to track their happiness levels.  The team of experts covered three areas- positive psychology, mindfulness and physical activity- to improve the happiness of the individuals.  Together with the subjective tests of happiness, the experts were able to scientifically prove these volunteers had indeed become happier through the various activities undertaken.  One test of interest was the pain tolerance test.  Studies have shown that the higher an individual’s level of hope and optimism, the higher their pain tolerance in the cold pressor test ie the more optimistic the individual, the longer they last in freezing water and the better they cope with the pain.  The volunteers of this show more than doubled their pain tolerance to freezing water through participating in the happiness program.

Some of the volunteers also put to test the research of green exercise.  Exercising releases the feel good chemicals endorphin, but by exercising outdoors research has shown it can reduce your stress levels and blood pressure.  The volunteers participated in surfing and found their mind was distracted and stress levels dropped by getting active outdoors and enjoying the stimulation of their environment.  For more information about Making Australia Happy click here.

A friend at Weight Watchers Magazine has compiled a list of 52 weeks of happiness and health from various experts.  It covers a variety of areas from organisation to relationships and diet to exercise.  Have a look (click here for the article) and challenge yourself to tick off each activity one week at a time.

Shoes for Planet Earth

I was recently introduced to a fantastic not-for-profit organisation Shoes for Planet Earth.  Shoes for Planet Earth started in 2009 by runners, who on a trip to South Africa to run the Comrades Marathon, noticed the poverty at every turn.  Shoes for Planet Earth aim to encourage exercising and a healthy lifestyle, to improve hygiene and disease control through donating shoes to communities less fortunate.

Shoes for Planet Earth have projects both locally and overseas.  Their projects in Australia include Matthew Talbot Hostel in Sydney, the Youth Gap Centre and Street Soccer Program in Alice Springs as well as donating to the homeless in and around Hornsby through St Vincent de Paul Society.

In South Africa they have been donating to the eGamalethu community.  By donating shoes it is helping the community by enabling them to walk to school and work which will in turn improve their life styles.

Having read the great work they are doing I wanted to get involved and as such have set up a shoe collection at Physio On Miller.  So if you have any old runners that could benefit someone else please drop them in.

One pair of shoes makes all the difference.

www.shoesforplanetearth.com

Exercise to win the battle against obesity

The fight against obesity gets a lot of coverage in the media.  Recently The Sydney Morning Herald has published some articles on this topic. The most recent article reveals research published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice linking physical exercise with a cut in disease risk including obesity.  Although a study focused on men, the importance of physical activity is relevant to both sexes across all ages.  Another research paper gaining publicity from the SMH is one published in the American Science Medicine Journal.  This group of researchers found people who exercised decreased their genetic predisposition to obesity by an average of 40%.  This is great encouragement to continue to persevere with exercise!

Another ambassador for the battle against obesity is Jamie Oliver.  He is coming to Australia to promote his Ministry of Food.  The program, supported by the Queensland Government, “is about getting people cooking again by teaching them the basics: how to cook, how to shop, and how to enjoy food in a way that benefits not only individuals, but also their families. We want to give as many people as possible the tools and information they need to be able to make better food choices. “  This follows a National Health Survey in 2007 which found over 60% of adults were either overweight or obese.

As we all know obesity is a problem facing the Australian population and we can all do our bit to combat it.  Leading into summer is a great opportunity to start exercising.  With the days getting longer and the weather getting warmer, there is no excuse.

Visit your local health and fitness professional to get you started on a program and give your body a once over to make sure you can exercise injury and pain free!

For more info visit:

https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/wellbeing/regular-exercise-cuts-disease-risk-20101116-17v1a.html

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1742-1241.2010.02478.x/abstract

https://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/exercise-cuts-genetic-obesity-risk-by-40-percent-study-20100901-14m35.html

https://abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/4364.02007-2008%20%28Reissue%29?OpenDocument

https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/wellbeing/jamie-oliver-fights-australian-obesity-20101109-17lf7.html

https://www.jamieoliver.com/jamies-ministry-of-food-australia

Live a healthy life

I was having dinner with my Bachan (grandma in Japanese) and she gave me some advice for living a long, healthy life:

1)   Walk at least 15 minutes every day

2)   Eat reasonably healthily

3)   Surround yourself with friends and family

4)   Remember to laugh

I couldn’t agree with her more but it got me to thinking what advice would I give to my patients to encourage them to live a healthy life.  Although it partly comes down to genes, whatever genes you inherited, living a healthy life starts now.  The best advice is look after your body now – this can be achieved in 3 simple steps:

Don’t overdo it

Too many injuries come from patients deciding to start something they have never done before and go at it full blast eg run a marathon, take up zumba or even begin knitting.  It doesn’t mean you can’t do these things, it just means when you decide to change your activity do so gradually, pacing yourself rather than go at it like a bull to a china store.

Manage your problem areas

Everyone has one, whether it is dodgy knees, a back injury or sore shoulders.  It is important to continue to maintain your aches and pains and injured areas.  Just like you get a haircut, equally your joints and muscles need maintenance.  It doesn’t take long- only a few easy exercises every day and you’re on your way.  And every once in a while you may require a physio appointment or massage…go on reward yourself.

Remember the simple things

It doesn’t all have to be hard work.  A lot of injuries, aches and pains can be avoided by remembering the simple things.  So think about the way you lift something heavy next time.  Remember to warm up before sprinting onto the soccer field, maintain good sitting and standing posture and stretch after a run.

Tips on maintaining good posture

I recently had the opportunity to write an article for Weight Watchers Magazine.  It is fantastic that physiotherapists can offer advice to the general public through such a medium.  With so many patients complaining of back and neck pain from the way they stand and sit it is great to be able to offer insight into ways to combat poor posture.  To expand on the article here is more advice on adopting good posture:

What is the number one thing most people are doing wrong when it comes to their posture?

The number one thing people do wrong when correcting their posture is to overcorrect.  Straightening up does not involve forcing a straight position which can result in muscles overworking and eventually resulting in pain.  Good posture involves drawing up tall using your core muscles.

What are some great preventative tips, to ensure your posture is up to scratch?

It’s not too late to change your posture just follow these simple tips to ensure your posture is up to scratch:

1) Bring your feet parallel, not turned out, and about hip width apart with weight evenly distributed.

2) Reach up through the top of your head, feeling your spine lengthen, getting tall.  Remember not to overcorrect.

3) Bring your pelvis into a neutral position.  This means making sure its level, not sloping to one side and there is a slight natural curve in the small of your back (make sure you haven’t resulted in a “sway back”) and your tummy muscles are gently drawn inwards

4) Draw your shoulders back and relax them down.

5) Level your chin, keeping your head directly over the spot between your shoulders, not forward or back.

Lastly it is important to repetitively evaluate your position to continue to remind yourself of good posture.

What’s something about posture that most people don’t realise?

Posture should be effortless.  It involves your core muscles (the deep tummy muscles, the small spine muscles and the deep neck flexors) working at only 25-30% effort all day.  If you are working hard to stay up straight chances are you are using the big moving muscles to hold you straight.  This results in these muscles overworking and is one of the reasons why people complain of lower back pain and shoulder/neck pain.