Stay hydrated: prime your body and mind to perform at its peak

Did you know that the human body is 60% water? Yes, that’s the level of fluid required for your cells, organs, and tissues to function properly. As when you stay hydrated, your body is equipped to function effectively. Hydration helps regulate your body temperature, lubricate your joints, and support your overall bodily functions too. But if your fluid levels dip, it can cause your energy to slump, your concentration to fade, and your immune system to weaken. Find out more about how to stay hydrated and how it helps your body function.

Dr Guy Finch is a gym junkie who enjoys treating athletes and fitness fanatics. Based in Alexandria Sydney, Guy takes a holistic approach to chiropractic solutions. After all, it was the endless little niggles and injuries playing sport as a young Aussie that inspired Guy to turn to chiropractic for his profession.

Maximising your flexibility means you are likely to have less injuries, less pain, improved posture and balance, increased strength, and better physical performance. Flexibility – or how much your muscle can lengthen – significantly affects your overall mobility. Made up of your strength, coordination and balance, your mobility is simply the ability you have (or haven’t!) for your joint to move through a complete motion. If your joints do have a wide range of motion, you can enjoy optimal physical and functional performance with little pain and discomfort. Essentially, performing stretches allows you to be more mobile which is one of our main treatment goals.

So, here we share how you can improve your flexibility and what flexibility exercises can help.

Walking is an excellent low-impact activity that contributes to your overall health. It’s a free, social, flexible form of exercise that requires minimal equipment. Mobility is essential for reducing pain and inflammation in your joints. In fact, if you have knee, ankle or back problems, brisk walking every other day helps keep you mobile.

Tennis — a low-impact, individual sport — is a smash across all ages and abilities throughout Australia. Whether you compete at a club or join a friend for an afternoon game at your local park or sports centre, it is one of the country’s top ten activities. Plus, when a Grand Slam is broadcast on TV, Aussies love to hit the courts too.
So, if you’re inspired to play tennis this summer, here’s our advice on how to reduce your risk of injury as you play.

It’s not new news that regular exercise is a critical component to manage your health and wellbeing. Yet, it can be the first ball to fall as life becomes a juggle. So, instead of giving up your exercise routine completely, consider a total body workout solution instead. These five sports deliver a whole body tune up in one go.

To exercise at home by yourself, try self-limiting exercises. They require minimal coaching and promote good posture, strength, control … and your body tells you immediately if your technique is wrong through fatigue or discomfort. Check out these ideas!

If you suffer from regular pain or tightness in your body, home remedy can be your first port of call to give yourself immediate relief. The latest trend in therapeutic relief is a massage gun – a tool developed to relax muscle tightness and help improve blood flow. The question is: are they a good idea?

The alarm goes off at 6am. “I don’t feel motivated to work out,” you tell yourself. Before you know it, you’ve missed – no, you’ve chosen – not to do your morning exercise.
The truth is, motivation is something that is innate to the human condition.  In fact, the more motivated we are, the more our wellbeing benefits. Here’s how to keep motivated with three easy tips!

Whether it’s backyard cricket, horsing around in the pool with the kids, or a round of golf with mates – participating in any activity without regular ‘match fitness’ can leave you susceptible to injury. As with swimming, golf is an excellent low impact activity for everyone. It gets you out into the fresh air (which helps reduce stress and anxiety whilst boosting your mental alertness) and incorporates incidental gentle walking between greens. If you have a round of social golf coming up, check out how you can reduce your risk of tweaking a niggle and instead focus on a legendary hole in one. (We’ve no tips for the latter!)