Get up from your chair better

Make a tall proud chest before getting up.

When we sit we all get to that position of “comfort” where our pelvis rounds backward (or posterior tilt).  I tell my patient not to get up from position they have stressed their spine when sitting.  Making a tall chest or elongating the spine put the pelvis and spine in a better position.  This position allows your spine to distribute the load and you to have better access to use your gluts and core.

So before getting up make sure you have a proud chest or tall spine.

Dr. Paul.

5 Tips to be fit while you sit!

If you work at a desk for 8 hours a day, don’t let it ruin your body!  Sitting is the new smoking.  Sitting with improper posture or slouching for extended periods of time causes stress and physiological change to the body.  Some muscles weaken and become harder to activate while tension and reduction in length can occur in others.  Research has indicated that extended periods of sitting have been associated with obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and bowel cancer.  Stay fit while sitting with these 5 tips:

1. Take the stairs. Make this a rule whenever and wherever you can.  It’ll force you to do some physical activity throughout your day.

2. Stand up and get a drink. Even if you’re busy throughout the day try and schedule yourself water breaks at set intervals to force yourself to get up and move around.

3. Roll your feet. Leave a ball or water bottle under your desk. Take your shoes off, and roll the bottom of your feet back and forth over the entire arch of your foot to help release tissue tension and improve blood flow to get that stiffness out.

4. Listen to your body! Simply being more in-tuned with your body will help you improve your posture throughout the day as you sit.  Your body will give you cues to move, listen to those cues and perform micro-movements to give your body some novel input as it demands it.  This can be as easy as posturing up or simply standing and reaching for the sky for a few seconds.

5. Stretch out those hips! when you sit for 8 hours a day, what happens is your hips remain in hip flexion the entire time.  What this does is create more of a sensory-motor amnesia where your body forgets the ‘feeling’ of moving through a full range of motion through the hip. Your muscles forget! As it is often said, if you don’t use it, you lose it!

Fall Prevention for Seniors

Slips and falls are common this time of year but falls are not limited to icy conditions, especially in the senior population. Falls can occur year round and accounts for 84% of injury-related admissions to hospitals for seniors. It is also known that 90% of falls resulting in injury are preventable. Here are some tips to help prevent falls:

– Make sure both feet are on the ground before getting out of the car

– Use large and spiked tips on canes in icy conditions

– When going from sit to stand, take 10 seconds before allow for blood pressure to normalize and to minimize dizziness

– Review medications with your doctor to avoid dizziness, especially new medications

– Use good footwear (closed toed, laced up properly, with good support either through cushioning of the shoe or orthotics)

– Use handrails when available

– Use aids when necessary such mobility aids, hearing and sight aids and medical alert services

– Get an assessment of your strength and balance at Form and Function Clinic. We can provide exercises and further tips to help minimize your risk of falling.  Engaging in regular physical activity can increase strength, balance and endurance and thus prevent falls.

Posture up for health and confidence

What is good posture?  When you have good posture you allow for equal distribution of weight of your head onto multiple muscle groups and joints.  To obtain good posture elongate the back of your neck, tuck your chin in comfortably and pull your shoulder blades down.  This will put your upper head, neck and upper body in a better position.  As your chin drops forward when you are on the computer use these cues to get you back.

Posture also effects how you feel.  See the following link from a Ted Talk that will tell you how.