When it comes to fitness, there is no-one-size fits all formula that works for every body—but aquacize comes close. By Shawna Culleton Struggling with pain or mobility issues that interfere with your fitness goals? Dip into aquacize. Aquacize, or aquatic exercise, is really just any aerobic endurance class held in deep or shallow water. Water’s buoyancy supports part of your …
Everything you wanted to know about your pelvic floor but were afraid to ask
Pelvic floor muscles that are weak, tight or loose may be the culprit behind frequent urination. Lifestyle changes and a visit to a physiotherapist may bring all the relief you need. By Lindsay Mykes They’re the hardworking muscles nobody wants to talk about. In fact, nobody really thinks about them until they stop doing their jobs. They’re the pelvic floor …
Serving wholeness
Occupational therapists construct a therapeutic approach for clients based on each individual’s particular needs and goals. Occupational therapists are healthcare professionals dedicated to helping clients adapt to the challenges of everyday life By Lindsay Mykes Imagine a river. It flows down a mountain into a valley. Along the way, the river follows many different paths. The water runs over, around …
Strength training for older adults
It’s never too late to start a strength training program—and doing so may be vital to your health. Story by Shawna Culleton. Photos by Twila Cuthbert (BKin, CSEP-CEP, CSCS), strength coach at Pure Lifestyle, When it comes to fitness, strength training offers the greatest rewards for your time and money, no matter what your age. But if the very …
Regain your functional mobility
Story by Shawna Culleton, photos by Nicole Smith If you’re like most North American adults, the good old days of plopping down onto the floor and bouncing up again ended in your twenties or thirties. Today, your hips are tight, your knees are creaky, your ankles are stiff. Each of those 10 lbs that most Canadians gain per decade of …
No limits: living your life, not your age
Deer Lodge resident Bob Major enjoys the view from 9,000 feet By Shawna Culleton John Glenn orbited the Earth at age 77. Grandma Moses took up painting at 76. More recently, Diana Nyad swam from Cuba to Florida at 64. All across the globe, sexagenarians, septuagenarians, octogenarians, and countless other genarians continue to break barriers and redefine what it means …
Sit and stand your way to a longer life
By Shawna Culleton Do you huff and puff as you get up off the couch? Push yourself up with one arm or two? Rock your upper body to get some momentum going, and then launch yourself forward and up, all the while praying you make it to your feet? Lacking the strength and stability to get in and out of …
Spring training
Shawna Culleton, photos by Nicole Smith Has the shine dulled on your New Year’s resolutions? Is that treadmill (skis/runners/gym membership) you forked out cash for at a Boxing Week sale now gathering dust in a neglected corner of your busy life? Take heart! Warmer weather and ice-free sidewalks are just around the corner. With spring comes the fresh promise of …
Staying active all winter
By Shawna Culleton November brought winter to Winnipeg hard and fast. Most of us were caught stuffing our faces with leftover fun-size candy bars when the reality of freezing temperatures and blankets of snow ended fall overnight. So here we are, a month later, ready to crawl under the covers to binge-watch, read, and eat until spring is in the …
Cycling, for love and for life
Cycling at any age may result in elevated levels of joy, freedom, and fitness. by Shawna Culleton Are you looking for a go-to activity that improves strength, endurance and balance, and helps keep your body healthy, strong and fit? Get on a bike! As we head into autumn, few forms of physical exercise are as joyful, free and easy as …
Preventing Falls
By Shawna Culleton Perhaps you didn’t realize how far you’d let things slide until you started having to haul each foot up onto a knee to tie your shoes. (Was that a grunt of effort, or agreement, that just escaped your lips?) Or perhaps you’re the middle-aged child who watches this scene with a fearful nagging thought, Please, never let …