EXPERT HEALTH ADVICE FROM SYAZ SALIM

Spring is here and just like the busy bees exercising their way to the blooming flowers; most of us will head outside to the sunshine and find ways to alleviate our well-being, both physically and socially. But how do these two connect to bring better fulfillment to our lives?

Physical well-being and social well-being are interconnected aspects of your overall health and quality of life.

Physical well-being pertains to your physical health, encompassing factors like diet, exercise, sleep, and freedom from illness or injury. When you're physically well, you have the energy and capability to engage in life fully.

Social well-being, on the other hand, focuses on your interactions with others, your sense of belonging, and the quality of your relationships with family, friends, and your community. Strong social connections contribute to emotional support and overall happiness.

It's important to note that these dimensions often influence each other. Good physical health can boost your social engagement, and positive social relationships can provide motivation for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Balancing physical and social well-being involves taking care of your body through healthy habits while nurturing your social connections. Both aspects contribute to a satisfying and fulfilling life.

Here's to a wonderful spring from us!

As a working mum of two teenage girls, Jane Williams appreciates the demands people have on their time and how hard it can be to prioritise your own health and well-being. But it is important that you do. 

Having recently made the finals of Exercise NZ PT of the Year, Jane has gone through some tough personal challenges over the years. She says it wasn't easy but got herself through these by prioritizing self-care, sleep, diet, exercise and stress levels. She draws on these life experiences and the skills she gained through her work to support clients, so they can thrive and keep doing the things they enjoy, now and in the future. 

Her philosophy is a holistic approach to a person’s health and fitness. "I am passionate about supporting women with their health and fitness as they transition through Menopause and beyond. I really enjoy empowering my clients to improve their overall health and achieve their goals, no matter how big or small." 

Jane is passionate about menopause and women's health. Menopause is not a disease and it effects all women differently. For some perimenopause will last years, with many symptoms, for others they will hardly notice it.  The average age of menopause is 51.

Menopause is unknown territory for many of us with changes not just to our bodies but also our daily lives. Those of us who have been bringing up children for the last 20 or so years now have empty bedrooms and we’re not needed as much. We might be looking after our aging parents and our jobs and careers may be changing. You could be struggling to know what your purpose is now. But you are not alone, Half of the population goes through this.

If you are suffering, whether it is brain fog, anxiety, hot flushes, weight gain, heavy periods, sleeplessness or any of the other 30+ symptoms, please don’t suffer in silence, you are not going crazy.. Talk to a health expert about lifestyle change you can make, whether HRT is for you or other non hormonal treatments. Once you have the information you can then make a decision on what is right for you. 

Jane says there are some key lifestyle things you can do to help you through menopause. Exercise has many benefits for your overall health and as we hit menopause the research shows that there are some specific types of exercise that are good to do. 

Firstly, if you are not already, start lifting weights to help maintain you muscle mass and bone density. The other is to include some intensity for short periods with recovery time. If this is new to you please seek the advice of a professional before you start.

Aim for a diet high in vegetables, good quality protein, and whole grains to help maintain good muscle mass and stop the weight creeping on. 

TIP: A good guideline is for each meal, split your plate into quarters. ½ is vegetables & some fruit, ¼ protein & some fats and ¼  wholegrains.

Sleep is key. It is when you body does it’s rest and maintenance work. A good night’s sleep helps you function at your best the next day. If you sleep is getting disrupted by night’s sweats or you are awake a lot during the night, talk to a professional. Also have a good bedtime routine that lets you wind down and good sleep hygiene. Things like a dark cool bedroom and switch off the devices a hour before bedtime.

Menopause can knock you for 6 but it doesn’t need to be all doom and gloom. It can be a tough time physically, mentally & emotionally but it is temporary. You will get through this. Ask for support from others, prioritise looking after yourself.  There is a lot of power & comfort in sharing with others. Don’t go this alone.

Keep having a purpose – that is, your central motivating aim in life. i.e. What gets you up in the morning.

Myovolt is a breakthrough wearable physical therapy device for musculoskeletal pain and stiffness relief. Myovolt products have been carefully engineered to conform around the body to effectively deliver Focal Vibration Therapy. 

Myovolt transmits a focused range of vibration frequencies known to stimulate neuromuscular function and promote localized blood flow. These physiological effects reduce tension and stiffness in muscles, tendons and associated joints helping to relieve pain and increasing range of motion.

Myovolt is ideal for the recovery of fatigued muscles after exercise, to improve the performance of muscles before activity or for the daily rehab treatment of overuse injury from repetitive sports.

Have you ever felt your back getting is tight and sore after spending so much time sitting and just not sure how to fix it?

I would like to introduce you to Jo Sitsalot. Jo is having problems with a sore and tight back. What could have caused this discomfort?

· Sitting behind the computer and working for up to 4 -8 hours a day possibly. 

· Driving their  vehicle from A to B for multiple trips throughout the day. This could be anywhere up to 60-90 minutes day for some of you.

· Its dinner time and they are sitting again. This could be anywhere from 15-40 min

· Now Its time to relax and wind down for the day. This could involve sitting again. Maybe 30- 60 minutes 

You can probably see here that all this time sitting really adds up. When we sit for long periods of time the front half of our body can become really tight and bound up through being stuck in one position. Our back side of the body (which is designed to help us stay upright and help us move properly) becomes very inactive.

I think Jo could do a couple of things to open up the front half of the body and create some activity through the back half of the body. Jo will definitely be happier after doing a couple of movements to get back on track here.

A little bit of movement and activation will go a long way to setting Jo's movement up for day and beyond. There is more to it but below are a couple of movements that can really help to set up your day feeling fantastic and pain free.

You can try as well and it will only take you 4-5 minutes

Below is a short demonstration and program you can do to make sure your back is feeling great even though you might be spending a lot of time like Jo sitting through out your day. See the video here!

To start with, we want to open up your hips with these 3 movements:

✅Hip flexor stretches- Those muscles that get tight from sitting need to be stretched.

✅Adductor hip rockers- This movement will help with your hip mobility 

✅Figure 4 hip stretch- Here we help free up the tight muscles around the hip

Hold each movement from 20-30 seconds

Secondly, we want to activate the muscles that are going to help us move with freedom and support our back:

✅Single leg hip lift- Here we need to switch on the butt muscles to help us stand properly. Hold for 20 seconds each leg

✅Horse stance -This movement helps us resist twisting our back. 3-4 reps each side

✅Two leg hip bridge- Similar to the single leg bridge but here we are bringing both legs in at once. Hold for 20 seconds

✅Side bridge- Here we are performing an anti lateral flexion movement. Your back will thank you for it. Hold for 20 -30 seconds each side

✅Prone hold This is an anti extension movement. They front part of your core will be working to protect the back half of you body.-Hold for 20-30 seconds

Look to add 1 repetition or 5 sec in time every week📈

Do these daily for great results. You could even do these movements while watching your favourite Netflix or similar series😊

This will take you 5 min and your back will thank you for it!