With many gyms now offering gym goers the opportunity to use foam rolling after their exercise routines have been completed and with many internet and high street retailers stocking foam rollers, many are often left wondering how to incorporate them into their recovery plan.Foam rolling can greatly benefit you post exercise, but it’s important to understand how to use this recovery technique, where to apply pressure and the benefits it can offer you.
Let us be honest here, a well-executed sports massage is far from the dimly lit pamper session that you would experience at a spa. It will probably be uncomfortable, quite possibly painful but most importantly, it will work.
It’s rather ironic that in our quest to keep fit and healthy this can sometimes result in injury. Knowing when you need to let your body rest and recuperate is crucial, and whilst many runners will experience the odd aches and pains, you should be aware of when a slight niggle becomes a bigger pain to help identify when it’s time to give it a rest.
When the clock strikes 9am we can all be guilty of feeling like we’re chained to our desks, watching the hours tick away until 5pm when we are released back into the outside world. Whilst we do have breaks and we are of course allowed to leave our desks, the pressures we put on ourselves when it comes to our work life means that we aren’t always living the healthiest of lifestyles during our 9 to 5.
Originating in India over 5,000 years ago, yoga is designed to focus on breathing, strength and flexibility. Whilst for many it is a practice and routine in its own right, it can also be incorporated into other exercise routines and workouts to aid training and improve our physical health and mental wellbeing.
Our knees are involved in nearly all physical activities we complete, so it’s no wonder they are often one of the first signs of injury our bodies display. Constant movement in and around the knee joint can lead to chronic knee pain. But if you don’t want to give up exercising and keeping mobilised is recommended, finding an exercise which helps but doesn’t hurt can be tough to find.
We all know we should be exercising to make ourselves fitter, stronger and healthier, but entering into a workout routine or the gym and blundering through without considering the impact on your body can lead you to do more bad than good, despite your best intentions.
If you are reading this blog, the chances that you are already aware of the importance of stretches is strong. But how many of us actually dedicate a portion of our workout to stretching? When we stretch before working out, we are preparing our body for exercise and by disregarding it you are risking injury every time.
The word holistic is derived from the Greek word ‘holos’ meaning ‘whole’ and true to form, in holistic therapy, the body is treated as a whole rather than a sum of its parts. Instead of an immediate symptom being addressed, a therapist will endeavour to identify an underlying issue. This is done by considering all of our states of wellbeing; physical, mental, social, emotional and spiritual.
Physiotherapy is a practice based upon restoring movement and function after someone has been affected by injury, illness or disability. It’s a holistic approach, which can be used to treat people of all ages with a variety of health conditions.