10000 STEPS - TAKE THE CHALLENGE
One hundred and thirty-thousand people. That's the number of participants in this year's Global Corporate Challenge. It's not a Donald Trump or Survivor type challenge where teams of people try to out-back-stab each other in exotic locations, although exotic locations do feature. No, it's much better than that. This is a challenge where everyone wins simply by increasing their daily activity. No sweaty workouts required. All you have to do is form a team of seven, register online and wear a pedometer to record how many steps you take (or how far you cycle, swim or even push a wheelchair). Each member of the team records their steps and the daily total for the team is tallied. And here's the fun part. As the team's steps accumulate they take the team on a virtual tour across the world, which is where the exotic locations come in.
The aim is to get people moving, out of their chairs, up and down stairs, and onto their feet. Ten thousand steps a day is the gold standard to aim for. It can be quite a shock if you find that your normal daily step count is only a few thousand steps but the aim is to increase from your baseline what ever your baseline is.
I love some of the team names, some favourites include :- Sole Sisters, The Fat and the Furious, and The Walkie Talkies. The list of top twenty teams is posted daily and in amongst the well-known corporate giants is a team from Benalla Primary School. Go Benalla! (a smallish country town in the Australian state of Victoria).
The Global Challenge runs for 16 weeks from May to September. It's too late to enter now but the website has lots of useful information including the results of research on the health effects on participants. One study by Monash University found significant improvements in high blood pressure, waist measurement and waist/hip ratio at 4 mths after starting the challenge, an improvement which was still largely sustained at the 12 month mark. Check out the website at www.gettheworldmoving.com
If you missed out on The Global Corporate Challenge there are still plenty of ways to get the benefits of group motivation and help with increasing your activity by using a pedometer. You can register at www.10000steps.org.au any time. This is also a well researched and government funded program. This one is not a fundraiser but is free for anyone to participate. The site has lots of short health and exercise articles,Q&A Forums, and tips on buying and using a pedometer.
Pedometers are a great motivational tool. They clip onto your belt or waistband and record the number of steps you take. Less than 5000 per day is considered sedentary (a much kinder word than slothful), 10,000 is considered active and the desired amount for maintaining a healthy weight, while above 12500 is highly active. Sure you can cheat and attach it to the dog or jiggle in your seat to get the numbers up but that does somewhat defeat the purpose. I have found that just having that number ticking over and attached to your body where you can see it is an excellent prod to get the butt out of the chair.
So if you want a simple, low cost, motivating way to increase your physical activity level, hook up with other like-minded people and make your doctor very happy why not try the 10,000 steps approach. It's easy, and the research shows that it works.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Head Banging, Whiplash and Three Punks in a LIft.
"For better or for worse" or so those marriage vows go. If I'd known The man would never outgrow his love affair with heavy metal music would I still have married him?
Tick, tick, tick, tick...
That's me thinking about the answer.
Only joking. Of course I would and to prove my undying devotion I even agreed to going to an Iron Maiden concert with him. What the heck. Why not? Shouldn't everyone go to a heavy metal fest at least once in their life?
IRON MAIDEN CONCERT was penciled into the diary and with trepidation I thought of all the rock concert injuries I've treated such as:-
*whiplash - caused by repeated vigorous head banging in wild rock-fan abandonment.
(I am not making this up. The poor guy made a bit of a mess of his poor innocent skinny kind of neck.)
*mosh pit maulings - I've seen a couple of these, the most notable being bruised ribs and a back injury after an overly trusting soul expected his mates to actually catch him when he tried his hand at crowd surfing.
*hearing loss and tinnitus. Don't you just love that sensation like sticking your head inside a church bell that lingers after a particularly volumatic concert?
Bring it on I say. I can handle whatever perils the concert going experience may throw my way. Sydney Entertainment Centre here I come!
For those of you unfamiliar with the Heavy Metal genre Iron Maiden are the Grandaddy Band of all things metal. They've been going since 1975 and have enough of a loyal band of followers to be able to afford to fly around the world from concert to concert in their own specially kitted out 757 aeroplane called Edforce1. With three lead guitars in the line-up you can guess the sound features a fair bit of metal thrashing, driving rhythms, simple anthemic choruses and surprisingly melodic and intricate guitar riffs (Oh no! I'm sounding like a fan).
The big question of course is what to wear??
I decide to play it safe and stick to jeans and an Iron Maiden t-shirt, a choice that at least half the concert goers seem to make. The other half???? Oh boy. You could call it interesting.
An IronMaiden crowd is a curious mix. Lots of middle aged men in said jeans and t- shirts reliving their lonesome youth spent attached to headphones and hiding in their bedrooms, quite a lot of mums and dads bringing the kids (just what every child needs for their rock education), waaay too many women in extremely short skirts and chunky looking boots showing off more meaty thigh than a butcher shop's display window, and tattoos. Loads of tattoos. We're not talking butterflies or The Southern Cross here. Maiden Metal heads are more into scary looking dragons and monster-type tatts. And that's just the women! Add in an assortment of bikers, punks and goths and you pretty much get the picture.
A very handy thing about The Sydney Entertainment Centre is that there is a reasonably priced hotel directly opposite, great for staggering into bed with a song in your heart and a skin full of beer from the bar.
So here I am waiting for the lift to take me down to meet The Man and Poodleboy in the lobby, down to the expectant fans and the buzz of a pre-concert bar. The lift opens and the occupants very politely hold the doors from clanging shut to let me in. Bravely I enter that small confined space, made to seem even smaller by the space-occupying presence of a six-foot-five punk with a purple mohawk and silver prong piercings poking from above his top lip. He is dressed from top to toe in black, complete with studded leather belt and triple dangling chains, accompanied by two equally punk, black-clad, Iron Maiden t-shirt wearing friends who thankfully are not quite as large as their Mo-hawked friend.
Mmmmmm. Three Punks in a lift. And me. My twin-set wearing heart is all a-flutter. The closest (and thankfully, shortest) punk eyes me up and down. Heart is a bit more fluttery by now.
"Nice t-shirt, little lady," he says.
(what? is he talking to me?)
"Are you going to the concert?"
(oh yes, he's talking to me. Ain't no other little ladies in this lift)
"Yes. But I've brought my earplugs."
(Now why did I blurt that out?)
This alarming statement is greeted with puzzled looks.
"Earplugs?" the shorter punk says. "So you're not a fan?"
"I'm just doing this for my husband. He's the fan," I hastily explain."
Apparently this is a good answer. The expression on my new-best-punk-friend's face changes in an instant and all three heads nod up and down in chorus of approval.
"I like your respect."
At this point I know I am "in", when he raises he hand to mine and I have to 'knuckle' punk number one, punk number two and Mister Purple Mohawk. We part with a mutual wish to "enjoy the concert."
The bucketlist experience is already off to a great start.
Surprisingly, I quite enjoy the concert, thanks to my earplugs and ability to control the volume as required...
Well at least I enjoy the bits I am awake for.
Much to The Man's amazement I manage to nod off for a wee while in the middle of a somewhat droney bit.
Well it was a late night!
And I still reckon that falling asleep ever so briefly does not disqualify you from crossing an item off 'the bucket list'. Though I'm not so sure I would still have my punk friends' respect if they knew of my crime against metal.
It's the thought that counts I reckon.
And of course all experience is grist to a writer's mill. A very large purple mowhawked gentleman might crop up in my writing one day as a romantic hero.
That's what writers need to do.
Leap out of their comfort zone.
Try something new that may not be your thing.
Watch humanity and soak it all in.
Get in a lift with three punks and try a spot of head banging.
And if you want a bit of street cred and respect?
Always
Always
Always
Wear the T-shirt.
And fall asleep discreetly.
It works for me.
Tick, tick, tick, tick...
That's me thinking about the answer.
Only joking. Of course I would and to prove my undying devotion I even agreed to going to an Iron Maiden concert with him. What the heck. Why not? Shouldn't everyone go to a heavy metal fest at least once in their life?
IRON MAIDEN CONCERT was penciled into the diary and with trepidation I thought of all the rock concert injuries I've treated such as:-
*whiplash - caused by repeated vigorous head banging in wild rock-fan abandonment.
(I am not making this up. The poor guy made a bit of a mess of his poor innocent skinny kind of neck.)
*mosh pit maulings - I've seen a couple of these, the most notable being bruised ribs and a back injury after an overly trusting soul expected his mates to actually catch him when he tried his hand at crowd surfing.
*hearing loss and tinnitus. Don't you just love that sensation like sticking your head inside a church bell that lingers after a particularly volumatic concert?
Bring it on I say. I can handle whatever perils the concert going experience may throw my way. Sydney Entertainment Centre here I come!
For those of you unfamiliar with the Heavy Metal genre Iron Maiden are the Grandaddy Band of all things metal. They've been going since 1975 and have enough of a loyal band of followers to be able to afford to fly around the world from concert to concert in their own specially kitted out 757 aeroplane called Edforce1. With three lead guitars in the line-up you can guess the sound features a fair bit of metal thrashing, driving rhythms, simple anthemic choruses and surprisingly melodic and intricate guitar riffs (Oh no! I'm sounding like a fan).
The big question of course is what to wear??
I decide to play it safe and stick to jeans and an Iron Maiden t-shirt, a choice that at least half the concert goers seem to make. The other half???? Oh boy. You could call it interesting.
An IronMaiden crowd is a curious mix. Lots of middle aged men in said jeans and t- shirts reliving their lonesome youth spent attached to headphones and hiding in their bedrooms, quite a lot of mums and dads bringing the kids (just what every child needs for their rock education), waaay too many women in extremely short skirts and chunky looking boots showing off more meaty thigh than a butcher shop's display window, and tattoos. Loads of tattoos. We're not talking butterflies or The Southern Cross here. Maiden Metal heads are more into scary looking dragons and monster-type tatts. And that's just the women! Add in an assortment of bikers, punks and goths and you pretty much get the picture.
A very handy thing about The Sydney Entertainment Centre is that there is a reasonably priced hotel directly opposite, great for staggering into bed with a song in your heart and a skin full of beer from the bar.
So here I am waiting for the lift to take me down to meet The Man and Poodleboy in the lobby, down to the expectant fans and the buzz of a pre-concert bar. The lift opens and the occupants very politely hold the doors from clanging shut to let me in. Bravely I enter that small confined space, made to seem even smaller by the space-occupying presence of a six-foot-five punk with a purple mohawk and silver prong piercings poking from above his top lip. He is dressed from top to toe in black, complete with studded leather belt and triple dangling chains, accompanied by two equally punk, black-clad, Iron Maiden t-shirt wearing friends who thankfully are not quite as large as their Mo-hawked friend.
Mmmmmm. Three Punks in a lift. And me. My twin-set wearing heart is all a-flutter. The closest (and thankfully, shortest) punk eyes me up and down. Heart is a bit more fluttery by now.
"Nice t-shirt, little lady," he says.
(what? is he talking to me?)
"Are you going to the concert?"
(oh yes, he's talking to me. Ain't no other little ladies in this lift)
"Yes. But I've brought my earplugs."
(Now why did I blurt that out?)
This alarming statement is greeted with puzzled looks.
"Earplugs?" the shorter punk says. "So you're not a fan?"
"I'm just doing this for my husband. He's the fan," I hastily explain."
Apparently this is a good answer. The expression on my new-best-punk-friend's face changes in an instant and all three heads nod up and down in chorus of approval.
"I like your respect."
At this point I know I am "in", when he raises he hand to mine and I have to 'knuckle' punk number one, punk number two and Mister Purple Mohawk. We part with a mutual wish to "enjoy the concert."
The bucketlist experience is already off to a great start.
Surprisingly, I quite enjoy the concert, thanks to my earplugs and ability to control the volume as required...
Well at least I enjoy the bits I am awake for.
Much to The Man's amazement I manage to nod off for a wee while in the middle of a somewhat droney bit.
Well it was a late night!
And I still reckon that falling asleep ever so briefly does not disqualify you from crossing an item off 'the bucket list'. Though I'm not so sure I would still have my punk friends' respect if they knew of my crime against metal.
It's the thought that counts I reckon.
And of course all experience is grist to a writer's mill. A very large purple mowhawked gentleman might crop up in my writing one day as a romantic hero.
That's what writers need to do.
Leap out of their comfort zone.
Try something new that may not be your thing.
Watch humanity and soak it all in.
Get in a lift with three punks and try a spot of head banging.
And if you want a bit of street cred and respect?
Always
Always
Always
Wear the T-shirt.
And fall asleep discreetly.
It works for me.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Arthritis Update
Not all pain is postural but may be due to an underlying cause such as arthritis. Even if arthritis is the source of pain it does not mean you have to just put up with it. For all forms of arthritis there are treatment and management options which can make a big difference in function and quality of life.
Yesterday I attended a great seminar which covered recent advances in treatment options for two of the more potentially severe forms of arthritis, namely rheumatoid arthritis (RA)and ankylosing spondylitis (AS). There are over 100 forms of arthritis, the most common being osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is a 'wear and tear' arthritis and tends to occur more commonly in the large weight bearing joints such as hips and ankles although it can occur in any other joint. Whereas RA and AS are 'inflammatory' forms of arthritis which means they are caused by a process of inflammation of the joints or soft tissue rather than mechanical wear and tear.
Rheumatoid arthritis falls into the class of 'autoimmune' diseases where the body's defence mechanisms go awry and start to attack healthy tissue. The disease is twice as common in women than men and tends to appear between the ages of 35-64 years, the prime years of working and looking after a family. RA affects 2.5 people per hundred. (Australian statistics)
Ankylosing Spondylosis, on the other hand, is three times more common in men than women and usually first appears between the ages of 15-40 years. AS is characterised by marked stiffness of the spine but affects any point in the body where tendons and muscles attach to bone. AS affects between 1-2 people per hundred.
Each form of arthritis has a different pattern and treatment regime, particularly in regard to appropriate drug therapy. However, an accurate early diagnosis and appropriate treatment is of huge benefit in limiting the effects.
In the past, both AS and RA did not always respond well to treatment. The good news is that in recent years a new class of drugs has been developed which can have very beneficial effects, allowing people with RA or AS to stay much more active and experience much reduced debilitating pain. The downside is the cost of these drugs so there are strict criteria for their use.
In all forms of arthritis exercise plays an important role, but exercise, like drug treatment needs to be, the right type, the right amount, and the right frequency, which is where physiotherapists/physical therapists become involved.
The other fantastic thing I took away from the seminar is how much the medical profession (or at least the rheumatology side of things) has embraced patient participation in the decision making and management of their conditions. Alleluia!
However, good quality information is vital. There are many charlatans promising miracle cures, or individuals who have been helped by a particular therapy who become the messiah for that particular treatment which may be totally unsuitable for someone else. Even medical websites and studies can be subtly biased if they are sponsored by drug companies or other commercial interests (as was this seminar!)so any potential bias needs to be taken into account when reading information.
So where do you start looking if you or a family member is diagnosed with arthritis? Of course, your health care practitioner is a good primary source but often you need more time to digest information or keep up to date. I would recommend the various non-profit arthritis foundations as a good source of information that is up to date, unbiased, patient-friendly and informative.
Here is a list of such websites.
Australia - www.arthritisaustralia.com.au Very user-friendly. Shares some patient information booklets with the rheumatologists' website.
www.rheumatology.org.au
U.S.A. www.arthritis.org/ broad range of consumer information.
The equivalent U.S. rheumatologists' website does not provide patient information (?possibly due to legal considerations)
U.K. www.arthritiscare.org.uk broad range of user-friendly information plus email and telephone support.
www.rheumatology.org.uk/ list support groups who provide information and resources.
All these sites have great general information but specific information regarding how to access treatment, medication or professional help does varies from country to country due to differences in how their health systems are set up and funded so bear this in mind.
On a final note, arthritis, in what ever form, cannot be cured but it can be managed and the symptoms often improved. I have seen too many patients who think their arthritis can't be helped or blame all their aches and pains on 'the arthritis' when that may not be the case. Sometimes a bit of a therapy 'tune-up' and a re-jigging of their exercise and management strategies can get them back on track.
Yesterday I attended a great seminar which covered recent advances in treatment options for two of the more potentially severe forms of arthritis, namely rheumatoid arthritis (RA)and ankylosing spondylitis (AS). There are over 100 forms of arthritis, the most common being osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is a 'wear and tear' arthritis and tends to occur more commonly in the large weight bearing joints such as hips and ankles although it can occur in any other joint. Whereas RA and AS are 'inflammatory' forms of arthritis which means they are caused by a process of inflammation of the joints or soft tissue rather than mechanical wear and tear.
Rheumatoid arthritis falls into the class of 'autoimmune' diseases where the body's defence mechanisms go awry and start to attack healthy tissue. The disease is twice as common in women than men and tends to appear between the ages of 35-64 years, the prime years of working and looking after a family. RA affects 2.5 people per hundred. (Australian statistics)
Ankylosing Spondylosis, on the other hand, is three times more common in men than women and usually first appears between the ages of 15-40 years. AS is characterised by marked stiffness of the spine but affects any point in the body where tendons and muscles attach to bone. AS affects between 1-2 people per hundred.
Each form of arthritis has a different pattern and treatment regime, particularly in regard to appropriate drug therapy. However, an accurate early diagnosis and appropriate treatment is of huge benefit in limiting the effects.
In the past, both AS and RA did not always respond well to treatment. The good news is that in recent years a new class of drugs has been developed which can have very beneficial effects, allowing people with RA or AS to stay much more active and experience much reduced debilitating pain. The downside is the cost of these drugs so there are strict criteria for their use.
In all forms of arthritis exercise plays an important role, but exercise, like drug treatment needs to be, the right type, the right amount, and the right frequency, which is where physiotherapists/physical therapists become involved.
The other fantastic thing I took away from the seminar is how much the medical profession (or at least the rheumatology side of things) has embraced patient participation in the decision making and management of their conditions. Alleluia!
However, good quality information is vital. There are many charlatans promising miracle cures, or individuals who have been helped by a particular therapy who become the messiah for that particular treatment which may be totally unsuitable for someone else. Even medical websites and studies can be subtly biased if they are sponsored by drug companies or other commercial interests (as was this seminar!)so any potential bias needs to be taken into account when reading information.
So where do you start looking if you or a family member is diagnosed with arthritis? Of course, your health care practitioner is a good primary source but often you need more time to digest information or keep up to date. I would recommend the various non-profit arthritis foundations as a good source of information that is up to date, unbiased, patient-friendly and informative.
Here is a list of such websites.
Australia - www.arthritisaustralia.com.au Very user-friendly. Shares some patient information booklets with the rheumatologists' website.
www.rheumatology.org.au
U.S.A. www.arthritis.org/ broad range of consumer information.
The equivalent U.S. rheumatologists' website does not provide patient information (?possibly due to legal considerations)
U.K. www.arthritiscare.org.uk broad range of user-friendly information plus email and telephone support.
www.rheumatology.org.uk/ list support groups who provide information and resources.
All these sites have great general information but specific information regarding how to access treatment, medication or professional help does varies from country to country due to differences in how their health systems are set up and funded so bear this in mind.
On a final note, arthritis, in what ever form, cannot be cured but it can be managed and the symptoms often improved. I have seen too many patients who think their arthritis can't be helped or blame all their aches and pains on 'the arthritis' when that may not be the case. Sometimes a bit of a therapy 'tune-up' and a re-jigging of their exercise and management strategies can get them back on track.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Love those Muscles
Muscles. Don't you just love em?
A set of rock hard abs, a broad rippling back, some bulging biceps, a firm, hard thigh...Some pecalcious pecs even?
Yes Please.
Those muscles are easy to love.
But what about your own muscles? You may not think they are quite so lovely. You may only be vaguely aware that you have any muscles at all and yet your muscles really do want you to love them ; all 340 of them, (depending on which anatomy book you read).
Muscles are pretty amazing things when you think about it. They carry us around, allow us to write, type, play music, drive a car, climb to the top of a mountain, stroke a loved one, cuddle a child and we just take them so much for granted. We use them and abuse them OR
don't use them and abuse them until eventually one of the little suckers starts to complain.
So what do muscles really want?
Here's a list written from a muscle's perspective.
WHAT MUSCLES WANT
*Support. If they have to stay in one position or place a long time they need support or they will get overloaded and ache from too much strain. For writers, back support is the most important. There's lots of little tiny muscles linking vertebra to vertebra and some large broad muscles that help to hold you up and they're all much happier with good support.
*Variety of Movement - some muscles are designed to move body parts, some are designed to hold body parts but all muscles work better if they are moved in a variety of ways and positions.
* Stretching. This does not just mean a static held stretch. This is a passive stretch. Muscles also like to be moved actively through a full range of movement to prevent stiffness in the short term and tightening and shortening of a muscle's length in the long term. For example if you only ever take short steps when you walk, the hamstrings at the back of your thighs will get tight. A few hamstring stretches after exercise will help but so will taking long strides, or doing lunges or kicks.
*R&R - Rest & Relaxation - muscles need to return to a relaxed resting state after being held in a contracted position otherwise they remain tight and under chronic strain. The trapezius muscle at the top of the shoulders is the classic example of this. If your shoulders are always hitched up - oh so common when under stress or with poor ergonomics- the muscle never gets a chance to relax fully so its no wonder the poor thing aches.
*Strength - muscles need to be strong enough to carry out the demands placed on them. The old use it or lose it is so true.
* Balance. Muscles generally work in opposite pairs. While the muscle on one side of a limb is contracting (shortening), its corresponding muscle on the other side has to be lengthening. These opposing pairs are called the agonist and antagonist. So far so good. BUT if you sit or move mainly in one direction, the muscles on one side get tight and the muscles on the opposite side get weak. In order to keep a balance between the opposing pairs you need to stretch the tight muscles AND strengthen the weak ones. If you only work on one or the other the imbalance is maintained. It's like two teams playing tug of war, each side needs to be evenly matched or the whole sorry thing gets pulled to one side.
* Oxygen and lots of it is needed by muscle tissue. To get the oxygen in and waste products out, good circulation is essential. Yet another good reason to get up and move around frequently instead of having buttocks fused to a chair.
* Good nutrition - iron, calcium, vitamin C and D are particularly important for muscles to work properly.
Yes vitamin D. A little bit of sunlight is good for vitamin D production as well as to warm the creative hearth. WHich brings me to...
*Warmth - muscles are like modelling clay or plasticine- much more pliable and elastic when they are warm, hence the need to warm up before exercise and why if your desk is under an air conditioning vent your muscles are more likely to stiffen up.
Next blog I will look at what muscles hate but here is my
WRITER'S STRETCH OF THE DAY...Week...Year
DESK BALLET
1) Stand up. Take a few steps back from your desk. Feet a bit wider than shoulders.
2) Lean on your desk. Keep your knees straight and your heels down. You should feel a slight stretch at the back of your calf. If not move further away from the desk until you do.
3) Rise up on your toes and back to your heels.
4) Repeat about 20 x.
Variation - shift weight from one foot to the other
- do 10 on each leg.
This exercise is a great circulation booster, an active stretch for the calf as well as a strengthening exercise for the calf muscles.
It packs lots of BANG FOR YOUR SWEAT.
Don't you love one exercise that works on three things? Your muscles certainly do.
A set of rock hard abs, a broad rippling back, some bulging biceps, a firm, hard thigh...Some pecalcious pecs even?
Yes Please.
Those muscles are easy to love.
But what about your own muscles? You may not think they are quite so lovely. You may only be vaguely aware that you have any muscles at all and yet your muscles really do want you to love them ; all 340 of them, (depending on which anatomy book you read).
Muscles are pretty amazing things when you think about it. They carry us around, allow us to write, type, play music, drive a car, climb to the top of a mountain, stroke a loved one, cuddle a child and we just take them so much for granted. We use them and abuse them OR
don't use them and abuse them until eventually one of the little suckers starts to complain.
So what do muscles really want?
Here's a list written from a muscle's perspective.
WHAT MUSCLES WANT
*Support. If they have to stay in one position or place a long time they need support or they will get overloaded and ache from too much strain. For writers, back support is the most important. There's lots of little tiny muscles linking vertebra to vertebra and some large broad muscles that help to hold you up and they're all much happier with good support.
*Variety of Movement - some muscles are designed to move body parts, some are designed to hold body parts but all muscles work better if they are moved in a variety of ways and positions.
* Stretching. This does not just mean a static held stretch. This is a passive stretch. Muscles also like to be moved actively through a full range of movement to prevent stiffness in the short term and tightening and shortening of a muscle's length in the long term. For example if you only ever take short steps when you walk, the hamstrings at the back of your thighs will get tight. A few hamstring stretches after exercise will help but so will taking long strides, or doing lunges or kicks.
*R&R - Rest & Relaxation - muscles need to return to a relaxed resting state after being held in a contracted position otherwise they remain tight and under chronic strain. The trapezius muscle at the top of the shoulders is the classic example of this. If your shoulders are always hitched up - oh so common when under stress or with poor ergonomics- the muscle never gets a chance to relax fully so its no wonder the poor thing aches.
*Strength - muscles need to be strong enough to carry out the demands placed on them. The old use it or lose it is so true.
* Balance. Muscles generally work in opposite pairs. While the muscle on one side of a limb is contracting (shortening), its corresponding muscle on the other side has to be lengthening. These opposing pairs are called the agonist and antagonist. So far so good. BUT if you sit or move mainly in one direction, the muscles on one side get tight and the muscles on the opposite side get weak. In order to keep a balance between the opposing pairs you need to stretch the tight muscles AND strengthen the weak ones. If you only work on one or the other the imbalance is maintained. It's like two teams playing tug of war, each side needs to be evenly matched or the whole sorry thing gets pulled to one side.
* Oxygen and lots of it is needed by muscle tissue. To get the oxygen in and waste products out, good circulation is essential. Yet another good reason to get up and move around frequently instead of having buttocks fused to a chair.
* Good nutrition - iron, calcium, vitamin C and D are particularly important for muscles to work properly.
Yes vitamin D. A little bit of sunlight is good for vitamin D production as well as to warm the creative hearth. WHich brings me to...
*Warmth - muscles are like modelling clay or plasticine- much more pliable and elastic when they are warm, hence the need to warm up before exercise and why if your desk is under an air conditioning vent your muscles are more likely to stiffen up.
Next blog I will look at what muscles hate but here is my
WRITER'S STRETCH OF THE DAY...Week...Year
DESK BALLET
1) Stand up. Take a few steps back from your desk. Feet a bit wider than shoulders.
2) Lean on your desk. Keep your knees straight and your heels down. You should feel a slight stretch at the back of your calf. If not move further away from the desk until you do.
3) Rise up on your toes and back to your heels.
4) Repeat about 20 x.
Variation - shift weight from one foot to the other
- do 10 on each leg.
This exercise is a great circulation booster, an active stretch for the calf as well as a strengthening exercise for the calf muscles.
It packs lots of BANG FOR YOUR SWEAT.
Don't you love one exercise that works on three things? Your muscles certainly do.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
The best exercise
'What is the best form of exercise?'
Swimming?
Decathlon?
Cross-country skiing?
Croquet?
It's a question I am often asked:- by everyone from elite sportsmen to octogenarian lawn bowlers seeking the elixir of life.
I know you are waiting with bated breath for the answer, hanging out for my words of guru-wisdom-spouted-from-on-high (though at five foot one, maybe not so high).
I am smiling to myself because...
the answer may not be what you are expecting.
So what is the best form of exercise?
The answer...Drum roll please.
ANY EXERCISE YOU WILL ACTUALLY DO.
That's it. The secret in a sentence.
There is no magic exercise. The magic lies in finding something that you can do regularly.
Most exercise plans fail because people choose something they think they should do, rather than something they can do or might even enjoy.
Why run if you have abysmal biomechanics like me and hate running? You'll only feel virtuous for a few days until the blister/shin/splints/hate-this-running-instinct kicks in and you give up. So unless you are trying to get into some kind of job where they test your ability to run, why not try something else?
Why go to the gym if the closest gym is forty-five minutes away and you have to travel an hour and a half to get an hour's exercise? Unless...going to the gym is something you love to do.
You will be far more successful if you start an exercise plan by first working out what exercise you like, what would fit easily into your day or week and what gives you the best bang-for-your-sweat
To get the most bang-for-your-sweat an exercise activity needs to have
VARIETY
FREQUENCY and
THE FUN FACTOR
A partner is good but there's nothing wrong with going it alone
LENGTH can vary. Long is good but if a short session is all you've got then grab it!
It needs to
GET THE HEART RATE UP
WORK THE MUSCLES
STRETCH THE BODY in different directions.
Can you think of any activities that might cover all these aspects?
I can.
The obvious of course. But what about
*swimming or aqua-exercise. Water-based exercise meets all the above but does not help bone density
*dancing - can combine strength/flexibilty/aerobic fitness in one activity and you can do it at home, anytime, where no one is looking, naked even. Handy hint- a good supportive bra is not so liberating but your breasts will thank you.
*trampolining - if you do the tricky stuff it certainly is an all-round work-out but a) you need a trampoline and
b) the effects can be disconcerting when a full bladder collides with gravity
unless the pelvic floor is, dare I say it? water-tight.
NONE OF THESE APPEAL?
Don't panic. No single exercise needs to do everything. You can go the combo.
Just make a list of what you could do. E.G.
*walking for an hour a day
*Wifit for 30 minutes every day
*tantric kinky yoga with Sting for two hours a day
*zumba class 3 days a week
Then whittle this list down to what is more realistic and easy to incorporate into everyday life. E.G.
*walk every day -aim for 30 minutes but 10 is fine. Plus or minus something hairy or loud for company.
*wiifit when the weather rules out walking.
*10 minutes of ordinary, garden-variety yoga alone every morning
*zumba class once a week
If you have done no exercise for ages, just start with one thing at a time and expect to be sore.
If you already do exercise but are getting stale, remember the variety rule.
Same old same old won't get improvement.
And when you do whatever you choose to do.
SMILE and think about all the ways you can get
the best bang for your sweat.
SEE Exercise can be fun.
Swimming?
Decathlon?
Cross-country skiing?
Croquet?
It's a question I am often asked:- by everyone from elite sportsmen to octogenarian lawn bowlers seeking the elixir of life.
I know you are waiting with bated breath for the answer, hanging out for my words of guru-wisdom-spouted-from-on-high (though at five foot one, maybe not so high).
I am smiling to myself because...
the answer may not be what you are expecting.
So what is the best form of exercise?
The answer...Drum roll please.
ANY EXERCISE YOU WILL ACTUALLY DO.
That's it. The secret in a sentence.
There is no magic exercise. The magic lies in finding something that you can do regularly.
Most exercise plans fail because people choose something they think they should do, rather than something they can do or might even enjoy.
Why run if you have abysmal biomechanics like me and hate running? You'll only feel virtuous for a few days until the blister/shin/splints/hate-this-running-instinct kicks in and you give up. So unless you are trying to get into some kind of job where they test your ability to run, why not try something else?
Why go to the gym if the closest gym is forty-five minutes away and you have to travel an hour and a half to get an hour's exercise? Unless...going to the gym is something you love to do.
You will be far more successful if you start an exercise plan by first working out what exercise you like, what would fit easily into your day or week and what gives you the best bang-for-your-sweat
To get the most bang-for-your-sweat an exercise activity needs to have
VARIETY
FREQUENCY and
THE FUN FACTOR
A partner is good but there's nothing wrong with going it alone
LENGTH can vary. Long is good but if a short session is all you've got then grab it!
It needs to
GET THE HEART RATE UP
WORK THE MUSCLES
STRETCH THE BODY in different directions.
Can you think of any activities that might cover all these aspects?
I can.
The obvious of course. But what about
*swimming or aqua-exercise. Water-based exercise meets all the above but does not help bone density
*dancing - can combine strength/flexibilty/aerobic fitness in one activity and you can do it at home, anytime, where no one is looking, naked even. Handy hint- a good supportive bra is not so liberating but your breasts will thank you.
*trampolining - if you do the tricky stuff it certainly is an all-round work-out but a) you need a trampoline and
b) the effects can be disconcerting when a full bladder collides with gravity
unless the pelvic floor is, dare I say it? water-tight.
NONE OF THESE APPEAL?
Don't panic. No single exercise needs to do everything. You can go the combo.
Just make a list of what you could do. E.G.
*walking for an hour a day
*Wifit for 30 minutes every day
*tantric kinky yoga with Sting for two hours a day
*zumba class 3 days a week
Then whittle this list down to what is more realistic and easy to incorporate into everyday life. E.G.
*walk every day -aim for 30 minutes but 10 is fine. Plus or minus something hairy or loud for company.
*wiifit when the weather rules out walking.
*10 minutes of ordinary, garden-variety yoga alone every morning
*zumba class once a week
If you have done no exercise for ages, just start with one thing at a time and expect to be sore.
If you already do exercise but are getting stale, remember the variety rule.
Same old same old won't get improvement.
And when you do whatever you choose to do.
SMILE and think about all the ways you can get
the best bang for your sweat.
SEE Exercise can be fun.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Hair-raising Adventures
Thursday. Gin and tonic time.
Number 1 Son bounds into the house like a cocker spaniel on speed
“I’m getting a perm tomorrow,” he announces.
I splutter and wonder if I heard him right or should give up the gin and tonic.
He nods, adding a sheepish grin for good measure.
We’ve deliberately encouraged the offspring to take risks, to give things a go, to be open to new experiences, always half-expecting that this policy might cause the odd moment of angst.
But a perm?
And why?
Where have we gone wrong? Did we let him watch too many re-runs of old sit-coms? Has he been led astray by Starsky and Hutch? Couldn’t he experiment with something more normal like a tattoo of the Queen on his butt or a nose ring that glints in the sun and inspires wild impulses for grabbing a red cape?
I try to counsel against such a reckless course of action.
“You do realise ‘perm’ stands for permanent wave.”
“It does?.”
"Uh-huh." (My turn to nod.) “I used to get one all the time. It was mandatory in the eighties."
“But it will wash out eventually," he says.
Oh the optimism of youth! “No," (I explain this with a certain amount of perverse glee). "If you get a perm you will be a permanent poodle until it grows out or you cut it all off.”
My radar is picking up on a bit of a what-would-you-know-vibe emanating from the offspring so I go for the big guns.
“You know that you can’t flick a perm?”
A brief flicker of consternation passes across his eyes. He spends hours flicking his long, brown, wavy locks as if he is swatting away the girls.
Gen-Y is more prone to believing Google than their parents so Rapunzel spends the next hour researching perms on the net. I try again to dissuade him from a folly he may regret. I press for an explanation, a reason for this insane desire.
Finally, the explanation comes.
It is the same reason young men are prone to such feats as diving off cliffs or riding motor bikes off really big ramps...
A dare.
His honour is in question.
He has given his word. And what is a man without his word.
Rapunzel's rationale goes like this.
“My boss said, ‘you should get a perm’. I said, ‘I will, if you pay for it’ but he is such a tight-arse I never thought he would stump up the cash.”
But he has…
And here I sit.
Holding my husbands hand.
Waiting for the results.
We hear Rapunzel’s car in the driveway. The front door opens.
Footsteps. Loud and sure.
A head appears around the door.
OMG!
I’ve spawned Mike Brady.
The curls are tight. The grin is wide. Old episodes of The Brady Bunch flash before my eyes.
We all roll around on the couch laughing and laughing.
Actually, when you get used to it, it’s not so bad.
It could have been worse and turned out more like a Jimmy Hendrix 'Fro.
In twenty-odd years of hairdressing the stylist has never done a Man-Perm before but she has done a pretty good job. Her best piece of advice..."Mousse will be your best friend."
She was right. Mousse keeps the spring-like tresses vaguely under control.
Rapunzel is now a minor celebrity, the star attraction on the hairdresser’s Facebook page. The ‘Journey of the Man-Perm’ has been recorded in glorious colour photographs and is fast becoming a modern urban legend.
Posters of ‘Before’ and ‘After’ shots adorn the various workshops in the industrial complex where Rapunzel works. The Man-Perm is a radical concept in the man-heavy habitat of panel beaters and air-conditioning mechanics and electrical wholesalers.
And as for Rapunzel’s parents, we are still somewhat in awe and bemused. Our son took up the challenge to let down his hair and offer it up in the interests of follicular experimentation.
A mother should be proud.
You may also be somewhat bemused and wondering what does any of this have to do with looking after your body? Or even with writing for goodness sake?
(Apart from the fact that it’s a good story.)
I’ll let you draw your own conclusions but here are some of mine. Like any good fairy tale the story of 'When Rapunzel turned into Mike Brady' is a parable rich with useful advice.
l. You never know where the good stories will come from.
2. Take a risk. Why not go with the whacky suggestion and see how it works out?
3. If something doesn’t turn out so great, you can always CUT it!
4. Always do your research before you commit to any kind of body modification.
5. Human to poodle shape-shifting may be taking things too far.
6. Fashions come and go. There is nothing new. Experiment to find your best style.
7. Bad writing is a whole lot easier and quicker to fix than bad hair.
8. Even a Man-Perm can grow on you.
9. Laugh about the bad hair days. You might make someone else laugh too.
Number 1 Son bounds into the house like a cocker spaniel on speed
“I’m getting a perm tomorrow,” he announces.
I splutter and wonder if I heard him right or should give up the gin and tonic.
He nods, adding a sheepish grin for good measure.
We’ve deliberately encouraged the offspring to take risks, to give things a go, to be open to new experiences, always half-expecting that this policy might cause the odd moment of angst.
But a perm?
And why?
Where have we gone wrong? Did we let him watch too many re-runs of old sit-coms? Has he been led astray by Starsky and Hutch? Couldn’t he experiment with something more normal like a tattoo of the Queen on his butt or a nose ring that glints in the sun and inspires wild impulses for grabbing a red cape?
I try to counsel against such a reckless course of action.
“You do realise ‘perm’ stands for permanent wave.”
“It does?.”
"Uh-huh." (My turn to nod.) “I used to get one all the time. It was mandatory in the eighties."
“But it will wash out eventually," he says.
Oh the optimism of youth! “No," (I explain this with a certain amount of perverse glee). "If you get a perm you will be a permanent poodle until it grows out or you cut it all off.”
My radar is picking up on a bit of a what-would-you-know-vibe emanating from the offspring so I go for the big guns.
“You know that you can’t flick a perm?”
A brief flicker of consternation passes across his eyes. He spends hours flicking his long, brown, wavy locks as if he is swatting away the girls.
Gen-Y is more prone to believing Google than their parents so Rapunzel spends the next hour researching perms on the net. I try again to dissuade him from a folly he may regret. I press for an explanation, a reason for this insane desire.
Finally, the explanation comes.
It is the same reason young men are prone to such feats as diving off cliffs or riding motor bikes off really big ramps...
A dare.
His honour is in question.
He has given his word. And what is a man without his word.
Rapunzel's rationale goes like this.
“My boss said, ‘you should get a perm’. I said, ‘I will, if you pay for it’ but he is such a tight-arse I never thought he would stump up the cash.”
But he has…
And here I sit.
Holding my husbands hand.
Waiting for the results.
We hear Rapunzel’s car in the driveway. The front door opens.
Footsteps. Loud and sure.
A head appears around the door.
OMG!
I’ve spawned Mike Brady.
The curls are tight. The grin is wide. Old episodes of The Brady Bunch flash before my eyes.
We all roll around on the couch laughing and laughing.
Actually, when you get used to it, it’s not so bad.
It could have been worse and turned out more like a Jimmy Hendrix 'Fro.
In twenty-odd years of hairdressing the stylist has never done a Man-Perm before but she has done a pretty good job. Her best piece of advice..."Mousse will be your best friend."
She was right. Mousse keeps the spring-like tresses vaguely under control.
Rapunzel is now a minor celebrity, the star attraction on the hairdresser’s Facebook page. The ‘Journey of the Man-Perm’ has been recorded in glorious colour photographs and is fast becoming a modern urban legend.
Posters of ‘Before’ and ‘After’ shots adorn the various workshops in the industrial complex where Rapunzel works. The Man-Perm is a radical concept in the man-heavy habitat of panel beaters and air-conditioning mechanics and electrical wholesalers.
And as for Rapunzel’s parents, we are still somewhat in awe and bemused. Our son took up the challenge to let down his hair and offer it up in the interests of follicular experimentation.
A mother should be proud.
You may also be somewhat bemused and wondering what does any of this have to do with looking after your body? Or even with writing for goodness sake?
(Apart from the fact that it’s a good story.)
I’ll let you draw your own conclusions but here are some of mine. Like any good fairy tale the story of 'When Rapunzel turned into Mike Brady' is a parable rich with useful advice.
l. You never know where the good stories will come from.
2. Take a risk. Why not go with the whacky suggestion and see how it works out?
3. If something doesn’t turn out so great, you can always CUT it!
4. Always do your research before you commit to any kind of body modification.
5. Human to poodle shape-shifting may be taking things too far.
6. Fashions come and go. There is nothing new. Experiment to find your best style.
7. Bad writing is a whole lot easier and quicker to fix than bad hair.
8. Even a Man-Perm can grow on you.
9. Laugh about the bad hair days. You might make someone else laugh too.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
New Year's Dissolutions?
It's that time of year when resolutions have a horrible habit of turning from resolution into dissolution, melting as quickly as the icecream off a steaming hot pudding.
Does this sound familiar?
I will lose weight.
I will exercise more.
I will look after my body better.
I will write 2000 words every day.
I will get my novel published.
I will convince George Clooney to offer my husband a million bucks for a quick hour with me.
I will convince my husband that when George calls............Don't Say No!
BUT.. great ideas and good intentions are about as useful as teats on a bull without any specific achievable goals and a plan of action (or as useful as knowing where George lives but minus George's phone number).
So this january I am sweating it online at 'Writing and Goal Achieving Boot Camp', kick-starting the year with an injection of great ideas from Margie Lawson, psychologist, writer and motivator extroadinaire.
I did her online course 'Defeating Your Self Defeating Behaviours' in January 2009, a year I won a few comps, had requests for my kid's novel and started a Masters in Creative Writing. January 2010 I tried to wing it on my own and do a kind of partial Margie.
Guess what, 2010... some progress, but not as productive as 2009.
So Jan 2011 it's on with the boots and the khaki. Margie only runs her course online in January but you can purchase the lectures and download it any time of year from her website www.margielawson.com
In Lecture 4 she talks about the importance of stretching for a writer or computer user, a subject very dear to my little beating physio heart.
I will have a lot to say about stretching over the lifespan of this blog but here are 2 of my favorite sitting stretches to get you started. I like more active, ie moving stretches when sitting rather than passive 'held' stretches as the active variety are more energizing.
OPEN SESAME
1) Place fingers lightly behind neck
2) Bring elbows together as far as you can.
3) Open elbows wide. Feel stretch in front of chest.
4) Keep repeating action like opening and closing a gate. Repeat x 20.
5) Squawk or cluck like a chicken.
NB. This step is optional but makes me laugh and brings my dog running.
The Open Sesame stretches the pectoral muscles at the front of the chest which become tight from having hands and arms constantly in front of the body.
Also note some people with shoulder problems (eg rotator cuff tears, bursitis) may not be able to do this one.
My elbows touch in front but I have thimble size mammaries. If you are more basketball than thimble, do the best you can.
WAVING AT THE CEILING
1) Stretch arms above head reaching for the ceiling.
2) Wave like crazy, alternating wrists.
BIG waves
Wave like you're leaving on a world cruise or even a little cruise on Lake Como and trying to get George's attention.
See!! Stretching can be easy and fun.
To help you remember your stretches. Give them fun names. Write them on sticky notes and stick on your computer. Or stick them by the kettle/coffee machine or fridge.
Change the notes daily so you don't get bored.
And if anyone knows George's phone number????
Does this sound familiar?
I will lose weight.
I will exercise more.
I will look after my body better.
I will write 2000 words every day.
I will get my novel published.
I will convince George Clooney to offer my husband a million bucks for a quick hour with me.
I will convince my husband that when George calls............Don't Say No!
BUT.. great ideas and good intentions are about as useful as teats on a bull without any specific achievable goals and a plan of action (or as useful as knowing where George lives but minus George's phone number).
So this january I am sweating it online at 'Writing and Goal Achieving Boot Camp', kick-starting the year with an injection of great ideas from Margie Lawson, psychologist, writer and motivator extroadinaire.
I did her online course 'Defeating Your Self Defeating Behaviours' in January 2009, a year I won a few comps, had requests for my kid's novel and started a Masters in Creative Writing. January 2010 I tried to wing it on my own and do a kind of partial Margie.
Guess what, 2010... some progress, but not as productive as 2009.
So Jan 2011 it's on with the boots and the khaki. Margie only runs her course online in January but you can purchase the lectures and download it any time of year from her website www.margielawson.com
In Lecture 4 she talks about the importance of stretching for a writer or computer user, a subject very dear to my little beating physio heart.
I will have a lot to say about stretching over the lifespan of this blog but here are 2 of my favorite sitting stretches to get you started. I like more active, ie moving stretches when sitting rather than passive 'held' stretches as the active variety are more energizing.
OPEN SESAME
1) Place fingers lightly behind neck
2) Bring elbows together as far as you can.
3) Open elbows wide. Feel stretch in front of chest.
4) Keep repeating action like opening and closing a gate. Repeat x 20.
5) Squawk or cluck like a chicken.
NB. This step is optional but makes me laugh and brings my dog running.
The Open Sesame stretches the pectoral muscles at the front of the chest which become tight from having hands and arms constantly in front of the body.
Also note some people with shoulder problems (eg rotator cuff tears, bursitis) may not be able to do this one.
My elbows touch in front but I have thimble size mammaries. If you are more basketball than thimble, do the best you can.
WAVING AT THE CEILING
1) Stretch arms above head reaching for the ceiling.
2) Wave like crazy, alternating wrists.
BIG waves
Wave like you're leaving on a world cruise or even a little cruise on Lake Como and trying to get George's attention.
See!! Stretching can be easy and fun.
To help you remember your stretches. Give them fun names. Write them on sticky notes and stick on your computer. Or stick them by the kettle/coffee machine or fridge.
Change the notes daily so you don't get bored.
And if anyone knows George's phone number????
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