Around Christmas time people often start to look towards the year ahead and start to think about new year resolutions. What a change a day can make! What is it about the 1st of January that gives us this call to action that the rest of the year couldn’t evoke? Is it that we want to enjoy the festivities (namely the food and drinks!) and the beginning of the new year marks the end of these festivities? And why is it that most New Years resolutions eventually fail?
DetailsNew research has suggested that rather than focusing so much on the weight you see when you step on the scales; we need to look into body composition. This means that we need to look at the make up of your weight, for example how much muscle mass and body fat you have in your body. This has been highlighted in research published in the American Journal of Medicine which has shown in older adults that a greater muscle mass may lead to a longer life (1).
Unfortunately as we age we generally start to lose our muscle mass. After the age of 30 this can occur at a rate of around 3–8% reduction in lean muscle mass per decade! This can be for a variety of reasons with a leading cause being the fact that often when we age we become more sedentary. Think about it. Are you as active as you were in your 20s?
DetailsTelling yourself you can’t or shouldn’t have something only makes you want it more. Feeling guilty or regretful about eating will not help you avoid overeating behaviours in the future and can certainly take the fun out of sharing a delicious meal at Christmas. Mindfulness techniques can help you to explore your appetite and emotions around eating.
DetailsAs exercise professionals we often answer to questions that begin with the phrase “what’s the best exercise for”. The end of the sentence varies slightly, but the concept is ultimately the same – what’s the best quick fix for my problem.
While many health experts choose to focus on these “miracle exercises” that target specific problems, it’s important to recognise that there are other factors that need consideration.
DetailsBreathing- it’s something that we are continuously doing to keep us alive, but we rarely think about it as the body does it seemingly automatically. We require oxygen to function so we take a breath in to satisfy that need and then we take a breath out to expel the body of our unneeded carbon dioxide, all done without too much thought. But is breathing really that simple when it comes to exercising?
DetailsFascia is a special type of tissue called connective tissue and as the tissue name suggests its primary role is to connect different areas of the body. Fascia has an important role in helping us to understand how the body moves as a result of such connections.
Unfortunately many traditional anatomists removed the fascia when they were dissecting human bodies and as such the simplistic view that each muscle has an individual action based on where it attaches to bone is still a common misnomer. What really happens is that the body is connected along different pathways via the fascia, and when we move we shift all of the tissues that create this connected pathway. These pathways extend from head to toe and can help to explain why we often find that the true cause of a problem is not where we feel pain.
DetailsWhen people think about Osteoporosis they often think of a condition that predominantly affects women and is rare in men. Yes, Osteoporosis is more prevalent in females, however it is not rare in men, with approximately 250,000 Australian men suffering from Osteoporosis.
DetailsIt is important that we recognise the prevalence in men because one in five men over 50 will be affected by an osteoporotic fracture and when these fractures do occur in men, they are more likely to lead to disability and mortality than when they occur in women.
Accredited Exercise Physiologists (AEPs) are university graduates specialising in the delivery of exercise programs for the prevention and management of chronic diseases, injuries and disabilities. In Australia they are accredited with Exercise and Sports Science Australia (ESSA) and are required to take part in continuing education in order to remain this way. At Active Seniors your exercise programs are designed and supervised by these professionals.
DetailsThe hip joints are 2 very important joints that can often be the source of pain. The ball and socket of the hip joint is very similar in shape to the shoulder joint except that the socket of the hip is much deeper than that of the shoulder. The shape of both joints really promotes their roles in creating and allowing or movement of the limbs. While the shoulder is capable of more movement, it is also inherently more unstable and tends to have issues with excessive movement. The hip on the other hand is not quite as mobile as the shoulder and often becomes problematic when it doesn’t move enough.
DetailsHeart disease is a leading cause of mortality in men. According to the Heart Foundation, approximately 98 men in Australia have a heart attack every day and one in seven of those men die. One of the major risk factors is age so it is important that you get your heart health checked regularly and make yourself aware of other factors that can increase your risk so you can take steps to eliminate or minimise them.
DetailsIf you are over the age of 45 and you haven’t already done so, you should book into the doctor and have your heart health checked. It is important to do this, even if you lead a healthy lifestyle and feel fine because heart disease can go undiagnosed, progress, and still be asymptomatic until it is too late.
