Video Series on Improving Your Posture: Video #3

Welcome to Straighten Up Canada, a simple three-minute program designed to help you achieve better posture.

This program is designed to promote a healthy spine through better posture and is intended for healthy adults. If you experience difficulty performing any of these exercises, please stop and consult a chiropractor or other healthcare professional.

As you Straighten Up, here are a few tips to remember:

Calm your mind and put distracting thoughts aside.
Straighten up by standing tall, feet together and arms by your sides.
Remember to breathe calmly, deeply and slowly.
Move slowly and smoothly. Movements should not be jerky.

This video series can be found on the Canadian Chiropractic Association Website.

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Improving Your Golf Swing: The Basics

Many golfers find the toughest thing about golf is maintaining and perfecting a consistent swing.  Below are a few key tips to head you in the right direction.

Golf Basics:

Holding the club – Grip the club in your fingers and not in the palm of your hands with a firm grip. There are three common types of grips; the interlocking, the overlapping and the baseball grip. Find the one that works best for you.

Positioning – Your feet, hips and shoulders should be parallel to the golf ball and square to the target. The left shoulder needs to face the target, and the left foot should be directly under the left shoulder. Create a stance which is wide, solid, stable and balanced.

Square to the target – This popular golf term means facing the right direction when you are getting ready to swing the club. Your shoulders should point at the target, and your feet should line up squarely under your shoulders.

Keep your eyes on the ball – Keeping your eyes on the ball will ensure that you keep your head down during a swing. If you lift your head when swinging, you will lift your shoulders and either slice the ball or miss the ball completely.

Backswing – Begin the backswing with your hands, arms and shoulders moving together as you rotate your hips. Halfway through the back swing the club should be square to the target and your hips should be rotated half as much as your shoulders. Focus on great posture by tilting at your hips and not at your waist.

Downswing – Keep the same position on the downswing, as you used on the back swing, making sure that the club face is squarely set to hit the ball.  The lower body starts the movement first, while the upper body follows. Lead with your lower body on your downswing, with your knee and hip rotating your body into alignment for the downswing.  At impact, your left hip will continue rotation for the follow through.

The goal is to build a smooth, consistent and relaxed swing, to create a swing that works best for you.

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Video Series on Improving Your Posture: Video #2

Welcome to Straighten Up Canada, a simple three-minute program designed to help you achieve better posture.

This program is designed to promote a healthy spine through better posture and is intended for healthy adults. If you experience difficulty performing any of these exercises, please stop and consult a chiropractor or other healthcare professional.

As you Straighten Up, here are a few tips to remember:

Calm your mind and put distracting thoughts aside.
Straighten up by standing tall, feet together and arms by your sides.
Remember to breathe calmly, deeply and slowly.
Move slowly and smoothly. Movements should not be jerky.

This video series can be found on the Canadian Chiropractic Association Website.

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Golf Stretching Exercises

A golf stretching program will help to increase your range of motion and reduce the risk of an injury.

Before beginning any exercises program, make sure that you spend 5 to 10 minutes warming up, and keep in mind that stretching involves slow steady movements; holding each stretch for 15 to 20 seconds: remembering to breathe throughout the stretch.

Here are 7 stretches to improve your range of motion:

Shoulder & Chest Stretch

Standing with your feet hip-width apart, clasp your hands behind your back with straight arms, and raise your arms up as high as possible, bending forward from the waist and hold.

Shoulder Stretch

Place one arm straight across the chest, and place the opposite hand on the elbow and pull the arm towards your chest and hold. Repeat on the other side.

Triceps Stretch

Standing in a relaxed position with your back straight, raise your left arm straight overhead, bending your elbow so that your left hand is on the middle of your upper back with your elbow pointing up to the sky. Place your other hand on elbow and gently pull towards your head until you feel a stretch in your left triceps Hold and repeat with your other arm.

Low Back Stretch

Lie on your back with your one knee drawn up towards your chest. Then slowly bring that bent leg across the body until a stretch is felt in the lower back and hip area; keeping your shoulders squarely on the floor at all times. Your other leg should be bent so that your knees are aligned.

Hamstring Stretch

Sitting in an upright position, tuck your foot near your groin with the opposite leg out straight. Then bending from the hips and keeping your low back straight, reach down until a stretch is felt in the back of the thigh.

Standing Quad Stretch

Standing with your feet hip-width apart, pull your abdominal muscles in, relax your shoulders, and hold onto a chair or to the wall for balance. Then bend your left leg, bringing your heel behind you (toward your butt), and grasp your left foot with your right hand. Pull your foot up until you feel a stretch on the front of your thigh. Switch legs and repeat the stretch.

Wrist Stretch

Standing with your right arm extended straight out, pull back your fingers with the opposite hand until you feel a stretch in your forearm.  Hold and repeat with your other arm.

Remember to stop the stretch immediately if you feel any pain or if tightness increases as you stretch, and talk to your healthcare practitioner.

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Video Series on Improving Your Posture: Video #1

Welcome to Straighten Up Canada, a simple three-minute program designed to help you achieve better posture.

This program is designed to promote a healthy spine through better posture and is intended for healthy adults. If you experience difficulty performing any of these exercises, please stop and consult a chiropractor or other healthcare professional.

As you Straighten Up, here are a few tips to remember:

  1. Calm your mind and put distracting thoughts aside.
  2. Straighten up by standing tall, feet together and arms by your sides.
  3. Remember to breathe calmly, deeply and slowly.
  4. Move slowly and smoothly. Movements should not be jerky.

This video series can be found on the Canadian Chiropractic Association Website.

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Shoe Insoles: Cushioned or Supportive

Orthotics Victoria BC

The first step when wearing orthotics (shoe insoles) starts when you shop for shoes. In order to take care of your feet, you need select a shoe, runner, or boot with a great fit and is specific to your chosen activity.

The next step is to determine if the insole (sock liner) that comes with your new shoe will be adequate for your gait, or if you need to replace it with a specific type of purchase a new insole.

What is a sock liner?

A sock liner is the removable orthotic or insole that sits between the foot and sole of most shoes. Though sock liners can vary in thickness and comfort, the primary function is to prevent the foot from rubbing against any stitching or materials that are used in the making of the shoe. Most sock liners that come in a new pair of shoes provide little support or cushioning.

There are two main types of shoe insoles:  cushioned – which will mold to our foot bed and supportive – which are functional.  In order to provide cushioning, the insole need to be flexible, and soft. In order to provide support, the  insole must be firm, and provide structure under the load of our body weight. (Materials can make a big impact on the size and weight of a support insole).

The need for additional support is the major reason to consider an insole. Most people need a more rigid arch support that can help hold the foot in an upright and stable position. Wearing a supportive insole can help control motion, relieve strain, and stabilize a foot that might have arch or heel pain.

Cushioned inserts are designed for people who want to reduce shock. Metatarsal pads for instance, are simply cushioned pads that fit behind the ball of your foot, distributing weight which  offloads and reduces pressure under the troublesome spot.

Foot conditions that can be helped by wearing an insole:

  • Achilles Tendonitis
  • Arch Pain
  • Bunions
  • Diabetic/Arthritic Foot
  • Flat Feet
  • Heel Spur
  • Over Pronation
  • Plantar Fasciltis
  • Shin Splints
  • Under Pronation

If your foot pain or discomfort continues or becomes worse , please talk to your healthcare practitioner to see if something more serious is going on.

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Running Gait Analysis Can Help Get The Best Fit From Your Shoes

Running shoes are designed for different foot shapes; designed for different running patterns; and running on different terrain; so a running gait analysis can help get the best fit from your running shoes.

How you run and how often you run can make a big difference in the type of footwear that you buy.  There are eight basic types of runs.

  • A recovery run is a relatively short run performed at an easy pace.
  • A base run is a relatively short to moderate-length run undertaken at a runner’s natural pace.
  • A long run is a base run that lasts long enough to leave a runner fatigued. The function of a long run is to increase raw endurance.
  • A progression run is a run that begins at a runner’s natural pace and ends with a faster segment at the end of the run.
  • A fartlek workout is a base run that mixes in intervals of varying duration or distance.
  • Hill repeats are repeated short segments of fast uphill running.
  • A tempo run is a sustained effort at a threshold intensity, which is the fastest pace that can be sustained for a period of time.
  • Interval runs consist of repeated shorter segments of fast running separated by slow jogging or standing recoveries.

When buying running shoes: keep these tips in mind:

The time of day you shop is a factor.  Feet swell as you use them and that’s especially important to remember when buying running shoes.  Try them on at the end of the day so you have a better idea of how they’ll feel after a run.  Even then remember to leave about a finger width of space between the end of your longest toe and the end of the shoe – your feet can swell even more on a run , and you don’t want bruised toes and black toenails.

Remember to take your orthotics with you and make sure you try them out in the shoes before you purchase them. ( Remember, orthotics need to be replaced every two years)

At Diversified Health our practitioners use a gait scan to help assess your foot concerns.  As you move across a pressure plate, thousands of tiny sensors capture the distribution of pressure of your foot and the computer displays 2D and 3D visual representations of the pressure under your foot.  These findings help the practitioners to evaluate your foot function.

Please contact the clinic if you have questions about what type of running shoes would be beneficial for your fitness level and remember that a running gait analysis can help get the best fit from your running shoes.

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Walking or Running…Which is better for you?

Both walking, and running require energy to move our bodies over a given distance.  Walking can provide many of the same health benefits associated with running, however, running will produce the fastest physiological changes.

Which is better walking or running for fitness and health?

  • We need to walk more frequently and twice the distance in order to get the effects of running
  • Running is a constant challenge to the body and running burns about 2.5 times more calories than walking

 

The mechanics of walking and running

Joint impact, muscles, and type of stride used are different for walking than for running. The different strides engaged when running and walking affect the power efficiency, maximum speed and impact level.

Knee angle

Your knees are bent more during a running stride than they are during a walking stride. This increases the force exerted on the ground during running in comparison to the force exerted during walking.

Maximum speed

An average walking speed is about 5 kilometers per hour, verses an average running speed of 8.5 kilometers per hour.

Ground contact

The difference between running and walking strides is the length of time each foot is in contact with the ground. When walking, at least one of your feet will be in contact with the ground at any given time. When running, there is a period of time during each stride in which neither of your feet is in contact with the ground.

The impact to the body when running is much higher than walking; because the foot to surface impact ratio for running is three to four times your body weight compared to about one times your body weight for walking.

Energy

The different strides used for walking and running affect the energy used in executing each type of stride at different speeds.

Injury

One of the big differences between running and walking is there is a greater risk of injury in running. Running is considered a high impact exercise, because it can cause injury to the hips, knees and ankle joints. Walking is a low impact activity and is much less damaging to the joints.

Walking and running are low-cost, year-round activities; so whether you choose walking, or running, staying active is part of a healthy lifestyle. Both walking and running will help promote weight loss, improve your sleep, elevate your mood, improves circulation, improves muscle tone, boost your energy level, decrease blood pressure and cholesterol levels and decrease the risk heart disease.

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All Sunglasses Are Not Created Equal

All Sunglasses Are Not Created EqualThe sun produces many different kinds of light, and the most likely to injure your eyes are ultraviolet,  called “UV rays“.   When eyes are overexposed to ultraviolet radiation, the front portion of the eyes may become damaged.

When your eyes absorb light, the process creates heat or chemical reactions in the eye tissue. These reactions can cause permanent damage if the eye’s natural ability to heal itself is overwhelmed.  Properly chosen sunglasses will protect your eyes against damage from UV rays.

Make sure your lenses are dark enough to keep your eyes comfortable, and  that you wear your sunglasses every time you go outside. Just like wearing sun screen, a hat and staying hydrated, wearing your sunglasses should be part of your sun healthy lifestyle.

You can’t tell how much UV protection a pair of sunglasses will provide by their price, colour, or the darkness of the lenses. Instead, look for a label that lists the type and amount of protection.

Different lens tints filter out different wavelengths of light, so choose your tint based on need:

• Green—Allows true color perception and good contrast in bright light; reduces eyestrain in bright light.

• Gray—Allows true color perception, but does not enhance contrast; good for cycling or running.

• Brown—Good in hazy sun, enhances contrast; good for high-glare environments.

• Amber—Brightens cloudy, hazy, or foggy skies; excellent for contrast; minimizes eyestrain; dis­torts color (images look yellow-orange).

• Yellow—Improves contrast and depth perception in low light; good for overcast days.

• Red—Excellent depth perception in low light; contrast objects against blue or green back­grounds.

• Mirrored—Reflects high-intensity light to reduce glare; available in various colors.

When purchasing sunglasses, make sure you read the label.  You want to look for 99 or 100 percent UV pro­tection, and sunglasses that are close fitting to the face to pre­vent UV rays from filtering in.

Don’t be misguided by price: higher priced sunglasses usually reflect fashion, and not UV protection. Remember that dark-colored sunglasses don’t nec­essarily provide better protection because the chemical coating applied to the lens responsible for UV protection is clear.

Protect your eyes whenever you go outside, no matter how briefly.

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Registered Massage Therapist | Opportunity in Victoria BC

Diversified Health is actively recruiting to add an additional Registered Massage Therapist to join our team of health care practitioners.

Our multi-disciplinary clinic is located in the heart of downtown Victoria, in the iconic Mosaic Building at 1063 Fort Street.

Diversified Health Clinic provides all reception services, patient billing, and inclusion in our advertising, marketing, and website.  All practitioner supplies for the room will be provided by the clinic, including linens, oils, and massage tables.

Compensation:  competitive, percentage based contract.

Please submit your resume either in person to our offices at 1063 Fort Street or via email to lsteel@diversifiedhealth.ca attention to the Clinic Manager.

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