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Words of Wellness

Fitness Training for Golfers

A typical ageing adult will lose around 30% of their muscle mass and maximal strength between the age of 40 to 70. As significant as these changes could be, it is important to recognise that they can be minimised through functional strength and power training exercises.

Alongside flexibility training to increase range of movement, it is feasible - at any age - to improve strength and overall fitness.

Say Yes to yin

Yin yoga works on the connective tissues. Connective tissue responds best to a slow, steady load which is why we hold the poses for longer. If you gently stretch connective tissue by holding a yin pose for a long time in this way, the body will respond by making it a little longer and stronger - which is exactly what you want. Remember, the principle of exercise is to stress the tissue so the body will respond by strengthening it.

Different Yin yoga poses stimulate and remove blockages in the myofascial meridians in the body. This has the effect of balancing the body’s internal organs and systems.

Becoming still in a pose and staying for a while allows for space for anything that wants to come up. Anxiety, happiness sadness, boredom, for example. Anything you suppress with all the on-the-go busyness in your life. Yin yoga gives you the time and space to allow those feelings to be there. Emotions, thoughts, feelings you may have been repressing.

This way you clear the mind of these often unconscious emotions, and you give your system an opportunity to work through the blockages they have caused in the body.

Why you need FOAm rolling in your life 

Foam rollers are incredible tools that assist self-myofascial release. SMR is a technical term for releasing tight muscles, connective tissue and trigger points (sensitive points on muscles) with self-massage.
Using a foam roller to apply pressure to these areas often helps relieve tight and sore muscles and release tension in other areas of the body, as well as aid in injury prevention and scope for greater muscle building. 

To Roll properly, target those tight muscles like glutes, calves, quads, hamstrings and thoracic spine. This will help increase blood flow and warm up the muscles.
If you notice a particularly tight spot, you can roll over the area again with shorter strokes to release the tension.
 

Breathe deeply and allow your heart rate to come down. It’s important that you feel relaxed and aren’t contracting the muscles you’re trying to relieve. As you roll, relax into each trigger point. Combine long slow movements with shorter ones over pesky knots and trigger points.
 

Here are some more foam rolling must-knows:

  • Use your bodyweight: Lean into the foam roller to regulate how much or how little pressure is applied to each area being rolled out.

  • Choose the right muscles: Focus on the muscles you worked out or will engage during exercise. Spend at least 2 minutes on each muscle group.

Treat tender spots with care: For each muscle group, apply pressure to tender areas for a short amount of time (20 seconds should do). This allows the affected area – likely a knot – to release. If you hold on a tender spot for a longer period of time, you run the risk of bruising the muscles or aggravating a nerve.

 

Bring balance to your fitness

Are you an exercise addict? Or perhaps a tad lazy? If you’re confused about what balanced fitness means, then you’re not alone.

Fitness fads can be confusing. One moment running is the key to fitness and the next we are being told Power Yoga is now the new solution.

 

To prevent any more yo-yoing from one fitness fad to the next we are clarifying how to achieve balance in fitness to strengthen, stretch, challenge and restore. There is no miracle solution to achieve optimal fitness, but instead, a balanced approach with a variety of movement will get you to your goals.

 

 

1. Moderate cardio/endurance/aerobic exercise.

Slow-paced jogging, biking, walking, swimming, etc is an important element of fitness but also important to not over do it. Too much cardio can actually wear out the body, increase inflammation, burn muscle and cause weight gain in the long run.
A few hours of slow cardio a week is sufficient for most people, always mixing it up for variety!

Posture Perfect

How many hours a day do you spend sitting? Or checking your phone?
It’s a question you might have avoiding as you probably know that it is taking a toll on your posture.

Did you realise that for every inch of forward head movement, the weight bearing from your head can increase by more than 4kg?

Slouching is something we are all guilty of and the strain it puts on our spine can be hugely detrimental.  How can you avoid getting stuck in slouching situations or fixed at a desk or staring at a screen?

Here are some tips that you might be able to apply to your everyday life.


   

YOGA or Pilates?
 

Both pilates and yoga are incredible practices and have numerous benefits. 
Deciding on which one will serve you best will depend on your goals:

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Why should we meditate?

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There is a recent buzz around the idea of meditation and being mindful. Yet when you sit down to be still even for a minute  this 'buzz' just feels completely elusive and made up. Like something they tell kids at school so they sit still.
Well it is not made up, there is scientific proof that meditation positively changes your brain. Check it out here:

How to be Green over the Xmas Period

It’s already the time of year when we start to stress over what to buy for our loved ones for Christmas. I remember peeking into my stocking on Christmas morning to find a bunch of mandarins, peanuts, and sweet little trinkets that, to be honest, I never touched again after Boxing Day. It is a time of year when consumerism is at its peak and sustainable behaviour is at its low.

The term sustainable consumerism seems to be a bit of an antonym within our societal context. Can we really consume sustainably with 8 billion people on this planet? I’m not going to bore you about all the horrifying environmental facts and when the next doomsday is. If you take a glance at the news every now and then, you will have had enough information to make you want to sail to a deserted island, away from all the talk about melting ice caps, drowning polar bears and deforestation.
 

*The BAD news is that the tropical deserted island will probably be submerged by sea level rise soon enough… BUT

*The GOOD news is that you can make a positive environmental difference 

Pro Athletes swear by it-
Yoga

 Fitness with Emma   

 

“Change your thoughts and you change your world”

 

see next page for how Emma is going to help you achieve your goals

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