What you have to do to be healthy - part 2 (please share)

Exercise
Exercise can lower your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, osteoporosis and depression by about 50%. It will be much easier to control your weight if you exercise regularly. Try to exercise for 30 to 60 minutes, 4 to 6 times a week, but remember that any amount of exercise is better than none. Combine cardiovascular activities (walking, hiking, bicycling) with strength activities (weight training, body ball workouts) and you can accelerate your gains (build muscle and burn fat).


Don’t sunbathe or use tanning booths
Sun exposure is linked to skin cancer, which is the most common type of cancer in the United States. Try to limit your sun exposure and wear protective clothing and hats when you are outside. Use sunscreen every day on all exposed skin (your face and hands). Choose a broad-spectrum sunscreen with at least SPF 15 and one that blocks both UVA and UVB light.

Our body does need vitamin D; when you are exposed to the ultraviolet B (UVB) rays in sunlight, you probably need from 5 to 30 minutes of exposure to the skin, twice every week, to meet your requirements. The time depends upon the season (less time in summer, more time in winter) and on your skin type.


Practice safe sex
Need I say more?



Visit your doctor
Most of us should visit our family doctor every year for a regular check-up. Talk to your doctor about your risk factors and what tests and exams are right for you. If you are a woman, check your breasts: breast cancer is the second most common cause of death for women. After age 40, you should have a yearly clinical exam and a mammogram. Get regular Pap smears: cancer of the cervix in women can be detected by regular Pap smears (at least every once 3 years; more if your family is prone to this disease).

Let's connect at info@gaiaadventures.com. Enjoy your workouts and let me know how you are doing.

Catherine D'Aoust at GAIA Adventures
http://www.gaiaadventures.com

What do you have to do to be healthy? please share with your clients

You know the answers instinctively, about what you have to do to be healthy. Life is fast and it is easy to get caught up in the “daily grind”. You arrive home after a hard day at the office and the only thing you can think about is “where is the remote”. You can make the biggest difference in how you feel and in your overall health. And you can begin today by taking these first steps.

Many of the major causes of debilitating diseases and death (cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung disease and injury) can be prevented in part by making healthy lifestyle choices.

Don’t smoke or use tobacco.
Smoking causes 440,000 deaths in the United States every year. Diseases (such as emphysema, mouth, throat and lung cancer and heart disease) are caused by tobacco use more than by anything else.

Limit how much alcohol you drink.
This means drink no more than 2 drinks a day for men and 1 drink a day for women. One drink is equal to 1 can of beer (12 ounces), a 4-ounce glass of wine or a 1ounce of liquor. Too much alcohol can damage the liver and contribute to some cancers, such as throat and liver cancer. Alcohol contributes to death from car wrecks, murders and suicides. Alcohol is also high in calories, can slow the metabolism and may lower your will power to say no to high fat/caloric foods.

Eat healthy.
It’s easy; eat more fruits and vegetables every day. By making healthier food choices, you can lower your cholesterol and lose weight. Try to avoid using too much sugar and salt; they can lead to weight gain and high blood pressure. Check out The Canada’s Food Guide for information on food basics: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/index-eng.php.


Lose weight if you’re overweight
According to the latest study by CTV news, 51% of Canadians are overweight. Carrying too much weight increases your risk for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cancer, gallbladder disease and arthritis in the weight-bearing joints (spine, hips or knees). A high-fiber, low fat diet and regular exercises can help you stay within your healthy weight range. What’s a healthy weight for you? Check out http://www.weightwatchers.ca/health/asm/calc_healthyweight_int.aspx.


To be continued.

Let's connect at info@gaiaadventures.com. Let me know how you rate with these conditions?

Catherine D'Aoust at GAIA Adventures
http://www.gaiaadventures.com
An invitation to love your life.

The Stability Ball was Created for Physical Therapy

The Stability ball, or Swiss ball has been used for neurodevelopment treatment and physical therapy for about 50 years. Practiced first in London (1967), Switzerland and Munich, Germany, such pioneers as Beate Carriere and Dr Suzanne Klein-Vogel Bach used the ball extensively with their patients.

Vogel Bach’s developed the concept of “functional kinetics”, based on observing, analysing and teaching human movement. She integrated the use of the ball in her classes of functional kinetics and then developed ball exercises, which were later copied and used in the United States.

My latest Stability Ball workshop presents exercises rarely seen that were first introduced by Beate Carriere (based on Vogel Bach’s work). We will also go over the “functional kinetics” principles and learn to treat: pelvis dysfunction, spinal conditions, postural cases, frozen shoulder and more.

Many of these exercises, now considered to be “old” are “new again” and work amazingly well. Let’s connect at info@gaiaadventures.com.

Catherine D’Aoust at GAIA Adventures
Go to http://www.gaiaadventures.com/bodyball.html for information.

Where is your core?

The word “core” refers to the area of your body between your diaphragm and your pelvic floor. It includes all the joints of the lumbar spine as well as those of the low thorax (chest) and the pelvis.

Although all muscles of the body are often involved in stabilization, some muscles are better situated to be able to control a joint’s movement; these muscles are called “core muscles” or the “inner unit”. Every joint has an inner unit; the shoulder’s being the rotator cuff.

The inner unit muscles of the lumbopelvic region are the transversus abdominus, the multifidus, the diaphragm, and the pelvic floor. These muscles have attachments to the spine or the pelvis, and are therefore better able to stabilize than, for example, the erector spinae or rectus abdominus. As Diane Lee says, “collectively, the inner unit forms a corset around the lumbar spine and pelvis, forming the “circle of integrity”.

Let's connect at info@gaiaadventures.com. Visit my website www.gaiaadventures.com to find out more about my body ball workshops.

Catherine D'Aoust at GAIA Adventures
http://www.gaiaadventures.com

Active Bent Leg Raise Test

When performing “core training” it is essential to establish whether or not your client is stable or not. Stabilization means being able to control the amount of movement about the joint during loading. Stabilization of the pelvic girdle takes place both at the pubic symphysis and at the sacroiliac joints.

The sacroiliac joint is a synovial joint, a trilayer structure between the ilium and the costal element of the sacrum. The pubic symphysis is a non-synovial joint, which contains a thick fribrocartilaginous disk between thin layers of hyaline cartilage. As we age the SIJ degenerates, smooth undulations appear along the margins of the joint and the bone begins to compact. The effect of degeneration on function is unknown.

The active bent leg raise test is an excellent test for stability. To gain information about both muscle recruitment and timing we test our client in the supine position, knees bent. Palpate the transverses abdominis deep in the abdomen approximately 2.5 cm (1 in.) medial to the ASIS. When the TA contracts, feel for an increase in tension (not bulging) at this point. When the internal oblique contracts, feel for a distinct bulging. With the other hand, palpate multifidus. Ask the patient to lift the foot off the ground, keeping the hip and knee flexed.

Note the ability to maintain a stable low back and pelvis girdle.

Let's connect at info@gaiaadventures.com. Try this test and let me know how it worked for you.

Catherine D'Aoust at GAIA Adventures
http://www.gaiaadventures.com
My next body ball workshop is on March 25, 26, 2011 in Vancouver.