Kinesiology tape is not a new invention. In fact, it has been in use since the 1970’s as a more flexible, multi-functional alternative to traditional medical tape. But as with so many inventions that date back to an earlier pre-internet era, most people didn’t even know kinesiology tape existed until the world wide web made it easy to explain and share. Starting around 2008, the sudden appearance of colorful tape placed here, there and everywhere began to generate lots of questions. What is it? Where can you get it? Why use it? How do you use it? What benefits can it provide? If you are wonder ..read more

To hear the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) tell it, winter is great for being in the surgical business! For example, more than 200,000 people saw a doctor for winter sports injuries over the last year alone. The good news here is that people are clearly out exercising, getting fit, enjoying the heck out of winter sports. The bad news is that more people are seeking a doctor’s care to treat strains, sprains, fractures, dislocation and breaks associated with winter sports. Or, in a word – OUCH. But the point of this blog post isn’t to discourage you from getting out there and mak ..read more

Breathing is Exercise: 4 Easy Breathing Exercises to Kickstart Your Day Take away your breath, and what do you have? It sounds cheesy but it is true – your breath is your life force. Yet how deeply are you really breathing in any given moment? How much fresh oxygen is in your lungs right now, en route to infuse each gasping cell with new energy? Read on now to add four powerful new breathing exercises to your personal wellness toolkit right away. As you practice each one, feel your body move. Ponder the marvel of breath – how just five minutes of focused breathing delivers equivalent benefits ..read more

Steps, steps, steps. For the past several years, we have been fed (force-fed, even) a steady diet of the 10,000 steps goal. But for those of us who have fallen short one day too often, or have been forced by injury or illness into a period of inactivity, walking that much every single day can soon start to feel impossible. The good news is, you don’t have to! You don’t need 10,000 steps to get all the benefits of walking. We now know that it isn’t the quantity of daily steps that matters most. Rather, it is the quality of each step you take. Read on to learn the top six benefits of walking and ..read more

When it comes to looking and feeling your best, your goals are probably pretty simple. Like most of us, you want to get stronger. You want to feel confident in your own skin. You want to have more energy. And you really don’t want to get injured. Fear of injury keeps many people from taking those important next steps to get fit. If this describes you right now, what you may not know is that you can control your own risk of injury. How do you do this? Here, it may surprise you to learn that how you move can be as important as how much you move. In other words, you need to do the right types of ..read more

More than 80% of older adults over the age of 65 have some form of osteoarthritis, also more commonly known as arthritis. In fact, arthritis has more than doubled in the last 50 years! How did we get to this point? Is it just a matter of better imaging or are we actually seeing a change within our bony structures? More importantly what can we do to prevent the continual growth of osteoarthritis within our population? The answer lies within several studies that were published recently. Epidemiologists and researchers going back and measuring the skeletons of our ancestors have shown that physic ..read more

Concussions are common. They happen every single day to people of all ages from all walks of life. But the very frequency of concussions does not mean they are not serious, sometimes life-limiting and potentially fatal. Here, use of the acronym TBI, which stands for traumatic brain injury, can help highlight what is so dangerous about concussions. Your brain has just taken a hit. Will it bounce back? How long will that take? Will your recovery be full or partial? As scary as this sounds, there is a lot you can do to influence the answers to these frequently asked questions. How Many People Suf ..read more

Hip health is all too easy to take for granted – at least until one or both hips start to hurt! The truth is, the hips have a very difficult job to do, supporting our whole weight as we bend and sit and stand and pivot and move about throughout our day. Hip pain can get triggered from something as simple as wearing ill-fitting shoes. But more commonly, hip pain is caused by a cumulative lack of strength and conditioning in the muscles, tendons and ligaments that help this incredibly complex joint do its job. Even mild hip pain should never be ignored. Taking a proactive approach to hip health ..read more

It’s amazing how quickly life can change! One minute you’re going about your typical daily routine. The next minute, everything changes and you have far more questions than answers. One of the biggest questions on nearly everyone’s mind right now is… how does the human immune system work and what can we do to help support it, so it can function better? A strong, healthy immune system is the best defense for fighting off germs of all kinds – viral, bacterial, fungal. But many people don’t realize there’s a well documented, research-supported link between immune system strength and exercise. In ..read more

Foam rolling is so popular today most people know what it is at least by association. Pick up any popular magazine or flick on the television and you are likely to see at least a photo or two of a taut, toned fitness model rolling back and forth on a long spongy cylinder. But what exactly is a foam roller? What does it do for you? Why do it? Is it really here to stay or just another one of those health and fitness fads? In this article, learn about the top five reasons health experts recommend adding a foam roll to your wellness toolkit. What Is a Foam Roller, Exactly? As Prevention points out ..read more