By Administrator 0 Comments Health Tips, Learn, Markham

Balance!

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Foam Rolling is an amazing self help tool that helps alleviate stiffness, muscle tightness, and pain. Some people make the excuse about not having enough time for anything additional in their daily routines, but this will take 5-10 minutes. You can target your problem areas only or do a whole body routine.
Foam Rolling for beginners: Get a foam roller that is firm and smooth – NO knobby parts on it. It will hurt if you have not foam roller before, but the knobby ones REALLY hurt if you haven’t done it before. You’ll utilize your arms/hands and legs to customize how much pressure you’re putting on each body part you’re foam rolling. You can graduate to using less assistance which means more pressure on the foam roll as the foam rolling gets easier and less painful.
Now, why am I suggesting you put yourself through pain when you’re in pain?! The body gets stressed from injury or just every day activities, the muscles tighten, the joints stiffen, you’re in pain. Foam rolling works on the muscles and fascia to loosen the muscles, get knots out, which leads to the joints having less stress on them, and in turn less pain.
One key point to foam rolling your back: do NOT position your lower back on the foam roller without tilting your body to the side. The pressure should be coming from the side, not directly on your spine!! On the rest of your spine that attaches to ribs, you can have the foam roller directly on the spine because the ribs support that pressure.
By Administrator 0 Comments Health Tips, Markham

Channel your inner Kung-Fu Master!

Balance and proprioception (where your joint is in space relative to the rest of your body) play an important role in everyday activities:

– walking on the sidewalk and suddenly the curb dissapears (or you didn’t notice it!)

– walking on uneven terrain or an unexpected hole

– performing basic activities of daily living and knowing how your form is (and what it should be)

– balancing and recovering when you find out there’s ice under the snow on the sidewalk

Single Leg Stork Stance

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A simple everyday exercise where you stand on the floor supported by each leg for 30s at a time.

-stay close to a wall or railing you can grab on to if this is difficult for you

-try this on a pillow if this is too easy

Contact Form and Function’s Kung Fu Master John for more tips on how to improve your balance

By Administrator 0 Comments Health Tips

How to Take Control of Your Body This Year

With every New Year the process of choosing New Year’s resolutions and seeing them to completion can be a daunting task. But don’t let it be! Let’s approach the New Year with an open and refreshed mind!

This year, take control of your body’s health and have FUN doing so!  You have the power to take care of your body and make real and lasting change.

Often our bodies take a toll with our busy and demanding lifestyles. The key to making real and lasting change is forming new and improved habits. Instilling new habits will require attention and work but change doesn’t occur without action.

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START by taking responsibility to perform basic maintenance on your body.

  •  Improve the positions you adopt – Do you sit for most of the day? Take breaks every hour to stand up and move around. When you do sit be aware of maintaining neutral posture (if you would like to learn more, come by the clinic we can show you how). When you stand or walk – monitor the position of your feet, try to keep them pointing straight.

 “KEEP IN MIND – OUR BODIES TEND TO MOLD THEMSELVES INTO THE POSITIONS IN WHICH WE SPEND THE MOST TIME. ”

  •  Improve the health of your body tissues – All it takes is just 10 minutes a day of maintenance work, everyday. Utilize tools such as a foam roller and/or lacrosse ball to address the ‘hotspots’ of your body that are tight and stiff as well as areas around them. Doing so will help improve overall mobility.
  • LISTEN TO YOUR BODY – Your body is your friend, take care of it. Pain or discomfort is a sign that you are in a bad biomechanical position. Consider pain as signals that you need to improve your positions, mechanics and tissue health.
  • Make time for you to succeed – In the midst of our busy and hectic schedules we can find the time to take care of ourselves. Start with just 10 minutes a day. It can be as easy as foam rolling and stretching when watching TV.

 When it comes to performing maintenance on your body, it is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Everyone is unique and may require different programs. Book in an assessment today if you’d like a regime catered to you!

If you have any questions about performing basic maintenance on your body, you can talk to any health care professional at Form and Function Clinic. We would be happy to assist you in answering your questions and help provide you with tools to build a healthy body.

 

By Dr. J 0 Comments Events, Uncategorised

Top Clinic In Markham! Please Vote

The Form & Function team is so pleased to be nominated for the @TopChoiceAward for being one of the top wellness clinics in Markham.  For all those who have benefited from our care, we would appreciate your vote.

Please take a quick moment toVOTE HERE http://vote.topchoiceawards.com/#/nomination/13c5f214a17446c68f3ad7a33d0b87b0

 

Thank you for all your support