Hi Everyone
Wishing you optimal physical health and wellness!
Warm Regards
Anne Power
PHYSIOTHERAPY
The cooler nights are a welcome relief. It is easier to be active whether you enjoy gardening, walking, going to the gym or playing a sport. Flexibility reduces with age as the body undergoes many changes. Prevention of injury is important around the shoulder/neck region and the lumbopelvic areas. Women have a wider pelvis than men as so often have significant weakness of lumbar and hip stability muscles. This impacts on knees, hips and lumbar spine often causing pain syndromes and resultant degenerative osteoarthritis. Cross training is a great way to improve posture and stay fit for your sport. Try Pilates or Yoga and reduce the feeling of stiffness. The body loves to be stretched and squeezed and this keeps our physical tissues healthy.
NUTRITION
We also need optimal nutrition with age with diets low in sugar and fat, high in raw greens/salads and low in dairy. Incorporating foods which have an alkalising effect on body tissues helps reduce inflammatory responses in the body. Alkalizing water systems are also good for body and bones and supply essential trace elements. Our office water system is alkaline so you can enjoy whenever you visit.
THE MIND
Stress, anxiety and fear are common complaints. Emotions are created by chemical reactions in our body. Stay positive, remember worry never solved anything and judgement of others in an effort to be right, doesn’t work. There can be big resistance inside us to accept that, “it is as it is” and being present to the moment. The past has gone and the future is yet to be created. Laugh if you can every day – it produces “feel good” proteins – essential for pain reduction. The brain is an amazing gland capable of producing “feel good”proteins, which decrease pain and accelerate recovery.
HYDROTHERAPY
We start our life in warm water in your mother’s tummy. What a shock to be born into a world which is cold and heavy under the forces of gravity. Anyhow, we all get on with it and eventually find our feet. In many countries, hot spas rich with minerals have been places of pilgrimage for those wanting relief from arthritic aliments. Hydrotherapy is specific localised remedial exercise performed in warm 34 ⁰C water. It is a wonderful therapy for those with physical ailments such as arthritis, post fractures/trauma, post orthopaedic surgery and neurological conditions. Gentle movement can begin earlier than on dry land, due to bouyancy . At focus on physio we design individual programs and also conduct an arthritis class “Aquabones” which incorporates conditioning exercises to improve levels of fitness. It is such fun!
PILATES
This newsletter has focused on Pelvic Floor rehabilitation for men and women. Have a go at doing a pelvic floor exercise : breath in, and as you breath out contract the same muscles that you would use to stop urinating . Hold for 10 seconds, relax. What did you feel?. Did you feel your lower abdominals softly contracting? Which was stronger? Try starting off with a 5 second contraction and 5 repetitions – 3 times a day. Pilates is a great way to train these muscles, which are important in increasing stabilisation and reducing lumbopelvic pain.
BEGINNERS YOGA
Maree says hello ! Yoga relaxes the mind, relaxes the body, reduces stress, increases strength and flexibility. Many high level sporting individuals use yoga to cross train to prevent injury. It stimulates the neural and organ systems and also contributes to improved immunity. Our Yoga is gentle!
MASSAGE
Body work is essential for everyone. Our massage services are very popular with highly trained therapists from remedial massage, lymphodema massage, myofascial massage, hot rocks, aromatherapy with essential oils and reiki. There is something for everyone and remember in life – less can be more! Subtle reiki can be very effective in acute pain, chronic pain, grief and loss, anxiety – when the body relaxes it helps the mind/body to restore itself.