SMART Goal Setting
It’s that time of year again where we all gather our best intentions and put together new years resolutions. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t practice this common ritual due to my terrible track record. Be it racing into the gym in January and stopping by February, to planning out all your […]
Good Pain vs Bad Pain
Getting back into shape, taking care of your body, running that first half marathon…..all great goals. But, with an abundance of excitement and eagerness to tackle these goals, sometimes we go a bit too hard and our bodies pay for it in the form of pain. Isn’t this just normal though and part of the […]
The Importance of Having a Strong Butt
Your glute muscles were meant to act as more than just a cushion to sit on! Other than the core, glute strengthening is one of the top prescriptions I give clients for a variety of complaints. In particular, weak glutes have been shown in research to have a negative impact on the health of your […]
Snowshoeing Memories
I had the pleasure of going snowshoeing for the first time a few winters ago and here is how I remember it: It was a perfect day of blue skies and sunshine amongst the scenic trails of Mount Seymour. I was a little nervous not knowing what to expect and also having our baby strapped to […]
Energize your body with the proper snack!
I was volunteering at a fencing competition when the parent of a young fencer asked me if I had any ideas for energy snacks her son could have that were healthy, not full of artificial sugar and that was vegan. I thought… challenge accepted! I tried out a number of ideas; some worked really well, […]
Referred Pain
Here are some scenarios I see as a massage therapist: “I had this chest pain that radiated to the arm last week but had gone to emergency and had all of the tests and nothing could be found.” Or “I have low back pain that keeps recurring intermittently for the last few years. But no […]
Sleep Well
With the leaves changing colour and the days growing shorter and colder, it seems like a great time to talk about sleep – I think the bears would agree! Although we aren’t aware of it in the moment, sleep is an active and complex process. Sleep cycles through predictable stages during the night, beginning with […]
Hiking with Injuries
During August long weekend, I had planned to take on the Juan de Fuca trail. Unfortunately, 3 weeks before my hike I aggravated an old knee injury. The injury was not so bad that I couldn’t walk but it was definitely hard to hike up and down trails while carrying ~40 lbs comfortably. With good […]
Whiplash 101
What is Whiplash? Whiplash is a sudden acceleration-deceleration of the head, most often during a motor vehicle accident, can cause injury and strain neck muscles and surrounding soft tissues. This type of injury is commonly referred to as whiplash. In such an event, the neck and head are suddenly forced backward and then forward, putting […]
Pelvic floor health: Urinary incontinence
What is urinary incontinence? It sounds pretty straightforward, but here are the five classifications: 1. Stress: This is urine leakage that occurs with an increase in intra-abdominal pressure such as coughing, sneezing, laughing, lifting. 2. Urge: This urine leakage that occurs with an uncontrollable need to urinate and inability to delay the urge. This type […]