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Standing is something a lot of us take for granted – but did you know that we use an estimated 300 muscles just to stay standing upright?

As well as the muscles in our legs working hard, our back, core and hip muscles are also working to stabilise us and help us maintain our balance.

This is why it’s so important to keep our muscles exercised. When we spend too long in a seated position some of our core muscles become weak – leading to a ‘hunched’ posture.

If you’re an office worker take the time to stand up and walk about – at least once an hour. Instead of spending your lunch break at your desk, try to get up and move about a bit. Going for a short walk will also increase productivity levels as exercise helps increase our blood circulation, delivering extra oxygen to our brain.

Another great way to keep yourself challenged when standing is to add in some simple balance exercises. Just standing on one leg for up to 45 seconds might be enough. (As we get older this time might decrease but it’s good to still practice your balance). Your body is constantly making tiny adjustments to keep you balanced.

This is all going to help to maintain our ability for as long as possible to do tasks (like standing up) that we might otherwise take for granted.

Zoe

Have you ever felt a twinge in your ankle, then later had a pain in your hip?

Perhaps you’ve had a tight neck, then a headache a few days later.

It’s no surprise when you think that everything in our body is connected.

From how we stand, sit or move – even the tiniest imbalance can manifest itself in another part of the body.

Most of the time we can compensate for this as the body adapts and adjusts its movements.

But if we continue with improper movements or poor posture, over time it can turn into a bigger problem and spark injuries.

Think about sitting slumped at a desk all day. Strain is put on the spine and the back muscles can become weakened. Other muscle groups compensate – our chest muscles become tightened and we may feel aches and pains elsewhere – particularly in the neck and shoulders.

Having a massage can be a great way to help alleviate tension in tight muscles and as a trained sports massage therapist and personal trainer, I give my clients personalised advice, exercises and stretches to help strengthen and correct imbalances.

Learning how to carry out exercises safely and correctly is also key in keeping the body as strong and mobile as possible. Again, this is something we offer here at Wellness Lincs.

Zoe

As we are rapidly moving our way through the year and heading into spring, it’s important to take stock and reflect on the progress that we’ve made with our new year resolutions or targets that we may have set ourselves.

You may have had a couple of setbacks or things that haven’t gone as well as you’d hoped but that’s human and it’s important to focus on what you HAVE achieved.

A great way to keep on track is having a reset and set yourself a challenge. There are so many different challenges that you can access, whether these are organised events or a personal challenge that you want to set for yourself.

That might be completing a virtual walking challenge, doing a certain amount of steps a day, eating 5 portions of fruit and vegetables each day or reducing the amount of sweet food consumed during Lent.

A great challenge we completed in the past was walking the hilly Hadrian’s Wall path (84 miles) over six days. We progressively built towards the challenge with our training by walking an extra mile each time we went out. Also, the challenge was set with a deadline. We knew that we had booked a date to complete the challenge so it gave us a focus to work towards.

Whatever your challenge is, make sure that it will motivate you to commit towards completing it and it has a clear focus that is manageable with your lifestyle. If you need support with your goals through fitness programmes or dietary advice, get in touch with us for extra support.

Holly

This is a question that comes up a lot and the answer is – both! BUT it is a different type of stretching we need to do.

The purpose of stretching before exercise is to help prevent injury by lengthening the muscles and tendons, to help increase our range of movement.

This type of stretching is done in the form of ‘dynamic movements’ – so movements performed such as hip lifts, ankle circles, shoulder rolls, overhead presses (pushing our arms up to the ceiling) etc. Here we are warming up the muscles ready for a workout.

After exercise stretching is done to aid the repair and recovery of the muscles and tendons, helping to prevent tight muscles and delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) that can come after strenuous exercise.

This is where we hold our stretches to gently lengthen the muscles, easing into the stretch. This is what we call ‘static stretches’. These should never be done when the muscles are ‘cold’ so always do these stretches after movement.

When you stretch at the end of your workout, as well as cooling down first, this will help to rid waste products from the muscles, prevent blood pooling and promote the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the muscles.

Stretching should never hurt!

Whether stretching before or after exercise, never take a stretch to the point where it feels painful. Stretching should be relaxing and stretch only to the point of tension, not past that. Overstretching could cause injury.

How long should I stretch?

Research shows that the optimum time to hold each stretch for is 30 seconds. However, stretches can be held for 60 secs and more if it is comfortable. For a lot of people, 30 seconds is a lot to start with so I normally advise to start off with 10-15 seconds and slowly build it up as your flexibility improves.

While static stretching is done after exercise rather than before, it is okay to do static stretching throughout the day. For instance, if you are working at a computer and your shoulders feel tight. But remember your muscles should be warm – so I don’t advise doing static stretches as soon as you wake up!

Most of all, make stretching a habit and enjoy!

• There are forms of exercise that incorporate the body being in a relaxed fluid state throughout such as Yoga and Tai Chi. Here, as we are constantly keeping the body in a soft, relaxed state during the exercise, we do not need to perform static stretches afterwards. If we are running, or lifting weights etc where we are contracting and relaxing the muscles throughout, this is where static stretching afterwards is beneficial and necessary.

Zoe

Massage, as well as helping relax tense muscle tissue, also works on the lymphatic and blood circulation systems.

While having a massage is often seen as a pampering experience it is important for your therapist to ask questions about any health conditions you may have and medication you are taking.

This can have a significant impact on the pressure and techniques used. If you have high blood pressure, for example, you do not want to be having a deep, vigorous massage. This is because it can put extra strain on the blood vessels and heart. Instead, slow strokes with less pressure will be more appropriate.

Should I have a massage when I have a cold?

Definitely not. Massage stimulates the lymphatic system – which, when you’re feeling well, can be beneficial in helping improve lymph flow and removing metabolic waste from the body.

However, if you have inflammation in the body, your lymph nodes may already be swollen and under pressure so we don’t want to add to that. Having a massage when you feel unwell can actually make you feel worse and take you longer to recover. You also don’t want to pass a cold on to your therapist.

What is exactly is the lymphatic system?

The lymphatic system is very important. It supports the body by:

• Fighting infection
• Balancing fluid in the body to prevent tissue swelling
• Aiding fat absorption during digestion
• Helping fluid circulation
• Removing waste products, bacteria and damaged cells. The liver and kidneys will then remove these waste products from the blood. The body gets rid of this waste when you go to the toilet
• Returning extra fluid to the blood system (which is why you may feel thirsty after having a massage. Drinking water will help to replace these fluids)

Have you ever found your stomach rumbles while having a massage?

This can be down to the effect of both the body relaxing and as blood flow increases to the digestive organs.

So when you’re feeling well, massage can be really helpful in supporting the role of the lymphatic and blood circulatory systems. In sports massage, muscle tissue repair is aided as the therapist works to help flush out toxins from the injured area, and stimulate blood flow to help the tissue heal.

A qualified massage therapist, like myself at Wellness Lincs, will also hold qualifications in anatomy and physiology, which is so important to help provide the best care and treatment to our clients.

Zoe

More and more people are beginning to learn the benefits of Tai Chi and Qigong.

Rooted in martial arts from China, it is slowed down into gentle flowing movements to help improve our breathing, circulation, spatial awareness, strength and balance. It is beautiful and soothing to watch and practice.

What’s more, both disciplines of this low impact exercise are accessible to pretty much anybody and can be adapted to be done both standing and seated.

While Qigong can be easier to learn, it builds up a great foundation to learn the Tai Chi form, which includes more intricate movements – and practice makes perfect!

As we learn, repeat and follow the movements, we get our brain and body working and it all helps with coordination too.

Extensive research has been carried out into the beneficial effects of Tai Chi for cancer patients, Parkinson’s Disease, fibromyalgia, cardiac conditions, COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) and more.

It has also been used for around 20 years in UK hospitals for cardiac rehabilitation.

We are pleased to be able to offer beginners’ Tai Chi classes with Qigong in both the Sleaford area and Coningsby and can also provide 1 to 1 sessions in person or online. Do contact us to find out more or click here.

Sleep is so important to our overall health and ability to function during the day. But 1 in 5 of us in the UK are said to not be getting enough sleep.

My sleep has been disrupted with the onset of perimenopause. (See my previous blog for more about my experience with perimenopause).

So I asked my colleague Holly, who has just completed training as a sleep consultant, for her top tips on sleeping better.

She explains: “Creating a regular sleep pattern is really important. Go to bed at the same time if possible during the week and the weekend.

“Begin reducing the lighting in your room as you begin to prepare for sleep. Dimmer lights or using a lamp rather than the main lights can help set the mood for sleep.

“Remove the blue light sources which are common from electrical devices such as mobile phones, computers and TVs. Blue light makes your body think it is daytime so it is hard to sleep.

“Try not to consume caffeine at least 3 hours before sleep as this can raise adrenaline levels, keeping you alert.

“Avoid napping or lay-ins to regain ‘lost sleep’. You may think they are helping you get back lost sleep but they actually make it harder to sleep because you are disrupting your normal sleep cycle.”

Zoe

Like many of us, a lot changed in the first lockdown. I’ve always found myself sleeping very well and never having trouble getting to sleep but in 2020 I started struggling to get to sleep.

I didn’t have anything on my mind as such but I just couldn’t seem to drop off. I put it down to lockdown and the changes in my routine.

Then last year I started getting very bad headaches for about three days at a time, once a month. I’ve never normally suffered with hormonal headaches but these were quite intense. I also had some days of a ‘fuzzy head’ feeling and some days where I had absolutely no energy at all – very unlike my usual self.

Having hit my 40s, the menopause wasn’t something I was thinking about.

But it’s clear I’m definitely in the perimenopause stage.

To help myself and to help me support others I’m currently studying menopause wellness.

When can perimenopause/menopause start?

While the average age to hit menopause is 51, it can affect 95% of women or anyone with an ovarian system between the ages of 44-56. Menopause is said to be in effect exactly one year after you had your last period.

Perimenopause can begin as early as mid-30s or as late as our mid-50s and you may notice your periods beginning to slow down, change frequency or become heavier or lighter.

What happens to our hormones during this stage?

As we approach menopause age our progesterone levels steadily decline over time while our oestrogen levels go up and down over time.

As progesterone is also a sleep-inducing hormone, this explains why my sleep became disturbed. I have managed to help myself get to sleep by using a lavender balm 30 mins before I sleep and also find the Dr Bach Rescue Night drops help during those times I struggle to get to sleep. I am not advertising these products, just explaining what I have found that has helped me.

I have also found taking Evening Primrose Oil has helped with my headaches and ‘fuzzy head’ but be aware that this cannot be taken with some medications. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before taking any supplements. The use of Evening Primrose Oil over a long period of time has also not been tested.

Our hormones are powerful things – for both men and women – and when the levels change it can cause all types of disruption in the body. In fact, there are over 200 different hormones, or hormone-like substances that help us function. There are also 34 common and recognised symptoms of the menopause.

Hormone testing is generally thought to be ineffective to test for perimenopause during the perimenopause phase as hormone levels are constantly changing throughout the menstrual cycle. The same goes for saliva testing. However, hormone testing is sometimes done to check specific hormone levels.

If there is anything you are concerned about during this stage, always seek medical advice. It’s also useful to keep a record of your symptoms and monitor the times of the month you experience different symptoms.

You can join my FREE Menopause and Perimenopause Sleaford Support Group on Facebook here.

Zoe

For more support visit: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/menopause/

https://www.menopauseandme.co.uk/en-gb

https://www.menopausematters.co.uk/

You know that feeling when you get sore, aching shoulders and you might ask a partner or friend to rub or massage them?

Chances are they’ll hit a sensitive spot that feels very tender. If that point makes you feel a bit ‘ouchy’ or jumpy – or even tickles, they’ve probably hit a trigger point.

Trigger points are hypersensitive spots in a taut band of muscle. They’re often actually found away from the real problem area and can present themselves as more of a referred pain.

An experienced massage therapist can use specific techniques to treat trigger points, relieving tight muscles and helping to improve joint mobility. By applying direct, gradual pressure to the trigger point and then releasing the pressure, fresh oxygenated blood is allowed to flow through to the area, helping to flush out toxins.

This improves circulation to the tissues, helping to relieve pain and tenderness.

Trigger point therapy is just one of many techniques Zoe uses here at Wellness Lincs in her massage therapy. For more information about our services or to get in touch with any questions, please contact us here.