Posts Tagged ‘walking’

Stretching Techniques To Avoid Back Pain

Friday, February 3rd, 2012

The old fashioned of treating back pain was bed rest and pain killers. In fact, I was told two months ago when my back pain began to go to bed for a month. However, more modern thoughts on the subject are that modest exercise is better for your back.

I, for one, could not lie in bed for a month because of backache, because when my back was at its worst, I could not rest in one place for over a minute or two and sleep was almost unattainable.

I was in too much pain to travel to the GP’s surgery and I was not given a home visit. So, I merely sat at home and waited to get better. Then my wife arranged a masseur to come around.

The massage helped, but she also recommended some stretching exercises to attempt, which I have since seen mentioned by some physiotherapists on the Internet.

To start with, she suggested strolling as far as I could each day. Set attainable goals, but extend them whenever you reach them. Permit yourself one rest on both the outward and homeward journeys and after a time, endeavour to do without the break.

This has helped very well for me and from not being able to walk to the bathroom a month ago, I can now walk around 350 yards without a break. I place most of the reason for my recovery, such as it is, down to walking.

I have a slipped disc and a trapped sciatic nerve, so leaning backwards was agony for me (and still hurts), but I found that rotating at the hips helps loosen things up.

There are two ways, I do this: 1] put you hands on your hips and push down or 2] clasp your hands behind your head; then standing with feet apart or sitting on a chair with no back, rotate your upper body as low as you can in a circle to the right eight times and then to the left. Increase the repetitions as and when you are able.

Sitting on a chair with a high back, reach back over your shoulders and grip the back of the chair (or you may grip the sides of the chair). Then keeping your bottom still, attempt to turn to the left eight times and then to the right. Take it slowly, no erratic movements, but actually push.

Lying on your back, bring one knee up to your body; pull it if you need to. First one knee eight times, then the other, and then both together. A variation on this is to lie on the floor, bend your knees and place your feet flat on the floor. Then put one foot on the other knee and pull that knee towards you. The second version can also be done seated.

Lying on your back, lift your straight legs as high as you can, holding them together. You will probably not manage much, so ask someone to push them high up to ninety degrees and hold. Push them more towards your face. Lift your bottom off the ground if you like. It sounds as if this one will seriously hurt, but it was all right for me.

These exercises were recommended to me by a personal masseur who has been extremely well trained. They are to suit my situation, so perhaps you had better take advice before trying them yourself.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on a variety of subjects, but is now involved with sciatica and acupuncture. If you would like to know more, please go to our website at Sore Back Remedies

You Know The Most About Your Back Pain And Its Diagnosis

Friday, January 27th, 2012

Back pain is a massive subject in medical knowledge which makes back pain and its diagnosis very difficult. It is easy to blame your physician for not knowing much concerning your back pain, but the fact is that you are in a better place to understand why you have backache that they do.

This is because backache that is not congenital or due to a specific accident, illness or series of medications is normally due to bad posture and that means lifestyle changes.

For instance, I am heavy and have just begun having back pain. My medical doctor could see my size and suggested that I lose weight. We all know that that is not going to happen over night and so did he, so he gave me a prescription for 20 tablets a day and his assistant gave me a massage and an jab in the posterior.

I waited and waited until the tablets ran out and I was no better. It would have been simple to say that the medical doctor was useless and, to be honest, his quick fix remedies were useless, but his advice was spot on. I lost eight kilos (20 pounds) over a week or so and could stand up straight again.

Now, I still have back pain, but I know that I can afford to lose another 20 pounds, although the actual compulsion – the debilitating twenty-four hour pain – has passed, which will make it harder for me to focus on losing more weight.

That is not the GP’s fault, it is mine.

We live in a culture where we expect a tablet to cure us and some doctors pander to this culture (like mine did). Unfortunately, fifteen minutes with the physician and a handful of pills will not cure all our ills. Occasionally, we have to realize that we are our own worst enemies and hold our hands up.

This is not to say that doctors are always right. I have a friend who has had debilitating back pain for thirty years and had to give up work early. His wife left him too because she could no longer cope. He sits at home alone most days very lonely.

When I told him that I had obtained relief from massage, he told me that his medical doctor had told him 20 years ago that neither massage nor acupuncture could help him, so he has never tried them.

You could say that my friend ought to have tried them anyway and I would agree with you, but he believed, and still believes, his physician.

It is a real shame when people close their minds off to ideas that they know too little of so they are not able to make a sensible decision. It has cost my friend 30 years of mobility and his best friend.

Bob Dylan said it best when he sang:

‘Come mothers and fathers Throughout the land And don’t criticize What you can’t understand Your sons and your daughters Are beyond your command Your old road is Rapidly agin’. Please get out of the new one If you can’t lend your hand For the times they are a-changin’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCWdCKPtnYE

there is a lesson there for a lot of us, I think.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on a range of subjects, but is now involved with sciatica pain management. If you would like to know more, please go to our web site at Sore Back Remedies

Will Your Shoes Give You Back Pain?

Tuesday, January 24th, 2012

Why do we prefer a comfy pair of old shoes or slippers? Well, the obvious solution is because we have gotten used to them and they fit like a glove. This is true too and goes a long way to providing the solution to the question, but what this solution only suggests is that new shoes are uncomfortable.

Often this is because they throw your normal posture out, which can hurt your ankles, legs and back and that is without talking about blisters which is another topic actually. Women almost certainly understand this point of view more than men, because they regularly wear heals of different heights, which has the effect of throwing the body off its normal balance.

In a younger person, the effects of the body being placed off balance may be compensated for by strength and flexibility, but as we become older, it becomes more and more vital to stick with what we are used to.

Exercise is helpful. New exercises are useful. They will help build up your flexibility and ability to cope with change, but if you spend much time on your feet, wear sensible shoes or you are building issues up for the future.

In fact, there are three main things that affect the state of your back. These everyday items are: your bed, your seat and your shoes, but most individuals spend longer in shoes than in one seat or in bed. I know that you probably have more than one pair of shoes, but that is part of the problem, if you think of it.

Shoes are vital for two factors: they absorb some of the shock of walking and they help foster a proper walking posture. Decent shoes do anyway and good shoes will also support the ankle to stop it ‘wobbling’ which would create stress and stain on the feet.

So how do you choose shoes that will be decent for your posture today and your back for the remainder of your life? Well, it has to do with those terms that youngsters dread: sensible and orthopedic or orthotic. Those words used to mean ‘old-fashioned’ and ‘not stylish’, but that is not necessarily so any more, although wearing shoes that are ‘good for you’ still does normally mean spending more money.

If you are oblivious of how to buy shoes properly, it is worth your time to find out and if you are a parent, then it is your responsibility to find out. It is not difficult, but it is usually a little more expensive, because more thought by professional podiatricians has gone into the design of them, which will make certain that the wearers of these shoes will not be at danger while wearing them.

Do not let yourself or your kids down by buying cheap or badly made shoes.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on a variety of topics, but is now involved with sciatica pain management. If you would like to know more, please go to our web site at Sore Back Remedies

Essentials Of Golfing Etiquette

Tuesday, November 15th, 2011

Golf is a carefully balanced game of rules and etiquette, and it’s very important to know the basics of golfing etiquette before you go on the course to play your first game of golf.

Golfing etiquette dictates that it doesn’t matter whether you are playing alone, in a twosome or in a foursome, you must always wait your turn. You must also stay aware of the group on the next hole and wait until they are well ahead of you before hitting your ball.

Golfing etiquette also says that it is never correct to “hurry” the group in front of you. If you are playing with others, wait your turn to hit the ball and never hit at the same time as another player.

While you are waiting for your turn to play, go to your ball and determine what golf club you will need to use and how you are going to hit the golf ball with it. This is called “ready golf” and keeps the game moving along. Don’t rush anybody, just be ready for your turn.

Another useful piece of golfing etiquette, especially for the beginner is ‘playing through’. For example, if your team is holding up the players behind you, say because you are playing consistently over par, let them play through. You would simply wave them through, or if they are near enough to you, just ask them if they would like to play through. You will never make enemies by doing this!

When someone is making a shot, you should be behind them and you shouldn’t make any noise! It is so distracting to be just about to to tee off and just as you pull back, someone decides to jingle coins in their pocket or noisily unwrap a piece of candy.

Replacing divots. Let’s say you are on the fairway and you strike the ball a bit thick and a clump of dirt and grass goes flying, no problem, but golfing etiquette says that you ought to replace it. On some courses you just put the clod back into the hole and step on it to keep it down, but on most courses, there is a sand/seed mixture on the course to put into the divot. Also, if your ball makes a deep impression when it lands on the green, you should use your divot tool to repair it.

As soon as you have finished a hole, replace the flag and leave the green as quickly and quietly as possible (there may be another team teeing off at the next hole) so that the next players can play that hole. Count your score and write it on the scorecard when you get back to your cart.

For sure, there is much more to golfing etiquette than this, but these basic rules of golfing etiquette will enable you to get around the course without upsetting anyone. If we all uphold golfing etiquette we will keep the game nice and friendly, or not?

If you are interested in learning more about golfing etiquette, visit our website on Golfing Tips for Beginners for loads of free tips.

Hiking And Camping

Sunday, May 1st, 2011

Are you interested in getting closer to nature? Do you like hiking and sleeping under the stars – or under canvas at least? If you do, then a walking or hiking and camping holiday may be just the thing for you. A hiking and camping holiday will get you out in the fresh air, allow you to observe nature first hand and cost you very little to boot. In short, hiking and camping are the perfect blend, if you are looking for a healthy, inexpensive break outdoors.

Not only that but you can either go alone with a couple of good books, take a lover, take a friend or take the family with you. All in all, you have many alternatives available to you if you want to trek off into the wild blue yonder on foot.

There are a couple of ways of tackling a vacation of this kind. You can either book into a hiking and camping site or you can literally just head off. If you have children with you then the camping site is a necessity, but otherwise the decision is yours, although it has to be borne in mind, that camping off site is or can be illegal. Trespass is definitely illegal as is causing a nuisance of yourself, putting wild animals under duress for no good reason, damaging trees or property and littering.

So, if you are a novice to hiking and camping, you would probably be better off going to a hiking and camping site or park. Do not be put off by this thought, some of them are truly immense. Check out the Poconos and other national parks for example.

There is no doubt that price is a factor in the choice of a camping holiday for many young people, but it is hardly ever the sole reason why people like to get away and sleep under the stars. Going back to nature and bird- and animal-watching are other common reasons.

If you fancy this type of holiday, it is worth remembering that hiking and camping have become very popular pastimes of late. They always were well-liked, it is a fact, but they waned in the Eighties and Nineties, and are seeing a resurgence now. Therefore, do your homework, see where you would like to go, get some brochures or look on line and book up early. Yes, these days you have to book up early to get into the best hiking and camping parks again.

A final note of warning, if you decide to go off into the wilderness outside a park, let people know where you are. Take your mobile phone and a couple of fully-charged extra batteries and say when you are going to phone in that you are safe and make certain that you abide by it. It is very expensive if Air-Sea Rescue are called out on unnecessarily.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on a variety of subjects, but is now concerned with the egg crate foam mattress pad. If you would like to know more, please visit our website at Egg Crate Mattress Pad For Sale.

Your New Winter Boots Can Help You To Tone Up Your Lower Body

Thursday, November 18th, 2010

When the clocks go back, you can be certain that winter is on its way. It gets dark earlier every night and the weather gets a little cooler every day. It won’t be long before there’s snow on the ground. Looking on the bright side, it’s time to treat yourself to a new pair of winter boots.

Obviously there’s a wide selection of different styles for you to choose from. Leather boots and fur boots are always popular choices. Even if it’s pouring down you can still look good in a pair of colourful Hunter boots – wellingtons with style. At the end of the day, they’re worn by royalty, so they’re bound to have a certain kudos.

But why shouldn’t you demand a little extra from your winter boots this year? How would you feel if your new boots didn’t just look good but helped you to look good as well ?

The latest development in the footwear market is toning shoes. They are specially designed to help you to tone and trim your lower body just by walking about as normal. There are a number of different designs and brands available on the market, including winter boots.They achieve their toning effect as a result of a specially designed sole which makes the leg and butt muscles do a little more work than normal.

Masai Barefoot Technology (MBT) Shoes and Skechers Shape Ups both incorporate curved soles which are intended to reproduce the mechanics of walking upon soft sand. Reebok Easy Tones and Fit Flops sandals, on the other hand, use soles which are designed to generate a very small imbalance whilst walking. The leg and butt muscles attempt to re-establish the body’s natural balance – doing a little more work in the process.

It’s not too difficult to see why the prospect of a lower body workout just by walking around as normal would be an appealing prospect to many people. After working all day, running around after the kids, or just doing general household chores, it can be difficult to find the energy to make a trip to the gym. Toning shoes must seem like the ideal solution for many busy modern women .

Scientific testing seems to support the manufacturer’s claims that toning shoes generate increased lower body muscle activity. Neither is there any shortage of very positive user feedback available. Needless to say, there are skeptics. Some query the authenticity of the trials, based upon the fact that many of these have received funding from the big footwear manufacturers. Small samples sizes are also cited as a problem. Clearly, there are two sides to the argument. However, if all that toning shoes do is encourage wearers to walk a little further during the course of their daily routine, then that’s a very positive result in itself.

Check out the latest FitFlops winter boots. If you’re expecting wet weather you can still be cool and trendy in a pair of Hunter boots – as worn by royalty!

Shed Weight With A Walking Exercise Regime

Tuesday, November 16th, 2010

Dismissing walking as an exercise method would be very easy to do. It’s a low intensity, low impact, low injury risk exercise technique. You don’t need any special equipment or training. It’s something that you already know how to do – you probably do it every day, to some extent at least.

Nevertheless, it would be a mistake to let familiarity breed contempt in this case. There’s no need to start out on an exercise regime more suited to a professional athlete in order to achieve some major health benefits. The benefits provided by this simple exercise are numerous – including weight loss, a key goal for a lot of people.

Walking can lower the risk of stroke and heart disease. It can reduce blood pressure levels and lower cholesterol. Due to the fact that it is a weight bearing exercise, it can help to build muscle and increase bone density. It can help to increase the operating efficiency of the heart and lungs. The probability of contracting certain types of cancer can be reduced as a result of walking regularly. It can also help to fight anxiety and combat depression. Recent studies in the UK suggest that walking as little as eight miles a week can help to combat Alzheimer’s disease. As mentioned previously, it can help you with weight loss, get you into generally better shape and give you more energy.

That’s a long list of potential benefits. It reads like a press release for some new wonder drug or health supplement rather than a mundane daily activity! You don’t need to “go for the burn” or adopt a “no pain, no gain” mentality. The most important thing is that you only need to do a little more walking than normal – but you need to do this on a consistent and regular basis in order to lose weight and get the health benefits previously mentioned.

There are many opportunities for you to walk further and a little more often. You can fit it into your schedule at a time to suit you. Leaving your car in the garage and walking to the shops, work or school is a good start. However, if that doesn’t work out for you then just take your car anyway but park it in a faraway corner of the parking lot so that you have further to walk to reach the entrance – no need to feel guilty. If you travel by bus or subway, then get off a couple of stops early and finish your journey on foot. Walk up the stairs instead of using the lift. Take a walk during your lunch hour. When you’re talking on your mobile phone, walk around a bit. There’s no shortage of ways to build walking into your day.

If you are fitting walking into your daily schedule in short bursts, as described above, it can be hard to keep track of your progress. You might find that a pedometer is a good investment. It will let you keep tabs on your results in terms of the distance walked, the number of steps taken or the number of calories burned. This is a good method to keep your motivational level high.

An mp3 player is another helpful accessory for you to think about. When you’re listening to your favorite music, the time and the miles will fly past.

Toning shoes are another, fairly recent development, which might help you. Brands such as Skechers Shape Ups Shoes, Fit Flops sandals and Masai Barefoot Technology (MBT) Shoes all use special soles which increase the level of work performed by your lower body muscle whilst walking. This can help you tone and trim your lower body – just by walking.

So, if you want to shed a little weight, then walking to lose weight is the ideal solution. It will also deliver a number of other health benefits (which can be even more important than weight loss).

When it’s blowing a gale, stay cool and trendy in a colorful pair of Hunter boots – the wellies that are worn by royalty! The latest range of FitFlops winter boots will give you a free lower body workout, keep you warm – all whilst still being super fashionable.

Should You Try Toning Winter Boots This Year?

Sunday, November 14th, 2010

Since their launch back in 2007, Fit Flops toning shoes have proven to be a big hit with women all over the world. These sandals are much more than a collection of colorful, bright and trendy summer flip flops – they can also help you to trim and tone your lower body, simply by walking around as you usually do anyway.

They use a specially engineered sole which uses materials of differing densities in different areas and which is has a special shape.This produces some minor imbalances when walking. This causes the leg and butt muscles to try to correct for this and to restore the body’s balance.

The end result is that the lower body muscles work just a little bit harder when walking as normal. That’s how FitFlops are able to provide you with a free lower body workout when you walk in them. Scientific tests have demonstrated that the amount of work performed by the calves is raised by as much as 11%, the hamstring muscle activity is boosted by up to 16% and the buttock muscle activity by as much as a whopping 30% (in comparison with normal walking activity performed whilst wearing standard exercise or leisure footwear).

The opportunity to get a free “workout while you walk” is something that many people will find very appealing. That’s no great surprise. Making the time for a visit to the gym in between looking after your family, working and the numerous other tasks that consume your time is easier said than done. As if that wasn’t enough to put you off, don’t forget that gym membership fees can be costly.

However, it goes without saying that sandals are hardly the ideal choice of footwear beyond the summer months – so new additions to the Fitflops range were introduced based upon customer feedback. Fans of the range must have been over the moon when clogs, winter boots, cosy slippers and, most recently, sneakers were added to the range. Now you can tone up your lower body without your toes turning blue.

Another of the good things about the FitFlops range is that, in contrast to other toning shoes – such as Reebok Easy Tones or Skechers Shape Ups for example – they don’t look like exercise footwear. They look very chic and could be worn in a variety of different social situations. Nobody will suspect that you are getting a free lower body workout with every step you take. They’ll probably just be jealous that you’ve managed to find yourself such a trendy new pair of sandals, boots or shoes.

When the wet weather arrives, stay cool and trendy in a colorful pair of Hunter boots – the wellies that are worn by royalty! The latest range of FitFlops winter boots will give you a free lower body workout, keep you warm – all whilst still looking great.

Where To Purchase Your Camping Equipment

Sunday, November 14th, 2010

Do you like to go camping? Do you go with friends or family and do you help with the planning? If so, then you almost certainly already have a lot of the items you require, but as you doubtless already know, there is always something you have to purchase for each trip. If you are planning your first trip, then it is to be hoped that this short piece will give you some tips.

In fact, there are quite a few sources of camping gear. Some offer better value for money than others, some offer low quality gear and others offer high quality at high prices. The trick is to be somewhere in the middle, where you can get decent quality equipment which is fit for purpose at the right cost and this is what we will help you to do.

One of the first points to comprehend, and it is very helpful to understand this , is that a camper has to have camping gear, ie the tent, sleeping bag, et cetera and camping supplies, ie food, insect repellent et cetera. It is practical to realize the difference because some camping stores sell both gear and supplies, whereas others only sell one or the other.

Starting with camping gear. You can buy camping gear on line at dedicated camping stores, at department stores and at eBay and Amazon. The trick here is to do some research first to find out what is the best of what you require and how much it costs and then to go searching on line for that particular device manufactured by that particular manufacturer. You will absolutely save money by purchasing on line, but you have to be more careful of copies.

Army and Navy Surplus stores are pretty decent too. After all, if it is decent enough for our fighting forces it is not going to fall apart the first time it rains or blows a bit. I have always found it difficult to come out of an army and navy store without buying anything, even if they did not have what I went in there for. I always end up buying a new compass or a knife or some other gizmo.

Department stores are next and you can pick up decent deals out of season, otherwise they tend to be costly and you have to be wary of not purchasing ‘kiddies gear’ meant for use in the back garden by mistake. Sports stores and dedicated camping shops are normally very reliable, selling the best gear at the top prices.

Now on to camping supplies. To be honest, what do you eat while camping that you do not eat at home each week? Moose, squirrel, possum, deer? Well, you are not going to take that with you anyway, are you, so you may as well get your camping supplies from your favourite supermarket.

Or you can go to the camping shop and pay over the odds for ‘specialist foods’ and ‘survival rations’, but again, to be honest, you would be better off acquiring items like that either on line or at the Army and Navy store again. If you want to try out some of these army rations, it can be fun, but get them at bargain prices from the A&N.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on a variety of topics, but is now concerned with the egg crate foam mattress pad. If you would like to know more, please visit our website at Egg Crate Mattress Pad For Sale.

Choosing Golf Equipment

Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010

Buying golf clubs can be just like throwing your money into the wind, but fore-waned, you can save yourself plenty of time and money when you’re choosing your golf clubs. As in many cases, you can either spend a lot of money in one go or you can spend a little several times, before you get what you really need.

If you are just beginning and are not 100% certain that you want to commit yourself to the addictive game of golf, you should either hire golf clubs at the clubhouse on the golf course, or buy a beginner’s set of golf clubs.

Buying a set of starter golf clubs allows you to become accustomed to them; enabling you to concentrate on your swing instead of wondering how this set of miss-matched golf clubs you just rented is going to pan out.

As you become better at golf, you should invest in a better set of clubs more fitted to you.

Generally, a set includes a driver, one or two fairway woods, numbers 4-9 irons, a wedge or two and a putter.

As you become more experienced and start thinking about new clubs, you may want to think about purchasing your driver separately. Some players want a driver to give them more accuracy, others need more distance.

There are numerous sorts of golf ball on the market and the golf ball box will usually have a chart on the back to help you select the right golf ball for your requirements. As you learn more about the game and get better at playing it, you should try out different balls which could help improve your accuracy and/or your distance.

Having the right golfing equipment is an important aspect of the game, so buy wisely!

If you are a golfing novice, you could do worse than check out our Golfing Tips for Novices, where you will learn more about choosing Golf equipment.