Mindfulness: Reduce Stress & Chronic Pain
Retrain Your Brain for Better Physical and Mental Health How many of us have gotten to our destination after driving in our cars, only to ask ourselves, how did we get here? Or, have had encounters with coworkers, friends or family members only to ask ourselves what did we talk about? Our lives have turned into an endless assembly line, breakfast, work, gym, supper, work, bed… wake up and repeat. We are often so out of touch with what is happening in our daily lives, that often days, weeks or even months go by unnoticed. It often takes a [...]
A Customized Wheelchair Improved My Mobility and Independence
When I was in high school, my friends and I almost never ate lunch in the cafeteria; everyone I hung out with lined the hallway floors. Sometimes, if I was feeling up to a little discomfort, I’d get out of my customized wheelchair and sit on the floor with them –it was nice to get down on their level every once and a while, considering how often they did it for me. “Ninety-five per cent of my waking life is spent sitting in that chair, so yeah –it better be comfortable.” Over the years, I’ve let a handful of [...]
Adapting traditional exercise for function
Adapting traditional exercise for function Lifting for a reason I first began resistance training to make myself a better athlete with some pretty unrefined goals in mind — throw further, kick harder, and jump higher — and I continued with resistance training and weight lifting after finishing my athletic career. However, as I furthered my studies in physiotherapy, I began to realize that the traditional exercises I became accustomed to would not necessarily help my clients achieve their personal goals for functional movements like sitting to standing, lifting up a box, or better posture. At this point, what some [...]
Can Exercise Improve Brain Health?
Most people understand that exercise is important for the health of your physical body, but many are not aware of the effects of exercise on brain health. The benefits of exercise are numerous, and I think it is one of the most productive things you can do to ensure a long and healthy life. When it comes to the reasons why we should exercise, one of the best ways I have heard it described is that, “Exercise is the best medicine. Take it daily!” It not only helps you stay healthy, but can also act as the antidote for [...]
Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo Treatment (BBPV)
What Are the Symptoms of Vertigo? The awful feeling of motion when you’re perfectly still – vertigo. Not to be confused with dizziness (the feeling of being lightheaded, woozy, or unbalanced). Vertigo can happen for a number of reasons in a number of different situations – at sea, in bed, an adverse reaction to medication, too much to drink. People often feel nauseous, off-balance and describe involuntary eye movements. Most episodes of vertigo occur spontaneously and can be triggered by something as benign as rolling over in bed (a very common description by clients). What is Benign Paroxysmal Positional [...]
Things People Living with Disability Can’t Take for Granted
Things People Living with Disability Can't Take for Granted Living with disability can make things that able-bodied people take for granted very hard to achieve. Take for instance: Independence I don’t mean this in a metaphorical, abstract and autonomous way. Although if I wanted to, I could write a convincing argument for that as well. In this case, I mean independence in the literal sense, in respect to very simple aspects of daily life. Take for instance, cutting food, tying your shoes and the ever important being able to use your own legs to reliably carry you wherever you want [...]