In rare instances people are born with the sciatic nerve travelling through the piriformis muscle, meaning a greater likelihood of sciatica symptoms.

Sciatica, the proverbial pain in the butt

Overcoming it means paying attention to how you move and how you face stress

A common complaint I see in my clinic is sciatica. Sciatica can be a blanket diagnosis for pain in the hip, buttocks and down the leg. It’s labelled “sciatica” because often the sciatic nerve — a nerve that exits at the base of your spine and travels down the back of your legs, can be […] Read more

Anxiety often does accompany or can be a symptom of physical pain.

Control anxiety with your body

Fit to Farm: How full body, dynamic movements and breathing exercises can help

It is a common belief that anxiety is a mental health condition. While anxiety certainly does have plenty of mental health implications, current research shows how the symptoms of anxiety can be managed through body focused tools. If not managed effectively, anxiety symptoms such as a racing heart, nausea, shortness of breath, nervousness, difficulty sleeping […] Read more


How to get more time off on the farm

How to get more time off on the farm

This will mean considering some new approaches and making some intentional choices

Harvest is in high gear, cattle are moving and you think you cannot stop working. Your voice is louder and your sleep is lousy and you wonder if you are going to stay married with all the demands on your time. You have choices. Consider a new approach. Time for a mindset shift. 1. Track […] Read more

One way to exercise mindfulness is to dedicate small periods of time to breathing.

How breathing can help encourage mindfulness

Fit to Farm: Incorporating this into the day could help with health, mental and physical performance

The word “mindfulness” has been floating around a lot in recent years, but I still come across many individuals who have yet to be introduced to the basics of mindfulness. Being mindful isn’t necessarily an exercise you can do three sets of 10 a day and expect immediate change — but similar to how I […] Read more


The T-Twist.

Exercises to help prevent shoulder tension

Pain between the shoulder blades is a common complaint from farmers


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 complaint when our […] Read more



Lessons from the quiet chair

The ritual of spending time here every morning continues to help me

I hear the geese flying overhead on their way back to the wildlife sanctuary, just four miles west of our yard. I see birds perched on a stray self-planted sunflower near the bird feeder. I ponder the words on my lap in my journal as I sit in silence in my morning ritual of the […] Read more

Triple your canola yield

Farmers who don’t like to think about feelings might have skipped this page. Now that we have your attention, learn how to recognize farm stress

Many people don’t like to talk or read about their feelings. But dealing with stress by burying yourself in work instead of talking can backfire. “We all, at times in our life, need some help getting back on track,” says Kathy Decelle, outreach social worker. Decelle has been counselling people in rural northwestern Saskatchewan for […] Read more