You’ve probably heard a lot about core engagement, core activation or the pelvic floor (especially if you do Pilates or have had kids!) but often we get clients who come into the clinic with lower back, glute and even shoulder pain who don’t know how to activate their core properly which has often contributed to these injuries.

Why is it important to engage our core? Not only does it help minimise the stress and strain placed on other structures of the body when you’re exercising (especially when lifting weights or those heavy shopping bags into the boot!) but it helps with everyday activities by helping keep you stable especially through the pelvis and spine, additionally it will help to maintain good posture and with balance.

Knowing how to activate your core and deep abdominal muscles will help your pelvis and lower back remain still and supported throughout exercises, especially strengthening exercises, so let’s dive in and have a look at how we go about doing it:

Activating your core muscles

Pic 1: activating your transverse abdominis. Imagine a horizontal line between the bony points at the front of your pelvis. Now imagine trying to pull these two bony points closer together along this line, flattening the line towards your spine. If you need help knowing if you’re activating this properly; place your fingertips just inside the bony points, when you’re activating properly it should feel as if it goes taut underneath your fingers. It is a subtle contraction rather than a big forceful one.

Pic 2: activating your pelvic floor. Imagine a vertical line that goes from your pubic bone up to meet the imaginary horizontal line of the transverse abdominals. Now imagine you are trying to pull up along that vertical line as if you are stopping yourself from urinating. Again, it is a subtle contraction we’re after.

Now let’s try it out on these exercises:

Bent Knee fallouts.

• Lying on your back bend your knees, feet hip distance apart, arms relaxed down by your side. Activate your core as discussed above. Slowly lower one knee out to the side. Stop when you begin to feel your pelvis rock or your lower back arch. Draw the leg back in to the starting position and then repeat on the other side. Keep alternating between sides. Your feet should stay grounded throughout.
• To make it harder try lowering both knees out at the same time remembering to keep that core activated throughout. It’s ok to have a little rest and reset before continuing and remember if you want to check you’re activating pop your fingertips just inside the hip bones.

Leg slides.

• Lying on your back bend your knees, feet hip distance apart, arms relaxed down by your side. Activate your core as discussed above. Slowly slide one foot along the floor (you might need a towel underneath to help get the slide). Stop when you begin to feel your pelvis rock or your lower back arch. Draw the leg back in and then repeat on the other side. Keep alternating between sides. Try to keep your feet grounded throughout, even the one sliding. Rest and reset if needed.

Post written by Laura York (Myotherapist)

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In Melbourne we are currently living a new life: ‘COVID Normal’. Coming out of harsh lockdowns has been a challenging experience for many of us. In the clinic throughout the Christmas and New Year period, we have been hearing many of our patients say “I forgot how tiring it is to socialise!” As we welcome 2021 with open arms, it’s important that we recognise how to put our ‘social battery’ on power-saving mode and how to recharge when we feel depleted.

Power saving mode: How to recharge as you go

1. Saying ‘no’ without guilt

Saying ‘no’ can be challenging at times. We can often feeling guilty about staying at home and doing nothing, especially when we feel like there is something else we should be doing. There’s always going to be something else to do: cleaning out the wardrobe, catching up with an old friend for drinks, getting to the dentist for a check-up. However, we need to allow ourselves time to rest and recuperate before the time comes that we have completely worn ourselves down to the core, and there’s no energy left to give. Saying ‘no’ to the never-ending list of things to do (even for half a day), can give you more energy to tackle the list at another time. Understanding that saying ‘no’ doesn’t mean you are being flaky, selfish or lazy; rather you are choosing to prioritise your mental wellbeing and overall health. Allowing yourself to say ‘no’ without guilt will ultimately keep your social battery going stronger for longer.

2. Limiting your screen time

Putting your phone (as well as other devices) on ‘Do Not Disturb’ for an hour each day will limit the amount of input and feedback coming your way. Each time you get a notification, your brain is absorbing new information and the clogs start turning. Limiting the amount of time you spend in front of a screen each day can significantly reduce the overwhelming feeling of bombardment we get when our social battery starts to run low.

3. Allowing yourself time to breathe…

… Literally and metaphorically. Breathing sounds like something we do habitually. To some extent, that’s correct. However there are many different breathing techniques that can relax your body and assist in alleviating anxiety and stress.

Diaphragmatic Breathing:

To begin, lay comfortably on your back.
Place one hand on your stomach and the other hand on your chest.
Inhale deeply into your stomach. The hand on your stomach should rise.
Exhale slowly. The hand on your stomach should sink.
The hand on your chest should not move throughout this exercise.

4. Getting out of your head by getting into your mind

‘Mindfulness’ may be a phrase you’ve heard before. Mindfulness is a technique used to relax, reduce stress, alleviate anxiety and clear the mind by increasing your awareness of your surroundings, feelings and breathing. Mindfulness is a range of techniques including guided meditation, breathing exercises, and many other methods.

To begin your journey in mindfulness, you can check out this Ted Talk with Phil Boissiere here!

At Contagious Enthusiasm, we have a wide range of extremely talented therapists from multiple different modalities that can assist you in stress relief, calming the body and relaxing the mind.

• Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture with Dr Lea Zarnowski
  You can read more about how Chinese medicine and acupuncture can help you here
• Reflexology with Nicole Seckinger
  You can read more about Nicole and all the wonderful ways she can help you here
• Life Coaching and/or Counselling with Poli Zoungas
  You can read more about Poli and her incredible work here
• Clinical Psychology with Dr Meera Aurora
  You can read more about the benefits of clinical psychology here
• Beauty Therapy with Marysze Molloy
  You can read more about how Marysze can help you feel amazing here
• Relaxation massage, remedial massage and myotherapy
  You can read about all of our wonderful myotherapists here
  

To make an appointment, feel free to give us a call on 9502 0650.
Alternatively, you can make a booking online at  https://www.contagiousenthusiasm.com.au/

For more content and information, head over to our Instagram: @contagiousenthusiasm

Written by Ashlee Crisp

There are THREE main stresses that the body undergoes that can cause the nerve flow to be partially blocked or impeded: Physical stress, Chemical stress and Emotional stress. Chiropractic is a way to allow nerve interferences (subluxations) to cease and proper movement, co-ordination and nerve flow (the messages sent to our bodies that allow us to function each day) to occur, through regular Chiropractic adjustments. But many people still want to know WHY they’re not getting better, despite healthy eating, regular exercise and even taking classes such as yoga and pilates.

I am often asked, “what causes those interferences in the first place?” and “why can’t one or two treatments fix the spine once and for all?”

When looking at causes of subluxations due to stress here are the big three is further detail:

Physical Stress: This is the type of stress caused by the physical things we do to our body, or don’t do, in the case of lack of physical activity. Our bodies were designed to move and when we don’t get enough exercise or do enough stretches, this can cause our muscles to tense up and our spinal bones (vertebrae) to move out of their normal alignment and become “stuck” (subluxated). This in turn causes an interruption to our nerves and their ability to send the correct messages through out the body or in other cases send the messages of pain and irritation.

The same things occur when we have a physical stress placed on the body in the case of sitting too long at work, having a fall, doing lots of exercise and not stretching properly, lifting heavy items and many more things.

Chemical Stress: This type of stress is based on what we put into our bodies through food and drink, as well as the chemicals within the environment around us (cigarette smoke, traffic pollution, the environment we work in, etc.). These chemical stresses may not have an effect on the body straight away or even be visible for all to see, but even on a cellular level they are causing changes to our bodies and how we deal with other stresses that come our way (physical and emotional).

Emotional Stress: This stress type is often the easiest one we ignore. Stress of work, family life, finances, relationship breakdowns, studying… the list can be endless as to what causes emotional stress. Sometimes we are unaware of what’s causing the stress on a conscious level but our bodies still are impacted by the constant thoughts running through our minds, the tension in our muscles that cause movement of spinal vertebrae (which in turn can cause nerve interferences) and our overall outlook on life. Not only can Chiropractic treatments help with the tension caused by emotional stress and correct the subluxations that in turn have occurred, but it can also look at ways to help reduce the different emotional stresses and how to cope with them.

Some of us may feel that we handle all three areas really well; we eat healthy, exercise regularly and don’t have any major stress emotionally. Those people are more likely to need simple Chiropractic maintenance care, where their spines are checked once a month or so to make sure there are no nerve interferences occurring.

Others may have one or two areas of stress that they feel they are unable to handle well, causing different nerve interferences and overall many different health issues; these people may need to work on the different areas that their bodies struggle with so as to stop there being nerve interferences and therefore the outcomes of pain, irritation, muscle weakness, tiredness, and many other health concerns.

It is important to note that these nerve interferences have not happened over night and in fact for many people have taken awhile to get to the point of causing health issues. It can then be said that the interferences may take awhile be corrected through Chiropractic care, depending on each individual person and how they respond to the Chiropractic treatments they receive.

We also have different things that can affect us at different times so please remember to not to be hard on ourselves if we do need more care at times than others; the Three Stresses may occur at any time, any place, so check out now how Chiropractic treatments can help you and your family today.

Dr Jessica Oakes (Chiropractor)