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| Body & Soul July 2021 Newsletter |
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| practicing mindfulness |
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It’s hard to refute the positive impacts physical activity has on our mental health – a topic we’ve covered many times in the past - but what about the impact mindfulness has on our physical health? According to the Mayo Clinic, “Mindfulness is a type of meditation in which you focus on being intensely aware of what you're sensing and feeling in the moment, without interpretation or judgment.”
So how exactly does mindfulness impact our physical health? In many cases, practicing mindfulness helps individuals reduce – and sometimes eliminate – their stress. As stress can have a variety of negative effects on the body, mindfulness meditation’s ability to address stress has necessitated the need for more research. Some of this research has found that the relaxation response technique, which incorporates transcendental meditation and mindfulness meditation, can help address stress-induced high blood pressure – allowing some individuals to completely eliminate blood pressure medication.1 Other research shows that practicing mindfulness can positively affect behaviour related to health. For instance, someone who practices mindfulness is more likely to regularly visit their doctor for health checks, participate in physical activity, and tends to have healthier eating habits.2 There are also some studies that suggest the practice of mindfulness may improve immune response, reduce cell aging, and can help people cope with the pain and stress accompanying chronic conditions.3
There are many ways that you can practice mindfulness. For more information, check out the Five Steps to Mindfulness article from www.mindful.org. |
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| fitness tip: stretch your lats! |
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| The latissimus dorsi – or ‘lats’ – is the widest muscle in the upper body and deserves a solid stretch for all of its hard work! The pole stretch is a great way to stretch out the lats. Standing with your feet apart, clasp a ‘pole’ (or solid/sturdy object such as a countertop) with both hands and sit back (as if you were sitting back into a chair), pulling your torso away from the pole/object. Hold the stretch for 20-30 seconds. |
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nutrition tip: from pantry to table
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| If you looked inside your pantry right now, would you find enough ingredients to make a well-rounded meal? For many of us, the pantry ends up containing random ingredients that aren’t sufficient to make a meal, and which often go untouched for extended periods of time. A well-stocked pantry can provide healthy, well-rounded meals on days that you don’t have time to stop by the grocery store, or even if you are asked to isolate on short notice. For a list of staple pantry items, check out this article from www.thespruceeats.com. |
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| club news |
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Trainer Testimonials: We are in the process of collecting individual testimonials for our personal trainers to share online (i.e. website, social media, etc.). If you are interested in providing a testimonial for one (or more) of our amazing personal trainers, please email contact@bodysoul.ca.
More Group Training: We have added more small group sessions to our schedule! Please note that we will assess each group’s popularity over the summer months and will add/remove groups according to demand this Fall. |
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| Bahar Bakrani |
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| PersonalTrainer |
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Bahar has a Master of Kinesiology degree from the University of Isfahan in Iran and is currently enrolled in the Kinesiology program at Langara College. Before becoming a personal trainer, she received her certification as a Laughter Yoga Leader with Laughter Yoga International University. Prior to inuring her knee, Bahar was an avid basketball player; after her injury, she found a new passion in archery.
When it comes to training, Bahar likes to focus on functional training as she believes it is the best way to improve mobility. Her workout programs tend to incorporate a mix of strength and cardio exercises to ensure a well-rounded training program.
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| physio's corner |
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| Q: How can physiotherapy help me correct my posture? |
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A: Achieving optimal posture for a given task or body position is a function of full joint mobility, muscular endurance, and proprioception. To address posture, we must first understand the forces of gravity on our bodies and how we stabilize to counteract those forces. Evaluating the range of motion within all of our joints - from our feet to our neck - is the next phase of postural correction.
A physiotherapist can utilize joint mobilization techniques along with corrective mobility drills to increase our joint mobility. The ability of our stabilizing muscles to adjust and adapt continuously to maintain an upright posture sometimes requires specific exercises to increase their strength and endurance.
Lastly, optimal postural control comes from our unconscious ability to know exactly where our body is aligned at all times. Physiotherapy can help by providing visual and tactile feedback strategies, aimed at refining the body’s ability to make micro adjustments to posture. Having a postural evaluation and correction can make a difference in muscle tension, back pain, headaches, concentration, and performance.
Michael Hales is a registered physiotherapist and owner of Halestorm Physiotherapy here at Body & Soul. To find out how physiotherapy can help you, visit www.halestorm.ca |
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3785 West 10th Ave.
Vancouver, BC
V6R 3T3
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