Importance of Warming Up Before Exercise

What is a warm-up?
Warming up is a session which takes place prior to being physically active. Typically warming up will consist of cardiovascular exercises combined with dynamic stretching.

What happens in a warm-up?
Lets take a look at the example already given in terms of cardiovascular exercise as well as stretching. The cardiovascular exercises are designed to increase circulation, increase body temperature and bring the heart rate up, while stretching warms the muscles and prepare them for the movements they will be with exercise.

Effects of the warm-up
Warming up should prepare the body for exercises by increasing the heart rate and circulation. This will loosen the joints and increase blood flow to the muscles. Stretching the muscles prepares them for physical activity and prevents injuries.

Preventing injury
The most important reason for warming up is to prevent injury during exercise. Keeping the muscles warm will prevent acute injuries.

Paul Henein

Proper Running Form

A common question that many people have is about proper running form. If you are a beginner or advanced runner, form is everything!

To avoid unnecessary muscle strains, make sure that you are landing on your midfoot and leaning slightly forward from the ankles.

Avoid overriding, heel-striking and bad posture!

 Furthermore, always make sure get a good warm up before a long run and cool down and stretch afterwards to increase recovery time.

If you need help or advice regarding running tips and tricks, come by Form and Function Clinic. Our physiotherapist and chiropractors would love to show you how.

Dr. Luvraj Sandhar

Breathe Correctly

Breath is life. Everyone breathes but few breathe correctly. By learning the art of breathing one can live a healthy life, full of mirth, as the blood gets oxygenated.   Right breathing is breathing deeply and rhythmically.

Benefits:

Deep and rhythmic breathing brings about harmony between the body and the mind . It alleviates unfounded fears and relieves one of deep-seated stress. It improves concentration and gives mental power.

Technique:

Sit in a comfortable posture on ground, in the chair or even in bed.   Inhale and exhale deeply through the nose focusing on dropping your diaphragm and protruding your belly. Make sure to reduce the expansion of your chest . Repeat it 50-60 times or more. Make sure that your mind is attuned to each breath that you take in or out. No nasal sound should be made during the process.

Deep breathing should preferably be done at an open place or park. Morning time is the best time for practicing the technique.

Physiotherapist Smriti Kaushal

Text Neck

Our modern digital age has brought us many conveniences. BlackBerry devices, iPhones, tablets and e-readers allow us to communicate and be entertained with the push of a button. Technology can improve our quality of life, but it comes with a price: being huddled over devices for long period of times can do more harm than good.

Using certain devices for extended periods of time can easily lead to neck strain, headaches, and pain in the shoulders, arms and hands. Anyone who has used a cellphone or tablet for an extensive amount of time has probably experienced the peculiar strain it puts on your upper body. These conditions even have their own name now: Text Neck. Here are some simple strategies to help shut down text neck strain:

Take frequent breaks

Taking frequent breaks and looking up from your device can provide your neck with some relief from the
pressure of looking down.

Sit up straight

It is important to sit up straight while texting. This way you can maintain good posture, relieving your back and shoulders from the strain of being hunched over.

Hold the phone a little higher

Holding the phone closer to eye level helps maintain a healthy posture and puts less strain on the neck.

Stretch

Be sure to stretch often between long periods of extended use of devices. You can rotate your shoulders with your arms by your sides to relieve tension. You can also tuck your chin down to your neck and then look up – this helps to relieve some of the tension in your neck built from the common forward-down position you adopt
when looking at your device.

Dr. Roger Singh