20 Jul July ’22 Newsletter
Need help staying active this winter?
Make your health a priority this winter! Keeping active can be a challenge in the cooler months, but the benefits of exercise for your overall health and wellbeing are worth it. Are shin splints or sports injuries holding you back? Read on to find out how to manage these conditions and get moving again. Then head to the Education Quarter to read about exercising for your wellbeing. Let’s reach those winter fitness goals!
Need help managing a sports injury?
Do you have a sports injury that is holding you back from reaching your fitness goals? Our sports injury specialists have combined qualifications in Exercise Science as well as Physiotherapy to provide unique expertise in treating and preventing sports injuries.
We aim to commence treatment as early as possible and implement a rehabilitation program to get you back playing sports ASAP!
One of the key benefits of St Leonards Physiotherapy is our access to our in-house gym and treatment rooms. It allows us to provide the full spectrum of treatment from initial treatment to gym based strength and rehabilitation programs that ensures a quick and successful return to sport.
If you need help recovering from a sports injury, contact us to book an appointment.
Follow us for all the latest news
Did you know that we are on social media? If you haven’t already found us, head to our Facebook page or follow us on Instagram to keep in touch with all the latest news and updates!
Let’s talk about Shin Splints
Have you recently added incline sprints or endurance to your running training? Or maybe you’ve upped the number of runs per week or distance per run in preparation for an upcoming race or event? If you are experiencing pain along the shinbone that seems to get worse when you run or exercise, shin splints may be to blame.
Shin splints is the term used to describe pain and inflammation along the front of the leg. The pain can be felt from the knee to the ankle along the shinbone.
Inflamed muscles/tendons and tight calf muscles, coupled with overuse are thought to cause shin splints. If you’ve recently stepped up your training and are now experiencing pain along your shinbone as a result, you may need to step back and seek treatment.
Head to our latest blog to find out more about shin splints, the signs and symptoms, and how they are treated.
The Education Quarter
EXERCISE FOR YOUR WELLBEING
Exercise is important for your overall health and mental wellbeing. If you’re looking for inspiration, or simply want to learn more about different types of exercise and the benefits they have, read on!
What are the different types of exercise?
Here we break down three different types of exercise and their benefits:
- Aerobic/endurance is any workout that speeds up your heart rate and breathing (e.g. walking, running, cycling, stair climbing, hiking, dancing, swimming, and aerobics).
- Regular aerobic exercise improves your cardiovascular health, lowers blood pressure, helps manage your weight, reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes, improves brain function, reduces stress, anxiety and depression.
- Strength: builds muscle mass (e.g. weights, resistance training, body weight exercises).
- Strength training is important because as we get older, we lose muscle mass. Muscle strength makes daily activities easier, reduces your risk of osteoporosis, improves posture, and helps to manage weight and chronic conditions.
- Stretching/balance: movement that improves flexibility and balance. (e.g. yoga, tai chi, and various stretches: there are so many different types of stretches you can do for different parts of your body).
- Stretching can reduce your risk of injury, help you recover from injury, or cool down effectively after a workout, reduce your risk of falls and increase your flexibility.
Why is exercise important for mental health?
Have you ever walked into the gym feeling anxious and stressed after a difficult day, only to walk out feeling invigorated and clear-minded? This is not a coincidence! Research has proven that aerobic exercise reduces stress, and the symptoms of anxiety and depression. This is thought to be as a result of increased blood circulation in the brain, induced by exercise.
Exercise releases chemicals including endorphins and serotonin that improve your mood. It also improves mental clarity by increasing blood flow to the brain.
How much exercise do we need for health?
It is recommended that adults are active on most days with a combination of moderate and vigorous intensity activities, incorporating strength work into your training at least twice a week.
If you want to put it in numbers, the current recommended amount each week is:
- 2.5 – 5 hours of moderate intensity activity (includes power walking, swimming, leisurely cycling, playing golf, and doing housework, etc). OR
- 1.25 – 2.5 hours of vigorous intensity activity (includes jogging/running, fast cycling, high intensity interval training, football or netball, etc).
- You can also do a combination of moderate or vigorous intensity activities to meet the recommended amount.
If you have any questions about exercise or how to incorporate more exercise into your lifestyle, we’re here to help! Please contact us to make an appointment.