Lifestyle snippets
Lifestyle Month
Its lifestyle month here at Body and Spine Solutions and our Indian Summer continues! I don’t know about you but I have been making the most of the weather and getting active outside. The mornings have been nearly perfect for morning exercise with temperatures being well above the zero degrees we might be expecting this time of year.
Skin Checks
How long has it been since you’ve had a skin check? These are vital if you are an outdoors person be it work or play
As a therapist with a hands on approach we observe a lot of musculoskeletal conditions. We also see the occasional skin condition: psoriasis; dermatitis; and unfortunately skin cancer and pre-cancer. As I have no expertise in conditions of the skin I don’t assess and treat these. If there are any areas which I believe are abnormal I'd refer to a GP specialising in skin conditions (dermatologists require formal referral from a GP).
Skin check frequencies depend upon your age, skin type, family history and other factors. Your GP will advise you when you need to make another appointment. Book now
Hydration
Most of us saw the disturbing pictures of Scottish Runner Callum Hawkins suffering heat exhaustion in the final stages of the Commonwealth Games Marathon. My feel on the topic is he miscalculated the effect the conditions would have on his race strategy and didn’t adjust accordingly, but that’s another topic. The real topic is hydration. The most common thing we hear about hydration is we need to drink about 2 litres per day. Probably a good benchmark although debated by many health professionals. However if you’re like me, you may not like pure water!
So here’s a couple of tips
1. Try adding some of your favourite fruit to some water. It may just give it that zing!
2. Electrolyte tablets. There are many flavours out there and they taste a lot better than they used to. Mix, match and enjoy.
3. Have a drink bottle within reach of your desk or workspace. This will increase the likelihood of drinking more.
Some Lifestyle Motivation - London Marathon 2018
The mens marathon in London this weekend is shaping up to be the race of the year. 2016 Rio Olympics Gold Medallist Eliud Kipchoge will face off against 2nd fastest marathoner of all time and current 5km and 10km world record holder Kenisia Bekele.
Throw in the mix Mo Farah who is the London and Rio Olympics 5km and 10km winner and it is sure to be the most contested race of the year so far.
If conditions are good and the athletes feel good, the world record will go. My feel is Kipchoge will win as he set his PB over this course at 3 secs slower than Bekele’s, with London recognised as a slower course than Berlin . However, Bekele can finish ridiculously quick over the last couple of kms (around 2:47 per km or 16 secs per 100m for each of the last 2kms in Berlin 2016), and Farah has biggest kick if they are all locked together with 500m to go. If these guys are together at 35km anything could happen! This should be the race of the year and Ill be having a late one on Sunday night watching this one.
Myofascial Cupping – What is it?
Myo cupping is a treatment technique used to mobilise tissues where direct pressure or invasive techniques such as needling is either not effective or contraindicated. The cup works by firstly pinning tissues down with the rim and the vacuum lifting the tissues away from their resting place, resulting in a stretch of the tissues. The cups can be used in a stationery position or can be moved on the skin. It’s a great technique to use with areas that are sensitive to pressure or increasing movement in regions of the body that are restricted in many areas.
Cheers
Ian
