Healthy at Home: Volume 3

Another week of social distancing is under our belts, and we've enjoyed spending this time with our loved ones and beginning to reconnect with our patients. The therapists have taken turns going into the clinic to call and touch base with patients, update exercise programs, and consulted with patients over Telehealth video conference.

Remember that we are here for you during this time, so if you need to contact your therapist you are more than welcome to email us anytime. You can also call the clinic and leave a voicemail, and someone will get back to you. Until we meet again, stay safe out there.

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Mobility Monday
This week Tyler led our Mobility Monday stretches with ways to improve flexibility in our upper backs and hips.

At Home Upper Back and Shoulder Mobility
Purpose: To improve postural mobility and breathing rhythm/depth.

1. Press palms onto the wall and inhale for 3 seconds while flexing the upper back slightly.
2. Push onto wall and stick bum back while exhaling for 3 seconds and dropping the chest between the arms.
3. Repeat 5x.

At Home Groin and Hip Mobility - Frog Stretch
Purpose: To improve groin mobility and combat postural tightness from sitting.

1. On elbows and knees, separate knees wide and tuck feet under bum.
2. Gently push the hips backwards with a flat lumbar spine until a strong stretch is felt in the inner groin.
3. Hold position for 30 seconds, Repeat 3x .

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Try Something New Tuesday

Anyone who knows Mat, knows that a move like this is way out of his comfort zone. Take some time today to try something new, even if it is out of your comfort zone. Share with your friends and challenge two people to try something new today!

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What's Up Wednesday

Relaxation seemed to be the theme of our week. This is your Mackie crew checking in with an update of what they’ve been up to at home.

Melissa D has been working on putting together her new BBQ in preparation for the BBQ season and Mat continued to refinish some furniture for his new pad. Nadia is picking up the violin again and Tennille is working hard to get some online lessons up for her students. Theresa has tried playing online scrabble and Emily took her friend's dog for a stroll. Adrian was in the clinic working to connect with his clients via Telehealth and Melissa P got her kids back after self isolation. The Mackie crew have been practicing their handstands and Luke got a haircut thanks to Cayley and Momma D’.

What are you doing to relax? Relaxation is an important part of staying mentally and physically healthy, especially during times of high stress.

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Thankful Thursday

This week we were thankful for our furry friends keeping us company and providing us with all the snuggles in these times. Head over to our Facebook page to post a picture of your furry friends!

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Fitness Friday

Grip Strength Challenge.Goal: Improve grip strength to help prepare for stronger pull ups and deadlifts.
Bonus Goal: Lower risk for all-cause mortality.

How: Hang from a home chin up bar with hands 2 inches wider than shoulders. Use a box to get up to the bar if needed. Hang with the shoulder blades engaged slightly down and back to activate the stabilizing muscles of the scapula (rhomboids, lats, deltoids, traps).

Parameters: 2 sets of 5 seconds, increasing by 2 seconds every week until you can hold 60 seconds. If blisters develop or calluses become irritated take a day off between workouts.

Research: Studies performed by Rijk et. al, 2015, Gray et. al, 2018 and Bae et. al 2019 have found that higher grip strength is predictive of maintained cognition, mobility, functional status and mortality in older community-dwelling populations.

Bodyweight hanging grip strength work is a challenging but simple way to improve your grip strength as well as your shoulder range of motion and stability.

Give it a shot, then head over to social media and post pictures and tag us! Tag your friends! #mackiestrong #covid19

Disclaimer: This information and exercise program is general medical advice only. The text and exercises on this platform, including all graphics, text and images, (collectively ‘the content’) are intended for information purposes only. The content is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your Physiotherapist or Health Care Practitioner with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or its treatment. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read or seen on this content. Always adhere to the instructions accompanying each exercise prior to performing the exercise. Cease performing exercise if you experience any pain, discomfort, dizziness or tingling. In such event, promptly contact your healthcare professional prior to continuing with any aspect of this exercise.

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Self-Care Saturday

Some at home spa days happening at a few households! #treatyoself

Try this homemade sugar scrub:
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla bean paste (optional)

Adrian and his wife treated each other to some mani-pedis, then Adrian gave his little guy a massage. Melissa P’s son did her nails and then gave her husband a massage too. Blaine enjoyed relaxing with the Normatech system while watching TV.

Treat yourself and your loved ones to a spa day! #mackiestrong #covid19

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Sustenance Sunday

We've been sharing ideas all week, and apparently there are some chefs in the making on the Mackie staff!

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Kessa's Korner

3 Quick, Simple and Easy Ways to Level up Your Rice! 

There are so many ways that you can level up the nutritional quality of your rice just by modifying the cooking process! Here are three of my favourite ways: 

1. Replace the water for bone broth! Swapping the water you use to cook the rice with bone broth has huge benefits for your overall health! Bone broth naturally contains both collagen and gelatin, these nutrients are extremely beneficial for improving gut and joint health! 
2. Add in 1/2 a cup of frozen vegetables! This is an effortless way to increase your consumption of vegetables! Adding more veggies to your meal can be an effective way to reduce the amount of calories you consume as vegetables are low in calories and high in fibre! 
3. Add 1 Tbsp of tumeric and 1-2 Tbsp of coconut oil! These two flavours pair incredibly well together and add some huge health benefits. Turmeric is has effective anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits. Coconut oil is an excellent source of healthy fats. Adding coconut oil to your meal can help control your blood sugar levels, aid in proper digestion and boost energy levels.

Which one of these tips are you going to try out next time you cook rice?

Happy Cooking!

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Weekly Message from Blaine