By Penny McGuire You can do these in the car to relieve neck/shoulder tension and headaches and improve focus. Sitting as straight as possible, press the back of your head into the head bolster. Hold for one full breath and on the second exhale gently release. Use your neck muscles only – not your shoulders/chest [...]

By Penny McGuire This simple, quick stretch. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and parallel. Bend your knees a little and slowly roll your upper body down towards the ground, like you are trying to touch your toes – but without ‘reaching’. Exhale on the way down and when you get as far down as [...]

By Penny McGuire Stand with the feet hip-width apart and knees slightly bent. Engage the abdominals to ‘medium hold’ and hold a club behind your back, parallel with the ground. Walk your hands along the club until your thumbs and index fingers meet in the center of the club and the center of your behind. [...]

By Penny McGuire Lie on your back with both knees bent and the soles of the feet flat on the floor. Extend your arms out to either side, also flat on the floor. Move your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart, then let both knees fall gently to the right. As your knees move down [...]

By Adam Ridgewell, DO, ND Here is the first tip of many more to come that may help you to switch on the inner core muscles that stabilize your lower back during rotational movements and re-train reflexes to prevent muscle strain! Over the winter months, most of us become less motivated and therefore physically un-conditioned. [...]

By Diarmid “Scotty” McVicar, RPT, CWCE Warm Up This is like starting a car on a cold morning. It is important to get the fluids moving through the vehicle. It is important to increase the body’s core temperature while also increasing the body’s muscle temperature. By warming the muscles this will make them looser and [...]

By Diarmid “Scotty” McVicar, RPT, CWCE When we talk about cardiovascular training, most of us think of superbly fit athletes, such as long distance runners, tri-athletes, or cross country skiers. For those readers who are old enough, think back to The Commonwealth Games in 1954 at Empire Stadium in Vancouver and The Miracle Mile. Remember [...]

By Diarmid “Scotty” McVicar, RPT, CWCE It has been found over the last several years that the powerhouse for many sporting activities is the core of the body. The core involves the lower back muscles, both large and small, and all of the abdominal muscles. Golf uses those muscles even to a greater extent, as [...]

By Diarmid “Scotty” McVicar, RPT, CWCE As golfers, gaining muscle strength in the legs, core and upper body is crucial in supporting the body during the golf swing. What I would like to address this month is why and how a golfer should develop his/her muscular ability. Golfers need to develop strength without building bulk, [...]

By Diarmid “Scotty” McVicar, RPT, CWCE Having worked hard all winter you now know how to stretch, work on your cardiovascular system, develop your core, and generally strengthen your muscles. Now that the golf season is upon us and there is a tournament every weekend, it is time to back off the really heavy fitness [...]