Every year around New Year’s, we begin seeing messages all around us about starting New Year’s resolutions, taking charge of your health, creating new healthy habits and many more of these messages.  This year will be no different regardless of how difficult 2020 has been for all of us.  In fact, some of these messages are even more important than ever as we combat the “Covid 15” some of us have gained and increased mental and emotional stressors.

Balance.  We hear this word a lot when it comes to health and wellness.  It is about creating a balance between social health, mental health, and physical health.  Picture it as an equilateral triangle as pictured here:

Today I would like to touch upon the physical aspect of health.  We know that good health requires a foundation of good nutrition and sleep, but it also requires flexibility, strength, and cardiovascular fitness.

This wellness pyramid from Florida Wellness Health Academy demonstrates the various activity types and time we should be dedicating to each:

It has been my experience in our practice that many patients are under the belief that movement (i.e. walking, swimming) is the only type of exercise that they require; but, as viewed in the pyramid, it is only ONE of many types of exercise that should be undertaken to achieve balanced physical health.  Walking and swimming are fantastic for cardiovascular health but after a certain point, do next to nothing for flexibility nor strength: the other two side of the fitness triangle.  This triangle should be an equilateral triangle, but without focusing on the other two, we create an ipsilateral triangle which can lead to physical pain a discomfort.  So let’s discuss the other two sides of the triangle.  We’ll start with strength.

Strength can be accomplished in many ways.  Lifting weights and resistance training is one.  Certain type of yoga and Pilates can also help develop strength while also assisting with developing flexibility.  Rehabilitation exercises that you may receive from your physiotherapists or from us will also help with achieving strength in certain targeted areas.  Strength helps to maintain muscle quality which is a necessary component to keeping mobile as we age.  These types of exercises should be performed two to three times per week.  Rehabilitation exercises to overcome pain and injury should be performed daily until a balance has been achieved between front-body and back-body and from right-to-left.

Flexibility is the last component of fitness to address.  It is also typically the component that is the most likely to be ignored.  Think of a flexile or stretchy muscle as a rubber ball and an in-flexible or tight muscle as glass ball.  Which one of these is more likely to survive a fall from a 2-storey window?  I hope you answered, “the rubber ball.”

Flexibility will result in your body to “absorb” forces that might otherwise create a tear or an injury:  a muscle that is too tight will result in greater pulling forces on the bones they are attached to.  Stretching and foam rolling can help to soften and stretch the tightness in these tissues and can help resolve pain as these tissues pull on your bones and joints.  Stretching, Hatha and Yin yoga, and foam rolling should also be part of your weekly fitness routine if it isn’t already.  Depending upon your activity level and injuries, these should be done a few times a week and can be performed daily.  However, I caution you that stretching and rolling should be performed after the muscles have been warmed up (i.e. after daily activity or exercise) and not used as a warm-up to an activity.  Why?  Think back to that rubber ball.  Is that rubber going to be more pliable when it’s warm or cold?

For this New Year, I challenge you to creating balance in your life.  Create balance in all the triangles mentioned above to achieve a better, healthy lifestyle.  Ask us how we can help you achieve your balance.