Get Healthy, Get Outside!

This month I will be talking a little bit about Christmas…. Yes yes, it has almost come to that time of year again, but I will also be talking about why you shouldn’t wait to begin your new years resolutions to get fitter, or stronger, or more active. Why wait to start that? Get started now and feel great for…

Misbehaving Lower Back

MUSCLES. LIGAMENTS. TENDONS… and the imbalances they have as well as tightness or weakness can cause your lower back to misbehave. Sometimes it is a little more complicated than that, and a face-to-face consultation would be more beneficial for you. Most Common Cause One of the most common causes of low back issues could be your glutes. Those big fleshy…

Lower Back Discomfort

While it used to be known as lumbago, lower back discomfort can cause all sorts of issues within those who are suffering with it, and contrary to popular belief, it’s not always a disc herniation that’s responsible nor is your back ‘weak’ or ‘delicate’, two such terms bandied about in forums I’ve seen this week when someone simply asked for…

Healthy Back Practices

Movement. Exercise. Strength Training. Flexibility Work. Movement. Healthy Sleep. Good Shoes. Movement. Supportive Chair. Floor Sitting. Hydration. More Movement. There really is not a lot more to it than that. Your back needs to be challenged to become strong, to stay strong and therefore be healthy. Movement must be in all planes that the back is capable, including your arms…

Your Back is Hurting Right Now

The absolute best thing you can do right now is to MOVE. Carefully, gently, but yes, move and keep moving. The last thing you want is your muscles learning to be in a tightened or distressed state. A few years ago I put my back out during a weighted squat, I felt my form break and knew instantly that I…

Have a Healthy Back

Here’s a little anatomy lesson so you can understand why it is not a cut and dried issue when it comes to your back, and keeping you moving well and pain free. There are 33 bones in your spine with 140 overlapping and interconnected muscles with five major ligaments enabling it to function correctly. 178+ pieces of anatomy in the…

Sports Massage Reviews

Reviews! Who doesn’t love a great review, and it can help reassure you that you are making the right decision before committing to an appointment with one of us. I have chosen a few reviews here, and if you would like to see more, then head to my google listing or my Facebook page. As you can see from the…

Your first appointment

We are still talking to you about what your first appointment might look like and left off last week about the assessments we do with you. Postural Assessments And biomechanical checks are very important to us when we first meet you. We can see if a muscle is tight or overactive in one area of your body, or if there…

What Happens at a Sports Massage?

During your first visit to Astral Fitness, you will be asked to take a seat to have an honest conversation about why you have booked in. We like to hear it in your words about what is bothering you, and then delve a bit deeper into your lifestyle to help us ascertain why you started hurting in the first place,…

Does Sports Massage Hurt?

So, what exactly is a Sports Massage like? Many assume that it’s going to hurt, and that’s down to a few unscrupulous therapists publishing videos of people being hurt during their massage. I have also seen pictures of the aftermath of Sports Massage, of the bruises that have arisen from a treatment, and it looks nothing short of shocking and…