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Farmer walking with his dog in a grassy field on an early morning in summer
Columns, Farm Life

What’s the best form of exercise?

Fit to Farm: We benefit from some form of resistance training at all levels of our biology, through our daily chores or otherwise

By
For farmers at any season of life, it’s more important to find ways of exercising that feel practical and attainable, rather than force yourself through some form of exercise that simply doesn’t fit or feel good, athletic therapist Kathlyn Hossack writes.
Certain simple non-strenuous activities such as tai chi are known to help improve balance and, according to Harvard Medical School, help people improve their proprioception — that is, their ability to sense the position and movement of the body in a given space — which in turn can help them resist and reduce falls.
Columns, Farm Life

Work on stability for your whole-body wellness

Fit to Farm: Practicing to improve your physical balance can be done simply at home

By
No matter your age or fitness level, your ability to stabilize yourself in various positions has been shown to have a major impact on your overall wellbeing and long-term health outcomes. Your body’s ability to stabilize also directly links to your capacity for joint mobility and tension levels in your tissues. Balance and stability are […] Read more
coffee in quebec winter
Columns, Farm Life, Weather

Train your body to overcome winter blues

Fit to Farm: People try to struggle against their biology in the cold and dark

By
For those of us who stay in Canada for the winter, seasonal shifts in light, weather and nutrition often take a toll. Many Canadians notice changes in their overall wellbeing through the winter months, both physically and mentally. Part of this shift in our overall quality of well-being in the winter likely comes from our […] Read more
back pain
Columns, Farm Life

Easing the strain of sitting

Fit to Farm: Joints in the spine can get compressed when you have to sit for long periods

By
A common complaint that comes along with the farm lifestyle and career is back pain. Non-specific low back pain — meaning the pain has begun with no clear incidence and doesn’t have one clear cause — makes up over 80 per cent of back pain complaints. In my line of work, often it isn’t as […] Read more
a person experiencing shouder pain
Columns, Farm Life

Movements for healthy shoulders

Proper breathing mechanics and exercise help keep the upper spine loose

By
Farmers often come to me complaining of pain and fatigue between the shoulder blades. This is an especially important area for humans as the shoulders are the core of our arms, in a sense. It’s not surprising that they are a common area of complaint, just as the low back is a common area of […] Read more
Regulate your nervous system
Farm Life

Regulate your nervous system

Fit to Farm: Turns out “shaking it off” can really help if you’re feeling stressed out

By
Nervous system regulation is becoming a common term nowadays when discussing emotional and physical well-being. To best understand what nervous system regulation means, we first need a basic understanding of how our nervous system works. The nervous system as a whole is essentially our biological operating system. It controls our biological functions, movements, sensations and […] Read more
When we are in a stressed state, any signal from our body, including pain, will be amplified.
Farm Life

Plagued by pain?

Fit to Farm: Here are some pain-relieving techniques that don’t involve medications

By
Pain of varying forms is a natural part of life. However, it shouldn’t be a constant intrusion for any length of time. Acute pain is typically a response from our body to a real or perceived threat to our survival. This means it might be something literal like the pain that accompanies stubbing your toe […] Read more
Do you experience back pain? It’s one of the most common adult complaints
Farm Life, FarmLife

Do you experience back pain? It’s one of the most common adult complaints

Fit to Farm: Here are three easy exercises to try that may help your spine

By
Back pain is one of the most common complaints among adults, and there’s a few good reasons why. The spine is one of the most mobile sections of the body, as well as an area responsible for quite a lot of force absorption. We use it a lot, in various ways, daily.  Pain and stiffness […] Read more
Pain, unfortunately, is often a fact of life. Especially on the farm!
Farm Life, FarmLife

Understanding the common reasons behind pain

Fit to Farm: Never ignore pain, but some focused breathing techniques may help to ease it

By
In my profession I meet many people who experience pain from various triggers, and one piece of homework I give to 99 per cent of them: breathing. Our breath is one of our most powerful tools, physically, physiologically and even mentally. To understand why breath can be so effective for pain, we first have to […] Read more
Many issues in the spine stem from too much of the same movement or not enough movement in general.
FarmLife

Simple ways to keep the spine healthy

Fit to Farm: Spine health is important for overall quality of life so we must look after it

By
Spine problems like low back pain, sciatica, disc degeneration, shoulder and neck pain often sneak up on us seemingly out of nowhere, however, usually they are byproducts of chronic behaviours and patterns over the years. With this in mind there are a few simple things we can do routinely to support the spine, and everything […] Read more

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