Work out your personal vitality rating

The basis of our health and wellbeing is our guts ability to digest what we eat and absorb all the nutrients.  However it is common for people to have digestive issues such as gas, bloating, food intolerances and IBS.  Given the guts importance to wellbeing, I would like to focus on digestion and guts in the next few articles which will include tips for healthy stomachs, large intestine and small intestine. Lets start with talking about bowels.  Your bowel movements reflect both your lifestyle and gut health.  So how should you judge your bowel movements:

1. There should be no discomfort or straining when you go to the loo, and no smell of gas.
2. Stools should come out easily, smoothly and all in one piece.
3. Stools should be 10 - 15 cm long, medium brown in colur and shouldn't be smelly, stick to the lavoratory bowl or float.
4. If your stool floats it could be due to too much fat or gas in your diet - usually from excess sugar, fizzy drinks or beans.
5. A very smelly stool can be a sign of undigested food or waster that has been sitting in your bowel for a long time.  It can also be a sign of poor absorbtions or lactose intolerance.  If your stool is smelly and looks greasy it may be a sign of coeliac disease so you need to book a check up with your doctor.
6. Going to the toilet 2 -3 times a day is optimal but anything from 2 - 3 times per day to 2 - 3 times per weeks in normal.
7. Any changes to your normal pattern should be reported to your doctor.

In clinic I find neck pain is really common and while I see results, its always interesting to see what the latest research has to say.

Deep tissue is a very descriptive name and is self-explanatory.  The confusion comes when it is compared to sports massage.  The big difference is the focus. Sports massage is dedicated to

• improving sports performance
• prevention of and treating sports injuries

• You work out religiously, but aren't as relgious about stretching
• You cycle or run to work and don't think to stretch
• You play sports but don't cross train so have specific trouble spots
• Your performance (in a particular sport) has dropped
• You have a history of injuries and want to reduce the likely hood of further injuries

• You work at a computer all day and your neck, shoulders & back are chronically sore
• You are so tense your back feels like concrete
• You have tired achy legs
• You are in pain
• You are stiff (or are unable to move your neck/arm/leg freely)
• You are stressed or anxious
• You have a knot or a muscle spasm