September news and specials


Editorial:

I stumbled across the fact that “Women’s Health Week” falls in September.  I consider myself to be relatively well read and media savvy and as such was surprised that there hasn’t been any or at least much mention of this week in the media or on social media either.   This makes me a little cranky because when you have a close look at the amazing resources available for this week being hosted by the Jean Haile’s for Women organization, it makes you wonder why it’s not being pushed out there  as there is , in my opinion, a great need for more awareness around many health issues that are specific to women such as heart disease and how to prevent it, mindfulness and how to practice it, osteoporosis and how to prevent and manage it, the importance of  staying as active as you can as you age and how to get enough good sleep! One of the messages being promoted in this week is that “The health of those we love starts with us” aka “you can’t pour from an empty cup”.  Women tend to neglect themselves and put everyone else first, however this should be the other way round and this edition of our newsletter is about tools and ways to achieve this and make sure you are leading your healthiest life  - have a great month - Jules
 


WOMEN’S HEALTH WEEK IS THIS MONTH

4 – 8th September

There is a co-ordinated campaign being run by Jean Haile’s for Women (Australia’s most trusted women’s health organization)

Founded in 1992, Jean Hailes for Women’s Health reflects the enduring legacy that Dr Jean Hailes AM made to women’s health. Jean was a passionate, caring Australian General Practitioner (GP). She had a far sighted vision to improve the quality of women’s lives and give them practical information based on the best available evidece.

“If a woman is in good health, her family, community and the society around her also benefit.”

  • Dr Jean Hailes

This week has five themed days with up to date information on relevant health topics covered each day:

Day 1 – “Time to follow your heart”

Day 2 – “Mindfulness  - the time is now”

Day 3 – “It's never too early or too late to start looking after your bones, but how?

Day 4 – “Physical activity and sedentary behavior”

Day 5 – “How to improve your chances of getting health sleep”

Go to :  http://www.womenshealthweek.com.au/ for more information and great links and resources!

TAKE CARE OF YOUR BONES

Every day thousands of mostly older adults will suffer a broken bone as a result of a minor fall from standing height or less (a fragility fracture). It is important to recognise that, even in seniors, it is NOT normal to break a bone after such a minor fall. In all likelihood the underlying cause of the fracture is a weak and fragile skeleton due to osteopenia or osteoporosis.

Your bones may be hidden, but they shouldn’t be neglected. Your skeleton is the all-essential supporting structure that lets you grow tall and strong in your youth, and remain active and independent in old age.

Whether or not you’ve had a fracture you should be aware of any other factors that place you at higher risk of osteoporosis and fragility fractures. These include:

·       Loss of 3 cm in height

·       Family history of osteoporosis

·       Early menopause (before age 45)

·       Long-term glucocorticoid therapy (prednisone or prednisolone) of 3 months or more

·       Digestive diseases such as Crohn’s or celiac disease

·       Rheumatoid arthritis

·       Primary/secondary hypogonadism in men

·       Being underweight (body mass index of < 19 kg/m2 for women or <20 kg/m2 for men)

·       Lifestyle factors such as smoking, excessive alcohol intake, little physical activity and low levels of calcium and vitamin D

Although there is no cure for osteoporosis, it can be treated.  The goal of treatment is to prevent fractures from occurring by slowing down bone loss, maintaining bone, or improving bone density as far as possible. Therapy involves being physically active, getting enough calcium and vitamin D, and taking osteoporosis drugs if prescribed. At Revive we offer a range of classes including Essential Weights, Healthy Bones, Young at Heart and our regular pilates groups. Through consultation with your physiotherapist we can guide you into the most suitable class for your needs and ability. So, although osteoporosis cannot be reversed, lifestyle modification can help you maintain or even build bone to reduce your future risk of fracture.


MINDFULNESS AND HOW TO GET IT HAPPENING FOR YOU :

Neurobiological studies have demonstrated that mindfulness training strengthens the parts of the brain involved with attention and emotional regulation. Therefore, science now tells us that mindfulness can support us in managing stress, anxiety and depression – helping to make us calmer, happier humans.

So what exactly is mindfulness? It’s about being fully present ‘in the now’, aware of where you are and what you’re doing. Well, that’s the simple answer, but we know it’s easier said than done.

In our busy world, our minds can easily become distracted, and we can find ourselves dwelling on the past or fretting about the future. Often we lose touch with the present moment – with the task that we’re doing, with what’s actually happening right now.

Mindfulness allows us to disengage from this mental ‘clutter’ and to have a clear mind. It makes it possible for us to respond rather than react to situations. As a result, our decision-making improves, along with our potential for physical and mental relaxation.

The good news is that mindfulness is something anyone can learn, and there are many ways to become more mindful in life. However, just like any new skill, it takes regular practice to have positive effects. Think of it as training for your brain.  Follow this link www.womenshealthweek.com.au/tuesday and there are 2 podcasts there to get you started.  Do youself a favour and DO IT! 


REVIVE SPRING SALE

We are celebrating spring with some amazing September offers

 

START PILATES IN SPRING PACK

Includes intial assessment and program with a physio, 2 more one hour 1:1 sessions and a one hour massage – all for only $220 (save $220)

  


SPRING BACK MASSAGE PACK WITH BONUS MASSAGE

Purchase a three pack of one hour massages and receive a free fourth massage

$280 (save $112)

PUT A SPRING IN YOUR STEP WITH AN INITIAL PHYSIO CONSULT WITH BONUS ½ HR MASSAGE OFFER

Book and pay for an initial physio consultation in September and receive a complimentary ½ hour massage  (save $69)



EXERCISE FOR OSTEOPOROSIS FROM BROOKE AND ERIN (REVIVE PHYSIOTHERAPISTS )

Sumo squat

  • Hold the weights in your hands at mid-chest level
  • Stand with your feet turned out a bit wider than hip width apart
  • Squat down by sitting your bottom back as if you are going to sit on a chair, as low as youfeel comfortable
  • Return to standing. Push through the heels and squeeze your glutes as you do so.

Kneeling tricep press

  • Kneel on your hands & knees, gripping the weights
  • Keeping your spine neutral, lift the weight up
  • Ensure your elbow stays close to the body to work the triceps
  • Return hand to the floor

Lunge & punch

  • Stand with your feet hip-distance apart, weights in your hands
  • Step forward with one leg & lunge. At the same time punch the opposite arm up towards the ceiling
  • Return the arm as you return the leg. Ensure you squeeze your glutes as you lunge and keep your shoulders down.
  • Repeat on the other side



 

The Over Flowing Cup

Imagine you are a cup. You have a capacity of how much you can hold in a day and then each night you empty, ready to start a new day. Imagine each person you interact with each day a adds a little to your cup. Your kids add a little, your husband adds a little, work adds a little, exercise adds a little… All of a sudden you are full… but then the kids gets sick and that adds a little more, your husband goes away for work and adds a little, you have deadlines at work and that adds a little… you overflow…. Does this mean you aren’t a good cup?

Everyone has a capacity of how much stress they can function under. As women, we tend to take on more than our cup can hold and when we overflow, we start to doubt our ability. Are we good mothers? Are we good at our jobs? Are we good wives?

Understanding your capacity and knowing when to empty your cup a little to help alleviate the stress is a skill not many of us possess. We over extend ourselves and then even just adding a little more can cause a huge amount of stress. We start to lose our abilities to function highly and doubt starts to enter our minds. We start to drop the ball. Forgetting a child’s dance rehearsal… burning dinner… snapping at our husbands.

When we don’t allow our bodies to de-stress, we start to decrease our bodies ability to cope with stress. Think of a rubber band; it stretches then recoils. Over time, if we add a little more tension each time we stretch it, we are bringing it closer to its threshold. It starts to not be able to recoil as well and starts to have structural flaws, until one day it breaks. Looking after yourself a little by little each day, can make sure you don’t break.

Take time to empty the cup and recoil the band. Take time for you. Whether it be a coffee break or a 10 minute guided mediation session, do something to help expand your cup so you don’t overflow. Burning out is a real risk as females in our society. We take on many roles and don’t know when to stop.  For the next month, we encourage you to make time for yourself. It might seem stressful, and you might feel like you cannot fit it in – but it can be the difference as to whether you are a well-functioning cup or a cup that keeps overflowing. 

Michelle Benton (Revive Physiotherapist)

Ricotta & Yogurt Parfait

From: EatingWell Magazine, November/December 2016

Reminiscent of a lemon cheesecake, this healthy breakfast recipe is easy to throw together in the morning. Or stir together the filling in a jar the night before and top with the fruit, nuts and seeds when you get to work.

  • ¾ cup nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt
  • ¼ cup part-skim ricotta
  • ½ teaspoon lemon zest
  • ¼ cup raspberries
  • 1 tablespoon slivered almonds
  • 1 teaspoon chia seeds

Method

Combine yogurt, ricotta and lemon zest in a bowl. Top with raspberries, almonds and chia seeds.

Nutrition information

  • Serving size: about 1¼ cups
  • Per serving: 258 calories; 10 g fat(3 g sat); 4 g fiber; 21 g carbohydrates; 23 g protein; 19 mcg folate; 19 mg cholesterol; 13 g sugars; 6 g added sugars; 251 IU vitamin A; 9 mg vitamin C; 385 mg calcium; 1 mg iron; 125 mg sodium; 398 mg potassium
  • Nutrition Bonus: Calcium (38% daily value)
  • Carbohydrate Servings: 1½
  • Exchanges: ½ fruit, 1 fat-free milk, 1 medium-fat meat, 1 fat

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