exercise

Hello, my name is Marie!

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Hello, My name is Marie.

Marie

You may have seen my name on the timetable teaching Yoga at Stay Tuned Elwood.
If you have met me you may have already noticed how passionate I am about Yoga as a whole.

How did your yoga journey begin?

My journey began by coincidence, always wanting to try yoga for fitness but never really getting there. One day my partner’s brother convinced me to come to one of his classes (where I signed up to that studio for a 2 week unlimited pass) from that class onwards I kept going back. Although my body was feeling better from the movement, it was my mind that was benefitting most. Eventually I woke up one day completely obsessed with yoga, that I decided to do a teacher training myself (the first of three), my intention wasn’t to teach but to get a better understanding of what was happening to me from the practice. From my training I realised I wanted to share my learnings with others and decided to teach yoga.

Marie

What did you find to be the best benefit of yoga initially?

From a young age I had poor stress management skills which lead to … read more »

Bursitis

by (Osteopath)

Bursitis? What is that?! 

Have you recently consulted with your Osteo or Physio who has referred you for an ultrasound? Did they mentioned the possibility that you have Bursitis? Well let me explain a bit about what that is!

Healthy vs BursitisWhat is a Bursa?

A Bursa is a fluid filled sac that acts as a cushion between muscles, tendons, joints and bones. The role of these Bursae is to reduce friction caused by movement around those joints. 

What is Bursitis?

Bursitis is inflammation of the Bursae. It is often a painful condition that affects the joints. It is commonly associated with over use or repetitive joint movements. It can however also be caused by poor postures, walking habits, long standing strength or structural imbalances. It is more common in those who are overweight, have some types of arthritis, elderly or diabetic, however it can also occur in healthy individuals. 

Common sites of Bursitis are: 

  • Shoulder 
  • Hip 
  • Knee 
  • Elbow 
  • Ankle 

Symptoms of Bursitis:

  • Pain or tenderness around the joint, especially if pressure is applied. 
  • Redness, warmth or swelling are usually uncommon but may be a sign of infection. 

Diagnosis of Bursitis:

A diagnosis of Bursitis is usually done through a thorough examination. … read more »

Ankle Sprains

by (Osteopath )

Ankle Sprains 

Ashby Smith

Ankle sprains are the most common lower limb injury for sports people and have the highest re-injury rate of all sports injuries.

When we recover from ankle sprains and injuries we need to make sure that our exercise rehabilitation is comprehensive and properly strengthens the ankle before we get back to sport.

Here are the 5 stages of ankle recovery and 3 exercises/management tools you can do in each stage!

 

Stage 1: Regain range of motion.

  • Gentle calf stretches
  • Massage therapy to the lower leg
  • Elevating and compressing your leg up to reduce the swelling – which helps to restore range of motion

Stage 2: Regain balance and proprioception.

  • Single leg balance test
  • Wobble board/bosu ball exercises
  • Arabesques

Stage 3: Strengthen lower leg muscles.

  • Calf raises
  • Ankle up and outs – with theraband
  • Squats

Stage 4: Start sports specific exercises (return to modified training).

  • Skipping
  • Lateral hops
  • Jump squats

Stage 5: Return to sport.

  • Suicides
  • Bunny hops
  • High knee running

… read more »

How to Best Provide Ankle Support for Netballers –Kids, Teenagers and Adults 

by (Osteopath & Clinical Pilates Instructor)

Every Saturday you can probably guarantee that a handful of us “lucky” netballers will come away from the courts with “twisted/turned/sprained” ankles.

Why?

Netball is a game that involves an immense amount of dodging and quick turns. Unfortunately, these movements can put pressure on the lateral ligaments of the ankle. If we happen to overdo it and go into too much inversion (rolling in) we can actually sprain these ligaments.

Due to the nature of the healing process, if damaged ligaments will only regain 80% of their original strength. This means that the ligament will always be a little weaker.

What can we do?

Now apart from doing an excellent rehabilitation program to strengthen the surrounding muscles and improving proprioception, the best thing that netballers can do to provide stability while on the court is to tape or brace the ankle.

Taping

On TV you’ll see that the Australian Diamonds and athletes that play in the Suncorp Super Netball League will mostly decide to tape. This is because they have access to trained professionals who know exactly how to tape ankles for the players specific needs.

At the professional level all teams are looking to get an edge. There has … read more »

Don’t ignore heel pain in young athletes.

by (Osteopath)

Is your young sports star suffering heel pain? Let me tell you, they are not alone. Heel pain in young growing active individuals is usually due to a condition medically known as “Severs Disease”. Although it sounds quite dramatic it is very common benign condition affecting active (boys usually) between the ages of 8 – 14. It is caused by an irritation of the growth plate of the heel bone brought on by recent an increased pull from the Achilles tendon. When your child is growing, it is usually the bones that start to grow first, leaving behind the muscles and tendons to adapt and catch up. This leads to the tendons pulling at the insertion site at the heel.

What are the symptoms?

  • Pain around the perimeter of the heel during physical exercise – particularly activities involving lots of jumping and running
  • Pain becomes worse at the BEGINNING and AFTER exercise
  • Changes in the way your child walks – walking on toes is common
  • Swelling, redness or tenderness around the back of the heel

How can we help?

The good news is, there are lots of effective ways to help your child throughout their active lifestyle during this stage. … read more »

Patrick Lynch

by (Physiotherapist & Clinical Pilates Instructor)

After completing a Bachelor of Exercise Science at Griffith University on the Gold Coast, Patrick opted for a change of scenery and completed a Master of Physiotherapy at the University of Sydney. Not ready to give up the city life, and head back to Queensland, Pat chose to move to Melbourne where he works at Stay Tuned Sports Medicine in Elwood.
Before becoming a physiotherapist Patrick was always passionate about the importance of maintaining a balanced lifestyle, having always been active and participating in team and individual sports. Throughout his studies this passion has only grown and he is now keen to help others achieve optimal function and reach their individual goals. With a strong background in exercise prescription Pat is sure to employ this in his rehabilitation programs.
Outside of work Patrick loves to explore what the world, and his doorstep has to offer. He is a keen traveller, either to another country or a good coffee shop or brewery he has heard about. Pat grew up surfing, rowing, playing cricket and the various codes of rugby, although he has recently developed a keen taste for Aussie Rules.… read more »

Cassandra Stuchbery

by (Dietitian and Sports Dietitian)

Cassie is a people-focused Dietitian who has a strong passion for all things food and nutrition. She is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and Accredited Nutritionist with a Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics. Cassie is also a NDIS approved provider.

With a background in chronic disease and weight management Cassie enjoys helping and motivating clients with tailored nutrition programs. She also works providing sports nutrition advice to the Australian Sports Climbing team and regularly presents to young athletes.

Cassie is passionate about helping you make lasting changes to have a long term impact on your health, no fad diets or temporary solutions!

 … read more »

Sophie Fletcher

by (Osteopath & Exercise Scientist)

Sophie graduated from the Australian Ballet School with an Advanced Diploma of Dance in 2003. During her training she received several scholarships and awards both for achievements in dance and academic excellence.

On graduating she joined The Australian Ballet performing with the company for the next 4 years. She travelled extensively overseas with the company and was also awarded a travel scholarship in 2005 which enabled her to take classes with major American ballet companies including New York City Ballet, Houston Ballet, San Francisco Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle. In 2008 Sophie joined the West Australian Ballet as a guest artist and remained there for the next 2 years performing in many critically acclaimed productions. She then joined the Czech National Ballet at the invitation of the director Petr Zuska and performed many notable classical and contemporary roles. Most recently Sophie appeared as Princess Aurora in Prague Festival Ballet’s Sleeping Beauty during its tour of Germany.

Sophie’s connection to pilates began at age 11 as an adjunct to her ballet training and she continued to practise it regularly throughout her career. Sophie is convinced pilates helped her to stay injury free during her career by building a strong, … read more »

Exercise is the best medicine

by (Osteopath & Exercise Scientist)

Exercise is the best medicine

In the times of cave men, we had to walk, run and jump just to survive. Then technology came along and now instead of walking across the room to talk to our co-worker, we send an email. Let’s be honest, the world has changed, but our bodies haven’t. We still need to be active and move.youth-570881_1920

Exercise is medicine. Let’s look into this shall we?

If exercise was a pill, it would be the most prescribed medication. Why? Because the human body needs to move. Here’s a very short list of how the body responds to exercise.

Blood Pressure – As exercise intensity increases so does blood pressure, but that’s because we need more oxygen to get to our muscles. When exercises stops and we finish our cool down, the vessels relax and our blood pressure lowers. It can even be lower than before the exercise session.

Blood Sugars- When we move, the body uses a mechanism called GLUT-4 to draw glucose into the muscles. Good news for diabetics.

Cholesterol – Exercise helps balance the cholesterol in our blood. This can help reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.swimmers-79592_1920

Osteoporosis – Bones that … read more »

How to Climb Mt Everest – a Guide to Goal Setting

by (Osteopath & Exercise Scientist)

Have you ever set yourself a goal that seemed too big the next day? For example, climbing Mt Everest. Seemed like a good idea at the time, right? And then when you felt puffed after walking up a hill it made you disheartened so you settled for a block of chocolate instead?
mountain-climbing-802099_1920

Well here’s a secret. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and NO ONE has climbed Mt Everest in a day either.

When setting goals the easiest thing to do is see the finish sign but not the road to get there. Knowing the path and which direction to take makes it a lot easier to stay on track.

Clichés aside, here are a few tips on how to climb your mountain. Make your goal SMART.
S – Specific. “To lose weight” could be 1 gram or 50kgs. What is it EXACTLY that you want to achieve?
M – Measurable. Numbers, numbers, numbers!! How many times a week? How far? A great idea is to use different scales to measure how you feel. For example, after a run I feel 8/10 tired. Record it somewhere and be sure you check back and reflect on your progress!
A – … read more »