Try our fun quick health check and see how you fair Remain standing: Can you balance for 20 seconds on one leg without holding on to anything? Try this on each leg. Can you touch your fingertips together behind your back (one arm from above, one arm from below)? Turn your head as far as comfortable to each side, but … Read More
Top Five tips to manage your Asthma
Asthma is a lung condition where the muscles in the airways of a person’s lungs narrow in response to certain triggers. It can occur in people of all ages and can be a scary experience. People with asthma can have a variety of symptoms, for example, breathlessness, wheezing, cough and/or a tight feeling in the chest. The good news is … Read More
“Oh no! My back’s just gone!”
You may have experienced this before: bending over to pick something somewhat trivial off the floor when suddenly you experience the most excruciating pain in your lower back and you are unable to straighten up again. It’s a horrible feeling and it is understandable that you think that you might now have back pain for the rest of your life. … Read More
Hypermobility
Can you place your hands flat on the floor with knees straight? Do you have “double-jointed” thumbs? Have you ever had a “party trick” in which you could contort your body into strange positions or do the splits? If you answered yes to any of these, you may have hypermobility syndrome. Hypermobility is when the structures supporting your joints – … Read More
Ageing Well
It is easy to assume that the changes you notice in your body as you get older are all due to ageing. Wrinkles, greying hair, changes in eye sight, stiffness in the body that wasn’t there before, and a decrease in strength can all make it seem like it’s all doom and gloom. Even from the age of 30 we … Read More
Cycling tips to keep you happy in the saddle
Spring is in the air and that means 2 things, better weather and longer days. For those of us who like to get out in the great outdoors and move our bodies, it might be a good time to dust off the bike in the shed. Cycling is an excellent means of aerobic exercise, plus it’s a fun and social … Read More
Pregnancy and Exercise
Pregnancy is a physically demanding time. Regular exercise is an important way to help your body cope with the increasing demands placed on your joints, muscles, heart and lungs. There are many other benefits to exercising whilst pregnant also including: reduced leg cramps and swelling. reduced/improved symptoms of constipation. improved sleep patterns. reduced anxiety. reduced pain perception. However, there are … Read More
One week until The City to Bay
Five last-minute tips to get you to the finish line (and the start line) at The City to Bay: Work out what you are going to wear During the last week of training test out the exact clothes, socks and shoes that you plan to wear for the event a few times before Sunday the 16th September. Not only to … Read More
Pre Pointe Assessment for Dancers
Looking at starting pointe work soon or in the future? Pre pointe assessments are an important component of the journey to pointe work. Ballet is one of the most rigorous forms of dance, largely because dancers are required to support all of their body weight on the tips of their toes in a fully ‘plantar flexed’ (extended) position. Dancers who progress … Read More