ITB STRETCH TIP

As I prepare for the Gold Coast half marathon July 1st, my awareness is on injury prevention.

The iliotibial band is a thick band of connective tissue which runs down the side of the leg, from the pelvis to just below the outside of the knee. Part of it attaches to the kneecap and it plays a major role in stabilising the knee during walking, running, hiking, cycling, or any activities on one leg.

The IT band often gets tight causing a painful friction/compression syndrome at the knee, and may also contribute to hip and low back pain.

TIP: Rather than rolling over it (this can feel like torture!), you can try sustained pressure about 5cm above the knee for one minute, putting as much weight as you can handle while breathing into the discomfort. Repeat up on the side of the hip for a better release.

Find out more about how to manage & prevent lower limb injuries 📲0457162828.

Let your Physiology affect your Psychology

Let your PHYSIOLOGY affect your PSYCHOLOGY.
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When you're feeling a bit off, try doing something PHYSICAL to get out of the funk. Maybe it's just stopping to take 3 slow deep breaths. Maybe going for a 5 minute walk out of the environment you're in. Try going to the gym, for a run, do yoga, have a little DANCE. Or even just changing your posture to stand tall & proud, and SMILE.
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You see, your body doesn't know the difference. If you make a positive physical change, the happy biochemistry will follow. {Plus, fake smiles tend to make you laugh at yourself!}
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This also works wonders for pain! When you understand how to best MOVE to manage your particular injury, the pain biochemistry changes. I'm here to help.

Magnesium - The Relaxation Mineral

Magnesium is commonly known to help with muscle spasm and cramping. This is because a magnesium deficiency can cause lactic acid to build up in the muscles causing pain and stiffness. But there are many more incredible health benefits associated with magnesium supplementation. It is a critical mineral responsible for over 300 enzyme reactions in all body tissues, but mainly in our muscle, bone, and brain.

What are some of the signs & symptoms of a deficiency? 

Muscle cramps and twitching, joint pain, anxiety, headaches, migraines, insomnia, chronic fatigue, asthma, allergies, high blood pressure, PMS, irritability

Why would I be deficient?

Magnesium deficiency has become a worldwide phenomenon, with around 70% of the population not meeting the recommended standards. The main reason for this, unfortunately, is that even if we are eating a healthy diet, our foods are losing their nutritional value due to modern agricultural methods and food processing (soils & foods are less nutrient dense). Sadly, our world has become more toxic. We may also drain our stores further by consuming high amounts of coffee, carbonated drinks, alcohol, sugar, salt, and pharmaceutical drugs (particularly high blood pressure tablets and diuretics). Absorption of magnesium is another hurdle, with common gut issues and low vitamin D reducing it.

Why should I supplement?

Calming effect on the nervous system – reduces muscle spasm, cramping & pain and aids chronic conditions like fibromyalgia- helps build bone reducing joint pain, osteoporosis & arthritis – keeps stress hormones under control helping with anxiety & panic attacks – reduces asthma & allergy symptoms by controlling bronchial spasm and histamine production – decreases inflammation and promotes healthy circulation - increases DHEA levels, the “master hormone” to slow aging – AND MORE!

How can I safely & effectively supplement?

*IT’S ALWAYS BEST TO CONSULT WITH YOUR GP if you have any current medical concerns or are taking prescription medications.

Oral supplements may help, but the recommended dosage is often lower than ideal (can safely take 600mg) and as mentioned earlier, it may not be very well absorbed. Our body does have a safety mechanism- if you get a laxative effect then you know you’ve reached your limit!

The more ideal way to supplement is transdermal, through the skin with a spray. This way, we bypass the digestive tract completely as it quickly absorbs into circulation and doesn’t cause any digestive upset. This is by far the most well tolerated and effective way to reap the benefits of this therapeutic mineral.

This Pure Magnesium Chloride Oil spray is available in the clinic to try! Please contact me for more information, or you can check out www.magnesiumlife.com, a local distributor here on the Gold Coast.

Happy relaxing!

New Inspire studio!

I'm very excited to be working in this beautiful space located in a boutique gym, DBD Fitness. Click here: www.tanyabachmannfitness.com 👊🏻

Physiotherapy clinic & yoga studio in one. Private and small group classes for a tailored approach, rebatable on Private Health. 🙏

Happy to be collaborating with experienced trainers and a stretch coach, The Stretch Movemnt. Click here: www.facebook.com/thestretchmovemnt
 

A dedicated team who really cares about your wellness.

Fully equipped gym with a shower... 🚿 

Come check us out at 1/16 Hutchinson St, Burleigh Heads QLD, Gold Coast 😀

Master the Basics

There’s something refreshing about going back to basics. We tend to always want to skip ahead… ok, got it, next! But without mastering the fundamentals, we can never truly create and maintain progress.

We are all a product of our habits – work, sport, daily activities, and predominant thoughts. When we travel a neural pathway over & over again, it becomes a habit, an automatic pattern. Unfortunately these patterns are not always ideal and may cause injury or illness. But with practice we can re-wire and create new neural pathways.

Breaking down complex patterns into their basic components is something I do everyday as a Physiotherapist. To correct an issue, we get to the root of it, understand the basics, master them, and then GRADUALLY build on that ideal foundation.

SIMPLIFY -->  retrain the basics in an ideal way --> form a new habit / pattern / neural pathway --> build on this foundation

This applies to the body, i.e. mastering ideal posture, and to the mind, i.e. training ourselves to pause & re-center regardless of our external environment.

The first step is awareness. Over the next week, I invite you to try this exercise:

Posture setting (mountain pose in yoga): in standing, imagine there is a string gently pulling you up by the crown of your head- chest up, shoulders down & back, rotate palms out so you feel the bottom of shoulder blades tuck in together, lengthen tail bone down and neck upward, activate abs and glutes (subtle movements and gentle muscle contraction)

HOLD 10 seconds every hour throughout the day

Try adding a few deep breaths while feeling your foundation… an opportunity to pause and re-center physically and mentally.

Most people are happily surprised with the positive impact this simple habit has on their day, their pain & tension. Try it for yourself and see :)

Injury Prevention Yoga

Designed by myself, a Physiotherapist & yoga teacher, these hatha/vinyasa flow style classes focus on mindful alignment & technique from a clinical perspective, infused with traditional yoga philosophy & breathing. Suitable and safe for all levels of practice.

If you have any current injuries, please call me on 0457 162 828 to advise prior to attending so you can get the most from your practice. You may also be interested in INSPIRE's privately tailored sessions or small group injury-specific classes. 

$20 casual visit or $85 for a 5 class pass ~ 60 minute classes

I would love for you to come practice with me!

Classes are held at the beautiful Aerial Angels studio at 28 Hutchinson St, Burleigh Heads 🙏😀

Strength of Mind

Do you take the time to work on your mind like you do on your body?

As the Commonwealth Games kick off here on the Gold Coast, I’m reminded of my very competitive swimming days. From a young age, I used to observe all these incredible athletes and wonder why those particular few could swim so much faster and win most races when we all train up and down that pool together twice a day! Sure, there are some physical factors to consider, but I figured out from that early age that the real edge was in the mind.

One of my good friends at the time swam in the Commonwealth Games for Canada. She said to me: “Renée, it’s all a head game”. That line really stuck with me.

I’ve been studying the mind-body connection ever since. I soon realised it goes much farther than athletes achieving peak performance- it can be used to enhance all areas of life. Your mind or mental state (i.e. emotions, thoughts, beliefs) affects biological functioning through constant communication of hormones and neurotransmitters in the body. Even pain is a subjective experience- the physical sensation is highly affected by your emotions at the time and even what that pain or injury means to you.

I personally put a lot of (if not more) time and effort on my mental state than I do on my physical training. I read philosophy, psychology; I listen to motivational and inspirational podcasts; I meditate, I practice yoga and mindful breathing; I look inward to work on my flaws and face my fears. And my body undeniably thanks me for it.

If you’d like to know more about how the mind-body practices of mindfulness, breathing techniques, yoga, and Pilates can help manage your pain and enhance strength of mind & body, please get in touch.

If you don’t, that’s ok! I encourage you to train your mind in whatever way works for you. 

Time is Life

Whether you are a parent, a teacher, a manager, a girlfriend, a husband, a sister, a devoted friend... take a bit of time each day to look after yourself and PUT YOURSELF FIRST. 
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This is not selfish in a negative way as it allows you to have more energy to give; more patience, more kindness, more compassion. 
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Trust me, you're worth it. 
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Happy Easter long weekend! Put yourself first and book in for next week 0457162828 :)

Wellness Starts with the Breath

Wellness starts with the breath.

The quality of our breath reflects the quality of our life.

How is your breathing? Are you aware of it?

Conscious breathing shifts the nervous system into the parasympathetic, deactivating the stress response, therefore reducing pain and encouraging relaxation of the body and mind.

It is a powerful tool for dealing with pain, stress, anxiety, and restores overall wellbeing. It is a factor I always consider and incorporate as a Physiotherapist and a yoga & Pilates teacher to help you recover and feel your best.

📷 taken in Sweden at my Yandara Yoga teacher training 🙏

My Top 3 Benefits of Strength Training

I’m half way through a 28-day strength challenge at RBT (Result Based Training) and am feeling great, so I felt inspired to share some of these good vibes with you. There are so many known benefits to resistance training backed by great research, but here are my top 3:

1. INJURY PREVENTION
It’s not just about increasing the strength of ligaments, tendons, joint cartilage, connective tissue, and improving bone mineral density. Resistance training offers an opportunity to become aware of our weaknesses and imbalances (we all have them!) and work on them while emphasizing ideal neuromuscular patterns. These strength gains and ideal movement patterns (neuromuscular control) transfer to other sports and activities, not only minimizing your chance of getting injured, but also improving your performance. Winner.

THE KEY: seek a professional to design a training program for you, or train in a group setting with a qualified trainer. Either way, make sure you get proper FEEDBACK about your technique regularly, even if you have been training for years

2. INCREASED METABOLISM
Not only does a resistance-based workout raise your metabolism for hours afterward (some experts say up to 39 hours when lifting weights!), but muscle also burns more calories AT REST. So even small gains in muscle mass increase your resting metabolic rate. 
I always feel that my appetite, weight, and energy levels are steadier when strength training consistently 2-3 times a week as opposed to just cardio.

THE KEY: Remember that muscle weighs more than fat, so be very cautious with how you use the scales when fat loss is a goal (weight loss does NOT equal fat loss)

3. CONFIDENCE BOOST
Feeling strong physically generally translates to feeling strong mentally, which tends to carry over into other areas of your life. Never underestimate what you can achieve! The only limits to our progress are the ones we impose on ourselves.

THE KEY: Find a good training buddy or supportive group where you can help motivate each other and celebrate your progress and achievements.

If pains or imbalances are getting in the way of your training, I’m here to help with thorough analysis, treatment, and advice. I’m always happy to work with your trainer to help you get the most out of your strength program.

Happy training!

Yoga for Everyone

I am passionate about making yoga accessible to everyone. Regardless of age, fitness, or injury, if you can breathe, you can benefit from yoga!

Combining my love of yoga philosophy and movement as a yogi, and my knowledge of the human body as a physiotherapist, I offer PRIVATE yoga classes tailored to your needs.

Whether you are a beginner looking for a safe place to start, are injured, or would like to prevent injury, why not increase body awareness and learn to modify so you can join group classes safely and confidently.

INSPIRE small group classes and workshops coming soon…

Health Before Fitness

From a Western perspective, we tend to think that being fit & strong means we are healthy. The expression "to get in shape" implies that if your body looks good, then you must be healthy. But fitness and health are actually two different concepts. You may be fit, but not particularly healthy.

I believe that by firstly focusing on health and FEELING GOOD, rather than just LOOKING GOOD, fitness follows more naturally.