Health and Wellbeing

Beat the lack of heat     

You wake up and look outside the window and notice it is cold, wet and, worst of all, it’s dark!

With daylight saving now finished and winter rapidly approaching, the majority of people will find that their motivation for exercise will always start to waver. As the weather starts to become colder, here is why it becomes even more important to engage in physical activity.

Heat is the byproduct of metabolic reactions such as exercise, with nearly 75 per cent of energy created released as heat. From numerous studies, it is well established that your body temperature will rise during exercise. As a result, your body will try to counteract this increase in heat production by undergoing vasodilation, where your blood flow is redirected to the skin. This will result in an overall warming sensation of the body.

This warming sensation continues after exercise until you eventually reach your temperature equilibrium. As a result, you will feel warmer after exercise making it easier to cope with whatever winter throws at you. Remember next time you are thinking of skipping exercise “bad weather always looks worse through a window.” - Tom Lehrer

Corporate core strength

In Melbourne, we are seeing an increase in the amount of hours worked and the amount of hours spent at the desk in a state of inactivity. As a result, many corporate workers are feeling the brunt of these trends in their lower backs. The lower back region is an extremely important part of the human anatomy, which if not properly looked after can cause numerous lingering health issues.

Purely on an anatomical standpoint, the lower back is significant as it provides strength, support and flexibility as well as allowing for a range of movements. Most notably, the lower back houses part of the spinal cord, which is responsible for housing the millions of nerve fibres that allow for movement in the lower limbs.

Therefore pain and stiffness in this vital area can lead to decreased productivity at work and an increase in the number of sick days taken. Australia is one country that has recognised the importance of lower back health and is actively promoting the benefits that exercise and physical activity has on this area.

Now that we have greater understanding of the lower back, we can look at some practical methods of reducing the instance of pain and injury in this area.  By strengthening your core muscles, you reduce the force being loaded through the lower back muscles, you improve your overall posture and also increase your flexibility. With great benefits on offer, what are you waiting for? Contact AMCS on [email protected] to organise core-specific personal training for your office.

Wheel Women Ride Bikes … in Melbourne!

A regular ride group starting at designated start points in Docklands, Federation Square and Kensington (Bellair St coffee shops). No lycra is necessary and coffee and cake is the desired destination. It’s a social ride at a casual and non-elite pace.

Wheel Women Ride Bikes Programs are a beginner/ intermediate course, excellent for those wanting some focused learning and to develop some serious ride skills.

To get involved, meet at the big dinosaur opposite the Icehouse in Docklands on Saturdays. This amazing concept started on May 4 and is conducted between 9.30am-11. For more information or to register please contact [email protected]