Nothing will derail your life like back pain. Even mild pain in this part of the body can make getting out of bed a struggle (not to mention sleeping in it to begin with.) No matter what kind of activities you routinely engage in, doing them with back pain is no fun. Sometimes the cause of the pain is in the back itself. But sometimes tight muscles in other parts of the body can pull your back out of whack.
Repetition is essential to most learning, working and playing. But lots of physical repetition can make our bodies rebel. Industrialization and specialization have caused repetitive stress disorders in everyone from factory workers to brain surgeons to tennis pros. You might type away at a keyboard all day and play a standup bass in the evenings to unwind, incurring chronic strain from both. Common disorders resulting from repetitive stress include carpal tunnel syndrome, bursitis, sprains, back pain — and yes, PlayStation Thumb.
The vagus nerve derives its name from the latin word for wandering, since it weaves throughout the body from the brainstem to the colon. It’s the nerve that’s largely responsible for our parasympathetic nervous system, which tells the body to rest and digest. This relaxed state also allows the body to heal.
Because modern life doesn’t require us to be active, movement and exercise can often feel like a chore. Humans have had no evolutionary pressure to develop a love of exercise because it used to be built into daily life. It can feel like something we should do, instead of something we naturally want to do. Dance can keep us physically fit, make us smarter, and get us in touch with the joy of movement.
What allows us to balance on a bicycle without having ridden for years? Do our muscles remember? Well yes and no. When we’re learning how to do something for the first time, it takes conscious effort. But after we’ve got it down, it’s stored in our procedural memory bank, located in our trusty cerebellum.
It's okay to be a little skeptical about fascia. Scientists have only started paying close attention to it in the last few decades. So if you're over the age of 30, you might find yourself wondering if fascia is just one of those woo-woo West Coast things. But it's real, and really important. Let's have a look!
As we age we’re more likely to fall, and are more vulnerable to sustaining serious injuries if we do fall. Falls are the leading cause of injury-related death among adults age 65 and older, and we’ve all had our share of slips on ice, trips over stairs, or falling while playing sports. Let’s learn how to fall gracefully, and teach this important skill to our loved ones.
Our society is at its most sedentary point in all of human history. Movement used to be an essential part of our survival, but in the past few decades more jobs require less activity. We’ve gone from strolling through the jungle to scrolling through spreadsheets and Instagram. Nothing wrong with that, except that it’s, um—killing us.
Habits. They make or break us. Maybe you've heard the quote, "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.” And you may know that sleep is really important for our health. Even if your life is anything but routine in other ways, this is one area where it pays handsomely to establish a routine, or at least a small set of rules that you follow faithfully.
High-intensity workouts went mainstream a few years ago. Even the New York Times began touting a 7-minute workout. They’re great for busy people, who are already in good shape—but that intensity is not for everyone. If you’re a bit out of shape or recovering from an injury, you’ll need another way to work your way toward your fitness goals.
Ah, fresh air! Natural light. So nice. Remember being completely awestruck at the sight of a vast landscape? The kind where your whole body relaxes, your mind is humbled, and you feel immensely grateful that you get to be alive and witness such vast beauty? Turns out these mental and physical effects have been observed and measured by scientists, proving that time in nature is good for our physical, emotional and social health.
When walking up and down a mountain with weight on your back, it’s almost inevitable to end up with a sore and stiff body. Dr. Beck recommends a trail break every 3-4 hours to snack and stretch and another longer stretch session once you reach camp for the night. Here are some stretches to keep your body in hiking shape on the trail.
