Most people are familiar with common balance exercises such as standing heel to toe, or standing on one leg. These exercises are examples of what are called static balance exercises, and while static exercises should be part of a successful balance training program, so too should dynamic exercises. Static exercises refer to exercises where we…
While most people are aware of the importance of the glute and core muscles, very little focus is given to a very important yet overlooked area of the body …. the big toes. While they may be small in comparison to some of the other joints, the big toes have a vital role to play…
Balance exercises can be challenging. While this is a good thing because they need to challenge your body to produce change, it is common for people to feel as though they are not improving. There are a few quick tricks that you can try to improve your balance exercises. Be Barefoot The first trick may…
The three most important areas that contribute to our ability to balance are our eyes, our ears and our body receptors which are also known as proprioceptors. When we think about our ears and their primary role being hearing we can easily become confused about how they can influence our balance, and if a change…
When we think about balance, most of the time we focus our attention from the middle of the torso down. While mobility and stability of the lower body and core are essential for balance, so too is proper neck function. There are 3 main systems that contribute to our balance; our eyes, our vestibular system…
Stability almost seems to be a buzz word these days. People are often getting told that a lack of “core stability” is the reason for their pain. But what actually is stability? Understanding the real definition of stability helps us to understand how we can create stability.
We live in a world that thrives on convenience. Technology is constantly evolving to make our lives “easier”. However like many things in life this often comes at a price. Long before the days of roads and footpaths, our lives were surrounded by variations in terrain. These variations caused all 26 bones, 33 joints and…
The new year heralds fitness and exercise goals for many people, however there are important considerations to be aware of when starting a new exercise program.
Remember that an exercise program needs to be based on you, your strengths, your weaknesses and your goals.
What may be suitable for you to do in an exercise program may not be appropriate for the person next to you who has been exercising five days a week for the past eight years or the person on the other side who has osteoporosis and has just had a knee replacement.
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!
The squat is one of the most basic positions we as humans assume from a very young age. As we learn how to get up from the ground, we instinctively squat before we raise up. However at some point in most of our lives, this simple behaviour that we had so much flexibility for as a child becomes increasingly difficult.
We start sitting in chairs far too much and wear shoes that elevate our heels which limits the amount our hips and ankles need to bend. Over time these joints become stiff which restricts our ability to squat and we causes us to miss out on the great benefits we can get from being able to perform a squat.