Health
Summer Sports Recovery
The hot summer sun is here and August is a great month to get outside and get sweaty. I recently just took up mountain biking and I’m in love. Life is about balance, so I am still continuing to trail run and sneak in some yoga too. When I get back home from a good sweaty workout in the sun, all I crave is something cool and refreshing… and I don’t mean a cold beer. Recovery is just as important as the workout itself. To make sure I re-fuel my body properly it is essential I have these key recovery nutrients within 30 minutes after working out:
Five Exercises to Improve Trail Running
Rebalancing your muscles is not only good for preventing injury but can make your joints stronger and improve your sport. The following exercises are specific to trail running, where problems arise in the ankles from rough terrain, as well as IT bands, knees and lower backs from the repetitive motion of a long run. I usually recommend incorporating these exercises into a strength training program or after a run as part of the cool down. Remember that none of these exercises should ever hurt.
Counselling in Health Care
I was recently at an international midwifery conference in Prague, where almost 4000 midwives from all over the world joined to discuss many issues related to women’s health worldwide.
Fernie Shape
Today, my physical activity included walking my Labrador Retriever about five blocks. I have had a lot of those days over the last month or so.
Exercises to Prevent Neck and Low Back Pain
With bike season comes the influx of bike related injuries. Very commonly, neck and lower back pain arises from the position of biking – bent forwards at the waist and looking up with your hands on the handlebars. This position tightens your hip flexors, rounds your shoulders and scrunches the back of your neck leading to postural changes that can impact your spine and cause pain. By training the opposite muscles you are using when biking, you can correct these imbalances, which in turn will improve your biking and decrease discomforts.
Nova Scotia, Part 1
On a damp and drizzly Canada Day afternoon last year, I wandered into a shore-side visitor centre in the tiny coastal town of Pictou, Nova Scotia.
It’s Not Just a Ride
The combination of yoga and sport is endless. Yoga for golfers, yoga for runners, yoga for cyclists, yoga for... it’s endless! Some may view this as an exploitation of the history and sacredness of yoga. Others see the lines of yoga and life activities as not parallel or perpendicular but rather as one intricate matrix. Take for example this month’s Fix theme of biking. The experience of being on the bike is so much more than just a ride. It is a pastime that has the potential to expand and create both social change and personal growth. It can transmute for many into a way of being.
Energy Balls
Need some balls for biking? Before, during or after biking you may need a little energy pick me up. These chocolate coconut energy balls are the perfect snack for sustained energy! Gluten free, dairy free and sugar free – just what is in these so-called-balls?
Almonds are resistant to mold without being roasted, making them the perfect nut to eat raw. Like all nuts, almonds are rich in protein, fiber, healthy fats and phytonutrients.
Walnuts are rich in B vitamins, which are needed for energy.
Adventures in Africa
One cold winter’s night earlier this year, I sat down with the lovely Margie and Lynn and a bottle of red wine to hear all about their trip to Africa last fall. A mutual dream and Fernie’s “slow season” had brought the two an opportunity to travel to Tanzania with a desire to see as much of the famous wildlife as possible. I asked if they hiked Mount Kilimanjaro, the continent’s highest peak but as Lynn explained, it wasn’t a priority. “We have so many wonderful mountains to climb right here at home – we went to Africa to see something completely new.”
Yoga in the Park
Thoughts of summer are often pregnant with potency and embrace the potential for awakenings. Have you ever had that experience while carrying out an ordinary activity, you catch yourself in a moment? It is as though time has paused and lengthened both at the same time. You pause and witness the horizon before you with fresh eyes. The senses heighten, your breath deepens and the moment is forever etched into your memory bank of images. Then just like that the moment is gone and leaves behind a small taste of poignancy.
Sprouting
Wish you could garden but don’t have the time or perhaps a backyard? No matter the season, where you live or what your budget is you can grow these little gems called sprouts! I’m talkin’ about alfalfa sprouts, mung bean sprouts, broccoli sprouts, radish sprouts, lentil sprouts… to avoid sounding like Bubba Gump, I’ll stop here.
Hats Off to Grads
As Fernie’s highschool students prepare to graduate, I find myself thinking back to my own graduation. I remember my highschool graduation ceremony well. The day was hot. Record-breaking hot.
June Ab Challenge
Back by popular demand, we have revised the Ab Challenge for this June. Check off the box as you finish each day. Remember that you must keep breathing during your abdominal exercises and consult a health care professional if you have any concerns prior to commencing your challenge. As the workouts get harder you may want to break it up into sets. Keep us posted on Facebook (Sarah’s Active Rehabilitation) on your progress. Good luck!
1 - 15crunches
15kickouts
10s plank
10pushups
2 - 20crunches
20kickouts
14s plank
14pushups
3 - 25crunches
25kickouts
18s plank
18pushups
Our Capital
Ottawa may not be a likely place for a “short city getaway” from Fernie, but that is where I found myself for three days last October, so I grabbed the opportunity to explore our capital city.
Collaborate
It seems paradoxical that the practice of yoga, which is designed for relationship with oneself can often times have its greatest rewards when experienced in the company of others. The Sanskrit name for this phenomenon is Satsang—usually translated as "truth-company" or being in the company of the wise. Satsang, according to several texts of yoga, is one of the great doorways to inner freedom. A group practicing together creates a mystical field, a field of grace. It is within this field that inspiration is sparked, creativity is enriched and healing and happiness are given freedom.