barn house physiotherapy

09/02/2023

As we know exercise is vital for your physical health but it is also vital for brain health, cognition and mood. Barbara Sahakian, a leading brain expert from the University of Cambridge, wrote in The Daily Telegraph on Monday that 'exercising actually increases neurogenesis in the brain (the creation of new brain cells), including in the hippocampus, which is an important area involved in learning and memory.'

I went for a lovely early walk this morning, appreciating Nature at its best...just waking up with the morning light. Birds rushing here , there and everywhere making lots of noise. What a gift. Make sure you practice daily exercise as part of your routine for a healthier way of being....

11/01/2023

Morning light . Do get out of the apartment/house first thing to get the early morning light.

Early mornings are best because the natural light helps reset your circadian rhythm (sleep clock) and banish the sleep hormone melatonin from your brain. So getting those early morning rays helps to make you feel 'awake'. I always do my exercise first thing pre-breakfast.

Also an energetic day will make you feel tired and thus ready for sleep when it comes to it.

Jacqueline

08/01/2023

A belated Happy New Year to all my clients. Make exercise part of your day..........I took this photo in Paris after a very wet morning run !

02/11/2022

Today is World Ballet Day...you can watch ballet dancers warming up, doing class and see lots of behind the scenes. A fantastic insight into these fabulous athletes who work really really hard at their bodies to produce beauty for us..

World Ballet Day Live where the best ballet companies from Europe, Australia, the Pacific, the Americas, and Asia. Watch ballet live!

04/09/2022

Arthritis and joint pain.

Last week in The Daily Telegraph newspaper there was an article on arthritis . The summary being " you are better off exercising". The main points are as follows :
1. Keep your joints mobile and more stable with exercise. Muscles support joints and help the joints remain more 'stable'. Cycling is excellent for this.
2. Heat and Ice. Ice can numb pain and improve blood flow. Make sure you protect the skin from direct contact with ice. Heat from hot packs helps keep muscles warm and pliable.
3. Nutrition. Try and follow a Mediterranean type diet for joint health with lots of green vegetables and oily fish. Your immune system could have a part to play and therefore good gut bacteria are key to help support your immune system.
4. Mind over body. Pain and fatigue are most troublesome. Learning to plan activities and take regular breaks. Little and often is key.

Over the years, with my patients, I have found that exercising in water is most beneficial (if you like water!). The resistance and support provided by the water helps to support joints and strengthen muscles. The mental benefits of relaxation and deep breathing can also be very helpful in reducing pain. If you like swimming, this can also be done in water ....

Steven Shaw of Theartofswimming.com takes the Alexander Technique into the pool focusing on form and technique

A great place to start....

Jacqueline

12/05/2022

A beautiful morning spent doing pilates in the garden. We were lucky with the weather! Gentle movements like pilates are fantastic for the body especially outside where you get all the added benefits of nature. The clouds were our ceiling and sunglasses were required...the wind helped us move like trees and the grass helped our mermaid flow.....

We also raised £120 for St Lawrence Church in Tallington. Thanks to Melissa who supplied cake xx

Jacqueline

24/02/2022

Wayne McGregor "Everyone needs to get out of their comfort zone"......

Wayne McGregor is one of my favourite choreographers. Having been to many lectures by him and attended most of his performances I was thrilled to see that he was on BBC 1 on Monday evening (21st February ) 'Imagine-Dancing on the Edge'....

Wayne is a true artist, using the body as his artistic medium. What he and the dancers' achieve is truly inspirational and I find his work so creative...full of spirals and expression.

Please watch as I think you too will be inspired, especially where movement is concerned.....

Jacqueline

Now available on ww.bbciplayer.co.uk

The Dante Project - filmed at the Royal Opera House and also available until the end of this month on BBCiplayer

27/01/2022

The benefits of Pilates.....Lisa Armstrong wrote an article on Wednesday 19th January 2022 in The Daily Telegraph on 'how a little vanity can reap long-term benefits'.

To quote Lisa " I first heard of Pilates in the 1980's because Christopher Lambert , the French-American actor, transformed his physique to play Tarzan in the 1984 film 'Greystoke' by training with London-based Pilates guru Dreas Reyneke. It took me years to pluck up the courage and funds to enter a Pilates studio - in those days there weren't group classes, everything was a one to one. Vanity got me over the line - everyone who did Pilates looked so graceful.

Twenty-seven years later, I'm grateful that I did. Pilates not only tones muscles, it teaches you to breathe properly and transforms your posture, two of the most health-prolonging, ache-relieving gifts you can give your body. They weren't kidding about the half inch-inch taller bit. When you stand properly - pulling up from your waist -you grow taller, allow breath and energy to flow around your body more freely, and take the weight off your hips and knees. "

" Pilates is exercise you can do for life - Romana Kyrzanowska, a disciple of founder Joseph Pilates was teaching until she died, aged 90 in 2013, and her posture was as upright as it had been in her 30s. It involves weight bearing (your own) and can be cardio, depending on how vigorously you do it. "

Twitter

I was introduced to the Pilates method in Australia by my physiotherapist back in 1993. I then trained as a teacher in 1999 with Body Control Pilates. I now incorporate Pilates into my physiotherapy treatments as I find it so helpful to strengthen the muscles that support the joints and also, Pilates lengthens the spine, improves posture and breathing.

I teach one to one Pilates so that the Pilates exercises are bespoke to your individual needs. Please contact me on 01780 740242 for further information

Jacqueline

05/01/2022

Had to post this photo of this amazing woman...Army officer Capt Harpreet Chandi, an Army physiotherapist has successfully trekked across Antartica, alone to the South Pole. What a role model for us all.........I am still eating Christmas cake......and preparing for next weeks pilates classes ......Hmmmm.....
Jacqueline

01/01/2022

Bonne Année & Happy New Year 2022

First run of the New Year ! Exercising outdoors in the natural daylight can help re-set the body's natural sleep-wake cycle. All you need for running is a good pair of trainers. Gradually increase your time and intensity of your runs.....start slow and build little by little. Incorporate the 10% rule of not increasing your mileage or intensity by more than 10% each week. Include strength training and stretching into your weekly workouts to help keep your body strong and reduce the risk of injury. Also include rest days. Most importantly just get out there and start with small steps........Any questions contact me on 01780 740242 at bh physiotherapy & pilates clinic.

Jacqueline

24/08/2021

Are you just tired ...or could it be the perimenopause?

Fantastic article yesterday in The Telegraph by Dr Louise Newson. 'Good menopausal care isn't just about medicine. use this period in your life to reflect on your overall health and well-being. A good diet and regular exercise are an integral part of managing your perimenopause and menopause. Don't neglect your mental health-book in regular time out to do things that you enjoy and help you relax'. - Dr Louise Newson. (www.menopausedoctor.co.uk)

Exercise is an itegral part in helping you to manage symptoms. Start with a gentle daily walk.......Jacqueline

24/07/2021

It was the first day of the Tokoyo Olympics today. It is always amazing how these incredible athletes step up for the Olympics. The discipline and hard work that it takes to be an Olympian is just beyond belief. One thing they will all have in common is a daily 'routine' . This will involve a mixture of training, eating well and resting. We can all be inspired to start a little bit of daily exercise ourselves and make it part of our daily 'routine'. Lets enjoy seeing these athletes excel at what they have been training for over the last 5 year during the next 2 weeks.

30/06/2021

Good nutrition helps towards a healthy body. Part of being healthy is to buy from local producers especially those who provide produce that is in season. Dave is back in the layby near Tallington, but only for a few more weeks as his produce is seasonal. The strawberries, carrots, potatoes are to die for.......

11/05/2021

Jane Clarke (a local dietician & nutritionist) has a fabulous book out called 'Nourish' that I have dipped in and out of over the years. Here she is in Woman & Home Magazine April 2021 bestowing the virtues of rhubarb............Jacqueline

01/05/2021

Sports scientist Joanna Hall has just launched a new walking programme called WalkActiveStroll to Stride 5k as a way to get fit and walk effectively. The focus is on learning to walk more efficiently so that you use your whole body as you move.

In essence there are 4 elements to walking. Using the whole foot to propel the body forward, lifting the body and lengthening the spine, swinging arms with relaxed shoulders and effective breathing.

As we know already correct footwear is key. I am in love with my Asics Kayanos and I walk everywhere in them....

www.walk-active.com

Jacqueline

Join me for a free live WalkActive session Every month I run free live information, technique and fitness and strength sessions for the WalkActive Community, including introducing the WalkActive System, Core & Posture Boosters and WalkActive Community Catch-Ups. These sessions are designed to introd...

05/04/2021

Having done my Post Grad.Diploma in Australia (Curtin University) I am well aware of the fact that Australia is biased towards exercise and keeping fit. In Perth, where I lived, there were walking/running and cycling tracks everywhere so that you did not need to use public transport...consequently the physiotherapists are well versed in exercise and research into exercise. Adam Culvenor from La Trobe Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre has published an article on OA knees. (The Journal for Physiotherapists in Private Practice N0 171 Summer 2020 p.10-15.)

In summary some of his findings were that the first line of treatment should be exercise therapy, education and weight control. Exercise and meeting physical activity guidelines will not increase the risk of OA. A 10 % reduction of weight loss apparently results in 50% reduction in symptoms.

An OA prevention programme should consist of a progressive exercise-therapy programme to restore and optimise muscle function both in terms of neuromuscular control and strength. Neuromuscular control is the ability to produce controlled movement through co-ordinated muscle activity resulting in dynamic stability of the knee joint.

Walking in swimming pools also helps.

Remember to start slowly and build up the load gradually......

Jacqueline

04/03/2021

I have just got back from a gorgeous run in my nearby park. New running shoes to make me bounce along but there are a few things to consider before trotting off....
1. Wear the right trainers...this is key to injury prevention and comfort. I wear Brookes GTS or Asics GT 2000. They are supportive for my tendency to overpronate. Allow enough room at the end of the trainer for the toes to spread and breathe so I tend to buy a size up from my normal size.
2. Breathe . In through the nose and out through the mouth...sounds easy but some of us have a tendency to hold our breath whilst running. Get into a rhythm and alternate the breathing out with different foot strikes ie sometimes left foot and then sometimes right.
3. Move the arms backwards and forwards with the body, this helps to propel you forward.
4. Do some warm up moves to get the brain ready for running. Stand on one leg and balance, a few lunges and a warm up walk. Swing the arms and rotate the upper body which will help with that all important breath work.
5.Once in a good headspace off you trot. I love running in nature with no music so that I can hear the birds and preferably alone for that all important headspace but you might choose music and company , whatever the preference - just do it....start now and build up slowly.....

Followed by a delicious breakfast thanks to a generous patient yesterday.........you know who you are xx

30/08/2020

Anyone having suffered from Covid 19 here is a link to a film by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy : The Road to Recovery

www.csp.org.uk/public-patient/covid-19-road-recovery

There is much we are still learning about Covid-19 and one thing we know for certain is that the road to recovery isn’t always straightforward. Don’t feel worried or discouraged if it takes a while to get your energy and fitness back. This advice is designed to help you on your road to recovery.