Tag: exercise

Feel Less Stress And Feel Better

Posted on

Stress is the bodies way of helping us avoid a potentially life threatening situation. In order to cope the body goes through some major changes which include:

  • stress hormones being released
  • an increased heart rate
  • rapid and shallow breathing
  • glucose flooding the body
  • brain activity changes
  • tensing of muscles
  • reprioritisation of bodily functions

These changes are appropriate to help get us out of danger, however, being continually in this state is not good for our health.

If you experience stress on a frequent basis here are 6 techniques you can use to reduce it:

  • ensure you get good quality sleep
  • eat a healthy diet
  • participate in relaxation techniques such as yoga
  • practice mindfulness
  • spend time with people you love
  • take regular exercise

Take the above on-board and feel less stressed and feel better.

Get Your Body Winter Ready

Posted on

healthy living advice cliffs chiropractor southendIt’s Time! The clocks have gone back and as winter approaches, daylight reduces and delightful children bring various ‘bugs’ home, yes, it’s certainly time to get your body winter ready.

Here are our Southend chiropractors top tips for getting your body winter ready:

  1. Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables: Of course this is good advice throughout the year but if your fruit and veg intake has waned over recent months now is a good time to get your fruit bowl full and dig out some great winter warming recipes that use lots of veggies. Root vegetables that are in good supply over the winter months are great for soups and adding to casseroles. Keep dried fruits and nuts to hand and eat them instead of reaching for the sweets, chocolates and other unhealthy snacks!
  2. Start your day as you mean to go on: Eat a big bowl of porridge to set you up for the day and stop those mid morning cravings. Add fruit and nuts as toppings to get in your early doses of fruit for the day. Use water or non dairy milk such as almond or oat to make your porridge and avoid adding any sugar.
  3. Take regular exercise and get outdoors: Exercise is important for maintaining a healthy body and has so many other benefits such as boosting our mood and immune system. Getting outdoors can have similar effects so wrap up warm and step outside.
  4. Boost your immune system: Your gut is the epicentre of your immune system so take Vitamin D3 and Zinc daily to boost it. Keep Echinacea on the shelf for a quick anti viral response should a cold start to tickle.
  5. Visit a chiropractor: A good chiropractor will be able to help you with any pains or discomfort you may experiencing. They can also provide nutrition and lifestyle advice to support your good health.

Our experienced chiropractors at Cliffs Chiropractic Clinic in Southend are here to help you keep well throughout the year.

 

 

 

Get Walking This Autumn

Posted on

Summer is slipping away and autumn is nearly upon us, however, it can be such a great time of year to get outdoors and take some exercise. Our chiropractors at Cliffs Chiropractic Clinic in Southend can’t stress enough how important taking regular exercise is both for our physical and mental health.

Walking is a great form of exercise. It is accessible, free and can be done by most people whatever their age or level of fitness.

We are fortunate that Southend and the surrounding areas offer many wonderful places to get outdoors and walk.

Our chiropractors advise that if you haven’t exercised for some time then start slowly. Make sure you wear a good pair of comfortable shoes that provide good support. Build up your walking pace over time. To gain the health benefits from your walking you will need to walk briskly. A good test to check whether you are walking sufficiently fast is to try singing a song – if you find that difficult but can speak it then you’re probably walking at the right pace.

If you have any health concerns then it is advisable to talk to your GP, chiropractor or other health care practitioner for advice before starting any new form of exercise.

Perfect Posture This Summer

Posted on

posture advice from our southend chiropractorArif often gets asked by patients how they can improve their posture. He has made a short video, ably assisted by Susan, to demonstrate a very simple exercise you can do at work, at home or anywhere you like which will help you straighten up and improve your posture. Do this exercise 3 times a day and you’ll soon be on the way to a straighter taller you.

The Exercise

If you have a therapy band then use this to do this exercise or you can use an old pair of tights. However, don’t worry if you have neither, you can do it with just your arms, making sure you clench and squeeze the muscles between your shoulder blades whilst staying upright.

When doing the is exercise stand with your feet slightly wider than your hips apart – thinking of the shape of the Eiffel Tower will help.

Pull your chin into your Adams apple while still looking straight ahead.

Bend both elbows to 90 degrees. Keep your elbows tucked into your sides and gentle try and stretch your hands outwards to 90 degrees as far as you can and bring your hands slowly inwards.

Repeat about 5 times.

This exercise will help to strengthen your upper back and by keeping your chin into your chest it will strengthen the deep flexors in your neck.

If you want a straighter taller you then do this exercise 3 times a day and let us know how you get on.

Arif’s Intro

 

Watch Susan demonstrate the exercise

 

Is Your Spine Ready for Spring?

Posted on

With the end of winter finally in sight, many of us are thinking about getting our bodies in ship shape for the change of season. If you suffer with back pain, spring and summer can take its toll on your emotional and physical well being. You know the picture – everyone seems to be enjoying fun activities in the sunshine and you’re battling chronic pain. But did you know that one of the best ways to manage your back pain is by exercising regularly? According to our Southend chiropractor, if you want to reduce your back pain in time for summer, you should start exercising now!

Exercise is absolutely essential when it comes to maintaining a healthy spine and rehabilitating an injured spine. A basic routine that focuses on stretching and strengthening the back, hamstrings and abdominal muscles will help to distribute nutrients into your spinal discs and soft tissues. This will then accelerate your healing process and keep your discs, muscles, ligaments, and joints healthy.

No one wants to be laid up during the sunny seasons, so get moving and move pain out of your life this Spring and Summer!

Love Your Back This Valentine’s Day!

Posted on

back care advice from our southend chiropractorIt’s the month of romance, but are you giving your spine the love and attention it needs? Your spine is an amazing structure, but it needs TLC to function properly. Millions of people are affected by back pain every day. And of course, as well as living with the pain itself, chronic back pain can affect your quality of life, causing you to miss work and social activities that you enjoy  In some cases, it can even prevent you from being able to carry out simple, everyday tasks. So it goes without saying that taking care of your spine will help you to reduce your chances of experiencing back pain later on in life.

Here are simple yet important adjustments to make for good spine health from our Southend chiropractor:

Lift correctly.

It’s very easy to twist the wrong way and injure your spine if you don’t lift correctly.  When lifting, our chiropractor recommends that you stand as close to the object as you can, and use the weight of your legs and knees rather than your back or upper body to pull up. It will also help if you bend your knees so your arms are at the same height as the object you’re lifting.

Sleep tight.

Sleeping well is important to good health, and this includes your spine health! Your body needs a good night’s sleep to repair itself, so don’t underestimate the power of quality sleep. To encourage good spine health, it’s also important to invest in a supportive mattress as well as a pillow that promotes proper alignment of your neck.

Stretch out.

Keeping flexible can help to maintain normal joint function and a good range of motion. It can also reduces the risk of back injury..

Stay active.

Despite what many people believe, being inactive will increase your risk of back pain and is likely to worsen any existing pain condition. Whether you make regular visits to the gym, walk, bike, swim, or play with your kids, it’s super important to stay active and keep your body moving to maintain a healthy spine.

Maintain a healthy weight.

Exercise, along with a healthy diet, will help you to lose any excess weight or maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight or obese, or quickly gaining a significant amount of weight, are major risk factors for low back pain — extra weight (especially around your midriff) can put added stress on the muscles, ligaments, and tendons in your lower back, which can lead to pain and discomfort.

We hope these tips help you to love and look after your spine! We’re always here to help with any advice you need!

Must Read Pain Management Tips for 2018!

Posted on

Learning pain management skills is essential if you suffer with chronic back pain. And the good news is pain management isn’t all that complicated. In fact, there are some simple techniques you can easily learn that may make a big difference in how you experience your symptoms.

Here are some effective tips from our Southend chiropractor:

Exercise

Gentle everyday activities such as walking, swimming and cycling can help to ease your symptoms by blocking pain signals to the brain. Exercise also helps to reduce pain by stretching stiff and tense muscles, ligaments and joints.

Breathing

Concentrating on your breathing when you’re in pain can help to manage your condition. When you feel intense pain, breathe slowly and deeply. This will help you to feel more in control of the situation, keep you relaxed and prevent any muscle tension or anxiety from increasing your symptoms.

Counselling

Living with chronic pain can make you tired, anxious and depressed. Sometimes, this can make the pain even worse. Some people find it very helpful to speak to a counsellor to discover how to better deal with their emotions in relation to their pain.

Remember that pain management is often subjective, so it’s important that you find a technique that works for you. The bottom line is that there is always something you can do to reduce your back pain

Staying Fit & Healthy In Your Forties

Posted on

Echo 40s“HOW can I be 40; I’m still 23 in my head!” Does that ring a bell? So, what does turning 40 mean to you?

The truth is there’s never going to be one easy answer, because – and this has never been truer – you’re as young as you feel. However, there’s no escaping the fact that for many people approaching their forties is a time of reckoning.

In a recent article published in the Echo, Arif offers some great advice for ways that you can look and feel great in your forties. His advice includes the best forms of exercise to take in your forties along with golden rules for your diet.

Arif stresses, “While we can’t slow the aging process, if we develop the right attitude we can feel younger and more energetic and that will show in the way we walk, talk and look.”

“Forty, is, as they say, only a number”.

Click here to read the full article.

Swap the school car run for a walk to school

Posted on

back care advice fom our southend chiropractorSeptember’s here and parents across the nation will once again be tackling the daily school run. But have you considered swapping your wheels for your legs?

According to our Southend chiropractor, walking is one of the best ways to benefit from exercise without aggravating the structures in the lower back. Not only will you benefit from the exercise but walking provides a whole host of health benefits to your child.  These include:

  • Strengthening the muscles in their feet, legs, hips, and torso. Walking increases the stability of the spine and conditions the muscles that keep the body in the upright position.
  • Nourishing their spinal structures.  Regular walking encourages strong circulation, which helps to deliver vital nutrients into soft tissues.
  • Improving their flexibility and posture. Walking, along with regular stretching, allows greater range of motion, which can help to prevent awkward movements and lower the risk of future injuries.

Why else is walking good for kids?

Here are just a couple more reasons to start walking your child to school:

  • Walking to school from a young age will help them to develop road awareness in time for independent walking as a teenager.
  • Walking is fun and interesting. Your children will get to notice things along the way and meet different people in your local area.
  • Walking helps to improve physical and emotional health and can even boost mood and self esteem levels.

Of course, when you have a busy family life, it can be very tempting to jump in the car to ferry the little ones to school. But swapping just a few of those car journeys for walks will be easier than you think. About a third of all the journeys we undertake are less than a mile, which is only about a 20 minute walk! And the best part is that you won’t have to hunt for a parking space when you get to the school!

Walking is a fantastic activity that you and your children can do together. It’s never too early to start walking your child to school.

What’s stopping you from walking your children to school? After all, there’s nothing more important than the health of your kids

Your Lower Back Will Thank You if You Do These Daily Things

Posted on

If you’re like most people, you probably don’t give too much thought about how you can protect your back on a daily basis. But according to our Southend chiropractor, this could lead to serious back problems over time.

Knowledge is power when it comes to maintaining a healthy spine, so we’ve highlighted two simple things that you can do every day to protect your back.

1: Move Every 20 Minutes

You may not know this, but your body can safely withstand being in the same position for only about 20 minutes. If you regularly sit or stand in one position for longer than this, you can risk reducing the elasticity of your back muscles, tendons and ligaments. This can put extra stress on your lower back, which can lead to discomfort and pain.

2: Eat Good Food Every Day

Being overweight can certainly contribute to your back pain, but binge dieting or following fad eating plans won’t provide you with the consistent flow of nutrients that your spine and body needs.

Try to avoid processed foods, and instead incorporate lean meats, fruits, vegetables and whole grains into your daily diet.

Daily healthy habits or daily back pain? We know what we’d choose!

© Copyright 2025 Cliffs Chiropractor Southend
Powered by Roderick Pugh Marketing
Leave a Google Review