Blog

It's a subject close to my heart: getting older! Muscles and bones repair more slowly as we age meaning that if we've had a lifetime of head & shoulders forward, the decline into a permanent stoop is more likely as we get old. Read what you can do about it before it's too late.

Do you struggle to sleep? Read the 6 tops tips to help you get a good night's sleep.

What are the general techniques used in massage? Learn more about effleurage, petrissage, friction and tapotement.

Most of us experience back ache. What causes it and what can you do about it?

What's it like to run an ultra marathon? Tom Forman explains what's inside his mind as he runs...

Matt Phillips is a conditioning coach and writer with both Running Fitness Magazine and the Running Connect wesbite. In this guest blog, he has a radical suggestion about choosing running shoes - choose something comfortable!

The food we eat and the stress we're under affect our hormones: tracking your hormones is a really effective way of changing body weight. Julie Dennis is the founder of Southview Fitness in Letchworth, helping people get fit, lose weight, and stay healthy - here she looks at how hormones can help you lose weight.

Read how an semi-pro swimmer recovered from muscle injury in time for a major national competition within 2 weeks.

Stress - it's the constant danger waiting behind the rocks to pounce. What changes happen in the body when you're stressed? More importantly how can you deal with the body's reaction to stress? 

"I'm not built for running marathons | cycling | weight lifting | tennis" [delete as appropriate] - whether your are or you aren't is about how fast you twitch. Read more...

What do the following have in common: carpenters, knitters, painters & decorators, typists and squash players? If you're activity involves lots of twisting of your forearm, then you might be prone to Tennis Elbow.

The 3rd annual Hitchin hard half marathon (in it's recent reincarnation) happened last week - with DW Sports Massage raising £160 for local charity Cancer Hair Care. Read the race report here:

In March 2010, the the Daily Mail reported that a schoolgirl who sent over 100 SMS texts each day developed carpal tunnel syndrome. The condition causes numbness, tingling, or a loss of feeling in in the thumb and first 3 fingeres of the hand. Read how remedial massage can help recovery and rehabilitation from carpal tunnel syndrome of this surprisingly common condition.

One of the advanced techniques in the armoury of sports massage & remedial soft tissue therapy is Soft Tissue Release - a precise kind of assisted stretching that is useful for treating mobility, pain and hypertonic (tense) muscles. Embrace your inner geek and learn about it here.

Apparently we should drink about 6-8 cups of water a day. Do tea, coffee and beer count? Read more...

Let's get under your skin for a minute: the fascia is a layer, like a bodystocking, that lies under your skin and over your muscles. If it gets damaged or dries out, then muscle movement can become restricted. Read on to learn more...

We've all had tense muscles - but what does "tense" mean? Read how muscles can become set in a "tense" position, and what you can do about it...

The power shot is all about creating maximum torsion in the body - it's the difference between hip rotation and shoulder rotation. Understanding the need for power and flexibility in both areas of your body can only improve your handicap.

Muscles develop in response to the way that we use them, and in today's world where we're sitting most of the time, that pattern of muscle use (and for some muscles, non-use) can lead to aches & pains. The sway-back posture is pretty common. To find out how it might affect you, read more...

Dealing with cancer can be stressful as well as leaving you nauseous and exhausted. Massage from a qualified therapist can't help your illness, but it can help you to deal with the stress and leave you feeling better about yourself.

Everyone's heard of "six pack abs", but there's more to the muscles of the abdomen than looking good. They control bending forward & twising; they're responsible for "acts of expulsion" like coughing; they wrap around your trunk and keep everything in place, and they assist with breathing. When you look at it like that, your abs are a great bit of engineering. Learn more here: 

Michelle Smith, owner of the Pilates Pod in Hitchin guest blogs on how Pilates can help with strengthening your core muscles to protect your spine.

Sleep - the one thing that most of us could do more of. It improves your performance, reduces the risk of injury, and it's free.