PHYSICAL ACTIVITY VS. PHYSICAL EXERCISE

Every day we do physical activity such as moving around the house, walking to the car or picking up the kids. Modern life makes us sedentary and our movements repetitive, such as moving a computer mouse for hours at a time. Little by little, our everyday physical activity starts to affect our bodies, our backs curve, our tummy muscles don’t hold our organs in the right place, we have headaches, our energy runs low, our heart loses strength. Unfortunately, we can’t return to times past when our level of daily exercise alone kept us healthy and in shape. So, what to do?

“Exercise has to be the balance, the tool that complements repetitive everyday physical activity that helps us grow and age healthily. Any type of programme that you start, you should be conscientious about your everyday physical activity. Talk to your trainer. Think about what you do, your routine,” says Fabio Gomez, Director of Integrated Personal Training. A fitness professional can tell a lot about your life just by looking at your body. Just as a smile or worry wrinkles reflect how a person lives their life, your posture and figure say a lot about you. 

Bad habits affect your day to day physical activity. So even when we take a walk, as innocent as it may sound, moving incorrectly can develop into a bad habit and give us back problems. Lifting incorrectly and repetitive movements exacerbate these bad habits. 

One example is the ‘tummy prolapsed posture’ that occurs slowly over time due to changes in the natural pelvic organ support system. The human female spine, pelvis and pelvic organs develop in a very specific way as a result of intra-abdominal pressure or the expansion of our lungs by gravity. That anatomy is supported by the ways in which women sit, stand and move throughout the day. Modern life no longer encourages natural posture so the innate female pelvic organ support system often becomes compromised. 

So think again, look at yourself and seek advice. If you can improve the way you do daily things, you will feel and look much better. Create a variation of movements – don’t stay in the same position. If you pick up your kids, bend your legs – your back will be grateful for that small difference. 

And of course, remember to exercise. This will give you all that your posture and your body needs, among other positive results. This way, everyone has the chance to feel better and live life to the full – including you. http://www.integrated-training.co.uk/physical.html

5 Tips for a day sitting in the office

Did you know that the major cause of back pain is your chair? So if you spend all day sitting in an office chair, here are some tips for some welcome back relief:

 Hands

The mouse is a very harmful element to your hands, arms and neck. Starting with the right hand, gently extend the fingers back one by one. Then stretch them all back together. This helps to stretch open your palm. Repeat several times. Take your thumb back towards your wrist. Then bring it forwards, stretching gently and firmly. Never force it. Finish by making a fist and slowly opening it, stretching your fingers and thumb out as far as you can.

 Breaks

Try to take small breaks and walk. This simple tip can make a big difference. Sitting in the same position all day can cause a lack of circulation throughout your body and place your spine in a prolonged state of compression. Short breaks intermittently throughout the day will help to restore circulation and decompress your spine.

 Seated posture

Without using the back rest of your chair, sit with your feet flat on the floor and pointed straight ahead. Keep your chest up, your shoulders back and your palms facing forward. Take four deep breaths from your belly while concentrating on relaxing as you exhale.

 Take the stairs 

If there are stairs at work, go for them. Take a deep breath and up you go. You will start to see a difference if you use them regularly.

 Hanging

It can be difficult to find a place, but there are practical bars that you can put in your doors. Did you know that just one minute of hanging is equal to one hour's rest? Just hanging by both arms from a comfortable support is well within our abilities and provides a VERY strong and NATURAL stretch for our shoulders, spine and lumbar and lower thoracic discs.