Easy movements to ease back stiffness when you're in self-isolation

How to combat low back stiffness when working from home during Corona Virus

If you’re working from home or stuck in a hotel due to self-isolation and Corona virus quarantine but you’re not sick, you’re probably feeling stiffness you never knew you had!

Sitting and working all day on the couch, your bed, or even your dining table means you’re probably not sitting well, and your back isn’t going to like it. Sitting in great chairs with supportive pillows can help, but you really need to get your spine moving!

Here are 3 handy movements you can do at home or in your hotel to help you avoid developing stiffness and soreness during self-isolation.

1. Cat Stretch for spinal mobility (1 x 10 reps slowly)

   Get your middle and lower back moving with this easy exercise. It works on a yoga mat on the floor, or on your bed, so you can even do it in your hotel room!

2. Spinal Roll Down (1 x 4 reps slowly)

By moving your vertebrae slowly, one by one, you can ease stiffness in your lower and middle back. Plus it feel great!

Handy tip: Don’t try this roll down if you have any acute low back pain though, as it can irritate your soreness.

3. Cycling Ab Exercise (2 x 12 reps)

This Pilates exercise is a great way to get your deep and superficial abs working. These muscles are handy to support your lower back and strengthen your torso, plus it’s a great way to sweat!

I want you to live, move and feel great even when you’re stuck at home. It can be hard to come up with new ideas though! So!

If you want more ideas on how to maximise your health while stuck at home, join my April Wellness Challenge! You’ll receive simple challenges via email every week in April to help you try new ways to stay well during the Corona Virus pandemic.

Is self care a justification for self indulgence?

The term ‘self care’ has enjoyed the spot light since the wellness trend exploded five years ago, but has the term ‘self care’ become a justification for self-indulgence? No, not according to its true meaning, but what does self care really mean in 2020?

In its truest form, self care is essential to staying sane. Sadly though, self-care has become a justification for materialistic whims that don’t provide any lasting boost to our health or wellbeing, and may even worsen them.

Self care doesn’t mean life is ‘all about me.’

What’s the difference between self care and self absorption?

True self care, under the wellness umbrella, needs to have substance and actuate a meaningful mental or physical wellbeing result. Going to yoga, taking five minutes to breathe or meditate before bed or going for a walk all create an obvious outcome thanks to physiological processes underpinning these activities. 

For a busy Mum of two who hires a babysitter every Wednesday so she can go to Pilates helps her pelvic floor recover, while giving her an hour of ‘adult time.’ It provides objective physical and mental outcomes.

In general, most true self-care activities are proactive, rather than passive.

Self absorption disguised as self care creates a focus on indulgence and hedonism, rather than offering a true wellbeing outcome. Claiming your newest purchases of French champagne and a new dress are ‘self care’ is more than a far reach. 

The search to ‘live well’ has led to many people getting distracted by hedonism that have somehow ended up under the wellness umbrella. 

Too much focus on ourselves leads to discontent

It’s not news that pursuing a life of “feeling good” or hedonism leads to a sense of meaninglessness. Anyone who’s ever been hungover after drinking champagne knows what I mean. Chasing that ‘good feeling’ is an empty pursuit. Do these things if you like: Drink the champagne! But don’t confuse it with ‘self care.’

Positive psychologists agree, they’re well-known for saying having a “good time” in the present moment doesn’t create a life filled with well-being. In fact, they agree factors that positively influence well-being range from finding a sense of purpose and meaning right through the practising the act of altruism and development.

So if yoga and massages are forms of self care, but so are other things like self-development, what is self care?

The real meaning of self care

What do you consider self care? Is it a massage, a bath or a luxurious walk on the beach? If it is, you’re not alone. These things are absolutely included as self care as they feel gorgeous and make you spend valuable time on yourself, but there’s more to effective self care. 

The goal of self care is to boost your health and well being, so not every self care strategy feels great in the moment.

Dr Libby, PhD Biochemist and Wellness pro says it well:

“Sometimes self-care is uncomfortable, sometimes it’s:

- Speaking up when you are worried about what others might think of you.

- Having a tricky conversation with someone you care about.

- Making the effort to prepare nutritious food for yourself, even though you’d rather sit on the couch.

- Getting up from your desk, even when you don’t have the time.”

These things aren’t delicious and decadent at all! In fact, they don't feel good at the time, especially the tricky conversations. If you're not so sure self care involves difficult situations like the one above, think of it as self-compassion. 

Emma Seppala, Ph.D and Science Director, Stanford Center For Compassion And Altruism Research And Education agrees:

“Taking it easy on yourself may be appropriate in some situations, but in times of over-indulgence and laziness, self-compassion involves toughening up and taking responsibility.”

We need to focus on others when it comes to self care too

So self care isn’t actually about making ourselves feel good, it’s about boosting health and well being, and science says helping other is an effective way to do that. 

Real self care ideas, such as fixing a relationship with a loved one, leaves you both feeling good! It helps both of you! So why not try it, then have a bubble bath afterwards?

Sarah Wilson, known for her recent diversion from her health food business I Quit Sugar, agrees we need to broaden our scope when considering wellness. Wilson told Meg Mason in Elle Australia: 

“I don’t think the focus should be ourselves and our ego and a bottomless desire for more. It should be our contribution. We have a generation of women focused on their gut health and green smoothies rather than humanity.” -Sarah Wilson

I’m not saying you need to stop drinking your green smoothies, trust me, they’re amazing! But I do think we need to understand what’s self care and when we might need to think of people other than ourselves when it comes to wellness. This means fixing a relationship could be a valuable self care effort for you.

How do we balance self indulgence and self care effectively?

It’s all about self awareness. 

1. Abolishing terms like ‘I deserve’ or ‘I’m entitled’ from Your vocabulary is a good start.

After all, the notion of people getting what they deserve is a dangerous one. While you may hope the guy who hip and shoulders you on the footpath steps in gum, it’s more troubling when considering those battling with life’s hardships. Thinking about ‘what you deserve’ is the kindling for discontent and self absorption. This is the opposite of ‘living well,’ and the polar opposite of self care’s goal.

2. Being aware of what genuinely boosts your mental and physical health helps you avoid justifying enjoyment with the label of self care.

There are cross overs of course, like going for a massage, but generally focusing on proactive self care is more useful than passive activities.

3. Weigh up your ‘buckets’ of self care vs. self indulgence.

If your self indulgent bucket is far heavier than your true self care wellness bucket, you may have veered off the wellness path and into the ‘it’s all about me’ road.

So no. Self care isn’t selfish when it’s done right. 

What do you do for self care?

The Best New Year's Resolutions

Happy new year lovely! It’s that time again; time to consider what you want to achieve in 2020. Whether you want to call it an intention or a resolution, setting clear goals for the year can help give you direction in the year to come.

The very best new year’s resolutions are goals you can actually achieve. Thankfully, there are a few things you can do to help optimize your ability to achieve your resolutions in 2020. Below is my super quick goal setting guide to help you set goals, and achieve them in 2020.

The best new year’s resolution ideas

There are no best ideas for everyone, but there are the best ideas for you. As in the infographic above, keep it simple and try not to choose more than three. By narrowing them down to things you really care about, you’re more likely to achieve your goals.

What are your new year’s resolutions?

Best Natural Skincare of 2019

It’s that time of year again when I share some of my favourite natural and organic skincare and beauty products I’ve come across. From moisturizer to hair dye, here are my top picks!

Thanks to my retreats, jobs and events I’m lucky to try products and brands that are given to me - this doesn’t guarantee them a spot in this list. But please know I have worked with some of the brands mentioned below.

1. Best natural moisturiser: Evolu: Active Age-Defence Protective Day Cream SPF30

   I have fair skin, and absolutely need sunscreen in my daily routine, and by using an SPF30 moisturiser, I don’t have to remember to put sunscreen on my face as well!

2. Best natural face oil: Samson & Charlie’s The Gift Blue Tansy & Marula Balancing Face Oil

I never used to use oil on my face for fear of breakouts, but this goodie has ingredients to hydrate and fight acne. Plus it smells so fresh.

3. Best natural face scrub: Tailor Skincare Polish - Every other day scrub and mask

4. Best natural hair dye: Natulique organic, ammonia-free hair dye for blonde hair

5. Best natural cleanser: Samson & Charlie Renewal Anti-aging Exfoliating Cleanser

6. Best natural body wash: Only Good Awaken Body Wash

7. Best natural hand cream: Pure Fiji Nourishing Hand Cream

8. Best forest-friendly toilet paper: Who Gives A Crap Premium Toilet Paper

9. Best natural hand wash: Thank you Sage X Clare Botanical Aloe Vera & Lemon oil hand wash

10. Best natural skincare mini kit: Tailor Skincare Mini Kit

My Time as a Wellness Consultant & Visiting Practitioner On Board the Viking Sun Cruise Ship

I was so grateful to be invited back on board the Norwegian cruise ship, The Viking Sun, again in 2019 as a visiting practitioner. I offered everything from seminars to teaching Pilates classes on the pool deck and one-on-one treatments and goal setting sessions with the lovely guests on board. Much like last year, I was thrilled so many guests sought out my treatments, and I was fully booked on most of our days at sea!

If you’re wondering what I do as a Holistic Physiotherapist, check out the video below!

Discover what a Holistic Physiotherapist does (video part 1)

Discover what a holistic physiotherapist can do for you and your guests, and hear me say 'niggles' on Live TV! By the host's confusion, 'niggles' must be an Australia term.

Group and private Pilates classes

I’ve been teaching Pilates for over 10 years, and on board the Viking Sun I taught Clinical Pilates, a special blend of Physiotherapy and traditional Pilates moves. Clinical Pilates offers guests the chance to learn exactly why they’re doing an exercise, and what benefit it can give.

Private Treatments of Holistic Physiotherapy

Many of the guests on board were dealing with injuries, irritating pains or arthritis, and I was glad to help in my private treatments. The most common complaints I saw were neck and back pain, nerve pain or irritation, Achilles issues and shoulder pain. Unlike other Physiotherapists though, I’ve invented a special way to treat patients.

I believe these results aren’t simply musculoskeletal, but tied closely to the psychology of being treated in a spa space, even for a very clinical issue.

Jeremy McCarthy, Group Director of Spa & Wellness for Mandarin Oriental Hotels said it well:

“My theory is that the greatest impact of the spa experience…comes from the more psychological aspects of the experience, such as being separated from technology, having time for your mind to settle in silence, and experiencing the nurturing touch of another human being. These are the true luxuries of the modern age.”

It’s these benefits that optimise the unique content of my treatments, and create results for guests.

I was so grateful to have such a beautiful space to work with while on board. The Liv Nordic Spa is just phenomenal! Check it out:

Learn why Goal setting is an integral part of effective treatment (video part 2)

As part of my private sessions, I always help a patient set a goal, or verbalise a goal they already have. For guests, it can be anything from running 10km to walking up a flight of stairs. Here’s more:

Why goal setting is an important aspect of holistic Physiotherapy regardless of age or ability!

Wellness seminars

While onboard, I also conducted bi-weekly seminars to share my knowledge from clinical practice and experience with the guests. This was my second time on the beautiful Viking Sun, and during both experiences I kept hearing the same questions, so I prepared compelling, endearing seminars to help address these questions and concerns.

Healthy living and Wellness on board the Viking Sun Cruise Ship

I was so thrilled to see the Viking Sun offering exceptional healthy options for its guests again this year.

From the daily Green Juice option at the Atrium Bar to the 5-star gym and healthy meal choices, it’s great to see Viking helping guests by offering healthy options. There are, of course, plenty of treats like dark chocolate mousse and the sumptuous gluten-free waffles at Mamsen’s cafe for when you feel like spoiling yourself too.

Huge thank you to Six Senses Hotels, Liv Nordic Spas and Viking for having me as a visiting consultant again. I can’t wait until next year!

The one thing you need to help pull you out of a health rut

The answer is digital

We all go through stages of flux with our health. Maybe you’ve just been through a breakup or it’s winter and you’ve lost all motivation. These fluctuations are normal for most people, but sometimes these fluctuations become ruts. Once you’re stuck in a health rut, it can seem like there’s no way out. But there is!

Whether your diet, exercise, strength or mental health have become stagnant, the bridge between meaningful digital wellness tools and wellbeing levels has been cemented.

Disclaimer: I’m not working for any of the apps or businesses mentioned. I just love the power of digital health tools!

What is digital wellness?

Digital wellness is a broad term that covers a whole range of digital devices, tools. monitoring systems and even government-led wellness initiatives. Examples are:

• Digital activity trackers (like monitoring how many steps you take in a day)

• Bio-sensing wearable devices (such as heart monitors and Fitbits)

• Digital health records (your medical history all kept in one space)

• Teleconferencing with health professionals instead of face-to-face appointments

While some of these digital tools sound like something out of the Jetsons, it’s incredible how popular they have become.

How do digital wellness tools get you out of your rut?

By holding you accountable. That’s right! When you have push notifications urging you to get 10 more minutes of exercise everyday, or get out of your chair every 20 minutes at work, the irritation will drive you to better health!

Plus, you can see a clear graphs of your progress showing you objective readings of your current health status. This helps you see exactly what you’re doing, creating correlations between your ‘objective wellness’ and ‘how you feel.’

The combination of health apps I suggest for anyone stuck in a health rut:

• One activity tracker (steps and heart rate)

• One nutrition recording app. My Fitness Pal is a good option.

• One meditation app (Breathe or Calm are great)

• and one symptom recording app if you’re in the midst of injury rehabilitation, or any treatment plan, including for mental health.

Activity trackers are popular and they work

Activity trackers from the stepping tracker on your iPhone to Fitbits on your wrist all work to track your movement. If you have a more complex tracking device, you may even be able to measure your heart rate, distance traveled and top speed.

Aussies are loving wearable technology, with one study finding those using wearable tech increased from 19 to 27% between 2016 and 2018.

Setting SMART Goals is the key to getting out of a health rut - digital wellness can help

Goal setting is great, but it can by empty if your goal isn’t measurable. Thanks to digital wellness devices, you can track your wellness data to monitor your progress..

A SMART goal is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely.

So! For example, your goal might be to walk 20 minutes everyday. But that’s not enough. It’s not concrete enough and you’re likely to favour an excuse instead of your seemingly boring walk.

It needs to have parametres:

Specific: Walk 20 minutes per day from home to work (instead of catching the train) But what about weekends? Ok, change it to 20 minutes per day, at any time of day.

Measurable: Track the time you spend walking daily thanks to your wearable device

Achievable: 20 minutes is a very manageable investment in your time

Realistic: Everyday? What about when it rains? What if you feel sick one day? Let’s change it to 6 days per week.

Timely: So by summer I can walk along the beach with my friends without getting out of breath

NEW SMART GOAL: I’m going to walk 20 minutes per day, 6 days per week.

And you digital wellness device is going to help you get there!

Digital wellness tools help you communicate better with your health professionals = help you get out of your rut

As a Physiotherapist, I have about 5 minutes to check in with a repeat patient and see how they are progressing since their last appointment. The rest of the time is spent on treatment, and education.

If I have a patient I’m treating for chronic, cervicogenic (from the neck) headache, I need to know how often many headaches they had since I last saw them, how long they lasted, what medications they took and how often, if it stopped them from their daily activities, and if they feel better or worse than when they last saw me. That’s a lot of information for a patient to remember!

I had one patient who wrote a huge A3 spreadsheet of all this information over a month. A practitioner’s dream! But most people won’t do that. They’ll rely on their memory.

Instead of asking a patient to recall all this information, we can use digital wellness tools to help.

Tools like Apple Health help a patient monitor their medication dosages, and symptoms. The patient can whip out their phone and show me how often they needed pain killers, and how much they took.

The same goes for their activity. If they’ve had two episodes of headaches since I treated them last, their activity tracker will show huge declines on those days, giving me accurate information of their well being since I last saw them. Thanks to digital wellness tools, I’m able to see this information quickly and easily within a few minutes, and record it in my notes. This takes the pressure off the patient from having to remember all the details.

For this patient suffering chronic headaches, data allows them to see a clear pattern of improvement, which helps them feel a sense of relief. Plus! Having access to all of this health data on their own phone is hugely empowering.

Many digital wellness tool interact with each other

Apple health is one tool that’s created to interact with a number of other third-party tools to help you monitor everything from your sleep to your health. This is really exciting for those tech-savvy people out there, but if you’re very new to the wellness tool world, stick to just a few.

Digital wellness empowers you to start fresh

If you’re stuck in a health rut, now is the time to start again. Forget the 10 Mars bars you ate yesterday, or the empty graphs in your Fitbit app. Today is the day!

1. Set a SMART goal for your wellness. Only one! And it must be positive eg. A distance to walk vs. ‘not going to eat candy’

2. Integrate the digital wellness tools you need

3. Track your progress every 3 days. If you miss a day, no worries! You’ve allowed for that in the ‘realistic’ part of your SMART goal setting

Ruts don’t last forever, even though we can get stuck in them for months and even years. There’s always time to turn things around.

Phones are an integral part of our daily lives, so use yours to help pull yourself out of your health rut, and help you move forward towards your goals.

If you’re stuck in a health rut and don’t know where to start. Send me an email, and I can recommend the best way to start.