The Glutes: Are They the Cause of Your Pain??
Even if you’re not someone well-versed in anatomy, you’ve probably heard the term glutes, or heard of your gluteal muscles. These are the muscles that make up the majority of your buttock; and while it may seem odd to think much about this area other than how it looks in your favorite jeans, there is actually an important connection from these muscles to many other aspects of the body. They can correlate to a number of pain and movement issues that can arise through the back, hips, and legs, so taking care of this area is crucial.
Massage & Anxiety
Let’s face it, life can be stressful. There are to-do lists, deadlines to meet, people to take care of…the list goes on and on. While some may handle the pressure just fine, many people struggle with the overwhelm daily, leading to sometimes crippling anxiety. It’s a serious issue and it’s important to know what you’re dealing with, possible solutions, and preventative actions you can take. Here’s some information to help you navigate the muddy waters of anxiety.
Top 5 Energy Boosting Foods
There’s not much worse than the mid-afternoon slump; that part of the day a couple hours after lunch when you feel like curling up and taking a nap instead of finishing out the work day. You shouldn’t have to deal with that day in and day out, but it is a normal part of life and work for a lot of people.
How to Pick the Right Workout For You!
Workout; the word that so many of us dread. I wish that we all woke up one day and just had the inspiration to do it naturally like some, but many of us don’t. For me, my relationship with working out has been a love/hate relationship. I love how I feel afterwards, but I hate waking up early and getting motivated to do it. For me, I know that if I don’t do it first thing in the morning, I will not come back around to it, and by the end of the day I feel defeated that I didn’t get my workout in. Here I will give you a few tips on how to choose the perfect workout for you to help you be more motivated to work out.
6 Ways to Be More Productive in the New Year
Struggling with productivity is something that many of us deal with daily. We live busy lives and it’s easy to let our lack of energy and lack of focus prevent us from accomplishing tasks we need to. However, there are ways you can improve your productivity that don’t require buying the latest program to help get you there. Here are 6 easy steps to help improve your productivity that you can implement today.
Realistic Ways to Implement Your New Year’s Resolution
Along with the hustle and bustle of the holiday season that is upon us, this time of year brings the pressure to create resolutions for the new year that’s right around the corner. Benjamin Franklin once said, “Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.” While many are content with their place in life, there are many people who feel they haven’t met their true potential or made it to the goals they have set.
Exercises for Knee Pain
Did you know that 18 million people each year see a doctor for knee pain? While there are a larger number of people who experience knee pain as they get older, there are quite a few causes that have nothing to do with age. Runner’s knee (which also affects those who participate in activities that require repetitive bending), Osgood-Schlatter disease (which is found in children & adolescents), chondromalacia patella (the softening and breakdown of the cartilage on the underside of the kneecap), and osteoarthritis are all common causes of knee pain. While in some situations, surgery is a necessity, there are certain exercises you can perform to help strengthen your knees as well as keep pain at bay.
How Muscle Imbalances Can Lead to pain and Injury
A muscle imbalance is simply when one muscle or muscle group is stronger than another. For example, your right arm may be stronger than your left, or your biceps are stronger than your triceps. It’s typically not much of a problem; we’re rather asymmetrical beings in general anyway, but muscle imbalances in some areas can play a role in creating problems within the body leading to injuries and pain.
Exercises for Bulging & Herniated Discs
Bulging and herniated discs tend to happen as a completely normal part of aging. While some can be caused by poor posture and movement patterns or injury to the spine, most cases are just what happens as we get older. A bulging disc occurs when the entire disc “bulges” out of its normal space. A herniated disc is when the outer portion of the disc thins and allows part of the inner structure of the disc to push out of the normal disc space. These conditions don’t necessarily translate into a painful or even noticeable condition, but if it does, patients can experience pain, numbness, and tingling within the low back, hip, and down the leg as well as a loss of range of motion depending on the nerve(s) being compressed.
3 Exercises for Spinal Stenosis
If you’re not familiar with it, spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spinal canal – the space that contains the spinal cord. This is most often caused by degenerative changes; some sort of normal shift or loss that occurs over time, such as with herniated discs, arthritic changes, compression fractures, etc. This stenosis, or narrowing of that space, can put pressure on the nerves that travel through the spine. The two most common places for this to occur are in the neck (cervical stenosis) and the low back (lumbar stenosis). Most often, stenosis can begin with little to no sign that anything is wrong. Progression of symptoms happens over time as the stenosis worsens. The most common symptoms include numbness, tingling, and weakness of the limbs and in some severe cases, organ function may be affected as well.