With walking making up a significant amount of individuals reported exercise regimes, the weather can have a huge impact on your total exercise time for the week. August in Toowoomba typically means cold winds that suck the life out of the flickering motivation levels we can have about exercising in winter. If you typically undertake…
Cognition is the mental process of acquiring knowledge through the senses, thoughts and experiences. It influences our brain’s function for memory, attention, comprehension, problem solving and formulating knowledge. Exercise can be designed not only to help improve and maintain physical status but can also aid in cognitive development and maintenance. It has been widely recognised…
Diabetes is quickly becoming one of the largest threats to our health. According to a Chief Health Officer Queensland 2018 Report more than 242,000 people in Queensland have been diagnosed with diabetes, 4.8% of the population. Of those 9% were diagnosed with type 1, 87% had type 2, 3% had gestational and 1% other forms.…
There a number of factors that can contribute to a person falling, so knowing your risk factors and taking some precautions is a good place to start. By taking these precautions you can reduce your risk of falling. However, each individual is different and only some may be applicable. Some examples are as follows: Drinking…
Proprioception plays an essential role in balance. It is defined as “the perception of joint and body movement as well as position of the body, or body segments, in space”. This allows an individual to sense the orientation of their body in most environment’s, which can allow for quick and free movements that do not require conscious thought. Proprioception is…
I was having a discussion recently with my family about pelvic floor dysfunction, in particular stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and the misconceptions surrounding this. SUI is the unintentional loss of urine during movements or activities that increase pressure inside the abdomen and push down on the bladder (ie sneezing, coughing, laughing, lifting). As I have…
One of the more difficult challenges we faces as individuals is being able to critically reflect on ourselves in a way that challenges our comfort zone. When we are so programmed to look at things from our own perspective it can be hard to look at ourselves with different coloured glasses on – but if…
You signed up for a marathon. It’s a considerable physical feat that you are planning to undertake. You have a couple of months before the race and you think to yourself, should I train? Of course you should! A marathon is both physically and mentally taxing. Without training for the marathon you probably won’t finish…
One of the first things that you remember being told to do after exercising is stretching. However, it is one activity that is not always given the time that it deserves. There are several benefits to adding in a stretching component to your regular work out. Here are some of the benefits that can be…
I recently presented to a group of older adults most of whom had been through or were currently going through cancer treatment, as well as other health issues. We were discussing the benefits of exercise on cancer and mental health and the associated recommendations. One of the main concerns expressed was how daunting exercise seemed…