Kym Siddons Physio Blog

ACE YOUR POSTURE from the Get-Go in 2018!

January 7, 2018/in Healthy Habits at Your Desk, Posture Advice /by Kym Siddons

I don’t know about you, but with the disruption of routine over the Christmas and New Year period, it’s been very easy to fall off the bandwagon a bit at the start of the year!

With taking some holidays, even just a few days, the kids being off school, catching up more with family and friends… all make great excuses for not making my usual time for exercise, eating well, sleeping properly… AAAHHHH!!!

So with best intentions and New Year resolutions all planned out, it often feels like we need another week or two (or even three?) to get back into gear and take action-

Or is that just me?

Now, to know exactly what the most IMPORTANT THING to do well and often IS, make sure you ‘read more’ and enter your details below this blog to RECEIVE my FREE VIDEO!

So, here’s my shortcut way to diving straight back in and setting up good postural habits so you can ACE YOUR POSTURE from the get-go this year, as you sit back at your workstation!!!

4 Tips to Create Healthy Habits for Smartphone and Tablet Use…

Happy New Year! Here’s cheers to a healthy 2018 ahead for you all!

If you’re worried about your – and your kids’- device use getting out of control this year, especially with many kids still on holidays, be sure to read on!

We’ve all no doubt been enjoying spending a little more time unwinding on our devices- whether it’s to read, shop, play games, catchup on social media…

But with so many negative health implications, it’s a good idea to be clued up on a few key points around healthy smartphone and tablet use… so you can have a think about whether you might want to set some parameters around it for you and your family.

There’s lots of evidence out now that’s proven a few negative consequences of device use on our bodies- Poor posture, altered hormone release from blue light emission and eye strain.

Before we dive into my tips, lets take a look at the problems excessive device use causes…

3 Tips for READING in comfort on holidays

December 18, 2017/in Healthy Holiday Tips, Posture Advice /by Ivana Katz

Yay! Some of you are already on holidays and the rest of us are no doubt limping to the finish line this weekend!

Many of us are hanging out for the chance to catchup on reading that novel that was given to us last birthday, or that was recommended by a friend and we never got around to… or the new book we get for Christmas!!!

For many of us though, reading can literally be a pain in the neck!!!

So I’ve got a few tips to help you enjoy your reading, whether that’s in solace or with your kids.

Tip No 1 Gather some cushions, pillow or folded up towels around you!

If you use them to prop up your arms while you read you’ll be able to raise your book up closer to your face so you’re not looking down as much.

Improving your comfort while you drive

December 18, 2017/in Healthy Holiday Tips, Posture Advice /by Ivana Katz

How many of us are heading out on the open roads this holidays?

Keen for a few tips on improving your comfort while you drive?

Tip No 1… for the Driver!

Bring your car seat forward, as close as you can comfortably be.

Contrary to what you might think, this allow you to relax your back into your backrest and have your elbows comfortably bent without overstretching to the wheel!

Your back and neck will thankyou.

This might seem a little ‘too close for comfort’ at first, but don’t knock it til you’ve tried it!

Take the ‘C-curve’ Challenge

December 10, 2017/in Healthy Habits at Your Desk, Posture Advice /by Ivana Katz

What’s the big deal about posture anyway?

The fact that we all tend to sit for so many hours each day means it’s a big deal!

Unlike the ‘S’ curve we learnt about last week, the C-curve is not good for absorbing and distributing load effectively…

Instead you succumb to gravity and tend to flex further and further forwards!

In a nutshell, a ‘C-curve’ puts you at heaps more risk of neck, shoulder and back pain, headaches, muscle tightness and stiffness.

Is standing at work better for you than sitting?

December 8, 2017/in Healthy Habits at Your Desk, Posture Advice /by Ivana Katz

So far this month I’ve been banging on about how bad it is for your body to sit in a poor posture and given you tips on how to move regularly and achieve ‘good posture’ while you sit…

But is there an even better alternative?

What about standing? Is that any better for you?

Standing inherently stimulates more muscle activity and therefore improves your metabolism and burns more energy. Standing has also been proven to improve concentration, productivity and mental health- YAY!

However, standing also puts more load on the circulatory system (think varicose veins), isn’t quite as efficient for performing fine motor tasks (like typing fast), plus standing still at a a desk is very tiring.

So what’s the answer?

Good posture – It’s all in the balance … 3 Steps to tilt it in your favour

December 4, 2017/in Healthy Habits at Your Desk, Posture Advice /by Ivana Katz

Your spine is one continuous curve, in most people it roughly takes the shape of an ‘S’

You can see how, like a spring, or even better a ‘Slinky’ this makes it ideal for adapting to different movements while also shock absorbing the load of our bodies as we walk, run, jump etc.

The ‘S’ is for Shock absorption, stabilising and smooth movement, so it’s really helpful to try and ‘keep your curves!’

So this week I’m calling you to action with my

3 steps to ‘keeping your S curve Sitting’