• 5 Ways to Improve your Rehab & Fitness at Home

    So you’ve made the life-changing decision to get fit, but the thought of going to a gym with the smell of sweat and sound of clanging steel fill you with dread. Or it could be you’re recovering from an injury and need a helping hand make the process smoother. Whatever your need, PhysioRoom has some items intended for home fitness that we’d like to share to get you on your way.

    Home Fitness and Rehab

    Resistance Bands

    What are they?

    Resistance bands, tubes and loops are elastic…well, bands tubes and loops. They are usually sold at different resistance levels and are colour coded. Unlike pulley devices and weight machines, the resistance products allow for all strengthening exercises to be done in functional, sports related movements due to their simple nature. This makes them perfect not only for people with injuries but for sports training as well.Resistance Bands - Home FitnessResistance Bands - Home FitnessResistance Bands - Home Fitness

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    How do they help?

    Resistance Tubes, for example, are made from a high grade medical rubber, 99.99% free from latex allergens. Depending on their level of elasticity, they provide a graded amount of resistance to movement. They come in a variety of resistances, including light, medium and heavy, and you can further adjust the intensity of your resistance-band workouts by giving the band more or less slack. You can even use multiple bands at once to increase the challenge. It’s thanks to this variety that resistance products are generally for everyone, of any experience level.

    They provide an excellent method of resistance training for the strengthening of specific muscles and tendons. Not only that, but they can be part of a full-body workout that can challenge every major muscle group.

    And of course, they’re perfect for some convenient living room use!

     

    If you would like to learn more about resistance products and how they work and can benefit your fitness routine, read our ‘Guide to Resistance Products’ blog now!

     

    Foam Roller

    What are they?

    Ah the foam roller, the bane of every athlete’s life, and this author’s both favourite and most hated rehab device. Foam rollers are meant for ‘self-massage’ and involve trigger points and myofascial release.

    How do they help?

    Each muscle is made up of millions of fibres. A trigger point beds its roots in one, or a few muscle fibres being in a constant state of contraction due to a high stress environment. This constant state of contraction means that metabolic waste (lactic acid) is constantly pooling around the muscle as it cannot be flushed out by the body due to low circulation. This lack of circulation can cause other muscles to develop the same ailments and before long a trigger point has accumulated in the muscle.

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    Over time, if not treated, the trigger point can escalate to the point of muscle dysfunction. At this stage, the danger of injury is most apparent as the body will naturally try to assist the dysfunctional muscle by applying others to help take the strain. And so, muscles whose normal job title is something completely different will find themselves straining to help a dysfunctional one.

    By stimulating oxygen flow to the injured party, massage allows the lactic acid build up to be withdrawn from the affected area and releases some of the tension accumulated. Trigger point release through use of a massage ball or foam roller will allow the muscle to finally relax and stop the endless contraction cycle dead in its tracks. This allows metabolic activity to return to normal and halts the spread of trigger point within other areas of the muscle.

    When a trigger point is released, the muscle group as a whole becomes less taxed and prone to injury. This creates an environment where the patient can perform their chosen activity once more with ease.

    If you would like to learn more about foam rollers and how they work and can benefit your fitness routine, read our ‘Guide to Foam Rollers’ blog now!

     

    Swiss Ball

    What are they?

    Whether for general fitness, pregnancy exercises or sports rehab, burst resistant gym balls are the ideal workout aid. But hey, don’t take my word for it, take the word of professional boxer Anthony Ogogo:

    “I’ve really enjoyed using the PhysioRoom Swiss ball. There are so many exercises that you can do with a Swiss ball, strength, core and ab exercises aplenty. Although it’s quite large and would be quite difficult to travel with its a great item to leave at home and or take down the gym and finish your day with some core work or just as a tool to help you stretch after a hard day working out. I spend 5-10 minutes without fail at the end of the day stretching or doing core work on the Swiss ball.”

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    Check out the PhysioRoom.com Gym/Swiss/Yoga Ball! – SHOP NOW!

    How do they help?

    The swiss and gym balls are multi-functional tools that can be used at the gym at home or to improve the quality of normal or ‘standard’ exercises. Sit ups, press up and general stretching are a few examples of routines that can be enhanced by incorporating a swiss ball. Use in conjunction with other exercises to improve your stretching, flexibility and define and tone your body as well as improve your overall core strength.

    Most swiss balls are using anti burst material so exercises can be carried out safely during pregnancy. This sort of design also provides peace of mind while carrying out sit ups and more on the balls. The cushioning surface and shape of the balls helps to prevent bad posture or technique during exercises such as sit ups, leading to a healthier and more effective workout.

     

    If you would like to learn more about swiss balls and how they work and can benefit your fitness routine, read our ‘Benefits of Using Swiss Balls’ blog now!

     

     

    Yoga Mat

    What is it?

    You’ve probably heard of yoga, you’ve probably even seen it performed, but it’s important to remove some common misconceptions. As one of the oldest and most widely circulated exercise regimes known to man, yoga is often seen as merely a symbolic expression of religious practice and ancient eastern medicine. And though, in terms of its beginnings, this may in fact be somewhat true, the modern world has hijacked the ancient practice, doffed it in a lick of face paint and a sari and rebranded it as functional exercise routine.

    Here were recommend a Yoga Mat, as it is not only perfect for your yoga routine, but can also be used as part of any exercise routine where you need a flat but slightly softer surface.

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    How does it help?

    The benefits of yoga are now touted across sporting disciplines as varied as MMA, triathlon and even power-lifting. As the importance of a strong core for the prevention of injury is becoming ever more apparent, yoga has become the standard by which all other practices are judged. Not only that, but it’s a vital stretching and recovery tool for those times when you’re feeling stiff.

    If you would like to see some further yoga items, check out our ‘5 Items to Enhance Your Yoga Experience’ blog now!

     

     

    Massage Balls

    What are they?

    Both pvc phthalate and latex free, the PhysioRoom spiky massage balls are used by firmly applying in a circular motion to the desired area, which improves circulation, stimulates muscle reflexes to ease tension and provides overall relaxation to the body.

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    Check out the PhysioRoom Spiky Massage Balls now! – SHOP NOW!

    How can they help?

    Spiky Massage Balls are a great way to rehab and recover from tough workouts at home and can ensure you’re that ever-so-slightly-more ready to go when your next workout comes around.

    They are the perfect tool for trigger point massage, relaxation exercises, hand therapy, reflexology and more.

    The Spiky Massage Balls can be purchased individually or as part of a set for instant massage therapy. Individual sizes are specifically designed to target different areas of the body. The large 10cm blue is for use on the back, the 8cm yellow for the arms and lower legs and the 6cm orange for massaging the hands and feet.

     

    If you would like to learn more about massage balls and products and how they work and can benefit your fitness routine, read our ‘Self-Massage Products’ blog now!