Meant for those with limited mobility or only a small space to work within, these simple exercises are highly effective in strengthening the sensory receptors, sensory fibers, and motor pathways needed to have good balance and proprioception. Read more
I believe it's accurate to say that any type of mindful movement that you enjoy and that doesn't consistently leave you injured is good for your health. These are two significant qualifiers - enjoying what you do and avoiding unnecessary injury.
Bring a group of kids together at a park without any equipment and chances are good that they will begin playing tag. If you can't remember the last time you played tag with family or friends, perhaps you're overdue for a few rounds. Read more
When we're pressed for time and on the prowl for some serious flavour, this is our can't-miss choice for dinner.
You can make your own black beans by soaking the night before and cooking them until tender, but more often than not, we go with the healthiest pre-made black bean product at the grocery store. Which leaves only a pot of rice, some guacamole, and crisp shreds of lettuce and your favourite tomatoes to have on hand to construct a wonderfully satisfying and nourishing meal, rich in healthy protein, health-enhancing fat, and plenty of antioxidants to support cellular health. Read more
If you experience intermittent neck pain and/or stiffness, you may benefit from a simple routine of stretching and strengthening the dozens of skeletal muscles and ligaments that line your neck.
The most important requirement for healthy ligaments and muscles is steady blood flow to these tissues. And stretching the ligaments and muscles that line your neck is the most effective way to promote and maintain a rich supply of blood in this region. Read more
To have healthy shoulders that allow you to comfortably use your arms overhead, it's essential that your shoulder blades are optimally mobile and that you have good motor control over their movement along the posterior wall of your rib cage - the scapular mobility exercises shown in the video above will allow you to fulfill both of these requirements for healthy shoulder function. Read more
Like your hip joint, your shoulder joint has a ball-in-socket design, but the socket isn't very deep. In fact, it's quite shallow, which is what allows your shoulder the broad range of motion required to efficiently perform overhead activities. Read more
When hamstrings and calves are short and hypertonic from lack of mindful use and stretching, their tendons can generate a low-grade backward pulling force on the tibia or femur, which predisposes the quadriceps and patellar tendon that runs along the anterior portion of the knee to injury. This is why regular stretching of your hamstrings, gastrocnemius, and soleus is essential to supporting healthy knee function. Read more
Where there is shoulder pain due to impingement, frozen shoulder, or subacromial bursitis, an often overlooked root cause is a tight shoulder capsule.
What is your shoulder capsule?
It's a series of ligaments that surround and stabilize your shoulder joint, which is where your upper arm bone (humerus) attaches to your shoulder blade (scapula). Read more
There is a primal reassurance in being touched, in knowing that someone else, someone close to you, wants to be touching you. There is a bone-deep security that goes with the brush of a human hand, a silent, reflex-level affirmation that someone is near, that someone cares.
