Tag: Walking

Summer Walks in Leigh on Sea for a Healthy Spine

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back care advice from our chiropractor near leigh on seaThere are few things more enjoyable than a peaceful summer’s walk. Breathing in the tranquil fresh air and soaking up the vibrant blooming scenery with not so much as a single distraction is good for both the body and mind – especially if you suffer from back pain.

According to our chiropractor near Leigh on Sea, regular walking can reduce the likelihood or severity of additional episodes of back pain and can even enhance your ability to continue undertaking everyday activities.

Here are three ways that walking can help your back pain:

1: It can strengthen the muscles in your feet, legs, hips, and torso

Walking helps to condition the muscles that keep your body in the upright position, which will in turn increase the stability of your spine.

2: It can nourish your spinal structures

Walking encourages strong circulation which facilitates the delivery of essential nutrients to soft tissues.

3: It can help with flexibility and posture

Regular walking promotes a greater range of motion which helps to prevent the risk of future injuries.

Leigh on Sea offers some fantastic scenic walking paths that are suitable for beginners and more advanced walkers.

The Leigh on Sea rail station walk is a firm favourite amongst our patients and is suitable for those of you suffering from back pain. The scenic walk takes place along the coastal path between Leigh on Sea rail station and Benfleet station in Essex and provides a variety of stunning views on clear summer days. The path is completely flat with plenty of charming pubs, as well as the cockle sheds and a beach in pretty cobblestoned old fishing village on route.

For more advanced walkers, the Leigh on Sea castle walk provides wonderful views along the Thames and across to Canvey Island. This path involves a little road walking and some parts can be muddy or wet after heavy rain.

Who would have known that a simple summer stroll could bring so many health benefits to your spine? Start putting one foot in front of the other and you never know, you really could be “walking on sunshine” this summer!

The Queen at 90 looks amazing; what’s her secret? Walking.

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active ageing advice from cliffs chiropractor southendArif Soomro, founder of Cliffs Chiropractic Clinic in Essex, and Chiropractor of the Year, has analysed the Queen’s posture and says that everyone would improve their health and wellbeing if they took a leaf from her book and walked.

There aren’t many men and women who are working full time in their 80s, let alone their 90s, so it’s fair to say that Queen Elizabeth is an inspiration to all ages. But if I was to compare her outward appearance and energy levels to someone half her age, she’d come out on top.

After a lifetime of state dinners and chauffeur-driven cars, the Queen at 90 could look significantly different, but she doesn’t have diabetes, isn’t overweight or arthritic and is rarely ill. Before I’m accused of ignoring her privilege and considerable wealth, I don’t believe money and access to the best clinicians in the world have played any part in her obvious vitality. Our Queen is, quite simply, living proof that our lifestyle choices determine our future health. The biggest single factor that has contributed to her majesty’s excellent physical condition is, quite simply, walking.

We all know that walking’s good for us and that it’s the cheapest and easiest way to stay fit, but it has many other benefits: it’s a low impact exercise; it aids lymphatic drainage, which relies on body movement (unlike our blood, which is pumped around by our heart); the muscle contractions in the legs help the return flow of lymph up the legs towards the chest, taking waste products with it and improving fat metabolism; and, for every mile the average person walks, the spine will move to and fro 10,000 times, which prevents a stiff back.

What keeps the Queen looking younger than her years, is her posture. She doesn’t stoop which comes from standing tall, with her shoulders back and down, at all times. An open posture means you can breathe deeply, allowing more oxygen to circulate around the body which, in turn, makes you feel and look more energetic

The royal family is no stranger to chiropractic. Prince Charles has long been an advocate of complementary medicine and supported the state registration of chiropractic in the 90s and Diana, Princess of Wales was patron of the Anglo-European College of Chiropractic in Bournemouth, the largest chiropractic college in Europe, where I trained with Melanie, who co-founded Cliffs with me. Melanie is also Chiropractor of the Year.

I couldn’t complete this article without mentioning food! As we age we need to modify what we eat because our bodies don’t need as many calories to carry out functions; less meat and more vegetables would be a good start. As our calorific needs decrease, our ageing cells need more nutrients and that’s where supplements come in; try calcium, vitamin D3, magnesium, omega 3 and co enzyme Q10.

We may not all be able to emulate the Queen’s healthy habits, but we can wish her a Happy 90th Birthday. Here’s to the next 10!

Walk Your Way Health this Year suggests a Leading Chiropractor near Leigh on Sea

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exercise advice from cliffs chiropractor near leigh on seaAs a an award winning Chiropractic Clinic near Leigh on Sea, we actively encourage our patients to reap the health benefits of walking in this beautiful area. One of the routes we personally recommend exploring is the Thames Estuary Path which runs through the amazing South Essex Marshes, from Tilbury Town to Leigh on Sea. This flat, low-lying landscape which is dominated by creeks, marshes and mudflats makes for a fascinating stroll for all the family to enjoy. The view of the landscape is simply beautiful; abundant with biodiversity and history with lots of interesting attractions along the way.

Don’t worry; no one expects you to walk the full 29 mile journey (unless you want to)! If long distance walking isn’t for you but you still want to experience a fascinating and enjoyable walk, you can stroll along the five smaller routes which start and end at local train stations.

The Thames Estuary Path is easily accessible by train and connects six local train stations. (This happens to be on one of the most appealing railway lines in the country (London Fenchurch to Shoeburyness line)).

Cliffs Chiropractic Clinic near Leigh on Sea shares the following four reasons why walking is the “must do” exercise of 2016:

1. Walking is Good For Your Heart

Walking regularly can lower your cholesterol and reduce your risk of heart disease. According to The Stroke Association, just 30 minutes of brisk walking every day can help to reduce the risk of stroke by up to 27 percent.*

2. Walking Keeps the Weight Off

You’ll soon shed those extra Christmas pounds if you start walking for just 30 minutes a day.

3. You’ll Get a Boost of Vitamin D

We Brits are prone to being vitamin D deficient and enjoying a stroll in the outdoors is the perfect way to get that well-needed vitamin D fix. Just make sure some skin is exposed – rolling up your sleeves for example.

4. It’s a Natural Energiser

Walking boosts circulation and enhances oxygen supply to every cell in your body. Knowing that, it’s hardly surprising that people who walk for just 30 minutes a day feel more energised and alert! Why not go for a stroll on your lunch break? You’re likely to be much more focused on your work in the afternoon (and you’ll be doing your health a whole load of favours!)

Our team of chiropractors wish you a happy and healthy 2016!

To book an appointment with our dedicated team of chiropractors, contact Cliffs Chiropractor near Leigh on Sea on 01702 430430.

* www.stroke.org.uk

Walking – the most underrated form of exercise. Cliffs Chiropractor Southend recommends getting out this summer

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Walking is one of the most underrated forms of exercise and now that Summer is nearly upon us there is no excuse to get out there and experience some great areas for walking around the local area. We share a Cliff’s favourite below.

PS Have you got your own secret walking route you would like to share with our readers? Email us on info@cliffschiro.co.uk

If you are struggling to fit in exercise into your busy life or worried about going to the gym the great news is that walking is an ideal form of exercise regardless of your age or fitness level. It’s simple and free – what could be better!

Just keep in mind the following …

Before you start:

  • Wear comfortable shoes or trainers and loose-fitting clothes
  • For longer walks you may want to carry some water and some other emergency supplies like healthy snacks, a hat, sunscreen and waterproofs (for the UK weather)
  • If you have any known medical conditions or are unsure whether you should be walking please seek medical advice before starting

Starting out:

  • Build up your walking time so start out slowly.
  • You need to be walking fast enough to raise your heart rate and break into a sweat to get the health benefits from walking. A little test to see if your walking with enough intensity is to try talking the words of your favourite song – you should be able to do this but not be able to sing them!
  • Don’t overdo it – if you can only walk at this intenisty for a few minutes then break up your activity into chunks.

Keep at it:

  • Overtime you should be able to increase the time you are walking at the necessary intensity.
  • The easiest way to keep at it is to make it part of your daily habit.
  • Think of other ways to incoporate walking into your daily life. You’ll probably be surprised at how many there are.

And now a local walk idea for you …

Leigh-on-sea and Hadleigh Castle Walk

This is a great circular walk that takes in many of the local sights around Leigh-on-Sea, Benfleet and Hadleigh you can also stop off at a local hostelry for some light refreshment along the way! Just don’t take in too many calories and sit for too long – after all this is about getting some exercise in!

The route takes in the ruins of Hadleigh Castle a walk along along Benfleet Downs. You will get some great views from both. The circular walk is 11.5 kilometers so if you haven’t exercised for a while you may want to start by planning doing a shorter route.

You can far more details about the walk on the Essex Pub Walks website. It will provide you with the starting grid reference for the Leigh-on-Sea railway station and there’s a map to follow.

 

20 minutes of walking a day can add years to your life. Cliffs Chiropractor Southend shares results from recent study

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Our lives are becoming a lot more sedentary, with many of us living what is called a ‘couch potato’ lifestyle and this lack of exercise could be detrimental to our health. As a leading Southend Chiropractor I would like to share this advice on why it is important to keep active.

A recent report has said that a brisk walk every day could add years onto you life. The study found that even a modest amount of activity prolonged life. Even if you just walk for 20 minutes a day it could cut the risk of premature death by nearly a third. The obese can expect a 16 per cent reduced risk of dying early.

Although the study found that just 20 minutes of exercise could help your health, ideally you should be aiming to do more. There have been many health benefits to people who take part in regular physical activity. In Europe, overall, 676,000 deaths could be blamed on inactivity.

New government guidelines have advised Britons to do around 150 minutes of exercise each week. This can include gardening, running, dancing, walking and playing sports. You can also become more active when doing daily tasks, such as walk up stairs instead of using the lift and walking instead of using the car. A brisk 20-minute walk can burn between 90 and 110 calories.

As a Southend Chiropractor, we advise you all to get moving!

If you have any injuries or other concerns please get in touch with us as we offer a lot of help and advice to get you back up and running as soon as possible. You can contact us at Cliffs Chiropractor Southend on 01702 430430.

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