Blog Layout

Shopping Spree Tips

Lisa Moore • Nov 11, 2019

Are you a High Street Shopper?

Do you still love to hit the high street and buy what you see and feel rather than take a  seat at your pc and order online?


Well if so here’s some tips to help whilst lugging all those shopping bags around!

 

  • Distribute the weight. Make sure to carry two bags where each arm carries a similar  weight.
  • Reduce the amount of bags you use. Don’t accept a bag from every shop, better  still take your own re-useable bags and put several items into each.
  • Use a rucksack with a waist strap. This type of bag will help distribute the weight  over your back.
  • Don’t elevate your shoulders. If you are carrying heavy shopping bags don’t elevate  your shoulders as this will cause tension through your shoulders & neck.
  • Pack heavy items at the bottom of your bags, remembering to distribute the weight  between two bags.
  • Remember to go for a well earned coffee in a local independent coffee shop.

 


Here are a few stretches you can do at home before and after your shopping  spree.

Neck Flexion

Tuck your chin in and then roll your head forwards. 


You should feel a gentle stretch at the back of your neck. 


Return to the start position.

Posterior Scalene Stretch

Place your fingers in the webbing of your neck (just above the collar bone), and rotate your neck to the opposite side, and tuck your chin down. 


You will feel the stretch under your fingers at the side of the neck. 


Hold the stretch, and relax.

Neck Side Flexion Stretch

Ensuring your nose is pointing forwards, bend your neck as if you were taking your left ear towards your left shoulder. 


To increase the stretch, straighten your right arm away from your body, drop your shoulder slightly, and straighten your fingers. You should feel a stretch to your neck on the same side you lift your arm. 


Repeat to the right. 


This exercise will help improve mobility to your neck.

Mid-Deltoid Stretch

Place your arm across your chest, and resist pulling your arm away from your body. 


Your arm should not move. 


This exercise stretches the mid-deltoid muscle located in the upper arm and shoulder.

Rhomboid Stretch

Sitting upright with good posture, place both arms in front of you with hands resting on your knees. 


Stretch your arms out in front of you and you will feel a gentle stretch around the shoulder blades. 


To make the exercise stronger, cross your arms in front of you and gently tuck your chin down.

Shoulder Shrugs Back

Shrug your shoulders backwards, squeezing your shoulder blades together. 


You will feel a muscular contraction around and between your shoulder blades (rhomboid and shoulder blade muscles).

Shoulder Shrugs Up

Shrug your shoulders upwards, towards the ceiling, to increase strength in your upper shoulder muscles (upper trapezius).

Shoulder Rolls

Standing with good posture, and your arms by your side, move your shoulders backwards, up, forwards and down in a circular movement. 


Your arms remain by your side. 


Work forwards then backwards

By Lisa Moore 11 Feb, 2024
Our last Mind, Body & Soul event was such a success its back!
By Lisa Moore 01 Nov, 2023
Connect mind and body through breath, movement and sweat.
By Lisa Moore 28 Sep, 2023
Chiropodist or a Foot Health Practitioner: What is the difference?
Injury Prevention Techniques
30 Mar, 2023
Therapy and Fitness Centre have outlined in this guide, you will avoid causing long-term, career ending injuries such as strains, torn ligaments and muscles.
How to Relieve Tension in Your Neck
19 Jan, 2023
At Therapy and Fitness Centre, we’ve put together a guide on how you can ease, prevent and eliminate long-term neck tension before it progresses.
28 Sep, 2022
Whether you’re struggling with the symptoms of everyday stress, or are experiencing a big change in your life that is activating feelings of anxiety, it can have an adverse affect on your emotional and physical wellbeing. When your mind is in turmoil, it can be difficult to figure out how to diffuse the feelings of stress, so why not try taking the focus off the things you can’t control, and instead concentrate on the things you can. At Leamington Therapy and Fitness Centre , we’ve put together this list of our top 8 stress relievers to help you relax.
06 Sep, 2022
Where is fascia located in the body? Fascia is a sheath of stringy connective tissue that surrounds every part of your body. It provides support to your muscles, tendons, ligaments, tissues, organs, nerves, joints and bones. Does massage help fascia? Massage therapists can help with a technique called Myofascial Release that uses sustained pressure to loosen and lengthen constricted fascia. Cupping therapy is another technique that stretches and lengthen fascia with the use of vacuum cups. What does fascia massage do? Fascial release therapies are known to increase tissue flexibility and joint mobility. Massage therapists can help with a technique called Myofascial Release that uses sustained pressure to loosen and lengthen constricted fascia. How is myofascial release performed? Using light, manual pressure, your therapist will massage and stretch the trigger point, sometimes holding that point for a few minutes. Your therapist may repeat this process a few times on each trigger point they find, until they feel a full release. What can I expect from myofascial release? Myofascial release can be an intense experience. During a session, a massage therapist will massage, knead and gently stretch the muscles and fascia to work out knots. This bodywork technique also involves applying pressure to the tight or sore areas to get them to relax. What should I expect after a myofascial massage? You may feel tired or relaxed after your myofascial massage, however, most people experience an immediate feeling of relief. Aches and pains are common for for around 24 hours after your treatment as the body flushes the toxins that have been released out. What are the benefits of myofascial release? Myofascial release offers a host of benefits to your health and well-being, including: Reduces soreness and improves tissue recovery. Improves neuromuscular efficiency. Increases blood flow. Maintains normal functional muscular length. Improves joint range of motion. Decreases overall effects of stress on the body. What is the difference between myofascial release and massage? First of all, they each have a different focus. Massage works with soft tissue and the overall system of muscles in the body to relieve stress and tension. Myofascial release works specifically with the connective tissue (fascia) to relieve the tightness that causes muscle restrictions. What does myofascial massage feel like? During a massage treatment, when we stretch this tight tissue you could feel a burning sensation. This is a myofascial release sensation and is generally short lived and quite normal, but not felt by everyone. What happens when fascia is tight? Healthy fascia is smooth and flexible. However, when the body undergoes physical trauma, such as muscle injuries or surgery, the fascia is placed under stress and tightens up, causing muscle pain. What causes fascia pain? Factors that cause fascia to become gummy and crinkle up (called adhesion) include: A lifestyle of limited physical activity (too little movement day after day) Repetitive movement that overworks one part of the body. Trauma such as surgery or injury. What can damage fascia? Accidents, abnormal posture, repetitive movements, overextension injuries, or inactivity can all lead to fascial damage. What does damaged fascia feel like? However, when the fascia is damaged through injury, overuse, or dehydration it often has a domino effect, causing a series of painful symptoms to appear over time. You may experience stiffness, reduced range of motion, and increasing chronic pain. How long does it take for fascia to heal? Most injury to fascia heals within a six to eight weeks period. Occasionally chronic inflammation and pain affect fascia. This may cause problems such as painful movement or fibromyalgia. What makes myofascial pain worse? Myofascial pain may worsen if it is left untreated for a prolonged period of time. Additionally, you may also feel more pain if the trigger point or affected muscle is strained or stretched. What happens if myofascial pain syndrome is left untreated? Untreated, the myofascial pain syndrome leads to a reduced extensibility of the involved muscle with consecutive decrease of the range of motion and development of a muscular imbalance resulting in a disturbance of complex movement and evolution of a chronic pain disease. Should you exercise after myofascial release? Many therapists recommend clients avoid strenuous exercise for at least 24 hours after a bodywork session. Exercising after a session can both increase muscle soreness and compromise the value of the soft-tissue work you've just received. What happens to fascia as we age? As you age, your body produces less and less collagen. This has a dramatic effect on the fascia throughout your body. With less collagen, the fascia starts to dry out and tighten. It becomes restrictive, making it more difficult for the body to move efficiently. Can tight fascia cause nerve pain? As fascia stiffens through adhesion, fascia—rich in nerve endings in and of itself—can entrap surrounding nerves, leading to radiculopathy and a host of painful consequences. Who should avoid myofascial release? Contraindications for MFR include – but are not limited to – those with malignancy, aneurysm, acute rheumatoid arthritis, advanced diabetes, severe osteoporosis, and healing fractures. Your physical therapist can help determine whether or not MFR is an appropriate course of treatment for you. Can you do myofascial release on yourself? SMFR methods do not require the assistance of a physical therapist or fitness professional but can be performed by the individual itself and are considered an effective rehabilitation tool. Can you overdo foam rolling? When it comes to foam rolling, yes, you can overdo it. Excessively using a foam roller on a specific area can increase injuries and leave you in more pain. Instead, limit foam rolling to 30 to 90 seconds per muscle group and include 10 seconds stretching in between each roll.
How to Improve Posture
05 Aug, 2022
The most common cause for bad posture is a slouched seating position. With most of us working at a desk all day, it can be difficult to mindfully correct posture, and it may feel uncomfortable at first.
28 Jul, 2022
Come and try our new Yoga Classes in August
28 Jul, 2022
Golf is a physically demanding sport. Golfers require strength, stability, explosive power, flexibility and athletic ability to perform an effective golf swing.
More Posts
Share by: