Calling all vegans and vegetarians…

Many of the clients we see exercise regularly but I have never heard anyone mention including in their workouts exercises that focus on the hips.  Yet, this is extremely important, as sitting for long periods of time can cause your hip flexors to become tight  or weak or both leading to problems with posture and back pain.  In addition weak hip flexors contribute to foot, ankle and knee injuries. Sitting is a primary culprit in tight hips and thighs because the muscles are rarely extended (although they may also become tight from working out). To lengthen and strengthen these muscles, try this move created by Suzanne Bowen, creator of BarreAmped, an internationally taught barre technique chosen by Fitness Magazine and Natural Health Magazine as the best barre workouts in 2015. You'll need a chair or kitchen counter for support. Start out in a kneeling lunge position with your right foot in front and leg bent at the knee in a 90-degree angle. Your left knee should be a few inches behind your left hip. To do the exercise, Bowen recommends:

"1. Press forward a few inches into your right leg just until you feel a gentle stretch in the opposite hip.

If you have very tight hips, this might be as far as you go. (Protect the front knee by making sure it doesn't extend out beyond the toes.) For a more advanced stretch, straighten the left leg behind you and then press forward.

2. When you're ready to move on, reposition the rear leg as needed so you can stretch your right leg straight out in front of you.

Keep your back straight and lean a few inches forward from the hips and feel the stretch in the right hamstring."

Globally more than 10 million people die each year from conditions related to high blood pressure.  In clinic we notice that high blood pressure medication is one of the most common medications that are clients take (outside the contraceptive pill). The Hygia Chronotherapy trail, looked at 19,084 Caucasian Spanish men and women over a period of 6 years.  Patients were split into two groups, with one asked to take their high blood pressure medication in the morning and one in the evening. The patients that took their blood pressure medication before bedtime are 66% less likely to die from heart and circulatory conditions, according to the researchers. Experts believe a person’s circadian rhythm or “body clock” can change the effect of the medication.  The study found that blood pressure dipped lower at night in those who took the medication before bed compared to those who took it in the morning. Researchers say that further studies looking at people of different ethnicities should take place before doctors change their advice to patients on when to take blood pressure medication. Reference https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/advance-article/doi/10.1093/eurheartj/ehz754/5602478

As things are now back to full swing after the summer holiday, and before things get too budy, I wanted to share with you a piece of research that while being 3 years old is still highly relevant.  Researchers were looking at the effectiveness of listening to self-administered hypnosis stress reduction CD's to boost resilience. Eleven subjects took part in the study, all healthy, normally coping and functioning individuals - were provided with a self-administered hypnosis stress reduction CD, to be used for a minimum of 5 days a week over a 12 week period.  The CD contained two different hypnosis tracks, one to be played before sleep (25 minutes in duration) and the other to be played in the morning (lasting 7 minutes). The aim of the CD was to recondition the stress response, by minimising the participants "excessive emotional and physical reaction to perceived work and life stressors, while facilitating their coping skills and resilience."   Chronic stress and anxiety have been associated with inflammatory changes in the body, and high level of inflammation have been lined to a number of acute and chronic conditions.  Blood tests were used to measure the level of inflammatory response and self-reported measures (using the StressScan assesment) were taken pre and post intervention. While the study size is small, it provides some suggestive evidence that a self-administered stress reduction program that is time efficient may be clinically effective for modifying the stress response and boosting resilience. Reference Schoen M and Nowack K (2013)  Reconditioning the stress response with hypnosis CD reduces the inflammatory cytokine IL-6 and influences resilience: a pilot study.  Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice 2013; 19 83-88 http://www.ctcpjournal.com/article/S1744-3881(12)00088-6/abstract