Avenue Clinic

• Osteopathy

• Acupuncture

• Sports Therapy

• Sports Massage

• Holistic Massage

• Neurological Physiotherapy

• Respiratory Physiotherapy

• Nutritional Therapy

• Podiatry

• Reflexology

• Psychotherapy

• Health Kinesiology

• Office Massage

• Ergonomic Assessments

Therapies available at Avenue Clinic:

• Exercise and Sleep• Ergonomics: workstation setup• Breathing• Nutrition• Office Massage

Topics to be covered:

• Known to help improve productivity by increasing alertness.• Increases alertness by increasing blood flow to the brain.• You don’t need to do a full cardio workout every day to see benefits.• Walking during your lunch break or taking the stairs instead of the lift are also

beneficial.• May also help reduce anxiety and stress due to the release of serotonin.• Helps you feel better and improves your state of mind thus making stresses at

work easier to handle.• Regular exercise (as long as you don’t overdo it) can also help improve your

immune system to help you fight colds, etc and reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and heart disease which will no doubt also help your productivity and decrease time off work.

Exercise

Continued lack of sleep over a prolonged period can negatively impact on work performance.

The Effects of Sleepiness & Fatigue include:

• Problems with information processing & short term memory.

• Decreased performance, vigilance & motivation.

• Increased moodiness & aggressive behaviors.

• Increased “micro sleeps” – brief (2/3 seconds) sleep episodes.

• Sleep also plays an important role in health and safety.

Sleep

Headaches

Tired eyes

Neck pain

Shoulder pain

Elbow pain

Wrist and finger pain

Low back pain

Hip painhttp://0.tqn.com/d/ergonomics/1/5/1/-/-/-/bad_pc_posture.jpg

Common symptoms an office worker may suffer with:

http://www.flatseats.com/images/sitting-2901.gif

http://www.boostphysio.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Disc-pressure.jpg

Breathing Matters

• You should barely hear it, see it or feel it.• Whether we are sleeping, working, or playing we are breathing.

How efficiently we do this can impact on how well we feel. Breathing is not something we think about until it becomes a problem. The body can gradually adopt unhelpful breathing habits that can have a negative impact on how we live our lives.

• When you can't breathe nothing else matters.• The first step is to increase awareness of how we breathe.

Your breathing matters

Take some time to increase your awareness of how you breathe.Can you hear it?Can you see it?What can you feel?

How can you make it better? Four basic rules:- 1)Nose breathe at rest and on light exertion.2)Always pause after the breath out.3)If you feel hungry for air, focus on emptying the lungs.4)Relax your shoulders and tummy.

To reduce your air hunger practice your maximum pause. Consider aiming for over 40 seconds.

5)Take a normal size breath in.6)Then a normal size breath out.7)Cover your mouth and nose and pause as long as you can.8)Time this and record it.. Can you improve it with practice?

FOGGY BRAINMoving muscles pump fresh blood and oxygen through the brain and trigger the release of all sorts of brain and mood-enhancing chemicals. When we are sedentary for a long time, everything slows, including brain function.

INFLEXIBLE SPINEWhen we move around, soft discs between vertebrae expand and contract like sponges, soaking up fresh blood and nutrients.

DISK DAMAGEPeople who sit more are at greater risk for herniated lumbar disks. A muscle called the psoas travels through the abdominal cavity and, when it tightens, pulls the upper lumbar spine forward.

Why you need to keep moving

• Sitting on something wobbly such as an exercise ball or even a backless stool force your core muscles to work. Sit up straight and keep your feet flat on the floor in front of you so they support about a quarter of your weight.

• Stretching helps keep muscles loose.• Use a standing desk at work. More workplaces are warming to the idea.• Give yourself reminders to sit less. At home, consider a TV commercial

your signal to get out of your chair briefly. At work, use a smaller coffee cup or glass so your trips for refills will be more frequent.

• Change social norms. At a meeting, you might explain, "I am going to take a standing break."

Tips to get moving and decrease the impact of prolonged sitting

http://www.ergonomics-info.com/image-files/desk_ergonomics.jpg

• Are you sitting comfortably and is your lower back in contact with the chair?• You should be sitting with a 10 backward incline to prevent leaning forward.• There should be 2-3 fingers space between the back of the knees and the chair.• Are your knees and elbows both at 90?• Is your desk clutter free and is there sufficient legroom under your desk?• Generally touch typists should have the keyboard flat and non-touch typists tilted.• Is your mouse positioned as close to the keyboard as possible?• Your hand should be relaxed on your mouse, not gripping it. Check roller inside mouse is

cleaned regularly.• Are your forearms leaning comfortably on the desk, or is a wrist rest needed?• Is your screen directly in front of you?• Is the top of the screen level with or just below eye level?• Is the screen an arms length away?• Make sure there is no direct or reflected glare on your screen.• Are you using an appropriate document holder when referring to paperwork?• Can you reach the phone without over stretching?• Are you taking regular breaks, to stretch your legs and rest your eyes?

Avenue Clinic Workstation Checklist

Nutrition

• Avoid refined carbohydrates, they are stripped of fibre and nutrients, and are rapidly converted into sugar (glucose) contributing to blood sugar spikes.

• Replace with whole grains, dark green leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds for their fibre content which slows down the release of glucose into the bloodstream. They are also loaded with magnesium and B vitamins which are essential for energy production.

• Include good quality protein with every meal and snack, again to slow down the release of glucose into your bloodstream, helping prevent that blood sugar roller coaster, leaving you feeling fuller for longer.

• Ditch the caffeine to avoid blood sugar spikes/crashes.• Stay well hydrated (drink filtered water and herbal teas) to help

prevent decreases in cognitive performance.

The general principles of balancing blood sugar:

1)Oatcakes with various toppings, avocado, cottage cheese and smoked salmon with a rocket, tomato, pine nut and olive oil side salad.2)Ryvita topped with hummus and mackerel fillet, with a mixed bean and spinach side salad.3)Spelt wrap filled with prawns, rocket, tomato and sweet chilli or chicken, avocado and salsa, or goats cheese, beetroot, walnuts and spinach (with side salad).4)Puy lentils, roasted butter nut squash, feta cheese and spinach salad.5)Hummus with crudités (carrots, peppers, celery, cucumber, baby sweet corn, sugar snap peas) and a portion of oily fish.6)Cold frittata (made the night before) with mixed greens salad. Frittata ideas: broad bean, mozzarella and asparagus or feta, spinach and sweet potato.7)Platter of hummus, falafel, stuffed olives, roasted peppers and avocado.

Suggestions to replace sandwiches:

Office Massage

1) Increased morale and productivity.

2) Relief of stress and fatigue. (On-site massage is an energizing massage, but it also relaxes the muscles and soothes the spirit. Workers surveyed by Time magazine preferred massage over coffee breaks!)

3) It opens the mind and increases alertness. (Massage clears thinking and releases the individual's innate creativity. "A 15 minute massage increases alertness and performance," reports Dr. Tiffany Fields in Life magazine's eight page cover story on massage.)

4) It increases brain power and sharpens the senses. (The Miami Research Institute of Florida reported that office workers who were massaged completed a math test more quickly and with fewer errors!)

5) It frees the body, enhances emotional well being and reduces the damaging effects of stress.

6) At it's simplest, massage can help relieve backaches, headaches, muscle spasm and pain, reduce blood pressure, and improve circulation.

Benefits of On-Site Massage

Office Massage Testimonials

“Really look forward to my time with Sarah.  She is very thorough and will always spend extra time on any problem areas.  I always feel freer in my neck and so much more relaxed afterwards. Looking forward to the next one.”

“The ten minutes massage is a welcome relief in the busy day. It really helps to unwind for the afternoon ahead. It is a big ‘aaahhhhhhh’.”