As 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.
The trouble with discount strawberries…
After walking past the strawberries at the supermarket all winter (I can’t justify paying $6 per punnet), I now can’t walk past without buying 3 punnets for $5. Even if I already have 3 punnets in the fridge at home! So I was confronted with the issue of how to use up my stockpile of strawberries before they began to rot. I decided to store them in the freezer.
DetailsStrawberries are a wonderful source of vitamins, minerals and fibre and are low in calories. They also contain phytochemicals known for their anti-inflammatory and anti-ageing effects.
Our feet are amazing things. In fact not many people realise that they house a quarter of our bodies bones, contain over 100,000 receptors in each foot and have a very large role in movement.
So why does such a small area of our body contain so many bones and receptors? It’s because our feet are designed to move and interact with the environment around us to guide our movement. As with any area in the body, when its job is no longer being done, other areas of the body need to compensate and take extra load – and the foot is no exception!
DetailsMost people have heard how vital exercise is in the management and prevention of Diabetes. But did you know that if you have the condition you need to take extra precautions when exercising in hot weather?
One of the risks for diabetics is that they can experience hypoglycaemia, which occurs when glucose levels in the blood fall too low, this is also known as having low blood sugar. Some of the symptoms include dizziness, sweating, and even confusion. These symptoms will be familiar if you have ever spent too long in the sun as they are symptoms of heat exhaustion. For this reason diabetics need to be particularly careful when exercising in the heat so as to make sure that symptoms of low blood sugar aren’t confused and thought of as just too much sun.
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