In my last post I discussed what our balance system is and how it works. In this short video I show you two simple tests to try to see how good (or bad) your balance is. Over the next few weeks I will discuss some simple exercises you can do to help try and improve your balance. You can then go back to these balance tests and see what sort of improvement you have made.
 So now you know the basics of how our balance system works and hopefully you tested your balance with our 2 simple tests. If you haven’t watched the video I posted describing these balance tests, you can watch it here.
I recently did a talk at a local retirement village on how to reduce the risk of falls (this is part of the reason I wanted to talk about balance this month). People often think that part of getting older is having poor balance and there is nothing you can do about it. This does not have to be the case though. What you do during your life before you get ‘old’ can play a big part in how well your body ages and in particular how good your balance is. My hope with this information is that you can a) help maintain good balance before you get ‘old’ and b) if you are already ‘old’ you can improve your balance and hopefully reduce the risk of falls.  My daughter has recently started walking and it such a cool thing to watch them figure out how to do it and also how quickly they improve. Within a day, she was up and off and then over the next few weeks there was no stopping her. Watching Quinn go through this process and also my recent mission to master a handstand (who knew it would be so hard) got me thinking about balance and how we can test it and possibly improve it. Of course our ability to pick up new things is nothing compared to that of a 1 year old, but we can still improve it.
This month, I am going to focus on Balance and your feet. I am going to explain what balance is, why balance is important, I will show you some simple tips on how to test your balance, how you can start to improve your balance and how you can get your feet working and feeling better. You might ask, what has my feet got to do with balance? Well the answer is, possibly a lot. In order to understand why this is the case, you need to understand how our balance system works. So let’s do that.  In the new year, people often have resolutions to get fit and healthy. That is why we are running our 6 week body and lifestyle challenge. Often when we start a new exercise program, despite our best intentions, we get injured. This is exactly what happened to me last week, I managed to hurt my leg by pushing myself a little too hard. The question to ask yourself is "What do I do now?". Continue reading to find out
 I am not a big fan of doing cardio but I know that it is important. Over the last year (and more regularly, the last 3-4 months) I have been a 20 minute HIIT workout three times a week which has worked wonders for me. In this post I will show you what this workout entails and why I like it so much.
 When it comes to training and diet, I always think of the quote “you can never out train a poor diet”. What you are putting into your body is a major factor in what it could look and feel like. If you are wanting to have a “6 pack” you WILL need to have a good diet. Diet is such a big topic and there are so many different ‘diets’ or ways of eating out there (I don't even like using the term 'diet' as it has so many negative connotations for lots of people). In this post I will show you the approach has worked wonders for me. I would encourage you to read it and see what you think and make a decision on whether you would like to try it or not. As I said, there are lots of different approaches out there, this is simply one approach.
Over the last year I have followed the eating plan designed by ‘The Robards Method’ and follow what they call the 7-2-1 philosophy. Continue reading to see what it is all about.  This year we are going to be running our first 6 week body and lifestyle challenge from January 14 - February 25. The aim of this FREE challenge is simple, to get your new year off to a great start, make some new healthy habits and FEEL GREAT. Do you want to get involved? Continue reading to see how to participate.
In my latest video I show you how to do one of my favorite core exercises called 'Stir the Pot'. I love this exercise because it can used by beginners, but can also be progressed as your level of strength improves. Try it out and see what you think. Note: When doing the exercise, just remember to do it slow and controlled and to keep breathing.  I recently listened to a talk on the AM show here in NZ by Grant Schofield who is a Public Health Professor at AUT. The segment was named “How to save your body from breaking down as we age”. I must say it was a fascinating watch (you can watch the 6min video here). It brought up some simple ideas on how we can actually achieve this. The key thing here is that the answer to better aging is not a difficult one. It just requires some simple changes. Continue reading to find out more.
This year for World Spine Day we asked the question "What are you doing to #LoveYourSpine?" I decided to record a quick video with 3 simple tips that you can do to show your spine some love. They are easy to do but very effective. Try them and see what you think. Your body will thank you for it. Just about everywhere you look you will see someone bent over looking down at their phone, tablet or book. This position puts a lot of stress on their upper back, shoulders and neck. In this video I show two different ways of looking at your device that will help take the strain off of your back and neck. Try them out and see what you think. If you like this video, feel free to share so other people can benefit from it. You can also like our Facebook page here, or our YouTube page here. Most people will suffer from neck tension or tightness at some stage. Here are a few simple neck stretches you can try to help alleviate some of the tightness. They are simple, but if done regularly, are really effective. As with any exercise or program, consistency is key. If you haven't watched my video on diaphragmatic breathing, you can watch it here. In part 2 of this standing desk series I discuss 2 more simple tips to help make your standing desk experience more enjoyable. In particular, I look at what you should be standing on and what shoes you should be standing in. I hope you find this information useful. If you haven't seen part one, you can watch it by clicking here. Standing desks are becoming more common these days and from a movement point of view, this is great. However, it is important to realise that you can stand poorly just as much as you can sit poorly. In this video I give 3 simple tips to help take the strain off of your lower back and feet so you can reduce the risk of injury and feel good at the end of the day. The tips are easy to implement and can make a big difference in how you feel. I know if you try them, your body will thank you for it. Non-Exercise movement is any movement you do that is not associated with traditional exercise (i.e. gym work or team sports). Research has shown that even if you exercise 3-4 times a week at a reasonably high intensity, it still not enough to counteract the negative effects of a predominantly sedentary life (If you sit at a desk all day at work then this could be you). If you can increase the amount of non-exercise movement in your day, then your body will function better and it will help to counteract the negative effects of sitting. In this video I discuss what Non-Exercise movement is, why it is important and how you can add it into your busy day. It is simple to do, but super effective. Your body will thank you for it. I am often asked whether it is a good idea or not to use an exercise ball instead of a chair in the office. Well, in this video I discuss this as well as give you an alternative to an exercise ball that I actually think is better. I also go over 4 things to be aware of if you do decide to use an exercise ball. (Note: It is not ideal to just chuck out your chair and use an exercise ball all day straight off the bat). Continue reading to watch the video and learn some more about sitting. Our lives are stressful these days and anything we can do to help relax is going to be beneficial for our bodies. In this short video I show you a simple breathing technique to help you calm your body and move into the 'rest and digest' part of our nervous system. I also show a simple activation of a Chapman's Reflex point to help stimulate the Diaphragm and help you breathe better. Try this exercise and see how it makes you feel. Your body will thank you for it. I am always asked whether or not clicking your fingers will give you arthritis. In this short video I will answer this question for you, as well as look at how it relates to clicking your own back or neck. I decided to change things up and do my first product review. I have always brought new devices and gadgets that are supposed to help ease this or fix that in order to see if they do what they are supposed to do. For my first review I decided to do one on the BetterBack (You can see more about it on their website here) that I first saw on KickStarter and then on Shark Tank. This device is designed to help ease lower back pain by turning any chair into an ergonomic chair. Is it worth the buzz it created on social media? In this short video I discuss what it is, what it's used for and if I think it is worth buying or not. Like most exercises, there are good and bad ways of walking. In this video, I show 5 simple tips to help YOU get more out of your walks. They are all simple and easy to achieve. If you try them out, I am sure your body will thank you for it. If you have any questions or comments, please feel to comment below or contact us here In this video I show 3 simple exercises to help improve your posture. If you have 'poor posture' chances are you have weakness in your mid back. This is why you get tired quickly when someone gets you to 'sit up straight'. The muscles in your mid back and shoulders have weakened since they have not been used properly. These exercises are designed to help strengthen those muscles so that you can maintain a better posture for longer and ultimately get less back and neck pain. This video is a follow on from my previous video on the 'Bruggers Relief Position'. If you haven't seen it, you can watch it here. NOTE: If you have any pain with these exercises, please stop and consult your medical/exercise professional.
I have just finished my latest video showing a simple exercise to help ease upper back and neck pain. Watch the short video, try the exercise and see how good it can make you feel. For a more detailed description of the exercise you can find it on one of my older blog posts here. In this video I discuss Back braces and whether they are a good idea or not. The research on the effectiveness of back braces is quite interesting. I also discuss some guidelines that you can follow if you are wanting to wear a brace. If you have any questions, please contact us and we will be happy to answer them for you. Written blog post on Back Braces can be read here. Having a good pillow is one of the most important things we need to maintain good function of the body. Unfortunately we often keep our pillows too long which affects their ability to provide adequate support for our necks when we are sleeping. In this video I discuss 2 simple tests that you can try on your pillow to see if it is still offering good support.
If you try these tests and realise that your pillow needs to be replaced, download our new e-book "Your how-to guide to choosing a good pillow". The link can be found here. Simply put in your details and download the book. It will help you choose the right pillow for YOU. There is no one size suits all pillow. What is good for me is not necessarily good for you. If you have any questions, please comment below and feel free to share if you think the information could help others. |
Dr Craig BuscombBringing you news, research and advice on health, wellness, exercise and chiropractic care to help take your health to the next level 
Archives
September 2019
Categories
All
It's what you do everyday that impacts your health, not what you do sometimes. |
RSS Feed