Soigneur at Gent-Wevelgem Elite Womens Cycle race

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I was invited by my good friend Jody, lead therapist at Home Massage in London, to spend this weekend helping him out as a soigneur with the Breast Cancer Care Cycle Team. For the Ghent-Wevelgem race, the team consisted of 5 riders, Julie Leth, Anne Ewing, Ella Hopkins, Jane Barr, and Joanna Rowsell, who was guesting for the team. With the way the weather was, snow, cold temperatures and general mayhem in Britain, it wasn’t overly certain that the race would be held, however, we needed to be over in Belgium, just in case it was going to go ahead. … Continue reading →

O is for Overbreathing

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“Proper breathing at all times is important. If breathing is not effective, the ability to exercise is compromised. Breathing patterns, both functional and dysfunctional, are a direct link to … mood, feelings, and behaviour. Especially when working with athletes, the breathing function may be a causal factor in many soft tissue symptoms.” Sports & Exercise Massage, Sandy Fritz. With dysfunctional breathing, the muscles which attach onto the ribs will frequently become shortened, and incorrect upper chest breathing patterns result. The outcome of this can be chronic overbreathing and overbreathing pattern syndrome symptoms. Which, as Sandy Fritz states so well in … Continue reading →

N is for Nerves

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Nerves are responsible for transmitting information from the various parts of the body (what we feel as sensations, for example heat or pain) to the brain, in order for an appropriate action to occur. For example, if you hold a very hot object there are signals sent towards your brain to warn you of the potential danger. The reaction might be that you’ll retract your hand to prevent it from being burnt. With this type of reaction the signal may not actually reach the brain, instead automatic responses deal with the situation very quickly – the system is designed this … Continue reading →

Stretches for desk workers – part 2

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Following on from Stretches for desk workers – part 1, here are the next five stretches for you: 6. Interlaced hands above your head with palms facing upwards (remember to stretch your ribs) then add a slight side bend. Repeat on opposite side. 7. Shoulder shrugs and drops: first shrug your shoulders towards your ears, hold, then release and drop your shoulders and slide your shoulder blades downwards. 8. Palms together in front of you, keeping your elbows level. 9. Spine rotations: cross you right leg over your left, left hand on right knee, right elbow on back of your … Continue reading →

Stretches for desk workers – part 1

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Do you sit at a desk for long periods of time? Chances are you experience some sort of discomfort or aches because you’re sitting in a fixed position. There’s more about being a Desk Jockey in this article.  To help you combat the stiffness and tension your body is being subjected to we’ve put together ten stretches that will help you relieve those aches and pains….just remember to do them a few times each day. Here’s the first five stretches, we’ll post the others soon: 1. Interlace your fingers behind your head and gently squeeze your shoulder blades together, push … Continue reading →

M is for Mobility

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Mobility and movement are pretty important to the human body. If it does not move, it will seize up, quite literally. The axiom “use it or lose it” is very very true, and there is a reason for this. I have recently heard a lot of people going on and on about something called the SAID principle. It is a simplified version of a much more complex physiological theory – SAID stands for Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands. Very basically, if you make your body do something, then it will adapt to that input and will make the body better … Continue reading →